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Alsop family papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS 34

Scope and Contents

The papers consist of correspondence, legal papers, diaries, estate records, account books, notebooks, deeds, and miscellanea of the Alsop family of Middletown, Connecticut. Several generations of family members are represented in the papers including: Joseph Wright Alsop (1772-1844), Joseph Wright Alsop (1804-1878), Joseph Wright Alsop (1838-1891), Joseph Wright Alsop (1876-1953), Mary Alsop Oliver Alsop (1815-1893), Richard Alsop (1726-1776), Richard Alsop (1789-1842), Charles Richard Alsop (1802-1865), and John De Koven Alsop (1879-1926). Family mercantile interests in Connecticut and related operations in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru are documented. Files relating to a legal case involving the firm of Alsop & Company, the United States government, and the governments of Bolivia and Chile (1865-1914) are included. The personal papers of several family members are also arranged in the papers.

Dates

  • 1734-1986

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown, though much of the material in this collection is likely in the public domain. 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

Gift of John De Koven Alsop, Joseph E. Alsop, Mrs. Peggy Chubb, and Mrs. Stuart Farquhar in 1948; gift of Mrs. Kenneth MacKenzie and others, 1950-1956; gift of John Alsop, 1987; transfer from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, 2011; gift of Joseph W. Alsop, 2013.

Arrangement

Arranged in four series and three additions: I. Correspondence, 1776-1912. II. Alsop Claim Case, 1865-1914. III. Family Papers, 1752-1909. IV. Deeds and Miscellanea, 1734-1909. Additional material is arranged by accession.

Extent

44.75 Linear Feet (64 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.0034

Additional Description

Overview

The papers consist of correspondence, legal papers, diaries, estate records, account books, notebooks, deeds, and miscellanea of the Alsop family of Middletown, Connecticut. Several generations of family members are represented in the papers including: Joseph Wright Alsop (1772-1844), Joseph Wright Alsop (1804-1878), Joseph Wright Alsop (1838-1891), Joseph Wright Alsop (1876-1953), Mary Alsop Oliver Alsop (1815-1893), Richard Alsop (1726-1776), Richard Alsop (1789-1842), Charles Richard Alsop (1802-1865), and John De Koven Alsop (1879-1926). Family mercantile interests in Connecticut and related operations in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru are documented. Files relating to a legal case involving the firm of Alsop & Company, the United States government, and the governments of Bolivia and Chile (1865-1914) are included. The personal papers of several family members are also arranged in the papers.

Biographical / Historical

Richard Alsop was born in Middletown, Connecticut, on January 23, 1761. He studied at Yale College and became a notable literary figure. Alsop formed the "Hartford Wits," a literary group with members including Theodore Dwight, Lemuel Hopkins, and Benjamin Trumbull. He was principla writer for the "Echo," a series of satirical essays on political and social topics published as a volume in 1807. Alsop died in Flatbush, Long Island on August 20, 1815.

Subjects

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Alsop Family Papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
compiled by William E. Brown, Jr., Monique Daviau (addition) and Michael Lotstein (addition)
Date
July 2001
Description rules
Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/
Contact:
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)

Location

Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

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