Guide to the Low, Fleming, and King Family Papers
1794-1945
MS 3091
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-3400
New-York Historical Society
Collection processed by Joseph Ditta
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on July 01, 2019
English using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Descriptive Summary
| Title: | Low, Fleming, and King family papers |
|---|---|
| Dates [inclusive]: | 1794-1945 |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, documents, and ephemera stemming from the related Low, Fleming, and King families. Includes a 1794 letter to New York merchant and developer Nicholas Low (1739-1826) from Alexander Hamilton, and letters to the firm Low & Wallace from American and European importers and exporters, such as the Widow John Lang, Son & Co. of Bremen. Also present are a number of 19th century United States revenue stamps that were torn or soaked from documents by a collector. |
| Quantity: | 0.42 Linear feet in 1 document box and 1 oversize folder. |
| Call Phrase: | MS 3091 |
Biographical / Historical
Late in life, New York merchant and developer Nicholas Low (1739-1826) married Alice (Haliburton) Fleming, a widow who brought two sons to the marriage, one of whom was Augustus Fleming (1785-1865). Low's children with Alice included a daughter, Henrietta Liston Low (1799-1882), who married (as his second wife) Charles King (1789-1867), son of diplomat Rufus King (1755-1827). Among the children of Charles and Henrietta (Low) King was Cornelius Low King (1829–1893). By his first marriage Charles King had a son, Rufus King (1814-1876), who, in turn, had a son named Rufus King Jr. (1838-1900). (All names underlined are represented by documents in the present collection.)
Scope and Contents
Merchant Nicholas Low (1739–1826), in partnership with his brothers-in-law Hugh and Alexander Wallace, and nephew, William Wallace, imported Irish linens, salt, gunpowder, dry goods, and wine, while exporting corn, wheat, tobacco, rice, cotton, potash, and flaxseed. The collection includes letters from a number of his business contacts such as Magrath & Higgins (Madeira), Post & Russell (New York), Widow John Lang, Son & Co. (Bremen), James Waring & Co. (London), Richard H. Wilcocks & Co. (Philadelphia), and Ramsey, Gatchell and Bancroft (Waterford, Ireland). Also present is a 1794 letter from Alexander Hamilton, the postscript to which congratulates Low on his recent marriage, and a letter from Low's daughter, Henrietta, showing concern for the fate of Baltimore in the days following the British attack on Fort McHenry of September 13–14, 1814. (See Series I.)
Augustus Fleming, stepson of Nicholas Low, is represented by a few items: one letter (1828), a receipt (1865), and canceled checks (1845, 1863–1864). (See Series II.)
Nicholas Low's daughter, Henrietta Liston Low (1799-1882), married Charles King (1789-1867), son of diplomat Rufus King (1755-1827), so the collection includes some material (largely correspondence and receipts) from their descendants, such as the commission of son Cornelius Low King (1829–1893) as First Lieutenant in the 14th Regiment of Infantry during the Civil War. (See Series III.)
A group of miscellaneous documents—some possibly originating with the King family, but not identified as such—includes letters, receipts, two printed items to the Veterans of the Seventh Regiment, and a photoreproduction of a bas relief portrait of Abraham Lincoln. (See Series IV).
The collection includes an assemblage probably made by a numismatist and/or a philatelist, as it contains examples of foreign paper currency, and postage and revenue stamps torn or soaked from documents (in many cases the stamps remain attached to fragments of documents). In August 1862, the United States (Union) government began taxing various goods, services, and legal transactions. Taxes were paid by purchasing a revenue stamp of the appropriate denomination and affixing it to the taxable item. (See Series V.)
Arrangement
The collection is organized in five series, with material sorted chronologically within each series:
- Series I
- Nicholas Low and Low & Wallace, 1794-1814
- Series II
- Augustus Fleming, 1828-1865
- Series III
- King family, 1861-1934
- Series IV
- Miscellaneous documents, 1868-1908, undated
- Series V
- Philately, postal history, numismatics, circa 1862-1945, undated
Access Points
Subject Names
- Fleming, Augustus, 1785-1865
- Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804
- King, Cornelius Low, 1829-1893
- King, Henrietta Liston (Low), 1799–1882
- King, Rufus, 1814-1876
- King, Rufus, Jr., 1838–1900
- Low, Nicholas, 1739-1826
- Wilcocks, Richard H. (Richard Hockley), 1776-
Document Type
- business letters
- Checks (bank checks)
- Covers (closures)
- Personal correspondence
- Paper money
- Postage stamps
- Receipts (financial records)
- Tax stamps
Subject Organizations
- Low & Wallace (New York, N.Y.)
- Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures
- Widow John Lang, Son & Co. (Bremen)
Subject Topics
- Numismatics
- Shipping -- New York (State) -- New York
- Stamp collecting
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Use Restrictions
This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: "Low, Fleming, and King Family Papers, MS 3091, The New-York Historical Society."
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection, the gift of Noëlle King and the King family, was received in two parts: the bulk in 2018 (accession no. MS.2018.049), and the oversized commission in Series III in 2019 (accession no. MS-2019-001).
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta arranged and described this collection in June 2019.
Container List
Series I. Nicholas Low and Low & Wallace, 1794-1814
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box: 1 | Folder : 1 | Letter from Alexander Hamilton (Philadelphia) to Nicholas Low (New York)
Scope and ContentsTranscription: General Schuyler directed [t]hat when the time came for paying for a coach building for him here, I should draw upon you for the money. That time is come & I am not otherwise provided so that I have this day drawn upon you in favour of John Kean Esq for the cost being Fifteen hundred Dollars what I request you to pay & charge to him. We are all alive here preparing for the [Insurgents?] Yours A Hamilton P.S. Is it true that I ought to congratulate you on having become a benedict [i.e., a newly married man]. If so accept my heartfelt congratulations [illegible] N Low Esq |
1794 September 17 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 2 | Letters (2) from [_____] Harper (Paterson, N.J.) to Nicholas Low (New York)
Scope and ContentsNicholas Low was a director of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures in Paterson, New Jersey, and became its governor in 1792. The Society sought to make Paterson a center of cotton manufacturing, but the venture was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Society folded in 1796. |
1795 May 14, 24 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 3 | Letter from Magrath & Higgins (Madeira) to Low & Wallace (New York)
Scope and ContentsOriginal + manuscript copy. |
1804 June 23 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 4 | Letter from Post & Russell (New York) to Low & Wallace (New York)
Scope and ContentsPost & Russell were agents for the ship Ophelia. |
1804 October 25 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 5 | Letters (6) from Widow John Lang, Son & Co. (Bremen) to Low & Wallace (New York)
Scope and ContentsDated 1805 August 5; 1806 March 4, May 2, May 8, May 16, August 2. |
1805-1806 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 6 | Letter from James Waring & Co. (London) to Low & Wallace (New York) [copy] |
1806 April 29 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 7 | Indenture, William Wallace and John Shaw, bound to the United States of America, $300.00. |
1806 November 10 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 8 | Letters (2) from Richard H. Wilcocks & Co. (Philadelphia) to Low & Wallace (New York) |
1806 September 6, November 15 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 9 | Letter from Ramsey, Gatchell and Bancroft (Waterford, Ireland) to Low & Wallace (New
York) |
1807 October 7 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 10 | Letter from Henrietta Low (Claverack, N.Y.) to her father, Nicholas Low (Ballston
Springs, N.Y.)
Scope and ContentsHenrietta Low, writing to her father just a few days after the British attack on Fort McHenry of September 13-14, 1814, mentions how "We are all here anxious about the fate of Baltimore but the southern mail had not come in when the latest that we have had was sent to press." |
1814 September 17 | |
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Series II. Augustus Fleming, 1828-1865
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 11 | Letter from James [_____] (Claverack, N.Y.) to Augustus Fleming (New York) |
1828 October 6 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 12 | Canceled checks, Bank of New York |
1845 June – November | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 13 | Canceled checks, Bank of New York |
1863 September – 1864 July | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 14 | Receipt for goods purchased of James G. King's Sons, New York |
1865 June 22 | |
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Series III. King family, 1861-1934
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 15 | Covers (4) addressed to Rufus King
Scope and ContentsIt is unclear if these covers were sent to Rufus King (1814-1876) or to his son, Rufus King Jr. (1838–1900). |
1860s–1880s | |
| Oversize: small | Commission of Cornelius Low King as First Lieutenant in the 14th Regiment of Infantry.
