Series I: Correspondence, 1825-1890, 1937

The largest single subseries in the Correspondence series is of material pertaining to Leverich & Co. The inclusive dates of this sub-series are 1838 to 1880; the bulk dates are 1868 to 1878. In addition to the loose material, there are three letter books, two telegram books, and two telegraphic code books kept by the firm. The letter books date from 1838 to 1841, 1870 to 1876, and 1873 to 1874. The telegram books date from 1873 to 1876.

Leverich & Co did business with firms throughout the United States as well as with foreign firms. While most of the firm's dealings were in cotton, Leverich & Co. dealt in a variety of commodities and had diverse commercial interests. Correspondence with W. C. Kennett & Co. of St. Louis concerns the purchase and shipment of grain and meal; the correspondence of Price, Hine & Tupper of New Orleans concerns the sugar trade. Internationally, the firm corresponded with A. Le Forestier & Fils of Havre about the purchase of wine, and with Chapman, Fraser & Tylee, of Montreal, about the consignment of wine to that firm. Letters from the banking house of Pike, Lapeyre, & Brother, of New Orleans, deal with financial matters. The foregoing material dates from the late 1860's and early 1870's. Letters from Tallant & Co. of San Francisco, from the late 1870's, document Leverich & Co.'s interests in gold and silver mines in California and Nevada. In addition, Leverich & Co. did business with a large number of commission houses, banks, and retail firms throughout the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, as well as in the Northeast.

Most of the material in the subseries concerns the post-bellum cotton business in New York and in the South, particularly Winnsboro, South Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia, and New Orleans. The principal correspondents in Winnsboro are James Aiken, H. L. Elliott, and James Chapman. The principal correspondents in New Orleans are William E. Leverich, brother of Henry S. and Charles P. Leverich, and J. T. Doswell. R. M. Doswell addresses correspondence from both New Orleans and Norfolk. Other correspondents include Henry Cobia and Lesesne & Wells, of Charleston, South Carolina, Duff Green & Son of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and George T. Rogers & Sons of Macon, Georgia. Specific subjects include weather conditions, overseas and domestic markets, prices, and credit. William E. Leverich's correspondence of the 1870's includes discussions of the Oak Lawn plantation and the Porters. Material from George Green & Son of Liverpool involves the cotton trade in Great Britain.

The earlier letter book of Leverich & Co. dates from 1838 to 1841. This particular volume is attributed to Leverich & Co., rather than to a specific partner, because both Henry S. and Charles P. Leverich used it; letter books used by only one partner are attributed to that partner only. Most of the letters in the volume are to persons or firms in New Orleans. These include: J.H. Leverich & Co., a firm founded by James H. Leverich, a brother of Henry S. and Charles P. Leverich; William E. Leverich; Carriere, Darant & Co.; James Colles; Georges Legendere; and T.R. Hyde & Co. Frequent correspondents in other cities include Edward Dawson of Mobile, and Jackson & Todd of Philadelphia. Most of this material has to do with the sugar or cotton trades.

The later letter books and the telegram books date from the 1870's. One of the letter books contains, in its entirety, letters to James Aiken. This volume is chiefly written in the hands of Edward Leverich, son of Henry Leverich, and Charles D. Leverich, son of Charles P. Leverich, and deals with cotton purchases and prices, and credit. The other later letter book is a letterpress book of bills. The telegram books contain messages to a variety of recipients, including James Aiken and H.L. Elliott. These are usually buy or sell orders, or price quotations. The 1875-1876 volume appears to contain some entries that may not be actual messages, but records of transactions that were simply entered in this particular volume. Two code books for deciphering transcripted messages are also included in this subseries.

The overwhelming majority of the material in the Leverich & Co. sub-series dates from the Reconstruction period, and some correspondents refer to political events, especially in the South. James Aiken provided information on elections, race relations, and public opinion in Winnsboro. William E. Leverich provided the same type of information regarding New Orleans, including a description of the White League uprising in New Orleans in September 1874. Thomas J. Foster, an employee of Leverich & Co., described a racial disturbance in St. Mary's Parish that took place during the same month.

The inclusive dates for the material pertaining to Charles P. Leverich are 1829 to 1874. Most of the correspondents are southern businessmen or planters and business affairs play prominently in their letters. Correspondents include A. McWilliams, who wrote from Camperdown, a plantation in Louisiana, and A. D. Shepard of Franklin, Louisiana. Both of these men wrote mainly about sugar and cotton. C. A. F. Rondeau, of New Orleans, wrote on behalf of the Louisiana State Bank. Letters from William E. Leverich of New Orleans have to do with Leverich & Co.'s Louisiana interests in general. Letters from clients of Charles P. Leverich, in his capacity as a cotton factor, include those from Stephen Duncan of Natchez, Mississippi, and William J. Minor, also of Natchez.

