Thorne Collection of Elias Boudinot, 1734-1924 (mostly 1777-1819)

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Boudinot, Elias (1740-1821)

Title:

Thorne Collection of Elias Boudinot

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/6d56zw62x

Dates:

1734-1924 (mostly 1777-1819)

Size:

4 boxes

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-4

Language:

English

Abstract: Elias Boudinot was an American lawyer and public official who represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress. This collection consists of correspondence, documents, and printed material relating to Boudinot and his family, collected by Langdon K. Thorne.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence, documents, and printed material relating to Elias Boudinot and the Boudinot family, collected by Langdon K. Thorne. Much of Boudinot's correspondence is addressed to his wife, Hannah, sister of Richard Stockton, while he is traveling with the Continental Army as commissary-general of prisoners (1777-1778); other letters deal more directly with his prisoners-of-war work, and there are many to his brother Elisha, covering (1777-1819) the whole range of Boudinot's public service: New Jersey member of the Continental Congress (1781-1783), president of that body (1782-1783), member of the National House of Representatives (1789-1795), director of the U.S. Mint (1795-1805), and founding member and first president of the American Bible Society (1816).

In addition, there are Boudinot's personal copy of a broadside of resolutions (1776-1777) relating to the Commissary of Prisoners Department and a copy of his proclamation (24 June 1783) as president of Congress moving it to Princeton. Among papers of others in the collection are Loyalist surgeon Uzal Johnson's journal (5 March 1780 to 6 March 1781), including accounts of the battle of King's Mountain and other military movements in and around Charleston, South Carolina, while serving under General Patterson in the 71st Regiment of Light Infantry, and a bound volume of recipes belonging to Mrs. C. Boudinot.

Collection Creator Biography:

Boudinot

Elias Boudinot was an American lawyer and public official who represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress. Born in Philadelphia in 1740, Boudinot became a lawyer in 1760. At the onset of the American Revolution, he became a member of the Revolutionary Party although he was a conservative Whig. He served as deputy in the New Jersey provincial assembly and then as a New Jersey representative in the Continental Congress. He later served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1789 to 1795 before becoming director of the U.S. Mint from 1795 to 1805. Boudinot died in 1821.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Collected by Langdon K. Thorne. Received through M. Knw Knoedler and Co. in 1953.
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.
Processing Information: Biography written by Jessica Marati, '08.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

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.

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