Rodney family papers

1759-1823

The Rodney family papers, dating 1759 to 1823, comprise the papers of Caesar Rodney and letters received by Thomas Rodney and Caesar A. Rodney, documenting their professional and personal lives. Caesar Rodney papers, 1759-1781, consist of correspondence and other materials reflecting his militia and government responsibilities during the American Revolution, as well as personal and business matters. Letters to Thomas Rodney, 1776-1804, consist of personal letters from Caesar A. Rodney, nephew Caesar R. Wilson, and John Dickinson, and a letter regarding a legal matter from Thomas Collins. Letters to Caesar A. Rodney, 1795-1823, concern his legal, business and political affairs, and his missions to South America; there is some personal correspondence from John Dickinson, James Barron, and others.

Caesar Rodney papers, 1759-1781, largely concern military, political and personal matters during the Revolutionary War. Outgoing correspondence consists of a letter to Henry Laurens in Continental Congress advising that he will call the Delaware General Assembly, 1778, and a personal letter to an unidentified person, 1781. Letters to Rodney, 1777, from Mordecai Gist, John McKinly, and Tench Tilghman, concern the supply or disposition of militia forces; Bedford Gunning, 1779, writes on personal and business matters. Letters from Pennsylvania statesman John Dickinson, a close friend of the Rodney family, touch briefly on political and military matters. A letter from Richard Peters of the War Office to the Commissioners of Accounts relates to General Pulaski’s accounts. Also present are financial drafts drawn by the Speaker of the Delaware Assembly upon the Trustee of the General Loan Office for Kent County (Rodney), 1778-1779, as well as a bond of William Addams to Rodney and a receipt signed by John Dickinson, both dated 1759. A few copies of letters and documents dating 1765-1778 concern American political, military and government affairs.

Letters to Thomas Rodney, 1776-1804, consist of personal letters from Caesar A. Rodney, nephew Caesar R. Wilson, and John Dickinson, and a letter regarding a legal matter from Thomas Collins.

Letters to Caesar Augustus Rodney, 1795-1823, concern his legal, business and political affairs; there is some personal correspondence from John Dickinson, James Barron, and others. Items pertaining to Rodney’s diplomatic work in South America include Secretary of State John Quincy Adams’ instructions to Caesar A. Rodney, John Graham and Theodorick Bland as members of the South American Commission, 1817. Also present are letters from U.S.S. Congress naval personnel Armstrong, Griffin and Marston at Rio de Janeiro in 1823 expressing their regard for Rodney and his family, also at Rio, and their regrets over an unstated shipboard dispute. Several letters from his friend James Barron at Norfolk describe his efforts to restore his damaged career in the U.S. Navy following an earlier court martial and suspended service. Tench Coxe writes generally of national and international affairs, and brief letters from Edward Livingston and Joseph Hopkinson concern court matters. New York publisher James Rivington, seeking payment for books, describes his poverty, and a letter from Aaron Burr, 1801, congratulates Rodney on his recent election to office.

The Rodney family papers are arranged in three series:

• Caesar Rodney papers
  1759-1781
• Letters to Thomas Rodney
  1776-1804
• Letters to Caesar A. Rodney
  1795-1823