Manuscript Group 47, John P. Jackson (1805-1861), Lawyer and Legislator, Vice-President of the New JerseyRailroad & Transportation Co. Papers, 1821-1887 (Bulk dates: 1830-1860)

 

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Manuscript Group 47, John P. Jackson (1805-1861), Lawyer and Legislator, Vice-President of the New Jersey
Railroad & Transportation Co. Papers, 1821-1887 (Bulk dates: 1830-1860), 0.25 linear feet / 1 small box

 

Call Number: MG 47

 

 

Summary

 

 

 

 

 

 


Summary:

 

Mostly letters addressed to
John P. Jackson, a Newark attorney, Whig politician, as well as Vice-President
and General Superintendent of the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation
Company.  Jackson was also an officer of the Essex County Bible Society,
the Newark City Tract Society, the New Jersey Colonization Society, and The New
Jersey Historical Society.  Included are letters of:

 

 

Samuel J.
Bayard
Edward
Everett
Samuel L.
Southard
John J.
Crittenden
Theodore
Frelinghuysen
Richard
Wayne Stites
John S.
Darcy
Charles
Gayarre
Peter D.
Vroom (1791-1873)
William L.
Dayton
Joseph C.
Hornblower
Asa
Whitehead
Philemon
Dickerson
John Maclean William A.
Whitehead
Robert
Schuyler

Gift in part of Mrs. Neilson Abeel, 1918,
and William S. Baker, 1920.

Biographical
Note:

 

John P. Jackson, the son of Hester Van der
Linde Brinckerhoff (1782-1883) and Peter Jackson (1777-1859), was born on June
8, 1805 in Acquanonck, New Jersey.  He graduated from the College of New
Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1823 and then studied law at the Litchfield
Law School in Connecticut.  He was admitted to the bar in 1827 and went
into practice with Ashbel W. Corey and later his brother-in-law, Amzi Armstrong,
in Newark, New Jersey.

 

Jackson entered politics in 1831 when he
was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, then reelected the following
year, and made Speaker of the House Assembly.  In 1839, he was elected the
Clerk of Essex County and remained in that position for ten years.  He
retired from the legal profession when he assumed the Essex County clerkship.

 

During this same time period he became
active in the newly formed New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company.
He was elected the company’s secretary in 1832, a director in 1836, and the
vice president and general superintendent in 1849.  The company grew and
strengthened under Jackson’s leadership, and came to include such lines as the
one running between Newark and New York City.  Jackson remained with the
company until his death in 1861.

 

Jackson was also active in charitable and
religious organizations.  He was a member of the Essex County Bible
Society, the New Jersey Colonization Society, The New Jersey Historical Society,
the First Presbyterian Church of Newark, and a founding member of the South Park
Presbyterian Church of Newark.  He was also a trustee of the New Jersey
State Normal School and was appointed by President Millard Fillmore to the Board
of Visitors at West Point Military Academy.

 

In 1827, John P. Jackson married Elizabeth
Huntington Wolcott, the daughter of Betzy Huntington and the Honorable Frederick
Wolcott.  The couple had eleven children together.  John P. Jackson
died in Newark, New Jersey on December 10, 1861.

 

See Jackson
Family Tree
.

 

Sources:

 

Lee, Francis Bazley. Genealogical and
Memorial History of the State of New Jersey
(Lewis Historical Publishing
Co.: New York, 1910), Vol. IV, pgs. 1386-1387.

 

Shaw, William H. History of Essex and
Hudson Counties, New Jersey
(Everts & Peck: Philadelphia, 1884), pgs.
261-262.

Provenance
Note:

 

Eleven documents, marked with the
accession numbers M1245-M1256, were donated by Mrs. Neilson Abeel in 1918.
Two letters, marked with the accession numbers M1369 and M1370, were donated by
William S. Baker in 1920.  The source of the remainder of the items in this
collection are unknown.

Scope
and Content Note:

 

The papers consist largely of letters
received by John P. Jackson, and date from 1821-1887, with bulk dates of
1830-1860.

 

The correspondence mostly pertains to John
P. Jackson’s business matters and contains complaints concerning the various
railroads Jackson oversaw; requests for free tickets or passes; information
regarding the railroad company’s stock; discussion of New Jersey and Unites
States politics; invitations to dinners, meetings, lectures, and visits; and
inquiries into money owed.  Correspondents include Samuel Bayard, John J.
Chetwood, John Davis, William L. Dayton, Edward Everett, Richard Stockton Field,
Theodore Frelinghuysen, Charles Gayarré, Chauncey A. Goodrich, Dudley S.
Gregory, Joseph C. Hornblower, Peter Jackson, Jacob W. Miller, J. Phillips
Phoenix, Robert Schuyler, George Sheldon, Samuel L. Southard, Richard Stockton,
Robert Field Stockton, John R. Thomson, Peter D. Vroom, Asa Whitehead, and
William A. Whitehead.  There are a few letters from family members,
including one from John P. Jackson’s brother, James Jackson, describing the
state of the slaves at Mount Vernon.

