Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Kemble, Gouverneur, 1786-1875

titleWest Point Foundry Association collection, 1817-1878.
repositoryThe New-York Historical Society
descriptionEmployee time books, wage records, diary, shipping manifests, bills, stock certificates, pattern books, pamphlets, and a few items of correspondence, 1817-1878, from or pertaining to the West Point Foundry Association and the operation of the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York.

Volume of wage records for the West Point blast furnace, 1826-1834, lists names, wages, and days worked, occasionally noting the employee's situation, followed by accounts recording foundry expenses, 1834-1835, and work performed by teamsters employed by the foundry, 1834 May 4-1834 Oct. 1; time books, 1836-1837, list employee's name and days worked; diary, 1817 Jun. 6-1817 Jul. 1, probably kept by Gouverneur Kemble, one of the partners in the firm, during the construction of the West Point Foundry, records the progress of the foundry's construction, plans and policy decisions, other persons connected with the foundry, events of interest, etc.; printed wheel pattern lists include two pamphlet volumes listing specifications for spur, bevel, and mitre wheels, 1866 and undated, offered by the West Point Foundry, with additional manuscript specifications and annotations.

Additional materials include printed by-laws, undated, of the West Point Foundry Association; an 1878 pamphlet entitled "Memorials in Behalf of The South Boston Iron Co. and The West Point Foundry, with Data showing the necessity of having at least two Foundries kept in perfect working order for manufacturing heavy ordnance;" and assorted bills, drafts, accounts, printed matter, bills of lading, contracts, invoices, and explanatory notes intended to accompany a sketch of the West Point Foundry, undated.

Historical Note:
Foundry organized ca. 1817 for the purpose of supplying ordnance to the U.S. Army; incorporated April 15, 1818 and continued to operate until 1884;

built blast-furnace and foundry near Cold Spring Landing, Putnam Co., N.Y., across Hudson River from West Point; also constructed a machine shop and finishing shop on Beach St. in New York City, specializing in marine steam engines; built first commercially successful locomotive in U.S., 1830; machine shop moved to Cold Spring, ca. 1839.


New-York Historical Society
Mss Collection
West Point Foundry Association collection


extent1 box (7 v., 30 items).
formatsBusiness Papers Financial Records Legal Papers Diaries Ephemera
accessOpen to qualified researchers at The New-York Historical Society.
record sourcehttp://www.bobcat.nyu.edu:1701/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?fn=display&doc=nyu_aleph000824008&vid=NYU&persistent
updated03/16/2023 10:30:04
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titleWashington Irving collection of papers, [1805]-1933 bulk (1815-1859).
repositoryBerg Collection of English and American Literature
descriptionThis is a synthetic collection that includes manuscripts, portraits, pictorial works, commonplace books, journals, and notebooks, a certificate, a scrapbook and correspondence.

The manuscripts include early holograph drafts and notes for The Alhambra, Communipaw, A history of New York, sections of the Life of George Washington, and notes and fragments of Mahomet and his successors. They also include fragments from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, portions of text extracted from the Knickerbocker, two packets of holographic notes headed "Alhambra", holograph of Newstead abbey, proverbs apparently from Spanish sources, and notes and incomplete drafts for The sketchbook.


The collection also includes an engraved acknowledgement from the Astor Library to William A. Macy; W. C. Bryant's Discourse on the life, genius and and writing of Washington Irving; and holograph notes by P. M. Irving relating to Washington Irving and to the history of the name "Irving."

There are two holograph journals by Washington Irving and one journal by his son, Pierre, describing the author's last days. The notebooks include three consisting chiefly of memoranda towards Mahomet and his successors; one of rough drafts and incomplete essays; one of notes of a Conversation with William P. Duvall the original of Ralph Ringwood; and another of A tour on the Prairies.

The collection also includes a notebook by P. M. Irving with his outline for Life and letters of Washington Irving.

There is also a scrapbook of clippings and letters related to Irving gathered by J. C. Peters; and Irving's commonplace book of reading notes and observations on various subjects. T

he correspondence includes letters written by Irving to Colonel Thomas Aspinwall, Richard Bentley, Henry Brevoort, Catherine D'Oubril, Charles R. Leslie, John Murray, Edgar Allan Poe, William H. Prescott, Daniel Webster, and others. The collection also includes letters from Julia Irving Grinnell to her sister; P. M. Irving to Dr. John C. Peters relating to the death of Irving; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Dr. Peters; John C. Peters to Oliver Wendell Holmes; S. T. Williams to W. T. H. Howe, and others related to Irving. There are letters to Irving from Richard Henry Dana, Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Murray, Philip Henry Stanhope, and others dating from 1807 to 1858.

