Charles S. Fairchild and Helen L. Fairchild papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The collection includes the papers of Charles S. Fairchild and of his wife, Helen L. Fairchild. Charles's papers include correspondence, scrapbooks, and published works related to his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1887-89), political activities for the New York Democratic Party and his support for presidential candidate Grover Cleveland in the 1892 primary, advocacy of tariff reform and sound money policy in the 1880s-90s, and more. Helen's papers include published works, notes, correspondence, and more concerning her research into her ancestral and related families. These include surnames Van der Kemp, Forman, Ledyard, Lincklaen, Seymour, and others. Helen's files hold many original documents relating to New York Governor Horatio Seymour (1810-86).
Biographical / Historical
Charles Stebbins Fairchild (1842-1924) was born in Cazenovia, NY. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1865. He took up law practice in Albany and became involved in Democratic Party politics. He became Deputy Attorney General of New York state in 1874, and was elected to Attorney General in the Samuel Tilden administration from 1876-77. After a failed re-election campaign and other political setbacks, Fairchild returned to private law practice until 1885 when he was named Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department under President Grover Cleveland. He ascended to the Secretary position when Secretary Daniel Manning resigned with poor health. Fairchild's tenure ended with that of Cleveland's first administration in 1889.
Although Fairchild never held another public office, he remained active in Democratic Party politics, including as Chair of the Party's New York Committee. He was a stauch supporter of Grover Cleveland during the primary election of 1892, which would lead to Cleveland's second election as President. Fairchild was particularly active in the late 1880s and into the 1890s advocating for tariff reform and sound money/currency policies. He was also involved in various charitable institutions. He died in Cazenovia in 1924.
Charles Fairchild married Helen Lincklaen in 1871. Lincklaen was also born in Cazenovia in 1845, the daughter of Ledyard and Helen Claressa Seymour Lincklaen. The family home was, and is, known as the Lorenzo House and is now a New York state historic site. Helen lived there most of her life, including most of her married years with Charles. Her ancestors included John Lincklaen, who founded Cazenovia in 1790. Helen actively pursued a study of her various family lines and families connected to hers, which included Van der Kemp, Seymour, Ledyard, Forman, and others reflected in this collection. She edited at least one published work, "Francis Adrian Van der Kemp, 1752-1829: An Autobiography, Together with Extracts from His Correspondence" in 1903. She amassed a substantial cache of documents concerning Horatio Seymour, the former Governor of New York, and published N-YHS Librarian Alexander J. Wall's 1929 biographical "sketch" of Seymour, no doubt drawing on documents in Helen's collection. Helen died in Cazenovia in 1931.
(THe above note was based primarily on various on-line sources.)
Arrangement
The collection is organized in two series:
Series I. Charles Fairchild Papers, 1870-1928
Series II. Helen Fairchild Papers, 1700s-1929
Scope and Contents
The collection holds the papers of husband and wife, Charles S. Fairchild and Helen L. Fairchild. Charles's papers primarily include correspondence and clippings scrapbooks covering his activities as New York's Attorney General (1876-77), as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1887-89) in the administration of President Grover Cleveland, as a New York Democratic Party leader, and as an advocate for tariff reform and a "sound currency" economic policy in the 1890s. There are some indications that these documents were compiled by Helen Fairchild and her annotations can be found on some of the documents.
Helen's papers relate to her research into the various family names in her ancestry. Names especially well-represented here are Van der Kemp, Van der Capellan, Freneau, Seymour, Forman, and Ledyard/Lediard, along with others with less extensive documentation. There are many original manuscript and published works in the collection related to these families, perhaps especially in connection with the Seymour family and New York Governor Horatio Seymour (1810-1886) and with the Van der Kemp and Van der Capellan families.
The collection includes a considerable amount of books, pamphlets, and similar published print matter. These include books from the 1700s in Dutch related to the Dutch families Helen researched and political pamphlets of the 1880-90s, among others. Few of these items have been noted specifically in the finding aid, but are just generally indicated.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers. Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.
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: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: Charles S. Fairchild and Helen L. Fairchild papers, MS 207, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated by Helen L. Fairchild over time in the early 20th century, especially in the 1920s.
