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John Macpherson Berrien Collection

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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

Berrien, John Macpherson 1781-1856

Berrien was a congressman and native of New Jersey who came from a prominent family of Huguenot descent. He graduated from The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1796, moved to Savannah, Georgia, to study law, was admitted to practice in 1799, and in 1824 was elected to the United States Senate.

The collection consists primarily of several letters by Berrien but includes other Berrien family material. Among the correspondents are James Carnahan (Princeton president), Robert Y. Hayne, Nathaniel Silsbee, andf Thomas Swann. Also included is a manuscript of Berrien family genealogy compiled by Emil Leute (August 16, 1932), a warrant for the arrest of Negro "Sam" (Jan. 18, 1771), a letter to Jonathan Sergeant (treasurer of Prince Town College), a brief biography of Berrien, and an engraved portrait of him signed by Max Rosenthal (1893).

Organized by form--correspondence is first--and then arranged chronologically.

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

Original letter to James Carnahan was a gift of Prof. Henry Clay Cameron. Various AM.

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.

Finding aid written by James Flannery in January 2006. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (2015) in 2012.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2006
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

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

Letter from John Berrien (grandfather) to Jonathan Sergeant, 1768 December 25. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

An order to pay Henry Silcock "eighteen shillings and four pence" for painting the college ladder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Fragment of Arrest Warrant of Negro "Sam" of the complaint of Henry Van Dike signed by John Berrier (grandfather), 1771 January 18. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from John Macpherson Berrien to James Carnahan, 1829 December 4. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Thanking him for a copy of Carnahan's address to the senior class.

Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from John Macpherson Berrien to Charles Harris, 1799 September 20. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

About the confiscation of the lands of Governor Wright.

Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from John Macpherson Berrien to Robert Young Hayne, 1827 October 6. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Concerning a prospectus to be sent out by Hayne.

Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from John Macpherson Berrien to Nathaniel Silsbee, 1843 March 13. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

On the pending Oregon bill, and a speech Berrien made opposing its passage.

Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from John Macpherson Berrien to Samuel Sparhawk, 1828 February 29. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Letter from John Macpherson Berrien to Thomas Swann, 1827 June 12. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Biography and an engraving by Max Rosenthal, 1893. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Berrien Family Geneology by Emil Leute, 1932 August 16. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Also contains reference to Riker family.

Physical Description

1 folder

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