Scope and Contents
The James Abraham Hillhouse Papers contain writings and personal papers documenting the literary activities of a member of the prominent New Haven Hillhouse family during the early-to-mid nineteenth century. Writings consist of drafts of plays, essays, poems, and other genres, including notebooks dating from Hillhouse's days as a student at Yale College, covering subjects such as the sermons of Yale President Timothy Dwight and the philosophical lectures of professor Jeremiah Day, who succeeded Dwight in 1817. Other papers include account books, autograph signatures, letters, a drawing, and a death mask of Hillhouse.
Dates
- 1804-1844
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The James Abraham Hillhouse Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Hillhouse Estate, 1942.
Arrangement
Organized into two series: I. Writings, 1807-1844. II. Personal Papers, 1804-1836.
Extent
5.42 Linear Feet ((13 boxes) + 1 art)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The James Abraham Hillhouse Papers contain writings and personal papers documenting the literary activities of a member of the prominent New Haven Hillhouse family during the early-to-mid nineteenth century. Writings consist of drafts of plays, essays, poems, and other genres, including notebooks dating from Hillhouse's days as a student at Yale College, covering subjects such as the sermons of Yale President Timothy Dwight and the philosophical lectures of professor Jeremiah Day, who succeeded Dwight in 1817. Other papers include account books, autograph signatures, letters, a drawing, and a death mask of Hillhouse.
James Abraham Hillhouse (1789-1841)
James Abraham Hillhouse (September 26, 1789 - January 4, 1841) was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the eldest child of James and Rebecca (Woolsey) Hillhouse. He entered Yale College at the age of 13, but withdrew before the end of his freshman year, and eventually received an A.B. degree with the class of 1808. When his business plans were interrupted by the War of 1812, he relocated to New Haven from Boston, where he had resided for three years after his graduation. In 1819 he visited England, where he first published Percy's Masque (1819), a drama based on Bishop Percy's ballad, "The Hermit of Warkworth." Returning to the United States in 1820, Hillhouse engaged in business as a hardware merchant in New York City. In 1822 he married Cornelia Lawrence, the eldest daughter of New York merchant Isaac Lawrence, and the following year returned to New Haven, where he spent the remainder of his life in study and literary pursuits. In 1824, he wroteHadad (1825), a drama based upon the Biblical narrative of Absalom's rebellion. Most of his writings are contained in the volume Dramas, Discourses, and Other Pieces (1839).
Summary information taken from "James Abraham Hillhouse." Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Gale Biography in Context (accessed 27 January 2011).
Summary information taken from "James Abraham Hillhouse." Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Gale Biography in Context (accessed 27 January 2011).
Language(s)
In English.
Processing Information
Preliminary processing was done on the James Abraham Hillhouse papers at an unknown date. During reprocessing of the collection in 2011, the arrangement of writings was preserved in Series I and a small number of personal papers were removed from the general run of titles and consolidated in Series II.
Formerly classed as Za Hillhouse.
Formerly classed as Za Hillhouse.
- Title
- Guide to the James Abraham Hillhouse Papers
- Author
- by Michael L. Forstrom
- Date
- 27 January2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.