Guide to the Papers of Joseph BonaparteExiled King of Spain, Brother of Napoleon 1816-1917 (bulk: 1816-1836) MG 62
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 1816-1917 (bulk: 1816-1836) The New Jersey Historical Society 52 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07102 Contact: NJHS Library (973) 596-8500 x249 library@jerseyhistory.org https://www.jerseyhistory.org © 2004 All rights reserved. The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher Inventory prepared by Althea Bernheim as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Finding aid encoded by Danielle Kovacs. February 2004. Production of the EAD 2002 version of this finding aid was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Finding aid written in English. Biographical NoteJoseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) was the Count of Survilliers, the exiled King of Naples and Spain, and the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, Joseph’s family, including Napoleon himself, made arrangements to sail for America. Before departure, however, Napoleon decided to remain in France, as did Joseph’s wife, Julie, whose poor health prevented her from traveling with her husband. After brief stops in New York and Philadelphia, Joseph purchased a 211-acre estate on the Delaware River near Bordentown in Burlington County, New Jersey in 1815 called Point Breeze. Over the next two years, Joseph purchased ten surrounding farms to increase the size of the estate to 1700 acres, and built a mansion on high ground overlooking Crosswicks Creek. This mansion burned down soon after completion and had to be rebuilt. In 1820, Joseph was offered the throne of Mexico, which he declined in order to remain in the United States. As the political situation in Europe calmed, Joseph sailed for England in 1832, and divided the remainder of his life between Italy, England and the United States. He died in Florence, Italy in 1844. After Joseph’s death the Point Breeze estate was sold at auction to Henry Beckett (fl. 1844-1867), the son of the British consul in Philadelphia. Beckett replaced all of the buildings on the estate except for the gatehouse. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThese papers document the personal and business dealings of Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) and include an unpublished work on his life, The Usurper: Reflections on the Life of Joseph Bonaparte, by Alfred Miller Heston. These papers fall into the following two categories: correspondence and documents of Joseph Bonaparte (1816-1836) and the manuscript materials of Alfred Miller Heston as they relate to his work on Joseph Bonaparte (1906-1917). Correspondence includes the following individuals: Caroline Bonaparte, William Bayard, Charles Carter Lee, and Comte André Francois Miot de Melito. Included with many of the letters are translations. Return to the Table of Contents ArrangementThis collection is arranged by type of material and then chronologically therein. Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsThere are no access restrictions on this collection. Photocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff. Use RestrictionsResearchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission. The New Jersey Historical Society complies with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Return to the Table of Contents Return to the Table of Contents Related MaterialManuscript Group 10, Hornblower Family Papers Collection contains the 1841 copy of Bonaparte’s will. Manuscript Group 923, Point Breeze, Burlington County, New Jersey Field Books Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationCustodial HistoryMany of the letters in this collection appear to have been purchased at auction. Preferred CitationThis collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 62, Joseph Bonaparte Papers, The New Jersey Historical Society. Return to the Table of Contents BibliographyMagee, James D. Bordentown 1682-1932. Bordentown Register, Bordentown, 1932. Woodward, E. M. Bonaparte’s Park and the Murats. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, 1879. Return to the Table of Contents Container List
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