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Pierpont Family Papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 1125

Scope and Contents

Papers of the Pierpont Family of North Haven, Conn., chiefly of Daniel Pierpont, 1775-1851, a business man and town clerk there for many years.

Daniel Pierpont's diary, Jan.-Aug. 1824, giving an account of a murder trial in New Haven which was interrupted by the arrival of General Lafayette on Aug. 21, 1824. Included also is a journal [inversed and reversed] of a journey, Sep. 2-18, 1824, with William Warner. In the course of the journey they traveled from North Haven to Oxford, N. Y., though southern New York state and returned by a different route; passing through Cairo, N. Y. where they observed throngs of people preparing for Lafayette's arrival.

Two letters, one a draft of a letter, from Daniel Pierpont to an unnamed person concerning the writer's claim to some land apparently in New York state in the vicinity of Montrose [noted as mailed Sep. 12, 1832] and the other, Dec. 30, 1841 is from Dennis Kimberly to Daniel Pierpont.

Fourteen deeds, 1806-1865, all to Daniel Pierpont and to land in North Haven, unless otherwise indicated, from the following: Jesse Andrews, May 2, 1811; Elbridge Gerry Blanchard, July 24, 1837 [also to Elias Pierpont]; Moses. T. Brockett, Nov. 6, 1820; Jonathan H. Dayton, Aug. 6, 1836; John Gill, May 17, 1830 [in Susquehanna County, Penn.]; Town of Hamden, Conn., Dec. 25, 1844 [signed by Leverett Hitchcock, treas.]; Albert E. Moulthrop, Nov. 5, 1845; Elias Pierpont, 1803-1883, to his sister, Harriet Pierpont 1808- ,June 10, 1856; Harriet R. Pierpont to Elias and Harriet Pierpont, June 8, 1865; Ruel Todd, [with his wife, Lucinda (Pierpont) Todd], Jan. 1, 1828 [in Hamden]; William Todd. Jr. Sep. 14, 1836 [a building in North Haven]; Isaac Tuttle, June 4, 9 [in Hamden], 1842; Edward Whedon, June 18, 1806 [in Branford].

The miscellaneous papers consist of 15 items, 1792-1885, and undated. They include: inventory, Sep. 10, 1792, of Land and livestock, labeled "Hezekiah Pierpont his Bill of Estate", indenture, Dec. 10, 1798, from Joshua Barnes and James Ives, binding Chancy Linds to Isaiah Brocket; selectior by the Proprietors of North Haven, at meeting Nov. 30. 1807, Daniel Pierpont clerk, of a Committee to petition the General Assemble at Hartford for permission to build a dyke across the New Haven East River; list, Aug. 29, 1809, by Daniel Pierpont, of stock tools and fine woods (mahogany, ect.), endorsed "When we first commenced business"; agreement, June 10, 1824, in the hand of Daniel Pierpont, between him, of the one part, and his brother, Ezra (1757-1842), Joseph (1760-1833), and Russell (1763-1844) Pierpont of the other part concerning the estate of their father Joseph Pierpont, 1730-1824, deposition, Aug. 21, 1828, of Abner Strong, in the case of the town of Canton vs. North Haven cause not specified [mutilated]; list of qualified electors chosen at a meeting of the selectmen of North Haven, Mar. 28, 1842; Daniel Pierpont's "Building Acts," being his record, Apr.-Sep. 1846, of materials, workmen, etc. on a house he was building with entries on weather and other matters [1 pocket account book]; bill, June 3, 1841 from Charles Durand to [Rufus Pierpont, 1818-1855] for dry goods; bill Sep. 20, 1847, from E. E. Huggins & Co. to Rufus Pierpont, for chinaware; resolutions; Aug. 1, 1855, of St. John's Church on the death of Rufus Pierpont; copy of writ and original complaint from the Justice's court, New Haven, June 18, 1885, by Edward L. Linsly, J. P. concerning the case of Whitney Elliott vs. Mrs. Harriet R. Pierpont, Elijah M. Beaumont and Gustavus Eliot; description of a churn invented by Daniel Pierpont, [undated]; list with valuations of his livestock and real estate [undated]; his Division of Debts etc. added & cast on his paper being one folder of figures with names and amounts and nature of business not indicated.

Dates

  • 1656-1885

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Existence and Location of Copies

Papers relating to the genealogy of the Pierpont family are available on microfilm (97 frames on 1 reel, 35mm.) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM144.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain. There are no restrictions on use. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Mrs. E. Nesbit, 1949; gift of Mrs. Jordon T. Jack and Mrs. Ralph A. Winter, 1982.

Arrangement

Arranged by accession.

Related Materials

Pierpont's Store Collection, MS Group No. 399.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.1125

Abstract

Correspondence, diaries, financial and legal papers, inventories, deeds, and accounts of members of the Pierpont family of North Haven, Connecticut. The principal figure is Daniel Pierpont, business man and town clerk of North Haven whose papers include an account book kept while building a house (1846), fourteen deeds for land in North Haven and a description of a churn invented by him. His diary (1824) contains an account of a murder trial in New Haven interrupted by the arrival of General Lafayette, and a description of a journey through southern New York state where he observed preparations for the reception of LaFayette. There is also an estate inventory for Hezekiah Pierpont (1792), financial papers of Rufus Pierpont and a resolution (Aug 1, 1855) of St. John's Church on his death.

Title
Guide to the Pierpont Family Papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
compiled by John Espy and Lynn J. Stewart
Date
May 1980
Description rules
Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
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Location

Sterling Memorial Library
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