Scope and Contents
Thomas Hartley Crawford, a lawyer from Pennsylvania, served as representative to Congress from 1829-1833. In 1836 he was appointed to investigate suspected fraud in the sale of Creek lands in Alabama. From 1838 to 1845 he served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs and subsequently as judge of the criminal court in the District of Columbia, 1845-1861. He died in 1863.
Thomas Hartley Crawford's papers, spanning the years 1827 to 1862, concern both his personal and official affairs, although in both cases they are largely financial and legal in character. The personal papers include a voluminous financial correspondence (1827-1862) with Anna Maria Inglis, the head of a boarding school attended by Crawford's sisters and daughters. There is also a brief autobiographical sketch written in 1858.
The major portion of the papers stems from Crawford's investigative work on the 1832 treaty with the Creek Indians and contains testimony, documents and legal opinions in the case against General James C. Watson. Other papers are connected with Crawford's work as Commisssioner of Indian Affairs, including his legal opinions on cases concerning Indian lands (1838), miscellaneous legal documents, correspondence, accounts and memoranda relating to the Miami Indians (1839-1842). The Shawnee and the Cherokee tribes are also mentioned in several cases. There are a few items concerning local ordinances in Washington (1837-1855).
Dates
- 1827-1862
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
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Unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection are in the public domain.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
Gift of Charles and Lindley Eberstadt, 1971.
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The most important part of the Thomas Hartley Crawford Papers relate to Crawford's work on a presidential commission investigating land fraud in connection with the 1832 treaty with the Creek Indians. There are also legal opinions, reports, financial records and correspondence with members of Congress which reflect his work as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1836-1845, and as a judge in Washington, D.C., 1845-1861. Among his correspondents are Dixon H. Lewis, C. C. Clay, William Mitchell and J. C. Ten Eyck.
Biographical / Historical
Thomas Hartley Crawford, a lawyer from Pennsylvania, served as representative to Congress from 1829-1833. He then served as a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives in 1833-1834. In 1836, he was appointed to investigate suspected fraud in the sale of Creek lands in Alabama. From 1838 to 1845 he served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs and subsequently as judge of the criminal court in the District of Columbia, 1845-1861. He died in 1863.
- Clay, Clement Comer, 1789-1866
- Crawford, Thomas Hartley, 1786-1863
- Creek Indians
- Education
- Indians of North America
- Law
- Lawyers
- Legislators
- Lewis, Dixon Hall, 1802-1848
- Lewis, Ellis, 1798-1871
- Livingston, John
- Miami Indians
- Mitchell, William, 1807-1865
- Poinsett, Joel Roberts, 1779-1851
- Politicians
- Southern States
- Ten Eyck, John C. (John Conover), 1814-1879
- United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Washington (D.C.)
- Title
- Guide to the Thomas Hartley Crawford Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- compiled by Ruth Gay
- Date
- January 1979
- 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
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
beinecke.library@yale.edu
Location
Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511