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Creator
Myers, Theodorus Bailey, 1821-1888
Call number
MssCol 2091
Physical description
10.4 linear feet (35 boxes, 10 volumes, 1 oversized folder)
Preferred Citation

Theodorus Bailey Myers collection, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Sponsor
Digitization was made possible by a lead gift from The Polonsky Foundation.
Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply
Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.

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.

Biographical/historical information

Theodorus Bailey Myers (1821-1888) was an American lawyer, businessman, and historical manuscript collector. He was born in New York City, the son of Major Mordecai Myers, who served as an officer in the War of 1812 and later as mayor of Schenectady, New York and Charlotte Bailey, niece of Congressman Theodorus Bailey. Myers served on the military staff of Governors Bouck and Wright (1842-1846) and, during the Civil War, on the staff of Generals Benjamin Butler and John Wool. He sat on the board of several corporations and charitable organizations and was a member of prestigious New York social clubs.

Myers's enthusiasm for American history, especially military history, inspired him to collect historical books and autograph manuscripts. He contributed articles to American history publications, often including transcriptions of manuscripts from his collection. Myers shared this avocation with his close friend, Thomas Addis Emmet. who arranged the collection and had it bound in a similar fashion to his own before Myers's heirs donated it to The New York Public Library.

Scope and arrangement

The Myers collection consists of letters and documents of prominent figures 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 American Revolution, including American, British, French, and Hessian officers. Also included are the papers of General Daniel Morgan, 1777-1808; letterbook of General Mordecai Gist, 1777-1779; documents reflecting the activities of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1754-1759; pay rolls and subsistence accounts of New York regiments, 1756-1758; and manuscript sermons of Lewis Rou, minister of the French Protestant Church in New York City, 1704-1750. 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, and an account by Don Juan de Casta of the siege of Havana, 1762. With few exceptions, printed maps, portraits, views, books, broadsides, bound volumes of paper money, and other printed materials were transferred to other divisions of the Library.

The Theodorus Bailey Myers collection is arranged in seventeen series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Catalina Juliana Mason Myers, Cassie Mason Myers Juliana-James, and Edmonia Taylor Phelps Mason, 1899

Processing information

Compiled by Valerie Wingfield, 1986. Revised by Casey Babcock and Camille Dee, 2015

Related Material

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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

Access restrictions

Collection must be consulted on microfilm.

Alternative form available

Entire collection availiable on microfilm. (Microfilm can be purchased from Scholarly Resources.)