Series VIII: Assorted Correspondence, Documents, and Notes, 1712-1863, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
This series contains an array of materials. There is correspondence from Jay as well as correspondence from his family. There are also ephemera items as well as a stay of execution from 1799 when Jay was governor of New York. Of particular interest is the draft of Federalist #64. Along with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Jay wrote a number of essays meant to persuade Americans to adopt the Constitution. At the time, the essays were published under the name Publius. Before his death, Alexander Hamilton wrote a list out identifying the number essay with its author. He indicated that Jay had written #64. Later, Madison claimed to have written it. In 1863, Jay's grandson, another John Jay, was going through family belongings and found a draft of #64 tied up in old copies of the Independent Journal, which was a newspaper in which the essays had originally been printed. Wanting to set the record straight, John Jay, grandson, sent the draft to the New-York Historical Society. The draft itself is now a part of the bound volume collection under BV Jay, John, but this series contains photostat copies of the draft.