Charles P. Leverich's answers to some of this correspondence can be found in his letter books, which date from 1839 to 1844, 1841 to 1845, and 1853 to 1854. In the letter books, he concerns himself primarily with financial affairs and international trade, and only to a lesser extent addresses specific dealings in Southern commodities. Much of the unbound material addressed to Charles P. Leverich dates from the period 1860-1868; his letter books date from an earlier period. Thus, the persons and firms represented in the letter books are not always the same as those represented in the loose correspondence. Persons who appear frequently in the letter books are L. Millandon, J.H. Leverich and P.J. Palfrey of New Orleans, John S. Riddle and Charles P. Relf of Philadelphia, and Newton Mercer of Natchez.

Virtually every Southern correspondent of Charles P. Leverich commented on the political events of 1860-1861. The majority of material in the Leverich Papers concerning the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Secession Crisis is in this subseries.

Business affairs also figure prominently in the correspondence of Henry S. Leverich, the other principal partner in Leverich & Co. The inclusive dates for this material are 1824 to 1877. Almost all the letters in the collection from before 1840 are addressed to Henry S. Leverich, as opposed to Leverich & Co. Correspondents include James Colles and Joseph Lallande, both of New Orleans, who wrote about the sugar trade in the 1820's. Peters and Millard, also of that city, concerned themselves mostly with financial matters during the following decade. The sub-series also contains correspondence from W. & J.H. Leverich, Leverich & Co.'s New Orleans counterpart. Henry S. Leverich's responses to the letters of W. & J.H. Leverich are usually addressed to one or the other of the partners in that firm, rather than to the firm as such. Most of this material is from the 1820's and 1830's. J. Oliviera & Co. of London and Madeira corresponded with Henry S. Leverich during the 1830's regarding the wine trade. Tallant & Co., in the 1870's, apprized Henry S. Leverich of the status of his stock holdings in the Western United States. Letters from other correspondents dealt with a range of mercantile pursuits. Foldered with the correspondence is a small travel diary of Henry's voyage to New Orleans on the ship Frances Fosdick, in 1826 and a one-page journal of the ship Huntsville in 1836.

The nine letter books of Henry S. Leverich date from 1824 to 1849, with a gap between 1836 and 1838. One of the letter books is blank. Almost all of this material has to do with specific transactions in cotton, molasses, sugar, rice, tobacco or coffee. Of particular note, however, are Henry Leverich's letters from the Southern States to his brother Charles in the mid-1820's; his observations to Oliviera & Co. on the Oregon Boundary dispute, the Mexican-American War, and the tariff; and his close monitoring of the rice market during the European potato blight of 1847. Throughout, he sometimes makes passing comments on the policies of the Administrations of the period, and on political events.

Correspondence of Edward Leverich, his wife, Annie, and George Payne, comprise three distinct but related subseries of the Correspondence series.

The inclusive dates for correspondence addressed to Edward Leverich are 1853 to 1890. Edward Leverich's letter books date from 1878 to 1887, for a total of five volumes. Most of the material from the period 1870 to 1880 concerns Edward Leverich's activities as a partner in Leverich & Co., including that company's liquidation in the period 1879-1880. The material from the period after 1880 pertains primarily to the management of the Oak Lawn and Dogberry Plantations, which Edward and Annie Leverich purchased in early 1881, and to the disposition of those plantations' sugar crops. Principal correspondents are Foster & Levy, the firm that managed the plantations, John Calder of the refining firm of Calder & Creevy, L.M. Ferris of the Burdon Central Sugar Refining Company, and George Payne. In large part, the letter books contain Edward's letters to Annie Leverich, written when he was at Oak Lawn and she was in New York. Most of Edward's letters to his wife detail the day-to-day running of the plantations, including weather conditions and flooding, as well as the purchase of farm implements, feed, and household items. The correspondence also deals with matters regarding Oak Lawn's employees, such as the shooting of a Chinese laborer in 1883, and with domestic disputes among the tenants. Edward Leverich also wrote about his financial circumstances in letters to his father, Henry S. Leverich, and to his father-in-law, Frederick Schuchardt.

The subseries includes other correspondence to and from individuals and companies, mostly in New Orleans and vicinity. The most important of these is Abe Leverich, Edward's cousin, who acted as factor for him in New Orleans. Much of the correspondence with Abe Leverich concerns purchases of supplies for the plantation and loans for its short-term maintenance. Correspondence with Leeds & Co., of New Orleans, from whom Edward Leverich ordered spare parts for his sugar refining equipment, sometimes contain drawings made by him for custom components. Edward Leverich also wrote frequently to Murphy J. Foster, an attorney, about the legal affairs attendant to running the plantation. Later correspondence includes letters to and from James Platt of New York, regarding the estate of Frederick Schuchardt, Annie Leverich's father. After Edward's death in November 1886, the final letter book was taken over by his wife, Annie. It should be noted that Edward continued to receive letters addressed to him up to 1890, four years after his death.

