Contents and Arrangement Expanded View

Collection Overview

Creator:
Boudinot, Elias, 1740-1821
Collector:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Title:
Elias Boudinot Collection
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/g732d899p
Dates:
1773-1950 (mostly 1777-1820)
Size:
1 box and 0.4 linear feet
Storage Note:
Firestone Library (mss): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

Elias Boudinot was a lawyer and Revolutionary statesman, serving as member of the Continental Congress (president, 1782), secretary of foreign affairs (1783-84), New Jersey congressman (1789-95), and director of the U.S. Mint (1795-1805). The collection consists of miscellaneous letters and documents of Boudinot, many of which concern his land dealings.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Description:

Consists of miscellaneous letters and documents of Boudinot, many of which concern his land dealings. Historical figures and significant New Jersey correspondents represented in the collection include Samuel Bayard, Elias Dayton, John Dickinson, Ashbel Green, William Livingston, James Madison, James Morris, Lewis Pintard, and George Simpson. Included are Boudinot's drawing and description of the Boudinot coat of arms and his letter (23 Oct. 1782) to New Jersey governor William Livingston regarding congressional discussion then in progress concerning the admission of Vermont as the 14th state in the Union.

The following standard abbreviations, or their variation, are used to identify materials in this collection: ALsS = autograph letters signed and ADS = autograph document signed.

Arrangement:

The collection has been arranged in the following series:

Collection Creator Biography:

Boudinot, Elias

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:

Certificate of membership in the Society of the Cincinnati is a gift of Edward G. Delafield. Signed autograph statement by Boudinot is a gift of Theodore D. Parsons. Photocopy of letter to Col. Biddle is a gift of Walter L. Pforzheimer. Letter to Charles Chauncey is a gift of Seth Pierrepont. Letter to Lewis Pintard is a gift of Mrs. Millicent Fenwick. The remainder was purchased in 1953-1990. Additions are a gift of Josephine Danforth Capps.

Archival Appraisal Information:

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information:

This collection was processed by Karla Vecchia in 2002. Finding aid written by Karla Vecchia in 2002.

Access & Use

Access Restrictions:

Researchers may be required to use surrogates of collection items stored in special vault facilities. Consult staff for access.

Conditions for Reproduction and Use:

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.

Credit this material:

Elias Boudinot Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/g732d899p
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
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