Image Collection 167 Items Charles John Michael De Wolf correspondence with Gouverneur Morris, 1790-1809 Letters, some in French, from C.J.M. De Wolf, a banker in Antwerp, Belgium, or, after 1806, his wife, to Gouverneur Morris concerning financial matters such as loans for the U.S., economic conditions in the U.S. and Europe and De Wolf's speculations involving 440,000 acres of land in northern New York State. Frequently mentioned are Phyn, Ellis & Inglis, William Constable & Co., William Short and Le Ray de Chaumont. View Collection
Image Collection 1180 Items Joseph Reed and Esther De Berdt Reed papers, 1757-1874 Joseph Reed (1741-1785) was a lawyer, Revolutionary War soldier, and statesman born in Trenton, New Jersey. His wife, Esther De Berdt (1747-1780), organized aid for the Continental Army during the Revolution and was born in London, England. View Collection
Image Collection 2 Items Selected Papers of William Alexander, Lord Stirling, 1767-1782 Known as the "Republican Earl", William Alexander, "Lord Stirling", was born in 1726 in New York City. He served on the Provincial Councils of New York and New Jersey, and in 1775, joined the Whigs in rebellion against the Crown. In March 1776 Alexander was appointed brigadier general and took chief command of the defense of New York City. In 1777, he was promoted to major-general. He died in January 1783 of fever and gout. View Collection
Collection 768 Items Benjamin Segan letters, 1943-1945 Approximately 760 letters written by U.S. Army private Benjamin Segan (b. 1924) to his fiancée, Judith Berman, in New York City, describing his activities at basic training in Fort Dix, New Jersey, Camp Croft, South Carolina, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and his experiences in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany during World War II. View Collection
Image Collection 5 Items Walt Whitman letters, July 27, 1863-September 9, 1863 Walt Whitman's letters to the parents of Erastus Haskell of the 141st New York Volunteers, who died on August 2, 1863 in Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D.C., where Whitman frequently visited the sick and wounded. He wrote the Haskells, of Breseport, New York, on July 27, 1863 to inform them that their son was very ill with typhoid fever. In a letter written August 10 he describes his visits with Erastus and their son's last days. In the final letter, dated September 9, Whitman thanks Mr. View Collection
Image Collection 5 Items Henry Hart papers, 1782-1793 Letter, promissory notes, and accounts relative Henry Hart of Kingsbury, N.Y., and the administration of his estate. Account of Hamilton McCollister lists numerous people with claims to Hart's estate. View Collection
Image Collection 99 Items Horace Greeley collection, 1840-1872 Letters, notes, a printed circular, and one receipt pertaining to the life and activites of Horace Greeley, dated from 1840 to 1872. Nearly all letters are written by Greeley; recipients include Thurlow Weed, Henry Clay, Roscoe Conkling, Andrew Johnson, Hamilton Fish, and Joshua R. Giddings. Receipt is for a subscription to Greeleys Whig newsletter "Log Cabinactivities", signed by Greeley. View Collection
Image Collection 15 Items Ebenezer Gray collection, 1777-1844 (bulk 1777-1786) Letters, certificates, land grants and military orders pertaining to the life of Ebenezer Gray of Connecticut. Items include Grays commissions as major (dated 1777, signed by John Hancock) and lieutenant-colonel in the Sixth Connecticut Regiment (1778, signed by John Jay); eight letters from various officers discussing military matters; Grays membership certificate in the Society of the Cincinnati, signed by George Washington; and a land grant to Grays three children, signed by Thomas Jefferson. View Collection
Image Collection 83 Items William Pitt Fessenden correspondence, 1839-1888 (bulk 1858-1869) Correspondence of William Pitt Fessenden, and his sons Francis Fessenden and James Deering Fessenden. The majority of letters are addressed to William Pitt Fessenden on financial and political matters, but a few are private; several letters are addressed to Francis Fessenden, including one from William Pitt Fessenden. A handful are addressed to James Fessenden. Four letters (J.C. Ropes to P.W. Chandler, 1868; Joshua C. Stone to A.J.C. Sowdon, 1868; Charles Allen to A.J.C. Sowdon, 1868; and William Paine to J.A. View Collection
Image Collection 9 Items Letters to Thomas J. Durant, 1869-1879 Nine letters from various correspondents to Thomas Jefferson Durant, a lawyer and Louisiana state senator, and one of the few prominent Southerners who supported the Union during the Civil War. After the war he practiced in Washington D.C. View Collection