Separated Materials
Select documents compiled by Helen Fairchild were separated over time and cataloged by family name. These include:
* Francis Adrian Van der Kemp papers (MS 649)
* Samuel and Samuel S. Forman papers (BV Forman)
* Ledyard family papers (BV Ledyard)
In addition there are several AHMC records related to the Fairchilds and to the families researched by Helen Fairchild. Other records found in Bobcat also relate to the family names, though it is not clear in all cases that Fairchild was the source.
About this Guide
Processing Information
A portion of the collection, primarily that of the correspondence of Charles Fairchild, was processed and cataloged at some point, likely in the early 2000s; this portion is found in boxes 1-14. The balance of the collection was organized in December 2021 by archivist Larry Weimer. It was processed to a minimal degree, with summary description that was integrated with the earlier processed material in this finding aid. The collection holds a substantial number of books, booklets, pamphlets, and other such documents relevant to Charles Fairchild's political interests and to Helen Fairchild's research; few of these have been specifically inventoried and identified in the finding aid.
Repository
Series I. Charles Fairchild Papers, 1870-1928, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
The most substantive portion of the series includes the correspondence of Charles Fairchild, which pertains to such matters as: the proceedings against William Marcy Tweed and his connection with the Erie Railroad; actions taken against members of the Tweed Ring; the New York Attorney General's Office in the 1870s, including Francis E. Barlow's statement to his successor Daniel Pratt on the business of the attorney general's office in 1873; Fairchild's activities and interests as Secretary of the Treasury during 1887-1889; activities as President of New York Security and Trust Co.; his work as a leader in the independent Democratic movement in New York State, which helped to bring about the nomination of Grover Cleveland for president in 1892; his work as a member of the Monetary Commission of the Indianapolis Convention, particularly his interest in sound money policies; the New York municipal reform movement of 1894; tariff reform; banking; etc.
A few of his many correspondents include E. Ellery Anderson, Charles J. Canda, John Griffin Carlisle, Grover Cleveland, M.J. Durham, James H. Eckels, William Gavit, Edward M. Shepard, John De Witt Warner, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, and Everett P. Wheeler.
The series also holds 16 volumes of scrapbooks tracing Charles Fairchild's career as a public official and political activist from the 1870s-1890s, touching on the issues noted above. The scrapbooks are comprised principally of newspaper clippings, but also hold some ephemera, such as delegate tickets, programs, and flyers with political statements. There is also a broad mix of published print matter, including annual reports of the Treasury Secretary for the years relevant to Fairchild, political pamphlets, published versions of Fairchild's speeches and opinion pieces, etc. There are a few documents relevant to the Fairchilds' opposition to woman suffrage. The series holds a few photographs, including those of the house the Fairchilds lived in while in Washington, DC.
Arrangement
The series is arranged by format.
Correspondence (8 folders), 1873-1894, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 1, with items numbered 1 to 280. This holds, among many other documents, a lengthy 1873 statement from Francis E. Barlow (Attorney General of New York) to his successor, Daniel Pratt, concerning matters then before the A.G., including lawsuits over the fraudulent letting of canal contracts; correspondence from Secretary of the Treasury Daniel Manning; 1870s-1894 correspondence from Josephine Lowell, in part in connection with her position as Commissioner of the State Board of Charities; correspondence and other documents in connection with Attorney General Fairchild's 1877 case against William M. Tweed (Boss Tweed) and Peter B. Sweeny; Reform Club 1892 dinner program autographed by Grover Cleveland; letters from and about Samuel J. Tilden, and one from Roscoe Conkling.
Correspondence (10 folders), 1885-1891, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 2, and part of number 3, with items numbered 1 to 321 (#2) and 1 to 79 (#3, which continues below). This box primarily holds correspondence from Fairchild's term as Secretary of the Treasury; a folder holds his commission, signed by Grover Cleveland. One folder dates from the early 1890s.
Correspondence (9 folders), 1886-1892 June, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 4, and the second part of number 3 from above, with items numbered 1 to 286 (#4) and 80 to 134 (#3, continued from above). This box primarily holds files dating from 1892, that is, after Fairchild's tenure as Treasury Secretary. Those folders principally relate to Fairchild's continued involvement in Democratic Party politics, most especially here with regard to support for Grover Cleveland (and opposition to David B. Hill) as the party's presidential nominee at the June 1892 Convention. Two folders from his Treasury years concern investigations into fraudulent appraisals of sugar at New York and whether the termination of at least one appraiser violated civil service regulations.
