- unitid
-
{"value"=>"18243", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"b18668091", "type"=>"local_b"}
{"value"=>"MssColl NYGB 18243", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1734-1991", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1734/1991"}
{"value"=>"1810-1940", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1810/1940"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1734
- date_inclusive_end
-
1991
- keydate
-
1734
- date_start
-
1734
- date_end
-
1991
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Butler-Huntington-Smith family papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"32.1 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"77 boxes, 1 oversized folder", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- repository
-
{"id"=>"MSS", "value"=>"Manuscripts and Archives Division"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Butler, Huntington, Smith, Cooke, and Clinch families were united through intermarriage and included prominent lawyers, architects, doctors, judges, politicians, scientists, and land owners hailing from New York City, Long Island, Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Marblehead, Stockbridge and Worcester, Massachusetts. This collection spans multiple generations and consists of mostly 19th and 20th century family correspondence, financial and legal documents, diaries, writings, scrapbooks, personal miscellany, photographs and genealogical research. The papers reflect the personal, social, economic, and professional histories of these related families."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p>Butler-Huntington-Smith family papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Butler family", "type"=>"famname", "role"=>"creator"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Butler, Huntington, Smith, Cooke, and Clinch families were united through intermarriage and included prominent lawyers, architects, doctors, judges, politicians, scientists, and land owners hailing from New York City, Long Island, Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Marblehead, Stockbridge and Worcester, Massachusetts.</p> <p>Charles E. Butler (1818-1897) was born in Virginia and moved with his family to New York City in 1828 at the age of ten. He received most of his formal education in New York, practiced law, and became a partner at the prestigious firm of Butler and Evarts, later Butler, Evarts, and Southmayd. At the age of 40, Butler retired to devote himself entirely to his estate, Linwood, at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, but soon became restive and returned to his legal practice in New York. He entered full retirement two decades later. He married twice. His first wife Louisa Clinch, died in childbirth with their 6th child in 1852. In 1855, he married Susan Sedgwick. They had three children who all died in infancy or childhood.</p> <p>Prescott Hall Butler (1848-1901) was the son of Charles E. Butler (above) and Louisa Clinch Butler. He attended Harvard University, became a lawyer, and entered into his father's firm. He married Cornelia Smith (1846-1915), the daughter of Sarah Nicoll Clinch (1823-1890) and John Lawrence Smith (1816-1889), a prominent judge and landowner in Smithtown, Long Island. Prescott and Cornelia split their time between New York City and their summer residence, Bytharbour, at St. James, Long Island.</p> <p>Cornelia's sister Bessie Smith (b. 1862) married the famed architect Stanford White (1853-1906), whom she met through her brother-in-law Prescott Hall Butler. Both Cornelia and Bessie inherited large properties on Long Island and Stanford White and his firm McKim, Mead, and White played a large role in designing the homes and grounds of these estates. Stanford White also designed Prescott and Cornelia's mansion in New York City at 22 Park Avenue. In addition, the four were good friends and traveled in the same social circles in late-19th century New York City.</p> <p>Prescott Hall and Cornelia Smith Butler had three children. Lawrence Smith Butler (1875-1954) was the oldest, attended Harvard, and became an architect in New York City and Paris. Charles Stewart Butler (1876-1954) followed in his father's footsteps, went to Harvard, and became a lawyer. He practiced on his own in New York City for most of his career. Susan Butler Huntington (1879-1957) was the youngest child and only daughter of Prescott and Cornelia. Her marriage to Francis Cleveland Huntington (1865-1916) linked the Butler and Huntington families.</p> <p>The Huntingtons represented in this collection were originally from Massachusetts and had a professional history in science and public service. In about the year 1826, Elisha Huntington (1796-1865) received his medical degree from Yale, moved to the small town of Lowell, and became a respected physician and surgeon. In addition to his medical career, Dr. Huntington was devoted to charitable causes and involved in politics. He was the mayor of Lowell for eight years and in 1853, became the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. He was also involved in State Prison work and President of the Massachusetts Medical Society. His daughter Mary remembered him by saying \"he was always ready to give to the poor and afflicted, being singularly indifferent to any compensation for his services; and by his generosity and kindness he won Saint Luke's name of 'The Beloved Physician'.