Scope and arrangement
Vanderpoel's papers document his legal practice, his judgeship, and, to a lesser extent, his personal life. A group of legal papers, most of which appear to have belonged to his father-in-law, James McBride, is also included.
Papers documenting Vanderpoel's administration of the William Temple Franklin estate make up the bulk of his legal papers. The Franklin estate papers, 1770-1834, consist of correspondence (some arranged in an alphabetical file, the rest included among the legal and financial documents), legal and financial documents, copies of and extracts from the wills of Benjamin Franklin and Governor William Franklin, and maps. A small amount of this material is in French, and letters written by Hannah Collier Franklin, Governor William Franklin, and William Temple Franklin, are included. Topics covered include: claims of Hannah Collier Franklin and other heirs; lands owned by the Franklin family in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York, and Indiana; legal affairs of Governor Franklin, particularly a debt owed him by Col. George Croghan; and Vanderpoel's termination of his role as administrator in 1866.
Also included are drafts or copies of Vanderpoel's letters, 1824-1845, concerning his legal practice (some additional Franklin matters are discussed here); legal opinions he issued while a judge, 1844, 1848, and undated; financial papers, 1824-1858; and a "cistpool" permit, 1844, for his Sixteenth Street house.
James McBride, Vanderpoel's father-in-law, was also an attorney. He represented clients living in Ireland who had legal or real estate interests in New York City. McBride also appears to have had real estate interests himself. A group of files arranged alphabetically by client name containing correspondence and legal documents, 1811-1848, largely reflects McBride's legal and real estate activities. Included is an undated map showing land in Greenwich Village owned by Aaron Burr (the connection to McBride, if any, is not apparent); significant amounts of papers concerning the estates of Terence Connolly and John Flack, and smaller amounts concerning the legal affairs of other clients (see the container list for a complete listing); and correspondence and legal and financial documents, 1835-1847, concerning transactions of land in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Genesee, and Wyoming counties in New York State, between McBride (with others) and the Holland Land Company.