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Creator
Tilden Trust
Call number
MssCol 2995
Physical description
15.48 linear feet (14 boxes, 19 volumes, 1 other item)
Preferred Citation

Tilden Estate and Trust records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

The Tilden Trust was incorporated in 1887 after the death in 1886 of Samuel J. Tilden, attorney, governor of New York in 1874 and 1875, and U.S. presidential candidate in 1876. Tilden's will stipulated that the bulk of his estate was to make up the Tilden Trust for the creation of a public library and reading room in New York City. The records include correspondence, financial and legal files, graphic material, and printed matter. The bulk of the material relates to the administration of the resources of the Estate and Trust, as well as the litigation attempt to break the will.

Biographical/historical information

The Tilden Trust was incorporated in 1887 after the death in 1886 of Samuel J. Tilden, attorney, governor of New York in 1874 and 1875, and U.S. presidential candidate in 1876. Tilden's will stipulated that the bulk of his estate was to make up the Tilden Trust for the creation of a public library and reading room in New York City. His heirs contested the will and the subsequent lawsuits were not settled until 1892. Funds from the estate were used for the formation of the New York Public Library in 1895 but the books of the Trust were not closed until 1930. Executors of Tilden's estate included John Bigelow, Andrew Haswell Green, George B. Smith, and later, Smith's widow, Emma B. Smith.

Scope and arrangement

The material in the records of the Tilden Estate and Trust consist of correspondence, financial and legal records, graphic material, and printed matter.

The Tilden Estate and Trust records are arranged in four series:

  • I. Estate and Trust correspondence
    1886-1930

    Correspondence, largely among the trustees and their financial and legal advisors, concerns the legal cases with Samuel J. Tilden's heirs-at-law to retain control of that portion of the estate which Tilden had hoped would be used to fund the creation of a free public library and reading room in New York City. The correspondence also concerns the management of the assets of the estate during those protracted legal battles. Other topics to be found within the correspondence are the construction of appropriate Tilden monuments and memorials, as well as the formation and construction of the New York Public Library (though this is not a large percentage of the correspondence). Correspondents include John Bigelow, James C. Carter, A. C. Flagg, Andrew Haswell Green, L. C. Ledyard, L. V. F. Randolph, and George and Emma Smith.

  • II. Financial and legal material
    1837-1930

    Financial and legal records are comprised of estate maps and inventories; material relating to mines and other investments; deeds; and depositions, briefs and arguments, along with some attached correspondence, concerning the distribution of the proceeds of the Trust funds and resources; continuing cases with particular heirs; and the eventual settlement with Mrs. Laura B. Hazard. There are also bank books, account books, and accounting records.

  • III. Graphic material
    1894-1927

    Graphic material consists of architectural drawings of proposed monuments to Samuel J. Tilden, as well as the statue eventually erected at 112th Street and Riverside Drive in New York City, and his tomb in New Lebanon, New York.

  • IV. Printed matter
    1886-1930

    Printed matter is composed primarily of scrapbooks and clippings compiled by the trustees, tracing the court cases and decisions regarding the Trust, and printed copies of relevant arguments, decisions, and opinions

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Received from the Tilden Estate and Trust, 1927-1930.

Processing information

Compiled by Charles Kronick.

Material comprising the Tilden Estate and Trust records was originally received as part of the Samuel J. Tilden papers. At the time the papers were accessioned, the decision was made to separate material relating to the Estate and Trust from the personal papers. Additionally, material relating specifically to the creation of the New York Public Library was also separated. Researchers interested in Tilden's Trust and Estate should consult not only these records, but the Samuel J. Tilden papers, and the Tilden Trust records of the NYPL Archives.

Related Material

Samuel J. Tilden papers. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. Tilden Trust records. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

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