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Charles S. Fairchild and Helen L. Fairchild papers

Call Number

MS 207

Date

1700s-1929, inclusive

Creator

Fairchild, Helen L. (Helen Lincklaen), 1845-
Fairchild, Charles S. (Charles Stebbins), 1842-1924

Extent

19 Linear feet in 27 boxes of various sizes

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are primarily in English, but many of the genealogical research materials are in Dutch. French and German also are found in the print matter.

Abstract

The collection includes the papers of Charles S. Fairchild and of his wife, Helen L. Fairchild. Charles's papers include correspondence, scrapbooks, and published works related to his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1887-89), political activities for the New York Democratic Party and his support for presidential candidate Grover Cleveland in the 1892 primary, advocacy of tariff reform and sound money policy in the 1880s-90s, and more. Helen's papers include published works, notes, correspondence, and more concerning her research into her ancestral and related families. These include surnames Van der Kemp, Forman, Ledyard, Lincklaen, Seymour, and others. Helen's files hold many original documents relating to New York Governor Horatio Seymour (1810-86).

Biographical / Historical

Charles Stebbins Fairchild (1842-1924) was born in Cazenovia, NY. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1865. He took up law practice in Albany and became involved in Democratic Party politics. He became Deputy Attorney General of New York state in 1874, and was elected to Attorney General in the Samuel Tilden administration from 1876-77. After a failed re-election campaign and other political setbacks, Fairchild returned to private law practice until 1885 when he was named Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department under President Grover Cleveland. He ascended to the Secretary position when Secretary Daniel Manning resigned with poor health. Fairchild's tenure ended with that of Cleveland's first administration in 1889.

Although Fairchild never held another public office, he remained active in Democratic Party politics, including as Chair of the Party's New York Committee. He was a stauch supporter of Grover Cleveland during the primary election of 1892, which would lead to Cleveland's second election as President. Fairchild was particularly active in the late 1880s and into the 1890s advocating for tariff reform and sound money/currency policies. He was also involved in various charitable institutions. He died in Cazenovia in 1924.

Charles Fairchild married Helen Lincklaen in 1871. Lincklaen was also born in Cazenovia in 1845, the daughter of Ledyard and Helen Claressa Seymour Lincklaen. The family home was, and is, known as the Lorenzo House and is now a New York state historic site. Helen lived there most of her life, including most of her married years with Charles. Her ancestors included John Lincklaen, who founded Cazenovia in 1790. Helen actively pursued a study of her various family lines and families connected to hers, which included Van der Kemp, Seymour, Ledyard, Forman, and others reflected in this collection. She edited at least one published work, "Francis Adrian Van der Kemp, 1752-1829: An Autobiography, Together with Extracts from His Correspondence" in 1903. She amassed a substantial cache of documents concerning Horatio Seymour, the former Governor of New York, and published N-YHS Librarian Alexander J. Wall's 1929 biographical "sketch" of Seymour, no doubt drawing on documents in Helen's collection. Helen died in Cazenovia in 1931.

(THe above note was based primarily on various on-line sources.)

Arrangement

The collection is organized in two series:

Series I. Charles Fairchild Papers, 1870-1928

Series II. Helen Fairchild Papers, 1700s-1929

Scope and Contents

The collection holds the papers of husband and wife, Charles S. Fairchild and Helen L. Fairchild. Charles's papers primarily include correspondence and clippings scrapbooks covering his activities as New York's Attorney General (1876-77), as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1887-89) in the administration of President Grover Cleveland, as a New York Democratic Party leader, and as an advocate for tariff reform and a "sound currency" economic policy in the 1890s. There are some indications that these documents were compiled by Helen Fairchild and her annotations can be found on some of the documents.

Helen's papers relate to her research into the various family names in her ancestry. Names especially well-represented here are Van der Kemp, Van der Capellan, Freneau, Seymour, Forman, and Ledyard/Lediard, along with others with less extensive documentation. There are many original manuscript and published works in the collection related to these families, perhaps especially in connection with the Seymour family and New York Governor Horatio Seymour (1810-1886) and with the Van der Kemp and Van der Capellan families.

The collection includes a considerable amount of books, pamphlets, and similar published print matter. These include books from the 1700s in Dutch related to the Dutch families Helen researched and political pamphlets of the 1880-90s, among others. Few of these items have been noted specifically in the finding aid, but are just generally indicated.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers. Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

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

The collection should be cited as: Charles S. Fairchild and Helen L. Fairchild papers, MS 207, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated by Helen L. Fairchild over time in the early 20th century, especially in the 1920s.

Separated Materials

Select documents compiled by Helen Fairchild were separated over time and cataloged by family name. These include:

* Francis Adrian Van der Kemp papers (MS 649)

* Samuel and Samuel S. Forman papers (BV Forman)

* Ledyard family papers (BV Ledyard)

In addition there are several AHMC records related to the Fairchilds and to the families researched by Helen Fairchild. Other records found in Bobcat also relate to the family names, though it is not clear in all cases that Fairchild was the source.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:11 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

A portion of the collection, primarily that of the correspondence of Charles Fairchild, was processed and cataloged at some point, likely in the early 2000s; this portion is found in boxes 1-14. The balance of the collection was organized in December 2021 by archivist Larry Weimer. It was processed to a minimal degree, with summary description that was integrated with the earlier processed material in this finding aid. The collection holds a substantial number of books, booklets, pamphlets, and other such documents relevant to Charles Fairchild's political interests and to Helen Fairchild's research; few of these have been specifically inventoried and identified in the finding aid.

Repository

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