Manuscript Group 398, Rutherfurd Family Papers, 1760-1845 (Bulk dates: 1780-1825)

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Manuscript Group 398, Rutherfurd Family

Papers, 1760-1845 (Bulk
dates: 1780-1825), 0.25 linear feet / 1 small manuscript box

Call Number: MG 398

Summary


Summary:

Letters, documents, and writings of the Rutherfurd family.  Includes correspondence and signed documents of:

John Quincy
Adams
Mahlon
Dickerson
Walter
Rutherfurd
Mary R.
Clarkson
Thomas T.
Kinney
Richard
Stockton (1764-1828)
Ashbel W.
Corey
John
Rutherfurd (1760-1840)
George
Washington
John S.
Darcy

Biographical Note:

Walter Rutherfurd (1723-1804)

Walter Rutherfurd (1723-1804)

Walter Rutherfurd was born on December 29, 1723 in Edgerston, Roxburgshire, Scotland, the sixth son of Elizabeth Cairncross and Sir John Rutherfurd.  He entered the Scottish army and was ordered to America in 1756 to fight in the French and Indian War, during which he was promoted to the rank of major.  In 1760, after the war was over, and after twenty years of service in the royal army, Rutherfurd retired.  He settled in New York City with his wife Catherine Alexander Parker, and built a house on Broadway and Vesey Street in Manhattan.

Rutherfurd’s wife, Catherine Alexander Parker, was the daughter of Mary Spratt Provoost and James Alexander, the sister of William Alexander (better known as Lord Stirling), and the widow of Elisha Parker.  Catherine and Walter married on December 21, 1758 and had three children together, John (b. 1760), James Alexander (b. 1764), and Mary (b. 1767).

When the colonies’ struggle with the Crown escalated into war, Rutherfurd, though sympathetic to the patriotic stance, was unable to turn against the country for which he had spent so many years fighting.  Although he attempted to stay aloof from the matter by retiring to his summer estate, Edgerston, in Hunterdon County, he was soon embroiled in politics.  In 1777, he and two others were taken as loyalist hostages to ensure the safety of patriot captives.  He was allowed a brief visit with his wife, but otherwise remained under guard in Morristown, New Jersey.

After the Revolution, Rutherfurd returned to New York City, where he died on January 10, 1804.

John Rutherfurd (1760-1840)

John Rutherfurd, the son of Walter and Catherine Rutherfurd, was born in New York City on September 20, 1760.  He attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), graduated in 1776, studied law with Richard Stockton (1730-1781, a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and William Paterson, and was admitted to the bar in 1782.

In 1791, Rutherfurd was elected as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.  He resigned from that position in 1798 and moved to Trenton; in 1808, he moved to Bergen County, New Jersey, near present-day Rutherford.  He became president of the East Jersey Proprietors in 1804, and remained in that position until 1840.  He was a member of the New York and New Jersey Boundary Commission in 1826, of the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Boundary Commission in 1829-1833, and of the committee to research and plan the canals to connect the Delaware, Raritan, and Hudson rivers.

On October 30, 1782, John Rutherfurd married Helena Morris (1762-1840), daughter of Mary Walton and Lewis Morris, III.  John and Helena had eight children together: Mary (1784-1863), Catherine (1786-1803), Robert Walter (1788-1852), Helena (1790-1873), Louisa Morris (1792-1857), Anna (1794-1876), John (died young), and Susanna (died young).

John Rutherfurd died on February 23, 1840 in Rutherford, New Jersey.

John and Helena’s Children: Mary, Louisa, and Robert Walter

Mary and Louisa Rutherfurd never married and eventually bought a house together on the Passaic River, which they called Eastridge.  Mary Rutherfurd was an accomplished businesswoman and was the sole executor of her father’s estate.

Robert Walter Rutherford graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) in 1806 and soon left to tour Scotland and England, the home of his grandfather.  After his return, he served on the New Jersey Assembly in 1810, 1812, 1813, and 1815 and on the State Council in 1819 and 1820.

In 1809, Robert Walter Rutherfurd married his first cousin Sabina Morris (1789-1857), the daughter of Colonel Lewis Morris and Ann Elliott Morris.  The newlyweds made their home in Sussex County, New Jersey at the family house, Tranquillity, given to them by John Rutherfurd.  They had five children together: John (1810-1871), Walter (1812-1868), Anna Elliott (1814-1830), Lewis Morris (1816-1892), and Robert Walter.