Biography
Washington Irving was an American author of short stories, travel literature, humorous and historical works, folklore, biographies, and essays.

Born on April 3, 1783 in New York, Irving spent several years abroad in both England and Spain. He was the secretary to the American Legation in London from 1829 to 1842 when he was appointed as the U.S. Minister to Spain for four years.

His works include the well-known short stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle and extensive biographies of George Washington, Christopher Columbus and others.

Local Note
Creation of collection-level record funded with the generous support of the Gladys Kreible Delmas Foundation.

Schwarzman Building (42nd Street & 5th Avenue)
Berg Collection
Berg Coll MSS Irving
extent167 items.
formatsManuscript Printed Materials Journals Scrapbooks Correspondence
accessRestricted access; Berg Collection; Permit must be requested at the division indicated.
record linkhttp://www.nypl.org/archives/469
record sourcehttp://catalog.nypl.org/record=b15797291~S1
finding aidInventory list and card catalog available in repository.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleJoseph G. Swift correspondence, 1809-1862, bulk (1820s-1850s).
repositoryNew York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division
descriptionCollection consists entirely of correspondence of Swift and members of his family. Most of the letters, 1825-1857, were written to Swift from his brother, William Henry Swift, and from his brother-in-law, George Washington Whistler.

Whistler's letters include several written from Russia while he was working on construction of the Moscow/St. Petersburg railroad. Also, correspondence of Swift and Whistler, 1809-1862, with various correspondents, and letters exchanged among members of the Swift, Whistler and McNeill families.

Biography
Joseph Gardner Swift (1783-1865) was a civil engineer and officer in the U.S. Army. He was one of two students of the first graduating class in 1802 of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

By the age of twenty-eight he was a colonel and Chief Engineer of the Army. His projects included the completion of Fort Clinton (New York City) and during the War of 1812 the fortifications of western Long Island harbors and New York City.

He resigned his commission in 1818 and served as Surveyor of the Port of New York until 1826, then as chief engineer for several railroads, and in 1829 he directed harbor improvements on the Great Lakes. Swift also was involved in a variety of business activities and was a friend and mentor to younger engineers including George Washington Whistler and William Gibbs McNeill (both of them were his brothers-in-law).

Call No. MssCol 2935
extentOriginals: .3 linear foot (1 box). Copies: 1 microfilm reel.
formatsCorrespondence
accessManuscripts and Archives Division; Permit must be requested at the division indicated.
record linkhttp://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/swiftjg.pdf
record sourcehttp://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11996382~S1
finding aidCollection guide available in repository and on internet.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleMartin Van Buren papers, 1806-1882.
repositoryMassachusetts Historical Society
descriptionA small collection of mostly political papers of Martin Van Buren spanning his tenure as a lawyer; member of the New York state senate; U.S. Secretary of State, advisor, and vice-president (1829-37) under Andrew Jackson; and president (1837-41.

The bulk of the correspondence is incoming, although there are some drafts of Van Buren’s outgoing letters. The letters cover a variety of topics, although the bulk concern New York state politics, the Democratic Party, and national politics, in particular Jackson’s and Van Buren’s administrations.

The collection also includes some personal letters written to Van Buren in his later years. Frequent correspondents include Aaron Burr, Benjamin F. Butler (1795-1858), Andrew Jackson, and Gouverneur Kemble.

Call number(s):
P-107, 1 reel (microfilm)
Ms. N-1700
extent1 narrow box.
formatsBusiness Papers Correspondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://www.masshist.org/findingaids/
finding aidMany items are individually described in the MHS manuscript catalog.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleRead family papers, 1568-1906 (bulk 1775-1906).
repositoryLibrary of Congress
descriptionCorrespondence, deeds and indentures, a journal, notebooks, legal documents, genealogical records, commissions, printed material, and other papers. Papers of George Read relate chiefly to his activities during the American Revolution and his law practice in New Castle, Del.

Includes a journal containing memoranda (1782-1784) kept by James Read as secretary of the Continental Congress Marine Committee and a record of his personal accounts (1794-1812). Papers of John Read include a notebook (1809-1818) of correspondence and memoranda which he kept as secretary of the Asylum Company, a land company of Philadelphia, Pa. Those of John Meredith Read pertain primarily to his involvement in Pennsylvania state politics, and papers of John Meredith Read, Jr., include correspondence and genealogical material pertaining to his book about Henry Hudson, correspondence regarding the sale of Read’s collection of Robert Morris papers, and English legal documents (1568-1696, undated) from his manuscript collection.

