Nicholas Covenhoven papers
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Abstract
Nicholas Covenhoven (circa 1744-1793) of New Utrecht was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Kings County (N.Y.) militia in 1776. During the occupation of Brooklyn he worked with the British commissary and assisted American prisoners. After the war, Covenhoven served as the Chief Judge of the Kings County Court of Common Pleas. The collection includes an account book used by both Nicholas Covenhoven and his son, John N. Covenhoven. Nicholas recorded amounts advanced to American prisoners during the American Revolution and other loans and bonds he transacted (circa 1775-circa 1790). John N. kept account of his personal transactions, including fishing income (circa 1790-circa 1805). The collection also includes a small number of other papers, among them a petition to Sir William Howe for payment for horses and wagons seized by the British army (1777); copies of letters to and from Abraham Skinner, the Commissary-General of Prisoners, concerning prisoner compensation (1782); a pardon from Governor George Clinton (1786), and a receipt of payment for an enslaved African-American (1792).
Biographical / Historical
Nicholas Covenhoven (circa 1744-1793) of New Utrecht was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Kings County (N.Y.) militia in 1776. During the Battle of Brooklyn he left his troops and was later seen with British officers in Flatbush. Upon his return to his unit, Covenhoven was arrested but then released. During the occupation of Brooklyn he worked with the British commissary and assisted American prisoners. After being acquitted for treason in 1783, Covenhoven served as the Chief Judge of the Kings County Court of Common Pleas and as a commissioner investigating claims against the American army for seizing cattle and horses.
Arrangement
The account book is followed by the other papers of the collection. Loose inserts throughout the account book were left where found by the archivist.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes an account book used by both Nicholas Covenhoven and his son, John N. Covenhoven. Nicholas recorded amounts advanced to American prisoners during the American Revolution and other loans and bonds he transacted (circa 1775-circa 1790). John N. kept account of his personal transactions, including fishing income (circa 1790-circa 1805). The book includes many loose inserts with calculations, notations, and doodles.
The collection includes a petition from Kings County residents to Sir William Howe for payment for horses and wagons seized by the British army (1777); the many signatures may be of interest to genealogists. There are also copies of letters to and from Abraham Skinner, the Commissary-General of Prisoners, concerning prisoner compensation (1782); "Judge Duer's plan for sweeping a little money out of KC [Kings County]" (circa 1784); a pardon from Governor George Clinton (1786); three receipts, including one for an enslaved African-American (1792); a judicial order to collect fines from those not appearing for militia duty (1799); and a return of the light infantry company commanded by John N. Covenhoven.
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Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The material is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Nicholas Covenhoven papers, ARC.283, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The source of the material is unknown.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The two accessions comprising this collection were processed and brief descriptions were written in 1979 as part of the Brooklyn Rediscovery project. In 2012, the accessions were combined and the descriptions of 1979 were slightly modified for recording the material in a collection management system, Archivists' Toolkit, by Larry Weimer. The collection combines accessions 1974.058 and 1974.187.