Correspondence (6 folders), 1892 July-December, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 5, with items numbered 1 to 247. The correspondence in this box continues from the above, with Democratic Party politics and the 1892 presidential election. Among the many documents here is an assessment of the state of the Columbia County, NY, Democratic Party made by the county chair to Fairchild (who was Chair of the Democratic State Committee); correspondence with other members of the Reform Club; congratulatory and satisfied letters at the election of Cleveland; and post-election plans to advance tariff reform.
Correspondence (12 folders), 1893-1896, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 6, with items numbered 1 to 391. This correspondence continues to reflect Fairchild's involvement in Democratic Party politics, especially at the New York state level and in policy matters on tariffs and currency (i.e., "sound money" or "sound currency"). Among the many documents here are a typescript of Henry George's speech at Cooper Union on November 30, 1894; suggested planks for the Democratic Party's Reform Organization (1894) from John Brooks Leavitt; letters from Fairchild to President Cleveland and Treasury Secretary John G. Carlisle on financial matters; typescript of Fairchild's 1896 address before the Commercial Travellers Bound Money League; and the 1896 annual report of the Reform Club's Committee on Sound Currency (Fairchild was Chair of the Committee).
Correspondence (10 folders), 1880s, 1894, 1897-1928, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the content of a former letterbox or other container number 7. Among many other documents, this box holds extensive correspondence on "sound money" policy, including documents on the letterhead of the Monetary Commission of the Indianapolis Convention, to which Fairchild was a delegate, and its Executive Committee (1897-98); Fairchild's address "The financiering of trusts" before the American Economic Association (1899) and an address at the Tilden Memorial meeting (1914); some correspondence with Theodore Roosevelt; and American Bankers Association position statement on the currency system (1903). There are a small number of 1880s documents in the first and last folders. A note from Helen Fairchild in the last folder provides some context for the compilation of these documents.
Newspaper clippings, etc., 1885-1924, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clippings concerning the George D. Lord bribery case (1876), the Indianapolis Monetary Convention (1898), and a few other matters; a cabinet card photograph of Mrs. Ledyard Lincklaen (Helen Fairchild's mother); and 2 letters (1885, 1924).
Clippings concerning Boss Tweed matter, 1877, inclusive
Speeches, etc., 1877-1900, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clippings, programs, typescripts, etc., primarily of speeches and written remarks by Fairchild.
Charles & Helen Fairchild. Miscellaneous, 1870-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Folder of letters, notes, ephemera, etc., mostly concerning Helen's family researches, with some items concerning Charles.
Photographs, 1880s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes, among several others, photos of the Fairchild's home in Washington, D.C. during his tenure as Treasury Secretary; Treasury Secretary Manning; and Charles Fairchild (1903).
Anti-Suffrage Argument, 1922?, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Typescript of oral argument of William L. Marbury on behalf of Charles S. Fairchild before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Constitutional League of New York's suit against the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the Constitution. Some unrelated clippings and a letter.
Miscellaneous, 1870s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Mostly print matter related to Tweed case and other legal matters in which Fairchild was an attorney or attorney-general, and a few notes.
Charles & Helen Fairchild. Scrapbook, 1885-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Invitations and calling cards to the Fairchilds for lunch, dinner, and other social engagements. Appears to be primarily, or entirely from overseas dignitaries. Inside the front cover is the "rule of visits to be observed on the part of the ladies of the President's Cabinet..."
Clippings scrapbooks. Volumes 1-7, 1874-1878, 1885-1886, inclusive
Clippings scrapbooks. Volumes 8-13, 1886-1891, inclusive
Clippings scrapbooks. Volume 14-16, 1892-1897, inclusive
Scope and Contents
These 3 volumes primarily concern the 1892 presidential election and Democratic Party primary, post-election focus on tariff reform and money/currency policy, the 1896 election, and the arbitration treaty between the U.S. and United Kingdom.
Miscellaneous clippings scrapbook, 1884-1913, inclusive
Print matter, 1882-1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds the "Public papers of Grover Cleveland, March 4, 1885-March 4, 1889," inscribed to Charles Fairchild by Grover Cleveland; congressional directories for 49th Congress and 2nd session of the 50th Congress; "Tariff from the White House" by Henry Talbott; and "National loans of the United States from July 4, 1776-June 30, 1880" by Rafael A. Bayley.