\" He married Hannah Hinckley (1800-1859) of Plymouth colony and Mayflower origin and they had five children: James, Mary, Frank, William Reed and Isaac, the youngest who died in infancy.</p> <p>Mary Huntington Cooke (1833-1911) was the daughter of Elisha and Hannah Hinckley Huntington. Like her father, mother, and brother, she was drawn to philanthropic pursuits. She served as president of the Female Humane Society, which strove to relieve the needs of the poor. She was also one of the founders of Radcliffe College. She married Professor Josiah Cooke (1827-1894), who taught Chemistry and Geology at Harvard. He was instrumental in the measurement of atomic weights and received America's first Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He took great interest in the relationship between religion and science, and had a close relationship with Mary's brother, the clergyman William Reed Huntington.</p> <p>William Reed Huntington (1838-1909) was the youngest child of Elisha and Hannah, and like his father, graduated from Harvard. He was the class poet for that year 1859, and taught chemistry for a year following his graduation. Soon after, he entered into a theological career, becoming a prominent figure within the Episcopal Church. He was affiliated with three different institutions, and eventually became the rector of Grace Church in New York City, winning wide recognition for his efforts toward the revision of the Episcopal liturgy. He married Theresa Reynolds (1837-1872) and they had four children.</p> <p>The only son of William Reed Huntington and Theresa Reynolds, Francis Cleveland Huntington (1865-1916), also graduated from Harvard. He taught political economy for one year and began law school at Harvard. He practiced law in New York City and was active in the affairs of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. The only interruption to his career came upon the advent of the Spanish American War, when he became a member of Troop A of the the New York State National Guard and served in Puerto Rico. He married Susan Butler and they had 3 sons, Prescott Butler Huntington (1905-1988), William Reed Huntington (1907-1990) and Christopher Huntington (1911-2000). After her husband's death in 1916, Susan Butler Huntington attended to the care and education or her sons and traveled with them often. She was also active in the Episcopal Church and the treasurer for the Causeries du Lundi, a ladies literary group.</p> <p>Prescott Hall Butler and Cornelia Smith were half-first cousins once removed. Their link was through the Clinch family. James Clinch was the grandfather of Cornelia Smith Butler and half uncle of Prescott Hall Butler. He was one of the leading business figures of maritime New York in the period preceeding the Civil War, and acquired much real estate in both lower New York City and east of Smithtown, Long Island. His brother Charles was also a notable New Yorker of the time. As a result of financial losses incurred after The Great Fire of 1835, he was prompted to take a position in the Customs House. He had great success there and in his <span class=\"title\">New York Times</span> obituary, it was stated that he possessed more knowledge on the subject of American customs revenue and navigation laws than any other living man.</p> <p>Cornelia Mitchell Clinch was the sister of James and Charles and was also great aunt to Cornelia and Bessie Smith. She married the wealthy merchant, Alexander Turney Stewart. The Stewarts were very close to the Smith children and since Alexander and Cornelia were childless, much of their wealth was inherited by Cornelia Smith Butler and her siblings.</p>"}
- custodhist
-
{"value"=>"<p>The letters and documents in this collection were acquired by Madge Huntington Cooper from her father William Reed Huntington II's possessions in 1987. She donated them to The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in 1989. A few additional items were donated by the family after the initial acquisition.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>This collection spans multiple generations and consists of mostly 19th- and 20th-century family correspondence, financial and legal documents, diaries, writings, scrapbooks, personal miscellany, photographs and genealogical research. The papers reflect the personal, social, economic, and professional histories of these related families.</p> <p>The papers are divided into eight series. The first five are devoted papers of the Butler, Clinch, Cooke, Huntington, and Smith families. These papers fall into some combination of correspondence, financial and legal documents, and personal papers. The personal papers contain such material as diaries, writings, scrapbook content and other personal miscellany. The three remaining series are given over to photographs, genealogical papers, and the Davis family papers, which contain land deeds and a map.