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Creator
Wainwright family
Call number
MssCol 18010
Physical description
.5 linear feet (2 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Wainwright Family of Rhinebeck, N.Y. Papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
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The Wainwright family papers includes military correspondence and records of William P. Wainwright of Rhinebeck, N.Y. as Colonel of the 22nd Regiment, New York State Militia, 1849-1855; letterpress copy books containing correspondence and financial records kept by his sons John T., Charles H., and William P. Wainwright Jr., 1895-1899, 1903-1913 (3 vols.) as agents for the estate of their grandfather John C. NY; additional business papers, legal documents and certificates of William P. Wainwright, Jr., 1897-1921; passports of Charles Wainwright and a few letters to his wife Margaret, 1920-1960.

Biographical/historical information

The Wainwright family lived in Rhinebeck, N.Y. and New York City. William Pratt Wainwright (1818-1895), the distinguished Union Army Colonel and doctor, was born in New York City and raised on his father's farm in Rhinebeck, N.Y. He was the older brother of Charles Shiels Wainwright (1826-1907), who also served in the Civil War and whose battle diary was published posthumously in 1962. William studied medicine shortly after graduation from the City University of New York and, sharing his brother's passion for the military, traveled to Berlin to pursue military studies. In 1854, William married Cornelia Ridgely NY (1830-1918), a daughter of John C. NY and descendant of the influential Livingston family through Margaret Livingston. They had three sons, John NY Wainwright (1865-1900), William Pratt Wainwright Jr. (1866-1925) and Charles Howard Wainwright (1869-1948).

Wainwright's sons all served as members of Company K, Seventh Regiment, National Guard, New York State Militia. They became stockbrokers and acted as agents in the management of the estate of their grandfather, John C. NY. The Wainwright brothers were principals in the brokerage firm of White & Wainwright until the death, in 1901, of its founding member Arthur E. White. Later William and Charles became partners in the firm of Keech, Loew & Co.

Scope and arrangement

The Wainwright family papers includes military correspondence and records of William P. Wainwright of Rhinebeck, N.Y. as Colonel of the 22nd Regiment, New York State Militia, 1849-1855; letterpress copy books containing correspondence and financial records kept by his sons John T., Charles H., and William P. Wainwright Jr., 1895-1899, 1903-1913 (3 vols.) as agents for the estate of their grandfather John C. NY; additional business papers, legal documents, and certificates of William P. Wainwright, Jr., 1897-1921; passports of Charles H. Wainwright and a few letters to his wife, 1920-1960.

The William P. Wainwright papers, 1849-1855, include correspondence, brigade orders, reports, and financial statements of the 22nd Regiment, New York State Militia that document his service as a Colonel under Brigadier General John Watts De Peyster. Materials related to his studies in Berlin and Civil War service are not present in this collection.

The William P. Wainwright, Jr. papers, 1897-1921, contain business and legal records including documents related to the NY estate and the estate of Arthur E. White, and a bank statement book. Also present are official certificates regarding club affiliations and military service, including his honorable discharge from Company K, Seventh Regiment, New York State Militia in 1897.

The John T. Wainwright and Charles H. Wainwright materials include letterbooks kept at various times by the three brothers and Howland Pell containing financial statements, receipts, account lists of rent payments received, and correspondence as agents of the Tillotson estate, chiefly concerning real estate holdings in Brooklyn, N.Y. Charles H. Wainwright's papers contain two of his passports and a few letters addressed to his wife Margaret G. Wainwright.

The Wainwright family of Rhinebeck, N.Y. papers are arranged in four series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Mrs. Charles H. Wainwright, 1960

Processing information

Processed by Thomas Lannon; revised by Cynthia Tobar.

Related Material

Cash book and journal, New York (State). National Guard. Infantry Regiment, 7th. Company K. Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library. Wainwright family papers. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328