In 1821, trouble seems to have developed in Robert and Sabina’s marriage.  Robert Rutherfurd, and possibly others, raised questions about Sabina’s mental state and she was confined to an insane asylum for at least some period of time.  Sabina and Robert separated and Robert retained custody of their children, who appear to have lived with their grandfather, John Rutherfurd.

Robert W. Rutherfurd died at Tranquillity in New Jersey on April 14, 1852 and Sabina Morris Rutherfurd died in New York City on March 7, 1857.

John Rutherfurd (1810-1871)

John Rutherfurd, Robert and Sabina’s son, grew up at his grandfather’s house along the Passaic River.  He attended Rutgers College, graduating from there in 1829.  He was admitted to the bar in 1837, practiced law for about two years, and then left to manage his family’s estates.  John Rutherfurd was founder, president, director, and planner of a number of railroads, including the Warwick, Pequest Valley, Midland, Tuckertown, and Sussex Railroads.  He was also president of the Board of Proprietors of East New Jersey, president of the New Jersey Coal Company, and president of The New Jersey Historical Society.

He married Charlotte Livingston on August 15, 1855 and they had five children together: John, Helena, Livingston, Arthur Elliott, and Morris.

Provenance Note:

This collection was compiled from a number of different sources.  The 1827 Sentinel of Freedom essay was donated by Charlotte L. Rutherfurd at an unknown time.  A number of items, including Walter Rutherfurd’s article on paper currency, the “Notes on the State of New Jersey” report, the “State of the United American States” report, and the Walter Rutherfurd letter about relations with France, were all donated by John Rutherfurd (1810-1871).  John and his wife Charlotte Rutherfurd both made numerous donations to the Society and it is very possible that they donated other items in this collection.  Lastly, a large number of letters, particularly those dealing with Sabina Morris Rutherfurd were accessioned and added to this collection in 1978.  The donor of these items is unknown.

Scope and Content Note:

The collection spans the time period 1760-1845, with most of the materials dating between 1780-1825.  The papers are mainly those of Walter Rutherfurd and his son John Rutherfurd (1760-1840), though other family members, such as Catherine Parker Rutherfurd, Robert W. Rutherfurd, Sabina Morris Rutherfurd, Mary Rutherfurd, John Rutherfurd (1810-1871), and Louisa M. Rutherfurd are also documented in them.  The papers have been divided into series by type; these are Correspondence, Literary Works, Legal Documents, Financial Documents, and Miscellaneous.  Within these categories, the documents are arranged by the name of the family member to which they are most closely related.

The correspondence, mostly that of Walter and John Rutherfurd, documents family matters such as Sabina Rutherfurd’s mental state and separation from her husband.  They also include discussion of deteriorating relations with France (folder 8), the nomination of William Vans Murray as special envoy to Paris (folder 3), the canal system in New Jersey (folder 2 & 3), relations with Great Britain after the Revolution (folder 8), East Jersey Proprietor activities, and tariffs on northern and southern farmers.  The papers also contain a letter signed by George Washington asking John Rutherfurd (1760-1840) to report to the next session of Congress (folder 2).

The literary works include essays and reports written by both Walter and John Rutherfurd (1760-1840) for the Sentinel of Freedom and for political purposes.  The “Notes on the State of New Jersey” was published in the New Jersey Historical Proceedings, Series II, Volume I, pages 79-89.

The legal documents include indentures belonging to John Rutherfurd (1810-1871) and a small number of legal documents belonging to John Rutherfurd (1760-1840).  The latter includes a pass into New York City during the Revolution and an account settling John Rutherfurd’s estate.  There are also deeds, land surveys, and maps.

The financial and miscellaneous series contains receipts from a number of different family members and a folder of items belonging to Walter Rutherfurd.