Correspondents include John Bubenheim Bayard, James Buchanan, Thomas Cadwalader, Simon Cameron, George Clymer, John Dickinson, Philemon Dickinson, Joseph Galloway, Ulysses S. Grant, Gouverneur Kemble, Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Samuel Meredith, John G. Nicolay, Caesar Rodney, Tench Tilghman, Samuel Wharton, James Wilson, and John Witherspoon.

Biographical/Historical Data:
Read (Reed) family of New Castle, Del., later of Pennsylvania. Family members represented include George Read (1733-1798), lawyer, delegate to the U.S. Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and U.S. senator from Delaware;

his brother, James Read (1743-1822), army officer, banker, and merchant, of Philadelphia, Pa.; George Read’s sons, John Read (1769-1854), banker, lawyer, and Pennsylvania public official, and George Read (1765-1836), lawyer and Delaware public official; John Read’s son, John M. Read (1797-1874), jurist and Pennsylvania public official; and John Meredith Read, Jr. (1837-1896), army officer, diplomat, and lawyer.

CALL NUMBER: MMC-3253
Request in: Manuscript Reading Room (Madison, LM101)
extent2 linear feet.
formatsCorrespondence Financial Records Legal Papers Printed Materials Journals
accessOpen to research.
record linkhttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009240
record sourcehttp://lccn.loc.gov/mm82037374
finding aidOnline and in repository.
acquisition informationGift, estate of Mrs. Harmon Pumpelly Read via Charles Motisher, 1940. Other gifts and purchases, 1904-1990.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleGouverneur Kemble correspondence, 1853.
repositoryLibrary of Congress
descriptionForms part of: Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection.

Biographical/Historical Data:
U.S. representative of New York and manufacturer.

CALL NUMBER: MMC
Request in: Manuscript Reading Room (Madison, LM101)
extent1 item.
formatsCorrespondence
accessOpen to research.
record sourcehttp://lccn.loc.gov/mm79002664
finding aidForms part of: Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleMatthew Calbraith Perry papers, 1839-1931.
repositoryLibrary of Congress
descriptionOfficial correspondence; order book (1847-1848) kept on board the U.S.F. Cumberland at Veracruz Llave, Mexico; and printed matter from the America-Japan Society. Represented in the correspondence are Perry Belmont, Gouverneur Kemble, Eugene A. Vail, and Kenkichi Yoshizawa.

Biographical/Historical Data:
Naval officer and commander-in-chief of negotiations with the Japanese for the treaty signed between the United States and Japan in l854.

CALL NUMBER: 0536D NHF-019
Request in: Manuscript Reading Room (Madison, LM101)
extent10 items.
formatsCorrespondence
accessOpen to research.
record sourcehttp://lccn.loc.gov/mm70055954
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleGouverneur Kemble Papers.
repositoryU.S. Military Academy Library
descriptionCongressman, N.Y.. 1838 draft of law for increase in the size of the army and letters concerning this bill; correspondence with constituants concerning admission to the U.S. Military Academy; correspondence regarding pensions;

correspondence with army officers and others discussing appointments to the U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors, increases in army pay scale and faculty appointments; letter to J.W. Bailey discussing chair as professor of chemistry; letter to R.L. Baker regarding increased ordnance pay; letter to J.L. Cadwalader discussing proposed survey of Isthmus of Panama for canal; letter from Samuel Kemble discussing chaplaincy at West Point; letter, 28 May 1821, to William Kemble regarding the possibility of gas light and steam heat for the U.S. Military Academy which he had discussed with Sylvanus Thayer;

letter from Miner Knowlton discussing pay as professor of ethics and instructor of artillery; letters concerning West Point Foundry; correspondence with C.F. Smith on 1838 reorganization of the army; letter from Robert W. Weir discussing professorial chairs in the departments of French and drawing; partial journal entries

Library Collection
MANUSCRIPTS-SPEC

Call Number
SPEC Mss
extent1 box
formatsAdministrative Records Correspondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://usmalibrary.usma.edu/search~S0?/aKemble%2C+Gouverneur%2C+1786-
finding aidA complete register of correspondence and correspondees located in the collection.
acquisition informationGift of Ellison Marvin, 1960.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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titleJoseph Gilbert Totten letters, 1839-1840
repositoryU.S. Military Academy Library
descriptionGeneral, U.S. Army, Chief of Army Corps of Engineers. Letters to Poinsett and Kemble expressing Totten's view that instructors of military arts and sciences at the Military Academy be accorded the same privileges and compensation as academic faculty and staff.

Location
MANUSCRIPTS-SPEC

Call Number
SPEC Mss
extent4 items
formatsCorrespondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://usmalibrary.usma.edu:80/record=b1052076~S0
updated11/12/2014 11:30:12
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