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Collection Overview

Creator:
Hoyt, George H. (George Henry), 1837-1877
Title:
George H. Hoyt Papers on John Brown
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/rn301982n
Dates:
1859-1893
Size:
0.2 linear feet and 1 box
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box B-001561
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of affidavits, clippings, correspondence, and photographs, mostly related to abolitionist lawyer George H. Hoyt's work as an attorney for John Brown (1800-1859). Materials shed light on the Virginia v. John Brown trial that followed Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, as well as Hoyt's participation in the American Civil War and abolitionist movements.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of affidavits, clippings, correspondence, and photographs, mostly related to abolitionist lawyer George H. Hoyt's work as an attorney for John Brown (1800-1859). Materials shed light on the Virginia v. John Brown trial that followed Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, as well as Hoyt's participation in the American Civil War and abolitionist movements.

The collection includes a leather journal containing Ohio affidavits that Hoyt gathered on behalf of John Brown, which provide statements attesting to the supposed "insanity" of Brown and his family members. While it is unclear whether the evidence was presented during the trial or after, in seeking an appeal, Hoyt recorded affidavits from Brown's former neighbors and relatives residing in and around Akron, Ohio, in support of an insanity defense (a defense that Brown, himself, rejected). The journal's final written page contains a list of names of conspirators in the raid on Harpers Ferry, along with their respective fates. A separate scrapbook contains over 50 newspaper clippings featuring reportage of the trial and George Hoyt's life and death, including the front page of the November 12th, 1859, issue of Harper's Weekly featuring a drawing of Brown and Hoyt at the trial captioned "The Prisoner Brown and His Boston Counsel, Mr. Hoyt."

Correspondence, including both loose letters and those tipped into the scrapbook, include letters from George Hoyt to Clara Hoyt (Humboldt, Tennessee, June 30, 1862), James Redpath (1833-1891) to George Hoyt (Boston, Massachusetts, June 20, 1869), John Brown Jr. (1821-1895) to George Hoyt (Put-in-Bay Island, Ohio, June 25 and 26, 1869), Wendell Phillips (1811-1884) to George Hoyt (Boston, Massachusetts, July 5, 1869), Richard J. Hinton (1830-1901) to Clara Hoyt Burleigh (Washington, D.C, January 21, 1893), and Richard Hinton to George Hoyt (undated). These letters document the close friendship that Hoyt developed with Brown's son, John Brown Jr. (1821-1895); attestations from various people involved that Hoyt worked on the Brown case pro bono; as well as Hoyt's time serving under Kansas General Charles "Doc" Jennison, in Company K of the 7th Kansas Cavalry regiment, also known as "Jennison's Jayhawkers." There are also two unidentified tintypes of children, likely those of John Brown Jr. (1821-1895).

Collection Creator Biography:

Hoyt

George H. Hoyt (1837-1877) was an abolitionist and lawyer who represented John Brown (1800-1859) in the Virginia v. John Brown trial that followed Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. Hoyt became involved in Brown's trial at the age of 21 when working as an attorney in Boston, Massachusetts. He later fought in the American Civil War under Kansas General Charles "Doc" Jennison, in Company K of the 7th Kansas Cavalry regiment, which was also known as "Jennison's Jayhawkers." After the Civil War, Hoyt served as Kansas Attorney General from 1867 to 1869. After returning to Massachusetts, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1871. He died in his hometown of Athol, Massachusetts, at the age of 39.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Purchased from Cowan's Auctions in 2021 (AM 2021-66).

Appraisal

No materials were separated from the collection during 2021 processing.

Sponsorship:

Processing of this collection was sponsored by the Delafield fund.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kelly Bolding in May 2021. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in May 2021.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

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.

Credit this material:

George H. Hoyt Papers on John Brown; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/rn301982n
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box B-001561