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Chester W. Burton 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
Chester Warren Burton (1831-1916), a fruit grower and owner of Evergreen Farms from Chautauqua County, New York, was born in Portland, one of several children of Hiram Burton (1799-1892) and Harriet Skinner (1805-1891). In 1861, Burton married fellow Portland resident Freedom M. Harris (1838-1916), daughter of Joseph Elliot Harris (1809-1884) and Harriet Niles (1811-1855), with whom he had three children: Harriet (Hattie) Freedom Burton Correll (1864-1887), Gertrude Ella Burton (1868-1885), and Chester Addison (Addie) Burton (1878-1932).
Besides his occupation as a farmer, Burton had also worked for several years a civil engineer and assessor. He and Freedom were Universalists and republicans, and were very involved in their church, local politics, agricultural associations, and various fraternal and women's organizations. Chester was a member of the Royal Templars of Temperance, the Dunkirk Commandery Asylum, the New York State Grange, the Portland Lyceum, the Freemasons, and Brocton Lodge No. 782 IOOF, among other organizations.
This collection consists mostly of correspondence with some financial records such as account books and daybooks; legal documents, especially deeds and land indentures; various ephemera and printed matter, such as pamphlets, clippings, brochures, souvenirs, advertisements; and photographs relating to the Burton family and to a lesser extent, several related families, namely the Harris family.
Chester W. Burton is the most represented, though numerous family members are documented in the collection, particularly Chester's father, Hiram Burton (1799-1892), and grandfather, Simon Burton (1769-1842), one of the early residents of Portland, New York. Both Simon and Hiram were veterans of the War of 1812, and founding members of the local Universalist Society. Others who are represented include Burton's his father-in-law, Joseph Elliot Harris (1809-1884); his daughter and son-in-law, Harriet Burton Correll (1864-1887) and Harris A. Correll (b. 1859); his siblings, Charles Winfield Burton (1827-1903), Insurance Agent and Secretary of the Eastern Iowa Horticultural Society from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Louisa Harriet Burton (1839-1926), who owned and operated several vineyards in Chautauqua County; his wife, Freedom Harris Burton (1838-1916); and his son Charles Addison (Addie) Burton (1878-1932), a civil engineer in Brocton, New York.
In documenting the experiences of numerous individuals, the collection reveals aspects of broader issues and current events such as the Civil War and early settlement and life in the west, including involvement in gold mining, among other things.
Materials are primarily arranged by document type.
Purchase, 2016. (AM 2016-76)
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This collection was processed by Faith Charlton in August 2016. Finding aid written by Faith Charlton in August 2016.
No materials were separated during 2016 processing.
People
Organization
Subject
- Agriculturists -- United States -- 19th century -- Sources
- Chautauqua County (N.Y.)--History--19th century--Sources
- Chautauqua County (N.Y.)--History--20th century--Sources
- Frontier and pioneer life--West (U.S.)--19th century--Sources
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Correspondence
- Universalist churches--New York (State)--History--19th century--Sources
- Upstate New York (N.Y.)--History, Local--19th century--Sources
- Upstate New York (N.Y.)--History, Local--20th century--Sources
- Women farmers--United States--History--19th century--Sources
Place
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Faith Charlton
- Finding Aid Date
- 2016
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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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
Though primarily correspondence, some documents, such as deeds and indentures, financial papers, such as receipts, invoices, and inventories, are interspersed throughout, especially in earlier correspondence. Also included are a few ephemeral materials as well as writings by various family members, including those of Chester W. Burton and Clarissa Harris, both of whom wrote articles for publication in local newspapers and journals.
Some correspondence of special interest includes numerous Civil War-era letters to Chester W. Burton regarding the war as well as letters about events and life in newly-settled western territories. Related to the former are letters and documents showing that Burton avoided serving in the war (he was drafted in August 1863), by providing a substitute named James Kelly who deserted after one month of service. There is also a small batch of letters written to Burton from soldiers from Company D of the 9th New York Cavalry, specifically James Ogden, who enlisted as a corporal and was promoted to bugler, and Charles Crosby, who enlisted as a corporal and later promoted to sergeant.
Other letters of note include those from Burton's sister, Maria, and her husband, J. Billings, who lived in Denver, Colorado, concerning the sizable population of southerners in the Colorado gold fields and in Denver itself, and the agitation among them to claim the territory for the Confederacy. In a letter dated September 5, 1861, likely from Maria, she writes about a panic in Denver over a possible rebel invasion or insurrection; and in a follow-up letter dated October 20, 1861, mentions an increased level of security in Denver provided by home guards. There are also several letters from friends and family out west involved in gold mining, including a couple of letters dated 1867 from an unidentified homesteader from Grizzly Gulch, Montana Territory about the Gold Rush and surviving the harsh winter out west.
Also included is the declaration of founding of the Universalist Society of Portland (1821) as well as a few letters and documents relating to the Burton family members who were veterans of the War of 1812, including Hiram Burton who requested disability for wounds that he had received (1871).
Physical Description6 boxes
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Consists of mostly portrait and some group photographs of family members and friends, some of which are identified.
Physical Description1 box
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Includes account books and daybooks as well as financial papers, such as receipts, invoices, and inventories; loose papers can also be found amongst Correspondence and Documents.
Physical Description3 boxes
2 household/account books arranged chronologically by month.
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Appears to have been used by multiple creators. The ledger portion is organized by customer name.
Physical Description1 box
Includes 3 daybooks, including one belonging to Charles W. Burton (1847-1856), one belonging to Hiram Burton (circa 1856-1864), and the third belonging to Chester W. Burton (1905).
Physical Description1 folder
Primarily relate to Chester W. Burton, his wife, Freedom H. Burton, and their son, Chester Addison Burton.
Physical Description1 folder
Consists of booklets, pamphlets, brochures, and serial issues, many of which are related to various fraternal organizations, organizations of women, namely the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, agricultural practices, and local churches.
Physical Description1 box
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