Related Collections:

Manuscript Group 308, Estate of John Rutherfurd (1760-1840) Records

Manuscript Group 484, Ely-Rutherfurd Family Papers

Manuscript Group 869, John Rutherfurd (1810-1871) Account book
Folder List:


Folder

Title

Dates
Correspondence
1 Letters to Catherine Parker
Rutherfurd from:
– Louis G. Otto, Comte de Mosloy 1784
– John Rutherfurd (1760-1840) n.d.
– Susan ( ), refers to “my
dear, dear aunt”
1786
– ( ), addressed to “Dear
Aunt” (with typed copy)
n.d.
2 Letters to John Rutherfurd
(1760-1840) from:
– ( ) Cochrane 1788
– Mahlon Dickerson 1816
– P. Nimmo (?) 1839
– Mary Rutherfurd (1767-1786) n.d.
– Robert W. Rutherfurd 1822
– Sabina (Morris) Rutherfurd 1821
– Richard Stockton (1764-1828) 1798
– George Washington 1791
– ( ) n.d.
3 Letters written by John Rutherfurd
(1760-1840) to:
– John Quincy Adams 1824
– John S. Darcy, E. Townsend, A.
Day, and Ashbel W. Corey
1834
– Thomas G. Kennedy, Superintendent
of the Delaware Canal
1828
– N. Niles (2 letters), editor of
the Baltimore Weekly Register
1828, 1829
– Theodore Sedgewick 1799
4 Letters written by John Rutherfurd
(1760-1840), recipient unknown
1821, n.d (ca. 1821-1822)
5 Letters to Louisa M. Rutherfurd
from:
– Sabina (Morris) Rutherfurd 1815, 1821
– Helen Rutherfurd Watts n.d.
6 Letters to Mary Rutherfurd
(1784-1863) from:
– Lewis M. Rutherfurd 1844
– Robert W. Rutherfurd (2 letters) 1822
7 Letters to Walter Rutherfurd from:
– ( ) Bordley n.d.
– Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson
(1786-1838) (4 letters)
1801, 1804
– William Dillon 1783
– Gissbert Fonda, Cornelis Van
Schelluyne (sic), Jacob C. Ten Eyck
1773
– General Jean V. Moreau (3 letters) 1805, 1810, n.d.
– Louis G. Otto, Comte de Mosloy (2
letters)
1783, n.d.
– General (James?) Robertson 1783
– Ann Scott 1800
– Thomas Smith 1799
8 Letter written by Walter Rutherfurd
to:
– General Matthew Clarkson 1793
– General ( ) Robertson (2 letters) 1784
– ( ) (2 letters) 1787, 1788
9 Correspondence – Other Rutherfurds 1807-1824, n.d.
– To Carl Arsevedson (?) from ( )
Kellie
1808
– To Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson Jay
(1786-1838) from Mary Rutherfurd (1784-1863) (2 letters)
1826, n.d.
– To Colonel Lewis Morris from
Sabina (Morris) Rutherfurd (partial letter)
n.d.
– To Helena (Morris) Rutherfurd from
Helen Rutherfurd Watts
n.d.
– To John Rutherfurd (1810-1871)
from Sabina (Morris) Rutherfurd
1821
– To Mary (?) Rutherfurd (1784-1863)
from Sabina (Morris) Rutherfurd
n.d.
– To Jane ( ) from Eleonor
Rutherfurd
1813
– To ( ) from Ann Morris 1821
Literary Works
10 Responses written for the Sentinel
of Freedom
by John Rutherfurd (1760-1840)
1815, 1827
11 “Notes on the State of New
Jersey,” written by John Rutherfurd (1760-1840) (two copies)
August 18, 1786
12 “State of the United American
States,” written by John Rutherfurd (1760-1840)
May 1786
13 Address on paper currency, written
by Walter Rutherfurd
1765
Legal Documents
14 Legal Documents – John Rutherfurd
(1760-1840):
Pass
into New York City
1783
East
Jersey Proprietors order
1804
Settlement
of his estate
1841
15 Indentures – John Rutherfurd
(1810-1871)
1836, 1845
16 Miscellaneous Legal/Land documents:
Account
of tenants in two mines
1771
Indenture:
Geo. Beatty Jr. & Rob. L. Hooper
1795
Extracts
from Clarks offer on Hunterdon County
1789-1802
Indenture:
Robt. Watts & Thos. Parsells
1811
Two
maps of lands on the Mohawk River
n.d.
Financial and Miscellaneous
17 Receipts 1786-1810
18 Miscellaneous – Walter Rutherfurd:
Account 1760
List
of papers delivered to Doctor Charlton
1800
Order
of Precedence
n.d.
Note
about the Order of Precedence
n.d.

Processed by Kim Charlton, November 1999 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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