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Gouverneur Morris, Jr. Papers

Call Number

MS 427

Date

1835-1879 (bulk 1850-1860), inclusive

Creator

Morris, Gouverneur, Jr.

Extent

1.75 Linear feet (4 Boxes)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The collection contains documents related to the financing and building of several railroads and Gouverneur Morris, Jr.'s role as a railroad developer. The four box collection is organized by railroad.

Biographical Note

Missing Title

1813 Gouverneur Morris, Jr. born to Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816), delegate from New York to Continental Congress, and Anne Cary Randolf in New York.
1816 Gouverneur Morris, Sr. dies. As the only son and heir to the family, Gouverneur Morris, Jr. inherits the large area in the Bronx known as Morrisania.
[1838-1845] Gouverneur Morris serves on the Board of Directors for the New York and Harlem Railroad.
[1842] Marries his cousin, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Cary, a niece of Thomas Jefferson. The marriage produces two sons and three daughters.
1843-1846 Gouverneur Morris becomes a millionaire when the family land in the Bronx increases in value.
[1850-1860] Serves as a developer and/or a significant stockholder in numerous railroads in New York such as the Eries and New York Central Railroad, the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, and continues his service in the New York and Harlem Railroad. He also establishes railroads in Illinois, Iowa, and Pennsylvania.
[1871-1880] President of the Vermont Valley Railroad.
1888 Dies at his residence at Bartow-on-the-Sound, New York.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by railroad.

This collection is organized into ten series:

Missing Title

  1. Series I: New York & Harlem Railroad, 1836-1873, undated
  2. Series II: New York and Albany Railroad, 1838-1846
  3. Series III: Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, 1853-1861
  4. Series IV: Trevorton Railroads, 1852-1860, undated
  5. Series V: Flushing Railroad, 1853-1859
  6. Series VI: Vermont Valley Railroad, 1851-1873
  7. Series VII: Central Iowa Air Line, 1857-1860
  8. Series VIII: Illinois Central Railroad, 1851-1863
  9. Series IX: Other Railroads, 1846-1863
  10. Series X: Various Railroad Documents, 1835-1879, undated

Scope and Content Note

The documents in this collection relate to Gouverneur Morris, Jr.'s role as a railroad developer. They include surveys, estimates, legal documents, correspondence, proposals, agreements, and numerous accounts, bills, and receipts. The four box collection is organized by railroad and a brief history of each is included in the series descriptions. Railroads that are represented by a few documents are together in one series. The documents pertain to him as an investor, and often a building contractor for numerous railroads. His development activities involved him with various companies including Morris, Miller, & Shuyler or Morris, Miller, Baker, and Co., etc.

The bulk of the collection relates to his role as a developer in the extension of the New York and Harlem Railroad to Albany, New York. The documents provide details on stocks, financing, contractors, materials, and the amount of work completed. The contracts and payroll records provide details on labor and wages. Information on property bought for the extension, including some of Morris's property in Morrisania, is also included. The quantity of records for the other railroads in the collection is much smaller and generally includes agreements, contracts, correspondence, and financial documents.

The collection supports research on railroad construction, particularly the New York and Harlem Railroad Albany extension. Most of the collection pertains to the building of railroads rather than their operation. Although the collection contains some information about Gouverneur Morris, Jr.'s property and stocks, there is no personal information about him or his better known father, Gouverneur Morris.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

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 Gouverneur Morris, Jr. Papers, 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.

Provenance

Purchase by New-York Historical Society, 2001.

Related Material at The New-York Historical Society

The Society has some land and property documents of Governeur Morris, Jr. Many other collections include material related to Governeur Morris, Jr.'s father, Governeur Morris (1852-1816).

Collection processed by

Maurita Baldock

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:49:19 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

Thisversion was derived from Morris01mb.xml

Repository

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