Coles Family papers
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Abstract
Correspondence of Coles Family, including letters to and from Catherine V. Suydam Coles Smith and her first husband, Hewlett Townsend Coles, as well as letters to and from their children, Hewlett Townsend Coles, Jr., Alexander Coles, and Ida Ann Coles. The collection also includes some correspondence from other relatives, friends, and business associates.
Chronology
Arrangement
The materials are arranged by recipient and chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The Coles Family Papers consist of 126 letters exchanged by two generations of the Coles family. The letters commence with Hewlett Townsend Coles' letters to Catherine V. Suydam before their marriage, continue through the later 1820s, and extend after his death with letters exchanged by his widow and their three children, Hewlett Townsend Coles, Jr., Alexander Cornelius Townsend Coles, and Ida Ann Coles.
Both Hewlett and his son Alexander were sea captains, and the letters are written from such diverse locales as Sandy Hook, Alabama's Mobile Bay, Trinidad, Dublin, and Liverpool to members of the Coles Family in New York City and Long Island. The letters are highly affectionate and detailed, providing insight into the family members' devotion to each other, their childrearing and education practices, intra-familiar and neighborhood socializing, seasonal regional travels, domestic expenditures, and income sources. The letters, particularly Catherine's letters to her daughter Ida, also describe and provide instruction and advice on household matters, such as food preparation, cleaning arrangements, and treating illnesses.
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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 Coles Family Papers, MS 128, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 2003.