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Series 3: Maturin Livingston Delafield, 1801-1918

17 boxes
Creator:
Delafield, Maturin Livingston (1836-1917)
Collection Creator:
Delafield family
Dates:
1801-1918
Extent:
17 boxes
Languages:
English
Scope and Contents

The papers of Maturin Livingston Delafield, father of John Ross Delafield, consist of writings, correspondence, business papers, documents, photographs, drawings, memorabilia, genealogical papers, and miscellaneous material. Delafield's years at Columbia College are represented by his diaries (1853-1856), essays, notebooks, diploma (1856), academic honors and awards, photographs of classmates, a notebook of college drawings, and one book of college songs. The bulk of this section consists of personal, business, and legal correspondence including letterbook copies of letters by Delafield. Personal correspondence contains letters by family members, friends, and acquaintances, while business correspondence includes general and legal letters, many with the attorney David Thompson Watson of Pittsburgh. Among the business papers, there are correspondence, documents, maps, and accounts, dealing with the Williamson estate (New Jersey), as well as real estate material concerning Shinnecock Hills.

Biography:

Delafield, Maturin Livingston (1836-1917)

Maturin Livingston Delafield was born at home in New York City in 1836, the second son of Joseph and Julia Livingston Delafield. After receiving private tutoring at home, he went on to Columbia College where he earned an undergraduate degree in 1856 and a master's degree in 1859. A skillful doodler, his college notebooks were often decorated with pen-and-ink drawings. After graduation, he joined the countinghouse of his uncle Henry Delafield, and during that time traveled to Haiti and Puerto Rico. Later on his own he developed trade in the West Indies, particularly in Haiti and Santo Domingo, retiring from the business world in 1868. That same year he married Mary Coleman Livingston (1847-1922) with whom he had eight children, including John Ross Delafield.

Delafield lived at Fieldston on the Hudson where he built a house in 1873, and in 1876 he built "Sunswyck," a summer home in Westhampton Beach, Long Island. He also owned homes in New York City. An enthusiastic genealogist, he wrote the first comprehensive history of the Delafield family and was a member of the New York Genealogical and Biological Society. He also belonged to the New York Historical Society, Museum of Natural History, and American Geographical Society. He died in 1917.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Access to glass-plate negatives is restricted due to their fragility. Where prints of the negatives are present, the prints are open for research use. Though digitization may not be possible for every negative, researchers may make requests to digitize material via the Ask Special Collections, form according to Special Collections' policy on digitization.

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.

Credit this material:

Series 3: Maturin Livingston Delafield, 1836-1917; Delafield Family Papers, C0391, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Storage Note:
Firestone Library (mss)
Boxes 42-58
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.

Glass plate negatives in Boxes 28-29 require special handling. Please consult with Public Services staff.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The papers of Maturin Livingston Delafield, father of John Ross Delafield, consist of writings, correspondence, business papers, documents, photographs, drawings, memorabilia, genealogical papers, and miscellaneous material. Delafield's years at Columbia College are represented by his diaries (1853-1856), essays, notebooks, diploma (1856), academic honors and awards, photographs of classmates, a notebook of college drawings, and one book of college songs. The bulk of this section consists of personal, business, and legal correspondence including letterbook copies of letters by Delafield. Personal correspondence contains letters by family members, friends, and acquaintances, while business correspondence includes general and legal letters, many with the attorney David Thompson Watson of Pittsburgh. Among the business papers, there are correspondence, documents, maps, and accounts, dealing with the Williamson estate (New Jersey), as well as real estate material concerning Shinnecock Hills.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into six subseries: Writings, Correspondence, Business Papers, Documents, Photographs and Drawings, and Miscellaneous Material..

Collection History

Appraisal

No materials were separated during 2016 processing.

Sponsorship:

The Delafield Family Papers (formerly comprising the Foundation Collection and the Mansion Corporation Collection housed at Montgomery Place, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y) were the gift of Mr. J. Dennis Delafield and Professor Penelope D. Johnson in 1986. Processing of this collection was sponsored by the Delafield Fund.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Access to glass-plate negatives is restricted due to their fragility. Where prints of the negatives are present, the prints are open for research use. Though digitization may not be possible for every negative, researchers may make requests to digitize material via the Ask Special Collections, form according to Special Collections' policy on digitization.

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.

Glass plate negatives in Boxes 28-29 require special handling. Please consult with Public Services staff.

Credit this material:

Series 3: Maturin Livingston Delafield, 1836-1917; Delafield Family Papers, C0391, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
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Storage Note:
Firestone Library (mss)
Boxes 42-58

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Related Materials

Edward Livingston Papers (C0280)

Princeton University Library Collection of General John Ross Delafield Family Materials (C1508)

Other repositories with Delafield Family holdings include Hudson Valley Restorations in Tarrytown, N.Y., the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Library in New York City, and the New York Historical Society.

Bibliography

Much of the biographical information for the Delafield Family Papers is from Delafield: The Family History by John Ross Delafield, privately printed, 2 volumes, 1945. Additional biographical information on Violetta Susan Elizabeth White Delafield was taken from David Rose, "Our Lady of the Gasteromycetes: The Mushrooms of Violetta White Delafield," FUNGI Volume 13:4 (Winter 2020).

Names:
Yale University. Class of 1808
United States Boundary Commission
United States. Army. Armored Infantry Regiment, 46th
Trinity Church (New York, N.Y.)
Reserve Officers Association of the United States
Lyceum of Natural History (New York, N.Y.)
Military Order of the World Wars
New York academy of sciences
White, Violetta Susan Elizabeth (1875-1949)
Delafield, John (1748-1824)
Delafield, Joseph (1790-1875)
Delafield, Maturin Livingston (1836-1917)
Ross, James (1762-1847)
Wetmore, Prosper Montgomery (1798-1876)