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Stockton Family Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Richard Stockton (Princeton Class of 1779) was an American lawyer, farmer, and politician.
The collection consists of various personal and business papers of members of the Stockton family of Princeton, New Jersey, particularly those of Richard Stockton (Princeton Class of 1779), which were formerly preserved at Morven, the family's ancestral home. Included are many deeds, leases, and other land transactions, mostly for Princeton and counties in the central New Jersey area; wills; land and financial papers of Robert F. and Lucius Stockton; legal documents relating to the John B. Livingston vs. Thomas Gibbons case (1821); and miscellaneous correspondence. There are also ten bound volumes comprising commonplace books, notebooks, lecture notes, and other writings kept by various Stockton family members, which are on deposit.
Arranged chronologically in folders labelled deeds, wills, or documents: 1700-1775, 1776-1800, 1804-1866.
Gift of Mrs. P.H. Gresh. Papers deposited by Mrs. Wardlaw Miles. Letter from Richard Stockton to Benjamin Rush is a gift of Alfred H. Bill.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
Stockton Family Manuscripts on Deposit (Series 4) were renumbered by Kelly Bolding in January 2019.
No appraisal information is available.
People
Organization
Subject
Place
- Hunterdon County (N.J.) -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- Mercer County (N.J.) -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- Middlesex County (N.J.) -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- Monmouth County (N.J.) -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- Somerset County (N.J.) -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- New Jersey -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- Princeton (N.J.) -- History -- 1775-1865. -- Sources
- Princeton (N.J.) -- Social life and customs.
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2002
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Except for Volumes 1 and 3 of the Stockton Family Manuscripts on Deposit (Series 4), single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form..
Collection Inventory
Consists of deeds, wills, leases, powers of attorney, bonds, claims, agreements, and other miscellaneous documents.
Arranged chronologically
Physical Description4 boxes
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Consists of correspondence with individuals such as Elisha Boudinot, Charles Kinsey, and Mary Ashfield, as well as others.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Physical Description1 box
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Consists of an anonymous poem, dedicated to Mrs. L. V. B, a resolution of the Joint Board of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company on the death of Robert F. Stockton, and a sermon.
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
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Consists of bound manuscripts on deposit.
Arranged alphabetically by author.
Physical Description10 Volumes
Photocopying and digital photography are not allowed for this volume.
The commonplace book (145 pages) contains copies of poems, sermons and articles by William Bradford, S.S. Smith, G. W. Doane, [S.] Blair, Richard Rush, and others, with some verses addressed to S. Bayard, Mrs. A. Stockton and Miss M. Stockton, with frontispiece of an engraving of James Bogie and bookplate of Samuel W. Pennypacker. The spine title is: "Commonplace Book, Susan V. Bradford, 1793-1846."
Physical Description1 volume
The notebook contains an autograph draft (68 pages), proofs and a first pamphlet edition of Shields' book Philosophia Ultima (1861), also includes a draft and proofs for "Project of the Ultimate Philosophy: Prolegomena," a printed resolution about fund-raising for what became Shields' professorship to promote the instruction of the harmony of science and revealed religion, with a printed "Communication to the Trustees of the College of New Jersey from the Professor of the Harmony of Science and Revealed Religion," (1872) by Shields.
ShieldsShields was the son of James Read Shields and Hannah Woodruff Shields. He was a clergyman, professor at Princeton (1865-1903), and author. His daughter Charlotte married (1882) Bayard Stockton. Princeton Class of 1844.
Physical Description1 volume
Photocopying and digital photography are not allowed for this volume.
The bound volume (69 pages) includes verses entitled "An Ode," "Epistle to Mr. S.," "On the Death of General Montgomery," "Lucinda and Aminta?," etc., has bookplate and note (1894) on fly-leaf by Samuel W. Pennypacker saying these were the only early poems Annis Stockton was able to preserve after the British destroyed Stockton's library, note inserted by Henry Stimson, 1894. The spine title is "Colonial and Revolutionary Poems."
Stockton was the sister of Elias Boudinot (1740-1821), wife of Richard Stockton (1730-1781), and a poet.
Physical Description1 volume
Commonplace book (120 pages), Princeton and New Bedford, contains copies of verse compiled from various sources, bookplate of Bayard Stockton. The cover title is "Annis Stockton, 1819."
Physical Description1 volume
Stockton was the son of Robert Field Stockton (1795-1866) and Harriet Potter Stockton. He married Caroline Bayard Dod (d. 1850) and Susan Bradford Dod (d. 1860). Princeton Class of 1843.
Physical Description3 Volumes
Letter book (194 pages) containing copies of correspondence (81 letters) between Richard Stockton and his tutor, Joseph Addison Alexander (1809-1860), Class of 1826, between 1837 and 1841, as a composition exercise, also contains a daily journal of 99 pages, 1838-1840, kept at the request of Alexander, and some miscellaneous notes, 1842-1854.
Physical Description1 volume
Bound volume (171 pages) containing Stockton's notes on Henry's lectures including drawings of steam engines and other scientific apparatus, inside front cover has pasted in a pencil portrait of [Richard Stockton?] signed by James H. Cuthbert (Class of 1843).
Physical Description1 volume
Bound volume containing Stockton's notes (pages 1-33) on Henry's lectures and copies of "legal forms" and notes and clippings on various court cases, pages 34-129.
Physical Description1 volume
Stockton was the son of Richard Stockton (1764-1828) and Mary Field Stockton. He married Harriet Potter and was a naval officer and senator. Princeton Class of 1820.
Physical Description2 Volumes
Letter book (527 pages) containing copies of Stockton's letters as commander of the steamers Princeton and the Congress during the War with Mexico (1845-1848), and as governor of the territory of California, includes letters to George Bancroft, Edward F. Beale, Anthony Ten Eyck, John B. Sloat, James K. Polk, and others, also copies of speeches to King Kamehameha of Hawaii and to the "People of California," with bookplate of Bayard Stockton. Full spine title is: "Appointments, Orders, Etc. by Commodore Robert F. Stockton, Aug. 12, 1843 to Feb. 16, 1847."
Physical Description1 volume
Bound letter book (205 pages) containing copies of 227 business letters, 1845-1863, on behalf of Stockton by his agent, William H. Gatzner, from Philadelphia, includes letters to James A. Bayard, Thomas Fitzpatrick, L. C. Levin, John R. Thomson, John Jacob Astor, William B. Astor, Reverdy Johnson, John H. Latrobe, John Young Mason, Robert Field Stockton, and others.
Physical Description1 volume
Commonplace book (163 pages) containing poetry by Hannah Woodruff, signed and dated 1821 to 1824, and poetry, 1823-1834, inscribed by friends and relatives (some from New Albany, Indiana) such as Julia Mitchel, Mary C. Paxon, Joanna Shields, P. S. Shields, and others, with an autograph letter, 1902, by Emma Carlton to her cousin Charles Woodruff Shields, 2 funeral invitations, 1852, and clippings. The fly-leaf is inscribed, "Miss Hannah Woodruff, Newark, New Jersey, March 1823."
Woodruff was the wife of James Read Shields and mother of Charles Woodruff Shields (1825-1904).
Physical Description1 volume