Found 31 collections related to United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783

The collection consists chiefly of papers of members of the Gansevoort, Lansing and Melville families and reflects the social, business, and political interests of the families, their friends and associates. Also included are some papers of members of the Sanford, Van Schaick and other prominent families of the Hudson and Mohawk Valley areas of New York State. The papers include accounts, correspondence, maps, and land, court, and military records, as well as personal collections of photographs and artifacts documenting the families' history. Notable individuals represented int the collection are Revolutionary War officer Peter Gansevoort, Jr. (1749-1812), his son Peter Gansevoort (1788-1876), a New York State Assemblyman, Senator, and Judge Advocate General, Henry Sanford Gansevoort (1835-1871), Union officer in the Civil War, and author Herman Melville. less

Philip John Schuyler (1733-1804), a Revolutionary War general and statesman, was a prominent member of the landed aristocracy of New York State. The collection consists of correspondence, accounts, military records, land records, and other papers documenting Schuyler's military, political and business activities and, to a lesser extent, his family affairs. Correspondence, 1761-1804, is with military officers, members of the Continental Congress, committees of safety, and family, and concerns the conduct of the Revolutionary War in the Northern Department, 1775-1777, and political and personal matters. Indian papers, 1710-1797, contain Schuyler's papers as Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the Northern Department during the war and as agent of New York State. Canal papers, 1792-1803, include correspondence, diaries, reports, surveys, accounts, and other papers relating to the construction of canals in New York. His papers as Surveyor General of New York State, 1773-1788, and other public papers, circa 1775-1796, consist of correspondence, receipts, drafts of legislation and proposals, building plans, and other papers. Financial papers, 1711-1805, estate papers, 1752-1828, and land papers, 1705-1864, pertain to business activities and land holdings of Schuyler and family. Family papers, 1772-1851, contain correspondence and other papers of Schuyler family members. Military papers, 1775-1779, comprise Revolutionary War materials that were neither generated nor received directly by Schuyler. less

Robert Morris (1734-1806) was a Founding Father of the United States, a businessman, and statesman. As a Philadelphia merchant, Morris helped to finance the American Revolution with the wealth he acquired through his real estate and shipping business. He was one of the rare Founding Fathers to have signed all three of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. The Robert Morris papers, dated 1751-1802, consist of correspondence, financial and legal papers. The correspondence pertains mostly to Morris's business affairs. Other letters concern his Revolutionary War activities, his service as Superintendent of Finance of the United States and as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety, and some personal matters. The financial and legal papers include receipts, accounts, stock certificates, and land records. less

Samuel Adams (1722-1803) was an American revolutionary and post-revolutionary era political leader. Adams served as lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts from 1789 to 1793, and was governor from 1794 to 1797. The Adams papers contain letters to Adams and drafts of letters by him, chiefly on public affairs; as well as manuscripts of addresses, petitions, committee minutes, resolutions, and other documents. Much of Adams’ correspondence is with notable figures of the period in America and Europe including John Adams, Samuel Cooper, Christopher Gadsden, Horatio Gates, Elbridge Gerry, Joseph Hawley, Thomas Jefferson, Arthur Lee, Richard Henry Lee, James Lovell, Thomas Paine, and James Warren. There are also letters (1778-1781) to Adams’ wife, Elizabeth Wells Adams, on family matters, as well as letters neither to nor from Adams. less

Philip John Schuyler (1733-1804), a Revolutionary War general and statesman, was a prominent member of the landed aristocracy of New York State. The collection consists of various autograph letters and documents of Philip Schuyler, including letters and orders written to Peter Curtenius, Richard Varick, Jeremiah Wadsworth, James Duane, and James Clinton during the American Revolution, and letters to his daughters Eliza and Catherine and other family members. Correspondence with Simeon De Witt, a letter to Barent Bleecker, and related documents concern their efforts to build canals in upstate New York during the 1790s. Also present are two documents signed in his role as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, a letter to Richard Davis giving instructions on management of his property, a land indenture, and some receipts. less

