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Goldsboro Banyar and Banyar Family papers

Call Number

MS 39

Date

1727-1904 (bulk, 1740-1840), inclusive

Creator

Banyar, Goldsbrow
Banyar (Family)

Extent

91.4 Linear feet (31 boxes, 172 oversize folders)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are in English.

Abstract

This collection traces the estate and affairs of Goldsboro Banyar (1724-1815) and his heirs. As Deputy Secretary of pre-Revolutionary New York, Banyar played a significant role in colonial government, especially in the distribution of land grants. Papers include colonial government documents, business and personal correspondence, and a large number of 18th century land patents and indentures for property in New York and Vermont. The collection also includes papers relating to several generations of Banyar's heirs, including Campbell White (1787-1859), a successful New York merchant and politician, who married Goldsboro Banyar's granddaughter Harriet Banyar LeRoy.

Biographical / Historical

This collection includes official and personal papers of Goldsboro (also spelled Goldsbrow, Goldsborow, Goldsborough) Banyar and his heirs, including prominent grandson-in-law Campbell White, a New York politician and businessman.

Goldsborough Banyar (1724-1815) emigrated from London to America in the 1730's. By 1746, he had become deputy to George Clarke, Secretary of the Colony of New York. He also served as Deputy Clerk of the Council and on the provincial Supreme Court. A shrewd businessman and adroit politician, Banyar had a hand in virtually every land transaction that took place in pre-Revolutionary New York, building valuable relationships and a considerable fortune.

In 1767, Banyar married Elizabeth Appy, widow of John Appy Esq., Secretary and Judge Advocate of His Majesty's Forces in America. Elizabeth was the step-daughter of Major Abraham Mortier, Paymaster-General of the British army in New York. (Mortier married Elizabeth's mother, the widow Martha Naden, after Elizabeth's father passed away. The Mortier's home, Richmond Hill, later became the headquarters of George Washington).

Goldsborough and Elizabeth had four or more children. It appears that only two survived to adulthood: a daughter, Martha, and son Goldsborough Banyar, Jr. The family lived in New York City until the onset of the Revolution, at which time they relocated to Rhinebeck, NY, in an attempt to avoid conflict. Although presumably a loyalist, Banyar managed to retain his many valuable grants of land. By 1790, the family had relocated again to Albany, where Banyar purchased a large home on Pearl Street as well as several other local properties. In 1800, the household included five slaves.

In 1801, Banyar's son, Goldsborough Banyar, Jr. married Maria Jay (1782-1856), daughter of John Jay (1845-1892), first Chief Justice of the United States. Banyar Jr. managed his father's extensive real estate holdings and served on local boards in Albany until 1806, when he died at the age of 31. Goldsboro Banyar, Senior, continued to live in Albany with his daughter-in-law, Banyar Jr.'s widow Maria. The elder Banyar died in 1815 at the age of 91.

By the time of Banyar's death, his only surviving child was his daughter Martha. Martha had married Jacob LeRoy, a prominent New York merchant, in 1792 The couple had three daughters -- Harriet, Mary, and Cornelia -- and a son, Goldsborough Banyar Leroy (1802-1866), who inherited his grandfather's extensive estate (as directed by Banyar's will, he changed his name from Goldsborough Banyar LeRoy to Goldsborough LeRoy Banyar).

Goldsborough LeRoy Banyar never married. His sister, Harriet Banyar LeRoy, married Campbell Patrick White. An Irish immigrant, Campbell Patrick White became a prominent New York lawyer and politician who served in Congress from 1829 to 1835. Campbell's brother, Robert White, served for many years as cashier of Manhattan Bank. The two brothers also managed the New York branch of the White family's distillery business, headquartered in Baltimore.

When Goldsborough LeRoy Banyar died in 1866, he left his estate to his nephew, John Campbell White (Campbell and Harriet White's son and Goldsboro Banyar's great-grandson). In accordance with his uncle Goldsborough LeRoy Banyar's will, John Campbell White also changed his name to Goldsborough Banyar in order to inherit the Banyar estate.