Image Collection 3 Items Alexander Jackson Davis collection, 1837-1888 Correspondence, drafts of essays and speeches, drawings, and autobiographical writings of Alexander Jackson Davis, a successful New York City architect. Includes letters to Davis and miscellaneous papers, 1835-1859, chiefly about building residences. The correspondents include Francis H. Smith of the Virginia Military Institute, Joel Rathbone, W.J. Rotch, and H.K. Harral. The collection also includes numerous examples of autobiographical writing, and notes and essays on the philosophy of architecture, all in draft form, many scribbled in pencil on the backs of advertisements or old letters. View Collection
Image Collection 24 Items Crooke family papers, 1737-1804 (bulk 1737-1750) Twenty-four letters and financial accounts created by members of the Crooke family, originally of Ulster County, N.Y. Collection includes six documents pertaining to the disposal of the estate of Charles Crooke, Jr., dated 1753-1767; one autograph letter, signed, from John Crooke to Martin S. Wilkins, dated Rhinebeck, July 27, 1807; twelve autograph letters, signed, of an official nature from John Crooke Jr. to Henry Livingston, then clerk of neighboring Dutchess county, ranging in date from 1737-1750; three personal autograph letters, signed, from William Crooke to Peter E. View Collection
Image Collection 66 Items Collins family letters, 1862-1863 66 autograph letters, signed, between James B. Collins and his brother Joseph T. Collins, their parents John W. and Mary Anne Collins, and a handful of friends and relatives, all dated between February 4, 1862 and July 9, 1863. The bulk of the letters from the front are written by James B. Collins. Also includes a manuscript copy of lyrics to a song entitled "Song of the Louisiana Lowlands." James B. and Joseph T. Collins of New York City enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August of 1862. They were first assigned to the U.S.S. Monticello, and then transferred to the U.S.S. Commodore Barney. View Collection
Image Collection 25 Items George Clinton (ca. 1686-1761) collection, 1744-1751 24 letters and one warrant signed by George Clinton (ca. 1686-1761) in his capacity as governor of New York between 1744 and 1751. The majority of the letters are written from New York, addressed to Major Jacob Glen, and discuss various issues relating to King Georges War, especially negotiations with the Indians for their support in the war and troop supply problems. View Collection
Image Collection 62 Items William Burnet papers, 1720-1742 (bulk 1720-1729) Three folders (62 items) of mostly official signed documents from Burnet's tenure as governor of New York and New Jersey, including land grants, warrants for letters patent, memorials, leases, receipts, bills, and lists of accounts. James Alexander is a frequent co-signer and correspondent, and the collection also includes several bonds from Alexander to Burnet for fairly large sums of money. A few later documents discuss the disposition of Burnet's estate. View Collection
Image Collection 31 Items Sarah R. Blunt correspondence, March 4, 1862-July 24, 1865 Sarah R. Blunt (born in 1830 or 1831) was a Union nurse during the Civil War. Leaving her home and family in Brooklyn's third ward, Blunt aided soldiers at Point Lookout, Maryland, and Harper's Ferry, Virginia. This collection includes Sarah R. Blunt's letters to her mother, father, sisters, and cousin in Brooklyn, New York, written from hospitals in Point Lookout, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (March 4, 1862-July 24, 1865:). She writes of her living conditions, duties, and the wounded soldiers. View Collection
Image Collection 8 Items Henry Bergh letters, 1866-1884 Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and helped form both the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. This collection consists of seven letters by Henry Bergh, most concerning the A.S.P.C.A., or cases of animal cruelty. They are accompanied by one portrait engraving autographed by Bergh. Letter recipients include Orange County, N.Y. justice of the peace John Burt; New York state senator Augustus R. View Collection
Image Collection 5 Items Stephen Bayard letters, 1728-1743 Four letters from Stephen Bayard to Gilbert Livingston of Kingston, N.Y., and one to Evert Wendell of Albany, dated New York between 1728 and 1743, before Bayard became mayor of the city. The correspondence is largely concerned with financial matters, especially debts Bayard wished to collect. One letter to Livingston is signed by both Stephen and Nicholas Bayard; another, dated December 6, 1731, mentions new governmental appointments in New York and New Jersey and praises a grand jury charge by James De Lancey. View Collection
