Jay, Peter A. (Peter Augustus), 1776-1843

Overview: Papers of five generations of the descendants of John Jay, chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, through his eldest son, Peter Augustus Jay. John Jay is represented by nine letters beginning in 1801 at the time of his retirement. These chiefly discuss his health and family matters. Early legal papers include several documents regarding the manumission and sale of slaves in the possession of the family. The correspondence (1801-1805) of Peter A. Jay, particularly with the...

Overview: The principal figures in this collection are Jedidiah Morse (1761-1826) and his sons Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872) and Richard Cary Morse (1795-1868). More than half of the collection is made up of correspondence (1779-1868) among members of the family. Also included are legal and financial papers, sermons by Jedidiah and Richard Cary Morse, travel journals, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, printed matter, and photographs.