</p> <p>Correspondence in this collection is copious, especially in the Butler and Huntington papers, and gives descriptions of family affairs and everyday life in the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. Although the bulk of the correspondence is personal, there are some letters regarding professional issues and associations. These types of letters can be found within the Custom House papers of Charles P. Clinch, letters regarding Josiah Parson Cooke's academic career, James Clinch Smith's letters received and the letters of Charles E. Butler and his son Prescott Hall Butler, which give insight into their careers as prominent lawyers in New York City.</p> <p>In addition, notable correspondents within the Butler papers include George Santayana and Charles McKim. Santayana had a life-long friendship with Lawrence Smith Butler, and his letters are in Lawrence's correspondence. Mention of Stanford White along with McKim, Mead and White's designs, are present in correspondence between Prescott Hall Butler and Cornelia Smith Butler.</p> <p>Financial and legal papers throughout the collection reflect the numerous homes and large amount of land that the families owned in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially the Butlers and Smiths. Many of these properties ended up with the Huntington children and later financial documents concerning these properties are within the Huntington financial and legal papers. Legal documents kept in Charles E. Butler's scrapbook are also of interest. In addition to some 18th-century deeds, there is also a release from mortgage signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was one of Charles E. Butler's clients.</p> <p>Diaries and travel writings give insight into the lives of the family members. Hannah Hinckley Huntington and her twin sister Mary Hinckley's diaries and writings from the early to mid-19th century document life from a woman's perspective in small town Massachusetts. In contrast, Prescott Hall Butler's diary is written from the perspective of a wealthy lawyer in late-19th-century New York City. The children of Prescott Hall Butler and Cornelia Smith Butler also kept diaries, both personal and travel. Lawrence Smith Butler's diaries date from 1885-1916 and then again from 1941-1953. He and his sister, Susan Butler Huntington's travel writings from the early 20th century, document their excursions around the world.</p> <p>The photographs consist of many portraits of family members, and also numerous images which depict the travel and leisure activities of the families. There are also many photographs of the families' properties in New York City, Long Island, and parts of Massachusetts.</p> <p>The genealogical papers reflect Madge Huntington Cooper and other family members' research into the family genealogies. A rough draft of Charles S. Butler's \"Butler and Allied Families\" gives detail on the lives of many members of the families in this collection.</p> <p>Within all series, folders are filed alphabetically; married woman in the collection are filed by their married names with maiden names expressed as the middle name. In many of the folders, there is a list of folder contents in the front of the folder prepared by Madge Huntington Cooper. When this is the case, it is stated in that line of the container list.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Butler-Huntington-Smith family papers are arranged in eight series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1273991'>Series I. Butler Family</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1739-1954</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Butler family papers are rich in family correspondence, financial and legal documents, and diaries. They mostly consist of the papers of Charles E. Butler, his son Prescott Hall Butler and Prescott's wife Cornelia Smith Butler, and their sons Lawrence Smith Butler and Charles Stewart Butler. The papers of Susan Butler Huntington, the daughter of Prescott and Cornelia, can be found in the Huntington papers.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274160'>Series II. Clinch family</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1814-1903</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Clinch materials are mostly from the same generation of Clinch brothers and sisters, the children of Jacob Clinch and his first and second wives Susannah Bancker Clinch and Louisa Ireland Clinch.</p> <p>In addition to the correspondence and financial and legal documents of the siblings, the Clinch papers also contain the Custom House papers of Charles P. Clinch. These include letters and other documents, to and from Charles Powell Clinch concerning property, an anonymous accusation of a Customs House scandal, assignment certificates, testimonial signatures from others to have his portrait be preserved in the Collector's room of the Custom House, and other business related correspondence.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274179'>Series III. Cooke family</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1816-1911</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The strengths of this series are the correspondence and diaries. The correspondence from Josiah to his wife Mary are especially rich and include love letters, letters to Mary in Niagara Falls, and letters letters written while traveling in Italy and Egypt. Of particular interest are his descriptions of the Pyramids and a journey up the Nile.