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Seaman Family Papers

Call Number

MS 552

Date

1761-1983 (bulk 1830-1923), inclusive

Creator

Extent

6 Linear feet (6 boxes)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The Seaman Family Papers consist of the personal, business and legal papers of four related families based in Long Island and Dutchess County, New York. The Van Horns and Freemans were united with the Seamans and DeWindts by the marriage of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman and George Williams Seaman in 1903.

Biographical Note

Missing Title

November 11, 1868 Birth of George Williams Seaman Member of an old Dutchess County family and descendant of President John Adams. Worked in general exports at the David Brown Company in New York City, later George W. Seaman, Inc. (Obituary: New York Times 1/29/1942)
April 2, 1878 Birth of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Worked as an interior decorator in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island, prior to her marriage. Unlike most immediate family members, used an older spelling of Van Horne with an "e."
June 9, 1903 Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman and George Williams Seaman marry. At the time of the wedding, George is referred to as "superintendent of the Reformed Sunday School and a well-known young society man."
1921 Retirement of George Williams Seaman
January, 1942 Death of George Williams Seaman
August, 1968 Death of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman

The marriage of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman and George Williams Seaman joined together four Dutchess County, New York, families -- Van Horn, Freeman, DeWindt and Seaman. The following are family members mentioned within the collection and the relationship of each to Irmingarde or George W. Seaman. (Note: "DeWindt" is sometimes seen within the collection as "DeWint.")

Missing Title

Abner O. Van Horn (b.1814; d.1885) Maternal Grandfather of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman. New York City businessman, inventor and owner of Abner Van Horn and Company, "machinists and brass founders, and manufacturers and dealers in wrought iron pipe and fittings of all kinds" (from letterhead). Died of cholera in 1885. (Obituary: Patchogue Advance 9/19/1885)
Abner Van Horn, M.D. (b.1845; d.1917) Uncle of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Henry Voorhees Freeman (b.1829; d.1888) Father of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Ida Van Horn Freeman (b. 1840; d.1898) Mother of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Genevieve Freeman Sister of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Gertrude Van Horn (b. 1849; d. 1922) Aunt of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Gay Van Horn Aunt of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Sadie Van Horn (b. 1847; d. 1926) Aunt of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Alice Van Horn (b. 1853; d. 1926) Aunt of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman
Gidney Underhill Uncle of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman Seaman (Married Irmingarde's father's sister, Josephine.)
Romietta Q. O'Dowd Niece of Henry V. and Ida Van Horn Freeman (Daughter of Irmingarde's father's sister, Henrietta.)
May E. O'Dowd Niece of Henry V. and Ida Van Horn Freeman (Daughter of Irmingarde's father's sister, Henrietta.)
John Peter DeWindt (b. 1786; d. 1870) Grandfather of George Williams Seaman
Caroline Amelia Smith DeWindt (b. 1795; d.1852) Grandmother of George Williams Seaman. Caroline Amelia was a granddaughter of President John Adams.
George Allen Seaman Father of George Williams Seaman
Mary Catherine DeWindt Seaman (b. 1838; d. 1881) Mother of George Williams Seaman
Emily DeWindt Seaman (b. 1865; d. 1931) Sister of George Williams Seaman
Charles Henry "Carl" Seaman Brother of George Williams Seaman
Mary Groebe DeWindt Ketchum Sister of George Williams Seaman
John B. Seaman Uncle of George Williams Seaman
Amelia Seaman Aunt of George Williams Seaman. Wife of John B. Seaman.
Will Seaman Uncle of George Williams Seaman
Sophie Seaman Aunt of George Williams Seaman. Wife of Will Seaman.
Will, Lizzie and George Seaman Cousins of George Williams Seaman Children of Will and Sophie Seaman
Elizabeth Seaman Field Aunt of George Williams Seaman
Seaman Field Cousin of George Williams Seaman Son of Elizabeth Seaman Field
Julia DeWindt Van Wagenen Maternal Aunt of George Williams Seaman
Elizabeth DeWindt Cranch Maternal Aunt of George Williams Seaman
Louisa DeWindt Cook Maternal Aunt of George Williams Seaman
Isabella Adams DeWindt Furman Maternal Aunt of George Williams Seaman
Emily DeWindt Withers Maternal Aunt of George Williams Seaman
Caroline Elizabeth DeWindt Monell Maternal Aunt of George Williams Seaman. Caroline Elizabeth, oldest child of Caroline Amelia Smith and John Peter DeWindt, married Andrew Jackson Downing, considered by many to be the first great American landscaper. He, along with his mother-in-law, drowned in a steamboat disaster in the Hudson River in 1852. Caroline later married Judge John James Monell.

Arrangement

Correspondence is arranged by family -- Freeman / Van Horn and DeWindt / Seaman -- and, within family, by individual. Within individual, arrangement is chronological. Some letters are not identifiable as to sender or recipient. They are kept together, at the end of each family group. See Series Descriptions for arrangement of other types of papers.

This collection is organized into the following eight series:

Missing Title

  1. Series I. Freeman/Van Horn Family Correspondence, 1836-1916, undated
  2. Series II. Seaman/DeWindt Family Correspondence, 1815-1916, undated
  3. Series III. School Documents and Papers, 1848-1893, undated
  4. Series IV. Military Documents, 1816-1846
  5. Series V. Legal Documents, 1761-1894, undated
  6. Series VI. Business and Financial Documents, 1813-1923
  7. Series VII. Personal Papers and Miscellany, 1805-1983, undated
  8. Series VIII. Printed Matter and Photograph, 1858-1970, undated

Scope and Content Note

An accumulation of personal and professional papers involving four related families on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, this collection describes social life and customs as well as the structure and activities of several family businesses. Most of the items are dated between the 1830's and 1923 although there are some older legal documents (1761-1836) and a few items from mid and later twentieth century (1959, 1970, 1983).

The families represented in this collection were joined in 1903 with the marriage of Irmingarde Van Horne Freeman (granddaughter of Abner Van Horn) and George Williams Seaman (grandson of John Peter DeWindt and Caroline Amelia Smith).

Among the various items are personal correspondence among family members and with others; school documents and papers; military documents; legal documents including wills, patent documents; deeds, mortgages and leases; business correspondence, account books, receipts and other financial papers; photographs; newspaper clippings; essays and poetry; and many personal items such as the wedding book of Irmingarde and George Williams Seaman. Much of the material, especially that contained in the bound volumes, is related to business and finances, with the majority being Abner Van Horn's. The Seaman business material, however, is more descriptive of the history of the company (David Brown Company, George W. Seaman, Inc.).

The bound volumes are in relatively good condition although many of the covers are deteriorating and, in some of them, the ink has become faded. Several have been placed in boxes or enclosures. The correspondence and other papers are in good condition with some exceptions, noted in the Series Descriptions.

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 Seaman Family Papers, MS 552, 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

Donation, Patricia Seaman Daniels, daughter of Irmingarde Freeman Seaman, 1990

Collection processed by

Jan Hilley and Megan Hahn Fraser

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:49:43 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derivedfrom seaman.xml

Repository

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