Image Collection 8 Items Bartram family letters, 1743-1796 Autograph letters from members of the Bartram family. Two letters, both by John Bartram (1699-1777), are of particular interest: the first to Cadwallader Colden, describing his recent expedition up the Susquehanna River; the second to William Bartram, which begins "Dear Billy, I have now a most grievous cough that teaseth me night and day yet I have sent thee six likely young negroes among which is [sic] two young breeding wenches..." John Bartram was a prominent botanist who established a successful garden in Kingsessing, Pa. and led numerous expeditions throughout the Eastern United States. View Collection
Image Collection 7 Items Susan B. Anthony letters, 1859-1888, undated Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was a key figure in the women's suffrage and abolitionist movements in the United States. Five of the letters concern speeches by Frederick Douglass, Theodore Tilton, Julia Ward Howe, and Mary L. Booth, as well as Anthony's own speaking engagements. Recipients include Theodore Tilton and Mary L. Booth. One letter is about remaking a dress. One letter is undated but is probably written by Anthony around November 1895, since it regards Elizabeth Cady Stanton's 80th birthday celebration at the Metropolitan Opera House, organized by Anthony and Mary Lowe Dickinson. View Collection
Image Collection 2 Items Joshua B. Aldridge letters to Anthony Van Schaick, Esq., 1806 Two autograph letters, signed, from Joshua B. Aldridge to Anthony Van Schaick, Esq. of Albany, dated Ballston Spa, N.Y., August 23 and September 15, 1806, regarding the collection of a debt from one John Green. Both letters also bear notations "Sup. Court" and "[Plaintiffs] letter" on reverse. The note referred to in the first letter is not present. View Collection
Image Collection 16 Items Abigail Adams letters, 1787-1815, undated Abigail Adams, who served as the second First Lady of the United States, was the wife of President John Adams, and the mother of President John Quincy Adams. Correspondence between Abigail Adams and family and friends, including her uncle Cotton Tufts, and her son John Quincy Adams. The letters discuss matters relating to family, illness, personal finances and the running of a household, the U.S. Congress at Philadelphia, and American politics. One letter, signed, dated Boston, July 20, 1787, to Hon. Cotton Tufts, comments upon Shays' Rebellion. View Collection
Image Collection 18 Items Alexander Hamilton duel with Aaron Burr, July 11, 1804 Correspondence of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr preceding their duel which resulted in Hamilton's death on July 11, 1804. Also correspondence of their seconds, Nathaniel Pendleton and William Van Ness, and two letters from Elizabeth Hamilton, Alexander's widow, to Nathaniel Pendleton. Alexander Hamilton was the Caribbean-born American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist who served as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1789 to 1795. View Collection
Image Collection 192 Items Abraham Lincoln manuscripts, 1858-1865 Drawn from several manuscript collections at the New-York Historical Society, Abraham Lincoln drafted, signed, endorsed, or received the 192 documents presented in this digital collection during his presidency. They range from correspondence with his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, to proclamations and other official documents signed by Lincoln, to letters, telegrams, and petitions received by him from government officials, military leaders, and ordinary citizens. View Collection
Image Collection 1 Items Witness to the Early American Experience This collection contains digital images of historical documents from the New-York Historical Society's Library that preserve the words of hundreds of eyewitnesses to the American Revolution in and around New York City. The digital archive includes the collection of maps by George Washington's cartographers, Robert Erskine and Simeon DeWitt, the William Alexander Papers, and all broadsides published from 1765 to 1783 in the Library's collections. View Collection
Image Collection 31 Items Black History Collections The New-York Historical Society holds important collections relating to Black history, slavery in the United States, and the Atlantic slave trade. Dating from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, they constitute a rich archive of primary source materials that will be of value to anyone researching the history of African Americans, slavery, the slave trade, emancipation, and the abolitionist movement. View Collection