Members of the Van Cortlandt family were major Westchester County landowners and New York politicians from the 17th to the 19th century. The Van Wyck family was related to them by marriage. Collection consists of correspondence, accounts, legal documents, papers relating to land in New York owned by the Van Cortlandt family, estate papers, and wills. Correspondence, 1779-1912, concerns family, personal and real estate matters, the progress of the Revolutionary War, and political matters. There is a significant amount of correspondence between Pierre Van Cortlandt and his son Philip. Also, 1824 almanac with journal notes; manuscript of Philip Van Cortlandt's autobiography; sketch of seating arrangement in Congress Hall, Philadelphia, 1795; family documents; and documents, 1775-1813, concerning the Continental Army. less

Peter Gansevoort was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He took part in the invasion of Canada and commanded Fort Stanwix (renamed Fort Schuyler), defending it against a British attack in August of 1777. This selection from Peter Gansevoort, Jr.'s military papers, 1754-1818, document his career as an officer in the Albany militia and the Continental Army, as well as the commander of the United States Army's Northern Department. The bulk of the documents relate to Gansevoort's service as colonel in command of New York's 3rd Regiment during the Revolution. Subjects of note include intelligence, troop movements, the supply and arming of Continental forces, the siege at Fort Stanwix, the Saratoga Campaign, and the post-Revolution Western Frontier. Documents consist of correspondence, accounts, muster rolls, returns, commissions and commendations. less

George Washington (1732-1799) was a Virginia planter, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and first President of the United States. The Washington Papers comprise manuscript items by or related to George Washington and his family acquired by The New York Public Library and its predecessor the Lenox Library through various gifts and purchases. Among the items in the collection are Washington’s notebook as a colonel in the Virginia militia (1757), the manuscript of his Farewell Address to the nation (1796), and letters he sent and received, 1757-1799. less

Theodorus Bailey Myers (1821-1888) was an American lawyer, businessman, and historical manuscripts collector. His collection consists chiefly of letters and documents signed by individuals prominent in American history during the colonial period, the American Revolution, and the nineteenth century. Represented in the collection are the signers of the Declaration of Independence, governors of New Netherlands and New York, members of the Continental Congress, and generals and other military figures of the Revolution, including American, British, French, and Hessian officers. In addition to prominent figures in American history, the collection contains letters and documents of English and European royalty and military figures, including Napoleon and his marshals. less

George Bancroft (1800-1891) was an American historian, diplomat and public official who wrote the ten-volume History of the United States. Bancroft's positions included Collector of the Port of Boston, Secretary of the Navy under Polk, Minister to Great Britain from 1846 to 1849, and Minister to Germany from 1867 to 1874. In addition to History of the United States, Bancroft wrote other historical studies and biographies. Collection consists of transcripts (and some originals) of letters, dispatches, statistical data, journals, minutes of proceedings, and other papers culled from American, British and European sources by George Bancroft in the course of research for his historical works. Bulk of the collection reflects the economic, political, military, and diplomatic relations between Great Britain and its North American colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly the period leading up to the American Revolution of 1775-1783, the war itself, and the immediate aftermath of the war culminating in the writing and adoption of the U.S. Constitution. There are materials on the presidencies of George Washington and James K. Polk, and the 1872 dispute between Great Britain and U.S. over the water boundary between the U.S. and British Columbia. Also, records dealing with relations in the 18th century between the U.S. and continental European countries, and various European countries with each other (especially Prussia, Austria, France, Spain, and Great Britain). less