</p> <p>The letters received section of Josiah Cooke's correspondence contains letters mostly regarding his professional career as a chemist and professor at Harvard.</p> <p>Mary's personal papers include her diaries, which give accounts of her daily life from 1860-1884. Prominent topics include family events and her travels. There is a listing in the 1860 folder that has some descriptions of subjects covered in the diaries. Also in Mary Cooke's personal papers are documents pertaining to the Female Humane Society. Mary Cooke was president of the organization and the papers document her involvement in its activities. Included are correspondence, a report on the past year's proceedings, a member list, and pamphlets.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274216'>Series IV. Huntington family</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1734-1985</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Huntington papers consist of correspondence, financial and legal papers and personal papers including diaries and writings.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274329'>Series V. Smith family</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1787-1988</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The bulk of these papers consist of deeds and/or maps for properties eventually purchased by Judge John Lawrence Smith or members of his family in Smithtown and adjacent townships on Long Island, New York. There are also a few deeds and/or plans for properties in New York City. The earliest deed is dated 1791.</p> <p>Letters to James Clinch Smith (the son of Judge John Lawrence Smith who perished on the Titanic) are included in this series. Most of these, which are from the years 1908-1912, are of a business or organizational nature, but there are letters from James Clinch's wife, Bertha Barnes Smith (filed under S). She was living in Paris at the time, and in some of these letters, she describes her illness and lack of money.</p> <p>Also included in the Smith papers are the related names of Haight, Stewart and White. Sarah Haight was the first cousin of Judge John Lawrence Smith. She traveled extensively and had her travel writings published in the book Letters from the Old World. Her letters contain fascinating detail about her travels in 1836 and 1837.</p> <p>The White papers include a copy of letter from Stanford White to Prescott Hall Butler, mortgage bond signed by Stanford White, articles on Stanford White's murder, and a writing by Lawrence White (Stanford's son) on the history of Smithtown.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274363'>Series VI. Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1850-1990</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The upper-class social and domestic arrangements in New York City, Long Island, and Massachusetts in the second half of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century are well-documented through the photos in this series. This series is divided into three sub-series including files, photo albums, and daguerreotypes.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274476'>Series VII. Genealogical Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1846-1987</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The genealogical papers are arranged alphabetically by family name. Most of the information consists of notes taken on pieces of paper by various family members. This series also includes a rough draft copy of a book \"Butler and Allied Families\" which was compiled by Charles Stewart Butler in the 1950s. It gives a comprehensive overview of many of the members of the Butler and related families. There is also correspondence between Madge Huntington Cooper and family members regarding the Butler-Huntington-Smith collection.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/18243#c1274488'>Series VIII. Davis family</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1787-1809</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 folder</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series contains land deeds and a map concerning property owned by Phineas Davis (d. circa 1797) and his family in Islip and Smithtown, New York.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gift of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 2008</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Jill Peterson</span>, November <span class=\"date\">2009</span>. Additional materials were integrated into the collection by <span class=\"name\">Robyn Hjermstad</span>, July <span class=\"date\">2015</span>.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>Daguerreotypes may be viewed only by special permission.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"archref\">Stanford White Papers. The New York Historical Society.</span> <span class=\"archref\">William Reed Huntington papers. The Archives of the Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas.</span>"}
- dsc_type
-
combined
- extent_statement
-
32.1 linear feet (77 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
- date_bulk_start
-
1810
- date_bulk_end
-
1940