Samuel Gilford Papers
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Abstract
The Samuel Gilford Papers consist of documentation of the business dealings and personal life of sea captain and shipping merchant Samuel Gilford, of New York, as well as his son, Samuel Gilford Jr., and various other members of the Gilford family. Included in this collection are loose papers related to the firm of Thomas Buchanan and Son, as well as personal papers of the Buchanan family. This collection also contains papers and ephemera from the late 19th and early 20th centuries related to the Anna Riker and members of the Riker family.
Biographical Note
Samuel Gilford was a sea captain and shipping merchant who lived and worked in New York City from the mid-eighteenth century to the early 19th century. Little is currently known about his birthplace or early life. Samuel Gilford married Penelope Codwise on December 13th, 1759, and together they had three known sons: Samuel Gilford Jr., Thomas B. Gilford, and Jacob T. Gilford. They also had a daughter named Mary, and it is possible that they also had other children. In 1773 Samuel Gilford bought the old house at 122 William Street, which was also known as the "Golden Hill Inn." He resided there until he was forced to leave New York because of the Revolution, and did not return to the house until 1783. After the Revolution, the Gilfords built another home next door, 124 William Street. Samuel Gilford lived at 122 William Street until his death in 1821. The Gilford family also owned at least two slaves in the 1760's, a woman named Cuba and a boy named Prince.
Samuel Gilford's shipping firm primarily did business in the United States, Great Britain, Jamaica, and the West Indies. Gilford shipped, purchased and sold all manner of goods, including sugar, rum, and other spirits. When he was old enough, Samuel Gilford Jr. joined his father in the business and they formed the firm Samuel Gilford and Son. Their offices were located at 61 Front Street.
Samuel Gilford Jr. eventually married Elizabeth Buchanan, daughter of merchant Thomas Buchanan. Thomas Buchanan ran a prominent firm from 1792 until 1809, when his son George Buchanan joined him to form the merchant firm Thomas Buchanan and Son. After Thomas Buchanan died, George ran the firm until 1824.
Arrangement
The records are organized into three series:
Missing Title
- Series I. Gilford Family, 1753-1843, undated
- Series II. Buchanan Family, 1787-1820, undated
- Series III. Riker Family, 1889-1951, undated
All materials are arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
The Samuel Gilford Papers serve as historical records for not only the Gilford Family, but for the merchant class of early New York as a whole. It also gives a glimpse into the way business was conducted in Colonial New York and the early American Republic.
Aside from the records relating to the Gilford family, there are items related to the Buchanan family, another merchant family from the time period, and the Riker family from the late 19th and early 20th century.
The collection's greatest strength is its myriad of financial records, documenting many aspects of the shipping trade in pre- and post-Revolutionary New York. The collection also has several ships logs, which describe in meticulous detail the weather and the experiences of a crew at sea.
Notable items include receipts of purchase of two slaves by the Gilford family, receipts for Samuel Jr.'s education, passenger lists documenting trans-atlantic migration, as well as countless other unique documents.
The collection is physically divided between manuscripts and bound volumes. The manuscript boxes can be located with the call phrase Samuel Gilford Papers, the bound volumes with the call phrase BV Gilford. It should be noted that smaller bound volumes have been placed with the boxed materials, and are primarily ship's logs and account books. They are located in the business records subseries of the Gilford Family series. Four of the bound volumes are also available on microfilm, two of which are account books attributed to the Cornelia, one account book from the William & Mary, and a general account book.
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Organizations
Families
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Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Portions of the collection that have been microfilmed will be brought to the researcher in that format and can be made available by Interlibrary loan.
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)
Use Restrictions
Permission to quote from this collection in a publication must be requested and granted in writing. Send permission requests, citing the name of the collection from which you wish to quote, to
Manuscripts Curator
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as Samuel Gilford Papers, The New-York Historical Society.
