Gouverneur Morris, Jr. Papers
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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
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by railroad.
This collection is organized into ten series:
Missing Title
- Series I: New York & Harlem Railroad, 1836-1873, undated
- Series II: New York and Albany Railroad, 1838-1846
- Series III: Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, 1853-1861
- Series IV: Trevorton Railroads, 1852-1860, undated
- Series V: Flushing Railroad, 1853-1859
- Series VI: Vermont Valley Railroad, 1851-1873
- Series VII: Central Iowa Air Line, 1857-1860
- Series VIII: Illinois Central Railroad, 1851-1863
- Series IX: Other Railroads, 1846-1863
- 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.
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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
Provenance
Purchase by New-York Historical Society, 2001.