Call Number:

C1192

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 0.4 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Sergeant Family Collection, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1746-1843 (inclusive)

Creator:

Princeton University. Library. Special Collections and Sergeant, Jonathan, 1712-1777

Form:

Correspondence -- 18th century, Documents -- 18th century., and Family papers -- 18th century.

Abstract:

Consists of selected correspondence and documents by and about three members of the Sergeant family and their relationship with the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) during the Colonial period: Jonathan Sergeant, his son Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, and his grandson John Sergeant.

Jonathan Sergeant came to Princeton from Newark in 1758. He was a trustee of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) from 1750 to 1777. Sergeant represented the County of Middlesex, N.J., in the first Provincial Congress in 1775 and took an active part with the citizens of Princeton in the cause of liberty in the early stages of the revolution. Sergeant was also the son-in-law of the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, first president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).

Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, the son of Jonathan Sergeant, was a lawyer from Princeton. Sergeant graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1762 and studied law in the offices of Richard Stockton; in 1767 he started his own practice in Princeton. From 1774 to 1776 Sergeant was a member of the revolutionary New Jersey Provisional Congress. He also represented New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777, and later served as attorney general for the state of Pennsylvania.

John Sergeant, son of Jonathan Dickinson, graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1795. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1799, and practiced in Philadelphia. He was deputy attorney general for Philadelphia in 1800 and a member of the State House of Representatives from 1808 to1810. However, Sergeant was an unsuccessful National Republican candidate for election as vice president of the United States in 1832.

The collection consists of selected correspondence and documents of and about Jonathan Sergeant, his son Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, and his grandson John Sergeant, the majority of which is related to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Jonathan Sergeant's material Includes receipts, surveys, statements of accounts, and a receipt signed by Isaac Smith for his salary at the College. Of importance is a draft of a bond to the Trustees of the College, the original document having been issued at the election of Jonathan Sergeant as Treasurer of the College in 1750. There is a letter to William Carey regarding raising money for the College; other letters mention John Witherspoon (6th president of the College of New Jersey) and his arrival in Princeton in 1768. A letter from Caleb Smith, dated Nov. 26, 1758, discusses the situation of the children of the Rev. Aaron Burr (2nd college president) after his death. In addition, there is a letter to Carey regarding the estate of a Col. Alford, considering its location within the boundaries of the "East Jersey Properties."

Material of Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant includes receipts for custom-made suits and clothing, provisions, bonds, title for property in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, judgments, lawsuits, statements of accounts, debt settlements, opinions regarding wills, and an indictment for horse racing. Of significance is an autograph letter from Sergeant and the Committee of Inspection of Princeton to the Committee of Inspection and Correspondence at Elizabeth Town, N.J., dated April 24, 1775, calling for a Provincial Congress. There is also a letter to Evan Reynolds, dated October 9, 1775, regarding the purchase of a "Negro Wench" and her two children, with Reynolds's receipt of payment on the verso, dated May 13, 1776. In addition, there is a short biographical note about Sergeant written in his granddaughter's hand.

John Sergeant's material includes a letter to Mr. Carey regarding the Committee of the Temperance Society, and two letters to James Carnahan (9th college president) about the return of Sergeant's son to the College of New Jersey. In addition, there is a letter to Miss Lydia Spencer dated August 9, 1794 or 5, while he was still a college student.

Also included is miscellaneous business and official correspondence and documents, as well as correspondence and documents related to other family members or friends. Some of the people represented are Charles Chauncey, John Ewing, Daniel Cox, Samuel Harvey, Joseph H. Hedges, John Keen, William Montgomery, Aaron Musgrove, Charles Pettit, William Semple, Caleb Smith, Samuel Stanhope Smith, John Smyth, Job Stockton, and Henry Waddell.

Folders are arranged by accession number.