Scope and ContentsSigned by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of War Simon Cameron. |
1861 August 17 | ||
| Box: 1 | Folder : 16 | Letter from Union League Club to William G. King
Scope and ContentsPrinted circular letter regarding the Union League Club's upcoming membership drive. |
1863 April | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 17 | King family receipts |
1865–1868 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 18 | The Weekly Detroit Free Press, vol. 58, no. 19
Scope and ContentsNewspaper with printed subscription label for "Wm. G King." |
1883 May 12 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 19 | Postal card addressed to "Office of the Low Estate"
Scope and ContentsThe address, "1 Cottage Place, New York City, N.Y.," corresponds to that of Rufus King Jr. |
1886 February [4] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 20 | Letter from Pavonia Yacht Club (Jersey City) to Rufus King [Jr.] (New York)
Scope and ContentsCombined invitation to board meeting and membership dues receipt, with folding membership card / dues payment register, sent to Rufus King [Jr.], 1 Cottage Place, New York City. |
1890 September 1 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 21 | Letter from Hughes' Yacht Agency (New York) to Rufus King [Jr.] |
1892 November 1 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 22 | Covers (6) addressed to Mrs. Charles King, Mrs. Margaret S. King, Mrs. Williams King |
1928–1934 | |
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Series IV. Miscellaneous documents, 1868-1908, undated
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 23 | W. S. Carr receipts (3) |
1868 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 24 | Miscellaneous receipts (2) |
1868 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 25 | Printed circular "To the Veterans of the Seventh Regiment," New York |
1889 January 28 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 26 | Veterans of the Seventh Regiment, New York, General Orders No. 2 |
1889 March 19 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 27 | Letter from Hatch & Foote, Bankers (New York) to F. N. Phinney (New York)
Scope and ContentsLetter and prospectus from Hatch & Foote, mortgage agents, soliciting bond investments in the rolling stock of the Columbus, Shawnee and Hocking Railway Company. |
1893 January [10] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 28 | Postal cards
Scope and ContentsAddressed to S. O. R. Townsend, New York (1895) and to Miss Dorothy Ely, Philadelphia (1906). |
1895, 1906 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 29 | Letter from Herbert S. Ogden (New York) to William Ruscoe (Wilton, Conn.)
Scope and ContentsA list of instructions from Ogden to Ruscoe, who was, apparently, Ogden's gardener and stableman. |
1906 May 4 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 30 | Abraham Lincoln portrait
Scope and ContentsPhotoreproduction of Byron M. Pickett's 1873 oval bronze bas relief of Abraham Lincoln's right profile, copyright 1908 by L. G. Muller. |
1908 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 31 | Check fragments (2) |
undated | |
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Series V. Philately, postal history, numismatics, circa 1862-1945, undated
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| Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 32 | United States postage stamps |
undated | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 33 | Foreign postage stamps |
undated | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 34 | Covers (28) addressed to Miss Charlotte E. Williams (Ithaca, N.Y.) |
1903–1916 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 35 | Covers (4) addressed to Mrs. J. B. Williams (Ithaca, N.Y.) |
1905–1906 | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 36-39 | United States revenue stamps. $0.02 (4 folders)
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "bank check" and general use. |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 40 | United States revenue stamps. $0.05
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "certificate" and "inland exchange." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 41 | United States revenue stamps. $0.10
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "contract" and "power of attorney." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 42 | United States revenue stamps. $0.25
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "insurance" and general use. |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 43 | United States revenue stamps. $0.50
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "foreign exchange," "life insurance," "mortgage," "original process," "surety bond." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 44 | United States revenue stamps. $1.00
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "inland exchange." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 45 | United States revenue stamps. $1.50
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "general use." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 46 | United States revenue stamps. $2.00
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "conveyance," "mortgage," "probate of will." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 47 | United States revenue stamps. $3.00
Scope and ContentsStamps issued for "charter party." |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 48 | United States revenue stamps. Multiple denominations
Scope and Contents$0.05. "Certificate," "inland exchange," general use. |
[1862-1872] | |
| Box: 1 | Folder : 49 | Foreign currency
Scope and Contents100 Yuan, China (1941) |
1941–1945 | |
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