 

There are also a number of letters
discussing the various organizations and societies that Jackson was involved
in.  These include the New Jersey Colonization Society, the Essex County
Bible Society, Princeton University, South Park Church, and an unspecified
temperance society.  Additionally, there are a small number of
newsletters/updates for the New Jersey Colonization Society and the South Park
Presbyterian Church of Newark.

 

The papers also contain editorials; a
small number of receipts and bills; court documents; one Newark land deed; and a
smaller amount of correspondence to other people, including John Darcy Stevens,
the President of the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company.

Related
Collections:

 

Manuscript Group 20,
Peter D. Vroom (1791-1873) Papers
: Contains letters of John P. Jackson.

 

Manuscript
Group 26, Joseph P. Bradley (1813-1892) Papers
: Contains letters of John P.
Jackson.

 

Manuscript Group 139, East Newark Land
Company Records
: John P. Jackson was a founder of this company.

Folder List:

 

 


Folder

Title

Dates
 

Correspondence – John P. Jackson,
Letters Received

 

1

 

Correspondence to John P. Jackson
from: A-D

 

– Robert Adrain

 

1851

 

– Abner Aikman, with a note from
Frederick Wolcott

 

 

1827

 

– William Cowper Alexander

 

1859

 

– Robert Anderson

 

1861

 

– Samuel Bayard

 

1839

 

– Charles Beecher

 

1852

 

– George Washington Cassedy

 

1846

 

– John Joseph Chetwood (3 letters)

 

1852, 1859

 

– A.N. Corry

 

n.d.

 

– Edward Tanjore Corwin

 

1859

 

– E.R. Crain

 

1851

 

– John Jordan Crittenden

 

1844

 

– Jos. Cross, with note from Charles
H. Whitecar

 

1845

 

– John Davis

 

1842

 

– Matthew W. Day

 

1831

 

– William Lewis Dayton (3 letters)

 

1838, 1852, 1859

 

– A. Dell (?)

 

1851

 

– Democratic Whigs of the City

 

1849

 

– Alfred L. Dennis

 

1855

 

– John Thomas Duffield

 

1858

 

2

 

Correspondence to John P. Jackson
from: E-H

 

– John Edgar

 

1859

 

– Edward Everett

 

1859

 

– Richard Stockton Field (3 letters)

 

1856, 1858, 1859

 

– J. Franklin

 

1858

 

– Theodore Frelinghuysen (2 letters)

 

1840, 1853

 

– Theodore Frothingham

 

1853

 

– Charles Gayarré

 

1858

 

– Archer Gifford

 

1853

 

– Chauncey Allen Goodrich (2
letters)

 

1856

 

– Henry Woodhull Green

 

1844

 

– Dudley Sanford Gregory (3 letters)

 

1840, 1848, 1851

 

– John C. Groome

 

1839

 

– Ralph Randolph Gurley

 

1852

 

– (J.D.?) Hager

 

1840

 

– Willis Hall, with note from John
George McKean

 

1837

 

– M.W. Halsey

 

1838

 

– Robert (N.?) Halsted

 

1827

 

– Edwin Francis Hatfield

 

1852

 

– Alexander Henry

 

1852

 

– (L.D.?) Henry

 

1859

 

– Ogden Hoffman

 

1838

 

– M.B. Hope

 

1852

 

– Joseph C. Hornblower (3 letters)

 

1840, 1851, 1861

 

– Lewis L. Houpt

 

1861

 

– E. Huntington

 

1836

 

3

 

Correspondence to John P. Jackson
from: J-P

 

– James Jackson

 

1825

 

– Peter Jackson (2 letters)

 

1829, 1832

 

– ( ) Joline

 

1838

 

– E.W. Leavenworth

 

1828

 

– Robert M. Lusher (?)

 

1858

 

– George (P. Macaullos?)

 

1840

 

– John Maclean

 

1832

 

– Silas Merchant

 

1835

 

– A. Merwin

 

1856

 

– Jacob Welsh Miller (2 letters)

 

1841, 1847

 

– David (Nervius?)

 

1852

 

– J. Phillips Phoenix (3 letters)

 

1851, n.d.

 

– J.B. Pierney

 

1859

 

– W. Pierson, Jr.

 

1838

 

4

 

Correspondence to John P. Jackson
from: R-S

 

– G.R. Richardson

 

1821

 

– J.L. Robinson

 

1851

 

– Edw. Rogers

 

1840

 

– Z. Rossell

 

1835

 

– William Schley

 

1840

 

– Robert Schuyler (3 letters)

 

1853

 

– George Sheldon (3 letters)

 

1838, 1860

 

– H.R. Shotwell

 

1836

 

– J.C. Smallwood

 

1860

 

– Asa D. Smith

 

1853

 

– Truman Smith

 

1852

 

– George W. Smythe

 

1853

 

– Samuel L. Southard (3 letters)

 

1833, 1838, 1839

 

– Richard Wayne Stites

 

1840

 

– Richard Stockton, with draft reply

 

1859

 

– Robert Field Stockton

 

n.d.