Provenance
Donation, ca. 1950's
About this Guide
Edition of this Guide
Repository
Series I: Gilford Family, 1753-1909, undated
Scope and Contents note
This series contains business and personal papers related to the Gilford family from the mid 18th century up until the early 20th century, with the bulk being the mid eighteenth century to the mid 19th century. The papers concern subjects related to the shipping business of Samuel Gilford, as well as family bills and material related to the Gilford family's home and estate.
Subseries I: Correspondence, 1762-1828
Scope and Contents note
This subseries contains both personal and business correspondence.
Correspondence, 1762, 1789
Correspondence, 1790-1798
Correspondence, 1802-1809
Correspondence, 1815-1828
Subseries II: Business Records, 1753-1842, undated
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1753-1759
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1760-1765
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1766-1769
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1770-1779
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1782-1789
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1790-1799
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1800-1804
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1805-1812
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1815-1818
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1820-1824
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1836-1843
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, undated
Ship's Account Book, William & Mary, 1759-1763
Ship's Account Book, Cornelia, 1763-1774
Ship's Account Book, [Cornelia?], 1765-1767
Ship's Account Book, [Cornelia?], 1768-1769
Daybook, 1784-1785
Daybook, 1785-1786
Bills of Lading, 1753-1762
Bills of Lading, 1763-1769
Bills of Lading, 1770-1811
Bills of Lading, undated
Freight Lists, 1755-1768
Freight Lists, 1800-1805
Freight Lists, 1806
Freight Lists, 1807-1811
Passenger Lists, 1805-1807
Portage Bills, Seaman's Wages, 1755, undated
Warfage Book, 1789-1790
Ship's Log, William & Mary, 1762
Ship's Log, Cornelia, 1766-1768
Ship's Log, [Cornelia?], 1768-1770
Ship's Log, [Unknown], undated
Marine Insurance Policies, 1759-1769
Marine Insurance Policies, 1770-1774
Legal Documents, 1753-1815
Bills of Exchange, 1774, 1802-1816
Cashier's Checks, 1795-1812
Currency, 1817-1826
Promissory Notes, 1793-1800
Promissory Notes, 1801-1819
Miscellaneous Documents, undated
Index Book, undated
General Account Book, 1772-1777
Daybook, 1784-1785
Daybook, 1796-1801
Daybook, 1801-1807
Ledger, 1808-1821
Notes Made and Accepted, 1817-1822
Receipt Book, 1794-1804
Receipt Book, 1822-1827
Subseries III: Family Financial Records, 1756-1843, undated
Slavery Documents, 1760, 1763
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1756-1774
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1782-1789
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1790-1798
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, 1802-1827
Accounts, Bills, Receipts, undated
New-York Marine Society Membership Dues, 1788-1809
Newspaper Subscription Receipts, 1790-1843
Subseries IV: Property and Estate Records, 1783-1909, undated
Home Insurance Policies for 122 William St., 1798, 1812, 1843
Rent Receipts, 1821
Property Assessments, 1793-1840
Estate of John Finglays, 1783, 1805
Estate of Jacob Tabele, 1831
Photographs and Clippings of 122 William Street, 1889, 1909, undated
Miscellaneous Property and Estate Documents, 1827, 1868
Series II: Buchanan Family, 1787-1820, undated
Scope and Contents note
This series contains business and personal papers related to Thomas Buchanan, his son George Buchanan, and their firm of Thomas Buchanan and Son. Included are correspondence and business papers, as well as materials related to the estate of Thomas Buchanan.
Correspondence, 1787-1808
Correspondence, 1810-1814
Correspondence, 1815-1820
Correspondence, undated
Accounts, Bills, Receipts and Prices Current, 1805-1819
Bills of Lading, 1809, 1817
Passenger Lists, 1807, 1810
Bills of Exchange, Currency, Promissory Notes, 1810-1815
Business Legal Documents, 1807, 1811
Personal, Property and Estate Records, 1812-1823, 1845, undated
Series III: Riker Family, 1889-1951, undated
Scope and Contents note
This series consists of personal material related to various members of the Riker family, but primarly to Anna Riker. Included are all manner of personal ephemera, photographs, letters, and printed material.