Souvenir locks of hair collection
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Souvenir locks of hair from the prominent Beekman and Pintard families of New York, and from notable individuals in American history such as Aaron Burr (1756–1836), Henry Clay (1777–1852), and Albert Gallatin (1761–1849).
Historical note
Clipping locks of hair as souvenirs—from a child's first curls, from the head of a celebrity, or from a beloved family member newly deceased—was a common activity of earlier centuries, and one particularly popular during Victorian times, when hair was gathered in quantities large enough to plait into jewelry, wreaths, and other memento mori, or remembrances of death.
Arrangement
The Souvenir Locks of Hair Collection is organized in three series:
Series I. Beekman family hair
Series II. Pintard family hair
Series III. Hair of notable individuals
The collection is sorted alphabetically within each series by the subject's surname.
Except for the hair of Aaron Burr in Series III, which is encased in a pendant, most of the locks of hair in the collection are wrapped in small paper packets, each generally with identifying information written on the exterior. At some point N-YHS staff placed each packet inside an envelope (usually drawn from outdated stationery, or whatever was at hand), and wrote or typed on the envelope further identifying information, as well as an inventory number. This data has been copied as closely as possible in the item-level notes of the container list. Additions by the archivist appear in [square brackets].
Scope and Contents
The Souvenir Locks of Hair Collection contains locks of hair primarily from two well-known New York families: the Beekman family, descendants of Wilhelmus Hendricksen Beekman (1623–1707), who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1647 in the same ship that carried Peter Stuyvesant, and the extended Pintard family, of French Huguenot stock, among whose members was merchant John Pintard (1759–1844), founder of the New-York Historical Society. The remainder of the collection consists of locks of hair from unrelated, prominent individuals such as U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster (1782–1852), signer of the Declaration of Independence Charles Carroll (1737–1832), political cartoonist Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (1838–1894), and, perhaps most notoriously, U.S. vice president Aaron Burr (1756–1836), who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in their infamous duel on July 11, 1804.
Subjects
Families
Genres
People
Access Restrictions
Access to this collection is at the discretion of the Curator of Manuscripts.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282. Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/rights-and-reproductions.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the "Souvenir Locks of Hair Collection, MS 272, New-York Historical Society."
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This is an artificial collection assembled by New-York Historical Society staff through individual acquisition, or by removal from other collections held by the library, e.g., the Beekman Family Papers (MS 51).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta arranged and described this collection in August 2023.
Repository
Series I. Beekman family hair
Beekman, Gerard (1774–1833), clipped 1818
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, Gerard Beekman, 1818 April 3rd." [INV.80]
• Packet reads: "Gerard Beekman's Hair. 1818 April 3rd."
Beekman, Gerard (1774–1833), clipped 1821
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, Gerard Beekman's hair, 18th June 1821." [INV.81]
• Packet reads: "Gerard Beekman's Hair. 18th Jue 1821."
Beekman, Gerard (1774–1833), clipped 1833
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, Gerard Beekman, 1833." [INV.77]
• Packet reads: "Gerard Beekman / 1833 / To be engraved in deep characters."
Beekman, Gerard Alfred (1826–1828)
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, Gerard Alfred Beekman." [INV.78]
• Packet reads: "Gerard Alfred Beekman."
Beekman, Gerard Alfred (1826–1828)
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, Gerard Alfred Beekman, 1828 March 27th Thursday." [INV.82]
• Packet reads: "1828 March 27th Thursday / Hair of my precious litle son Gerard Alfred taken this day; who died on the above day at about 9 PM of dropsey in head aged 1 year 8 months & 13 days."
Beekman, James William (1815–1877)?
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, lock of James, 19th March 1822." [INV.76]
• Packet reads: "James Wm. Hair / 19th March 1822." [son of Gerard and Catherine (Sanders) Beekman?]