Arrangement

The collection is organized chronologically in three series:

Series I, Goldsboro Banyar, spans the years from 1727-1775 and 1784-1823, documenting the political and business career of Goldsboro Banyar and his children.

Series II, Campbell P. White and Harriet (Banyar White), continues into the next generation with the papers of Campbell and Harriet (Banyar) White, the granddaughter of Goldsboro Banyar, covering the period from the 1820's to the 1850's.

Series III, Goldsborough Banyar (formerly John Campbell White), concludes with the papers of John Campbell White, the son of Campbell and Harriet, who changed his name to Goldsborough Banyar in order to inherit the Banyar estate. This series spans the period from the 1870's to 1904, and consists primarily of routine business correspondence concerning management of the various Banyar properties, accounts, tax and other receipts, and insurance policies.

Material within each series is arranged into subseries by subject matter and/or format, and within those categories, where possible, chronologically.

Scope and Contents

This collection traces the estate and affairs of Goldsboro Banyar and his heirs, spanning the period from the 1740's to 1904. The collection also includes papers relating to various members of the family of Campbell White, who married Goldsboro Banyar's granddaughter Harriet Banyar LeRoy. Materials include primary documents reflecting the governance of colonial New York; patents, deeds, and other documents relating to land transactions; business and personal correspondence; accounts; and legal and estate papers. Although primarily concerned with the affairs of prominent men, the collection also provides tantalizing glimpses of less-documented aspects of early American society, including slavery, interactions with Native Americans, relationships between landowners and laborers, and domestic affairs.

The collection is organized chronologically into three series. In addition to the general summary that follows, more detailed scope and contents notes are provided as introductory matter to each series. Series I spans the years from 1727-1775 and 1784-1823, documenting the political and business career of Goldsboro Banyar and his children, only one of whom (Martha, wife of Jacob LeRoy) survived at Banyar's death. This series consists primarily of documents relating to colonial administration, including office appointments, land transactions and the collection of quitrents, court fees, and rough minutes of Chancery Court proceedings, typically involving matters such as land disputes, estates, guardianship, and divorce. There is also post-colonial era correspondence relating to the settlement of British land claims and other business affairs. Correspondents include George Clarke (Secretary of New York), Edward Clarke, Sir William Johnson, William Knox, and family members Goldsboro Banyar, Jr., William Banyar, and Jacob LeRoy (Banyar's son-in-law). Notably, the only documents from the Revolutionary War period are several pieces of correspondence from the Commissioners for Conspiracies in 1778.

Series II continues into the generation of Goldsboro Banyar's granddaughter, Harriet (Banyar) White, covering the period from the 1820's to the 1850's. In 1816, Harriet married Irish immigrant Campbell White (1787-1859), a lawyer, politician, and business man, who apparently took over some or all responsibility for managing the Banyar estate. Papers in this series include family correspondence and receipts, as well as Campbell White's correspondence on political matters during and after his time in Congress (including a letter remarking on the assassination attempt on Andrew Jackson). Also included are business papers from the White family distillery, and correspondence and business papers of Campbell's brother, Robert White, who served as clerk of the Manhattan Bank for many years, resigning after the Panic of 1837 amid allegations of misfeasance. Notable subjects include currency and anti-rent legislation, the antebellum cotton trade, and the cholera outbreak of 1849.

Series III concludes with the papers of John Campbell White, the son of Campbell and Harriet and great-grandson of Goldsboro Banyar. John Campbell White changed his name to Goldsborough Banyar in order to inherit the Banyar estate. This series covers the period from the 1870's to 1904, and consists primarily of routine business correspondence concerning management of the various Banyar properties, accounts, tax and other receipts, and insurance policies.

Subjects

Families

Occupations

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the Goldsboro Banyar Papers, MS 39, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of estate of Augustus Van Horne Stuyvesant, 1957.

Collection processed by

Susan Kriete

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:18 -0400.
Language: Description is in English

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024