Watts-Jones Family Papers
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Abstract
The collection contains correspondence, legal papers, financial documents, and printed material from the Watts and Floyd-Jones families. The material documents the family lives and business matters of Charles Watts Sr., Charles Watts, Jr., Henry Floyd-Jones, and Sarah Floyd-Jones.
Historical Note
Charles Watts, Sr. (17??-1811) was a cabinet-maker and merchant of Charleston, South Carolina. He married Catherine Beard and had two children, Charles Watts, Jr. and Helen Watts (1792-1872). Charles Watts, Jr. began work as a merchant for J & L Gladstones Merchants (Liverpool) but later became an attorney. Around 1818, he started a business with Moses Isaacs to run a boat propelled by horses on the Hudson River from Christopher Street to Weehawken, NJ. By 1820, the business had failed, and he continued to practice law.
In 1816, Helen Watts married Henry Floyd-Jones (1792-1862), a merchant with the company Jones and Bailey and a Major General of the Queens County Militia, 1st Division Infantry of the New York State Militia. Henry Floyd-Jones was also a member of the New York Assembly from 1829-1830 and a member of the State Senate from 1836-1840. Helen Watts and Henry Floyd-Jones had seven children: Charles (1817-?), Sarah (1818-1900), Henry (1820-1849), Edward (1823-1902), DeLancey (1826-?), Helen Watts, (1827-1855), and Josephine Katherine (1832-1905).
Sources:
Smith, Harry J. Jr. The Romance of the Hoboken Ferry. New York: Prentice Hall, 1931.
Floyd-Jones, Thomas. Thomas Jones: Fort Neck, Queens County, Long Island, 1695 and His Descendants the Floyd-Jones Family, With Connections from the Year 1066. New York, 1906.
Arrangement
The Watts-Jones Family Papers have been divided into the following series:
Missing Title
- Series I: Watts Family Papers, 1800-1831
- Series II: Floyd-Jones Family Papers, 1816-1904
- Series III: Non-Family Members, 1807-1905
- Series IV: Printed Material, 1861-1876
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains correspondence, legal papers, financial documents, family histories, and printed material from the Watts and Floyd-Jones families. Although some family matters are discussed, the material mainly documents the business matters of Charles Watts Sr., Charles Watts, Jr., and Henry Floyd-Jones. There are some personal letters to Charles Watts, Jr. and Sarah Floyd-Jones as well as legal documents regarding the estate of Charles Watts, Sr.
Some of the correspondence, legal material, and financial documents relate to Charles Watts Jr.'s efforts to run a ferry on the Hudson propelled by horses. Letters dated 1820 from Henry Floyd-Jones to Charles Watts, Jr. urge him to get out of the business and imply that he was in financial trouble. A 1811 letter describes a hurricane and tornado in Charleston and a 1822 letter to Henry Floyd-Jones describes a yellow fever outbreak in New York. One letter to Charles Watts, Sr. dated January 1807 remarks on appropriate punishments for men guilty of sodomy.
Subjects
Organizations
Families
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People
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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 Watts-Jones Family Papers, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Provenance
Purchase June, 1944.