Beekman, Jane (Keteltas) (1734–1817)
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, Jane Beekman 'Keteltas.'" [INV.79]
• Packet reads: "Hair of my dear mother, Jane Beekman 'Keteltas.'"
Beekman, John Sanders (1827–1828)
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, hair of my precious babe, John Sanders, 1st May 1828." [INV.84]
• Packet reads: "Hair of my precious babe John Sanders who died of Dropsey in the head, Thursday 1st May 1828 between 6 & 7 o'clk. A.M. aged one year, 9 months, 16 days."
"My dear wife's hair," clipped 1826
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Beekman Family Hair, 1826 July 7th, my dear wife's hair." [INV.83]
• Packet reads: "1826 July 7th / My dear wife's hair."
Dorothy Barck note
Scope and Contents
• Note written on an envelope: "Mr. Wall—The enclosed locks of hair of members of the Beekman family were found with the papers. Does Dr. Beekman want them to remain with them? DB" [INV.85]
• "Mr. Wall" = Alexander J. Wall (1884–1944), N-YHS librarian 1921–1937; director 1937–1944.
• "Dr. Beekman" = Dr. Fenwick Beekman (1882–1962), N-YHS president 1947–1956.
• "DB" = Dorothy C. Barck (1900–1965), N-YHS assistant librarian 1922–1942; librarian 1942–1954.
Series II. Pintard family hair
Brasher, Abraham (1734–1782) [father-in-law of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Abraham Brasher (1734–1782), father of Mrs. John Pintard (Eliza Brasher)." [INV.92]
• Packet reads: "this for the Eye / Mr. A. Brasher / Father of Mrs. Eliza B. Pintard."
Brasher, Helena (Kortright) (1739–1819) [mother-in-law of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Mrs. Abraham Brasher (Helena Kortright) (1739–1819), mother of Mrs. John Pintard (Eliza Brasher)." [INV.95]
• Contains five packets of hair.
Brasher, Judith (Gasherie) (1700–1772) [paternal relative of Mrs. John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Mrs. Luke Brasher (Judith Gasherie), grandmother [sic] of Mrs. John Pintard (Eliza Brasher)." [INV.93]
• Packet reads: "J. Brasher / Mrs. Judith Brasher."
Clark, Julia Servoss (Davidson) (1826–1907) [granddaughter of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Julia Servoss Davidson, b. 1826 d. of Richard & Eliza-Noel (Pintard) Davidson & granddau. of John Pintard, later Mrs. Meriwether Lewis Clark." [INV.45]
• Packet too fragile to read.
Davidson, Eliza Noel (Pintard) (1787–1833) [daughter of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Mrs. Richard Davidson (Eliza Noel Pintard) (1787–1833)." [INV.96]
• Contains two packets of hair.
Davidson, John Pintard (1812–1890) [grandson of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of John Pintard Davidson (1812–1890) in 1813, eldest son of Richard & Eliza Noel (Pintard) Davidson and grandson of John Pintard." [INV.90]
• Packet reads: "John Pintard Davidson" and "A lock of hair chut from my darling grandson's head when he was 3 days old!! Born at New Orleans. The large lock was cut off when he was nine months old. God bless him, and preserve his life. New York, Sept. 28, 1813. Gd son of John P. & Eliza B. Pintard."
Kortright, Hester (Connor) (1706–1785) [maternal grandmother of Mrs. John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Mrs. Cornelius Kortright (Hester Connor), maternal grandmother of Mrs. John Pintard (Eliza Brasher)." [INV.98]
• Packet reads: "H. Kortright / Mrs. Hester Kortright."
Pintard, Elizabeth (Brasher) (1765–1838) [wife of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Mrs. John Pintard (Elizabeth Brasher) (1765–1838)." [INV.94]
• Packet reads: "Eliza Brasher Pintard / E. B. Pintard / Mother of Louise Hall Servoss."