Print matter, 1885-1887, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds 9 volumes of reports of the Secretary of the Treasury: for 1885, annual report on Finance and Customs, 4 books; for 1886, annual report on Finance and Collection of Duties, 3 books; for 1887, annual report on Finance, 1 book; and for 1886, report on revision of the tariff, 1 book.
Print matter, 1888-1891, 1897-1898, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds 5 volumes of reports of the Secretary of the Treasury: for 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1891, annual reports on Finance, 1 book each year; and for 1897-98, hearings before the Committee on Banking & Currency of the House of Representatives, including testimony by Charles Fairchild, 1 book.
Charles & Helen Fairchild. Print matter, 1880s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds a broad mix of many small pamphlets and booklets, mostly concerning politics, individual politicians including Grover Cleveland, economic matters, published letters of the Treasury Secretary, Charles Fairchild's statements and articles, at least one pamphlet on the Fairchilds' opposition to woman suffrage, religion, art, etc.
Series II. Helen Fairchild Papers, 1700s-1929, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
The series holds documents compiled by Helen Fairchild during the course of her research and historical editing projects on various lines of her family. Documents include correspondence, notes, research, photographs, prints/engravings of portraits, pamphlets, and published books. Principal subjects/names are Adrian Van der Kemp, J.D. van der Capellen, Horatio Seymour, Forman, Freneau, and Ledyard, along with several others. There is a considerable amount of original manuscript documents (letters, muster rolls, etc.) in the series, especially in connection with Horatio Seymour and with Van der Kemp. There are many published books from the 1700s, primarily in Dutch and French.
Arrangement
The series is arranged roughly by family name/subject.
Processing Information
The series has been only minimally processed. Materials were loosely arranged and described here in summary fashion.
Print matter. Van der Kemp research, 1700s, inclusive
Print matter. Van der Kemp research, 1700s-1800s, inclusive
Print matter. Van der Kemp research, 1900s-circa 1910, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds 9 copies of Helen Fairchild's edited "Francis Adrian Van der Kemp, 1752-1829: An autobiography" (1903); the first copy is inscribed by Fairchild. There are also some other published works in this box, circa 1910.
Print matter. Van der Kemp research, 1700s-1900s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds pamphlets and other small print matter. Also holds Helen Fairchild notes.
Correspondence and notes. Van der Kemp research, 1870s-1920s, inclusive
Van der Kemp and related images. Oversize, 1700-1800s?, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Prints of engravings
Research material on various families, 1700s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Most notable here is an original manuscript volume, in Latin(?) or Dutch, of J.D. van der Capellen, purchased from an Amsterdam bookseller. The files include notes, letters, etc. on Philip Freneau, Jonathan Forman, Van der Kemp, Ledyard, Seymour.
Horatio F. Seymour research. Scrapbook, 1838-1907, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Primarily relates to John Forman Seymour.
Horatio Seymour related material, 1850s-1929, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds print matter related to Seymour. Also holds letters of 1929 from institutions and individuals to Helen Fairchild acknowledging her gift of the "Life of Governor Seymour" by Alexander J. Wall that she distributed.
Horatio Seymour research, 1860s-1920s, inclusive
Horatio Seymour research, 1860s-1920s, inclusive
Horatio Seymour research, 1860s-1920s, inclusive
Horatio Seymour research, 1806-1890s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The box holds a substantial amount of original documents from, to, or related to Horatio Seymour, and a separate set of typescripts.
Notes on various family genealogies, circa 1900-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds scrapbooks and notes on Ledyard, Lediard, Cortelyou, Avery, etc.
Scrapbooks on genealogy, 1880s-1920s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds notes on Forman, a published Forman genealogy, Wilbur, and Wykoff.
"Journal letters of a journey in Cuba and our Southern states, 1857. 1. By Ledyard Lincklaen; 2. By Mrs. Ledyard Lincklaen", 1857, inclusive
Freneau/Forman research., 1770s-1807, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Holds many original letters, receipts, muster rolls, an account of letters and newspapers sent from the Cazenovia post office (1800-02), etc. Also many typescripts of documents.
Forman research. Oversize, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Photostat images of documents from the 1700-1800s.