Joseph Hawley (1723-1788) of Northampton, Massachusetts, a lawyer, legislator and militia officer, was one of the foremost political leaders of the American revolutionary movement in Massachusetts. The Joseph Hawley papers, dating 1653 to 1804, consist of letters and documents relating to him or members of his family dealing with public and private affairs, especially during the colonial wars and the Revolutionary era. Among these are letters to and from Joseph Hawley and his brother Elisha Hawley; Elisha Hawley’s brief journal of the Crown Point expedition, 1755; items pertaining to the ministry of Jonathan Edwards in Northampton; and papers of the Northampton Committee of Correspondence, of which Hawley was chairman. The collection also includes Joseph Hawley's writings on religious, legal and political topics, circa 1740s-1783, notably concerning the Stamp Act and the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention; sermon notes, 1724-1750, taken by Joseph Hawley with his own Bible commentaries, the early notes probably taken by Joseph Hawley's father; Hawley's legal notes on a dispute between a Mr. French and Joseph Allen of Deerfield, [1750]; and two undated texts in Latin, possibly from Hawley’s student days. less

Abraham Yates Jr. (1724-1796) of Albany, New York, was an American lawyer, politician, and political essayist of the Founding Era. He was an Anti-Federalist during the Confederation and Constitutional periods, known for his writings as "Rough Hewer" and "Sidney" in the New York press. Yates held many elected and appointed offices, notably Albany alderman (1753-1773), high sheriff of the city and county of Albany (1754-1759), chairman of the Albany Committee of Correspondence (1775-1776), and member of the four New York Provincial Congresses and the State's first legislative convention (1775-1777), chairing the committee to write the State's constitution. He then served as New York State senator (1777-1790), Continental Loan Officer for New York (1779-1786), delegate to the Confederation Congress (1787-1788), and mayor of Albany (1790-1796). The Abraham Yates Jr. papers, 1688-1920s (bulk 1754-1795), chiefly span his professional and political activities in New York from 1754 until his death in 1796, reflecting his work as sheriff, lawyer, Revolutionary War patriot, public official, political essayist, and avocational historian. The papers comprise correspondence, documents, and printed matter, 1688-1825; a letter book kept while Continental Loan Officer, 1779-1782; journals, including a record of his time as sheriff during the French and Indian War, 1750s-1790s; drafts of his political and historical writings for publication, 1783-1796?; research materials serving his legal, political and historical endeavors, 1750s-1790s; and papers concerning the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, 1761-1700s. Also present are early 20th-century typescript copies of materials in the collection. less

Alexander Hamilton (1754-1804) was a Founding Father, soldier, lawyer and statesman. He served as the first United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1789 to 1795. The Alexander Hamilton papers, dated 1775-1804, primarily consist of letters and documents either written or signed by Alexander Hamilton, and pertain to his career as a soldier, lawyer, statesman and United States Secretary of the Treasury. Autograph letters, drafts and copies of letters sent by Hamilton concern his Revolutionary War service, chiefly as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington; his legal practice in New York; and financial and political matters. Notable items include Hamilton’s letters to President Washington, dated 1796, concerning the writing of Washington’s Farewell Address to the nation, with a draft of the Address written by Hamilton for Washington’s consideration. Documents include his 1782 appointment as Receiver of Continental Taxes in New York, legal documents relating to his law practice and personal estate, and legal notes and other items in his hand. Treasury Department letters are chiefly manuscript or printed circular letters which are not in Hamilton’s handwriting but bear his autograph signature. less

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was a Founding Father, statesman, lawyer, and planter. He is considered the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson held numerous political offices throughout his career including representative from Virginia in the Second Continental Congress, Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Secretary of State under George Washington, Vice President of the United States under John Adams, and President of the United States from 1801-1809. The Thomas Jefferson papers, dated 1766-1826, cover Jefferson's career as a statesman, lawyer, and plantation owner. The bulk of the collection consists of outgoing correspondence, 1766 and 1783-1826, concerning Jefferson's thoughts on the formation of a new government, naval and shipping issues, the growth and sale of tobacco on his plantation, and personal and business matters. Correspondents include John Page, James Madison, James Monroe, Edmund Pendleton, Robert Purviance, and Noah Webster. Additional documents notably include Jefferson’s draft of a proposed amendment to the Constitution on the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, containing notes penciled by James Madison, as well as Jefferson's 1771 list of suggested books for a private library. Also present are legal documents, drafts, notes, and autographs. less