Pintard, John (1759–1844) [founder of the New-York Historical Society]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of John Pintard (1759–1844). March 21, 1944, libr. acc. book." [INV.70]
• Contains two packets of hair.
Pintard, John [Jr?]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of John Pintard, son of John Pintard (1759–1844) and Eliza (Brasher) Pintard." [INV.89]
• Packet reads: "My dear and beloved son John's hair. My first born child [sic]. My much loved son."
• This might possibly be the hair of John Pintard Davidson (1812–1890; see above), first-born child of Richard and Eliza Noel (Pintard) Davidson.
Screven, Louisa Caroline Pintard (Davidson) (1814–1889) [granddaughter of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Louise Caroline Davidson, infant dau. of Richard & Eliza Noel (Pintard) Davidson." [INV.51]
• Packet reads: "Louisa Caroline Davidson" and "Louisa Caroline Davidson's hair, cut from her head when she was 3 days old. My [ninth?] grandchild. God ever bless her. E.B.P. [Eliza (Brasher) Pintard]."
Servoss, Elias Boudinot (1868–1897) [great-grandson of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Elias Boudinot." [INV.91]
• Packet reads: "Elias Boudinot's hair."
• This is more likely to be the hair of John Pintard's great-grandson, Elias Boudinot Servoss (1868–1897), than of the director of the U.S. Mint, Elias Boudinot (1740–1821), or the leader of the Cherokee Nation, Elias Boudinot (a.k.a. Buck Watie) (1802–1839).
Servoss, James Frederick Henry (1862–1866) [great-grandson of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of James Frederick Henry Servoss (1862–1866), son of Elias Boudinot Servoss (1827–1901) & Maria-Eyland Henry." [INV.97]
• Packet reads: "James Frederick Henry Servoss."
Servoss, John Pintard (1825–1854) [grandson of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of John Pintard Servoss, b. 1825, son of Thomas L. Servoss & Louise H. (Pintard) Servoss, grandson of John Pintard." [INV.88]
• Packet reads: "J.P.S. Hair" and "John Pintard Servoss, son of Thomas L. & Louse H. S."
Servoss, John Pintard (1857–1858) [great-grandson of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of John P. Servoss, d. 1858, son of Elias Boudinot Servoss." [INV.47]
• Packet reads: "John P. Servoss."
Servoss, Joseph Beers (1836–1842) [grandson of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Joseph Beers Servoss (1836–1842), son of Thomas L. & Louise H. (Pintard) Servoss." [INV.69]
• Packet reads: "Joseph's Hair. / Joseph Beers Servoss, son of Thomas L. & Louise H. S."
Servoss, Louise Hall (Pintard) (1796–1868) [daughter of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Mrs. Thomas L. Servoss (Louise Hall Pintard) (c. 1800–1868)." [INV.73]
• Packet reads: "Mrs. L. Servoss. New York."
Servoss, Thomas Lowery (1786–1866) [son-in-law of John Pintard]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair 1866 of Thomas L. Servoss (1786–1866), son-in-law of John Pintard." [INV.99]
• Packet reads: "T. L. S. N.Y. / 1866 / Thomas L. Servoss / 1866."
Series III. Hair of notable individuals
Blake, John (1753–1842) [General; agent to Penobscot Indians]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Lock of hair of Gen. John Blake (1753–1842). Gift of Mrs. John Russel Hastings. NOT ACCESSIONED May 6, 1942" [INV.63]
• Hair is loose in envelope.
Burr, Aaron (1756–1836) [U.S. vice president]
Scope and Contents
• Hair of Aaron Burr, encased in a pendant of gold-toned metal (possibly pinchbeck, an alloy of copper and zinc resembling gold, used in watchmaking and costume jewelry), originally affixed by thread to a card that reads "Hair of Aaron Burr—cut from his head Sept. 14, 1836, the day of his death, at the Port Richmond Hotel, Staten Island, N.Y. by Miss Francis [sic] O. Edwards, daughter of Judge Ogden Edwards, who was a cousin of Burr, and resided at West New Brighton in the Dongan Manse House. Presented by A. de G. who received the same from Miss Edwards." [INV.52]
• Judge Ogden Edwards = Moses Ogden Edwards (1781–1862), whose father, Pierpont Edwards (1750–1826), and Burr's mother, Esther (Edwards) Burr (1732–1758), were siblings.