 

5

 

Correspondence to John P. Jackson
from: T-Z, unknown

 

 

– John R. Thomson (2 letters)

 

1840, n.d.

 

– Elihu Townsend

 

1836

 

– Edw. Vanderpool

 

1853

 

– Peter D. Vroom (3 letters)

 

1831, 1835, 1852

 

– Francis Wayland

 

1851

 

– Norman White

 

1851

 

– Asa Whitehead

 

1838

 

– William A. Whitehead

 

1860

 

– H. Wilson

 

1860

 

– N.A. Wilson

 

1824

 

– George W. Wood

 

1859

 

– William Wright

 

1846

 

– Lincoln ( )

 

1859

 

– W.P. ( )

 

1853

 

– ( )

 

1854

 

Correspondence – To Others

 

6

 

– To David H. Baker from John P.
Jackson (2 letters)

 

 

1849

 

– To Caleb Baldwin from the
Committee of the NJ Railroad and Transportation Company, printed letter

 

 

1834

 

– To John Stevens Darcy from William
A. Gulick

 

n.d.

 

– To John Stevens Darcy from Edwin
Augustus Stevens

 

 

n.d.

 

– To James Henderson from ( )
Hollenbach

 

1829

 

– To Elizabeth Wolcott Jackson from
( )

 

1870

 

– To Frederick Wolcott Jackson from
( )

 

1865

 

– To John P. Jackson from Anthony
Deys Camp

 

1887

 

– To Mary and Julia Jackson from
Elizabeth Wolcott Jackson and John P. Jackson

 

 

1848

 

– To Schuyler B. Jackson from Robert
( )

 

1884

 

– To Jas. L. Morris from Philemon
Dickerson

 

n.d.

 

– To H.J. Southwayd from Thomas T.
Kinney

 

1860

 

– To John Tircher (?) from Robert
Schuyler

 

1847

 

– To C.W. Toller from R.R. Gurley

 

1859

 

Society/Organization Newsletters

 

7

 

– New Jersey Colonization Society (3
letters)

 

1838, 1840, 1844

 

– South Park Presbyterian Church of
Newark

 

1852

 

Editorials/Speeches

 

8

 

– “Speech of the Hon. Daniel
Webster, in the Senate of the United States on the President’s Veto of
the Bank Bill” (printed pamphlet)

 

 

1832

 

– “For the State Gazette”

 

1851

 

– “To All Good Teamsters,
Cattle Drivers, and Charcoal Drivers, Tandem Riders and Horse Jockies!!”

 

 

n.d.

 

Court Documents and a Land Deed

 

9

 

– William Roberts, Jr. v. Moses Hey

 

1827

 

– Elijah C. Pierson v. Joseph Fenkes

 

1838

 

– Deed: William Pierson, Sheriff to
John P. Jackson

 

1852

 

Financial Documents

 

10

 

Bills, Receipts, Promissory Notes,
and Stock Transfer

 

 

1833-1858

 

Miscellaneous

 

11

 

– Certificate to be a
counselor-at-law, John P. Jackson, signed by Peter D. Vroom

 

 

1830

 

– Invitation to the commencement of
Burlington College

 

 

1852

 

– Blank stationary from the New
Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company

 

 

1861


Jackson
Family Tree:

 

Peter
Jackson (1777-1859) = Hester Van der Linde Brinckerhoff (1782-1883)
|

 

James
Jackson (1803-1882) = Mary Stagg

 

*John
P. Jackson (1805-1861)
= Elizabeth
Huntington Wolcott*

 

Maria
Jackson = Henry Van Winkle

 

Eliza
Jackson = Amzi Armstrong

 

Julia
Ann Jackson = Algernon S. Hubbell

 

Jane
Jackson = Samuel W. Fisher

 

William
Jackson (1817-1902) = 1) Helen Wilbur, 2)
Elizabeth McNulty

 

 

 

*John
P. Jackson (1805-1861)
= Elizabeth
Huntington Wolcott*
|

 

Laura
Wolcott Jackson (d.1900) = 1) Matthew Trotter, 2) Charles Henry

 

Mary
Elizabeth Jackson = T. Charlton Henry

 

Julia
Huntington Jackson (d.1905)

 

Frederick
Wolcott Jackson (1833-1904) = Nannie J. Nye

 

Joseph
Cooke Jackson (b.1835) = Katherine Perkins Day

 

John
Peter Jackson, Jr. (1837-1880) = Clara Gregory

 

Hannah
Wolcott Jackson (d.1904)

 

Huntington
Wolcott Jackson (1841-1901)

 

Charles
Henry Jackson (d.infancy)

 

Henry
Griswold Jackson (d.infancy)

 

Schuyler
Brinckerhoff Jackson (b.1849) = Angela Forbes

 

 

Processed by Kim Charlton, March 2000 as part of the “Farm to City”
project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission.

 

Submit a request to copy part of this collection

 

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