• Miss Francis [sic] O. Edwards = Frances Ogden Edwards (1813–1888)? or Frances Ogden Edwards (1812–1876), wife of William Smith Hoyt (1809–1893).
• A. de G. = collector Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876–1967)?
Carroll, Charles (1737–1832) [signer of the Declaration of Independence]
Scope and Contents
• Charles Carroll's hair in little silk purse [INV.64]
• Letter (original document accompanying lock of hair) [INV.65]
• Copy of original letter by J. H. Guenbault [INV.66]
• Translation of preceding [INV.67]
• Letter from J. H. Guenbault offering two swords and lock of hair to N-YHS [INV.68]
Clay, Henry (1777–1852) [U.S. Secretary of State]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Lock of Henry Clay's Hair" [INV.87]
• Packet reads: [recto] "Lock of Henry Clay's hair. Washington 18. Cut off by Mrs. Geo. Wash. Barrows" and [verso] "Gift of Mrs. Gerard Post Herrick, 1958 or 9."
Gallatin, Albert (1761–1849) [U.S. Secretary of the Treasury]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: [typed] "LOCK OF HAIR OF ALBERT GALLATIN, Gift of Mrs. A. Fitz Roy Anderson (née Cornelia Gallatin), January 22, 1951; [written] 'Our father's hair' labeled by Mrs. Stevens (Frances Gallatin)." [INV.71]
• Packet reads: "Our Father's hair for Albert."
Hansbrough, Joseph Sumner (1790–1864) [maternal grandfather of Mrs. Chester A. Arthur]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Hair of Hon. Col. J. T. Harisbough (sic) / Hansbough? / Hansbrough?" [INV.72]
• Packet reads: "Hair. Col. J.S. Hansbrough / My father / E.H. Herndon."
• "E.H. Herndon" = Elizabeth Frances (Hansbrough) Herndon (1817–1878), mother of Ellen Lewis "Nell" (Herndon) Arthur (1837–1880), wife of President Chester A. Arthur.
Johnston, Josiah Stoddard (1784–1833) [U.S. senator from Louisiana]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "Lock of hair of Josiah Stoddard Johnston (1784–1833) cut from his head Mar. 19, 1833." [INV.48]
• Packet reads: "Lock of hair cut off the head of Josiah Stoddard Johnstons [sic] the night of the 19th March 1833."
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand (1838–1894) [cartoonist and caricaturist]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads "Father's last gift. Original lock & laurel." [INV.46] Note is in the hand of Udo J. Keppler (1872–1956), a.k.a. Joseph Keppler Jr.
• In addition to a lock of the senior Keppler's hair, the envelope holds two dried laurel leaves.
Trumbull, Joseph (1737–1778) [first commissary general of the Continental Army]
Scope and Contents
• Packet reads: "From Col. Trumbull with some of his hair / presented to N.Y. Hist. Soc. by John Austin Stevens, March 4, 1880." [INV.49]
• With autograph letter from Stevens presenting lock to the New-York Historical Society. [INV.50]
Webster, Daniel (1782–1852) [U.S. Secretary of State]
Scope and Contents
• Envelope reads: "A lock of Daniel Webster's hair taken in 1851. Elias Nason, June 2, 1885." [INV.74]
• Packet reads: "D. Webster's Hair."
• With a New-York Historical Society postal card announcing "Rev. Elias Nason, of North Billerica, Mass., will read a paper on 'Daniel Webster; the Secret of his Power,'" at the meeting of June 2, 1885. [INV.75]