Correspondence of Annie Leverich dates from 1882 to 1890. During her husband Edward's lifetime, the letters in her letter books are primarily to him and deal largely with family matters; other letters record her relationship with long-time family friend George Payne and her dealings with merchants. After Edward's death, the correspondence of Annie Leverich deals in large part with the management of the Oak Lawn and Dogberry Plantations. Annie Leverich sold Oak Lawn and Dogberry in 1888, and some of the correspondence from that and the previous year deals with the sale of the property. Much of the later correspondence (1888-1890) deals with a lawsuit brought against Mrs. Leverich by the Burdon Central Sugar Refining Company, and with Mrs. Leverich's countersuit. Principal correspondents are L. Murray Ferris of the Burdon Central Sugar Refining Company, and the law firms of Foster & Mentz and Rouse & Grant of New Orleans, and Glover, Sweezy & Glover of New York. Correspondence with the real estate and insurance firm of Seton & Wissman, of New York, and with Frank deR. Wissman, documents Annie Leverich's business holdings in that city. Letters to relatives include those to Fred Schuchardt, her [nephew], and Ferdinand Schuchardt, her [cousin]. She continued the business relationship that her husband had had with Abe Leverich, even after the sale of Oak Lawn.

All of the above-named persons are represented in Annie Leverich's letter books. Aside from family matters and her legal affairs, and the operation of the plantation, Annie Leverich's letter books contain material regarding her ultimate sale of Oak Lawn, including an inventory of the property and letters to prospective buyers. After her sale of Oak Lawn, Annie Leverich moved to Pass Christian, Mississippi. Her later letter books were created there, and much of her correspondence from this period concerns her ongoing legal dispute with the Burdon Central Sugar Refining Company. A small address book is also part of this subseries.

Unlike the more business-oriented correspondence of the partners in Leverich & Co., Edward and Annie Leverich's letter books also contain some family gossip and passing comments on the news of the day.

Correspondence of George Payne originated with some of the same correspondents with whom Annie Leverich corresponded. The material dates from 1866-1890. Letters to Payne are mainly from Annie Leverich, written when she was absent from Oak Lawn, and from A.R. Stirling, manager of the Oak Lawn store. These letters have to do primarily with the management of Oak Lawn and Dogberry, and the lawsuit arising from the dispute between Annie Leverich and Burdon Central Sugar Refining. An unbound letterpress book contains letters from George Payne to Annie Leverich (whom he addressed as "Sunflower"), written when Annie was absent from the plantation in 1887. In addition to the correspondence in his own letter book, some letters written by George Payne appear in Annie Leverich's letter books.

George Payne's association with the Leverich Family spanned approximately thirty years; during this period, he wrote to Leverich & Co., Charles P. Leverich, and Henry S. Leverich, in addition to Edward Leverich and Annie Leverich. Letters from George Payne appear in each of these subseries. Payne was involved with the management of Oak Lawn and Dogberry, and this involvement comprises a great deal of the subject matter of his letters to Annie Leverich. Many of his letters to Edward Leverich pertain to a suit that Payne brought before the U.S. Court of Claims. Payne's claim evidently concerned the confiscation of his cotton crop by the Union Army during the Civil War. Payne's suit remained unresolved for years, and his letters recount its progress during his occasional long stays in Washington, D.C.

The Other Correspondents sub-series consists of material not addressed to any of the persons or entities specified above. Most of this material is correspondence from one member of the Leverich Family to another member, or from a member of the Leverich Family to a member of an allied family. Included are letters to or from: Mary A. Gustine, Emily Duncan, Annie M. Leverich, Charles Duncan Leverich, Stephen Duncan Jr., James H. Leverich, William E. Leverich, and Mary Porter. Note that letters from some individuals who are represented in this sub-series may be found in the sub-series named for specific individuals or entities (e.g. Henry S. Leverich, Leverich & Co. etc.). Included here are four letters to Peter Remsen and Co., and two letters from Peter Remsen and Co., announcing its dissolution in 1835.

Also included in this subseries is an unbound letter book of Frederick Schuchardt, father of Annie Leverich. Schuchardt accompanied Edward and Annie Leverich to Oak Lawn when the Leveriches took possession of the plantation in December of 1881 and remained with them until February 1882. From Oak Lawn, he wrote to his daughters Amelia and Lizzie [Delafield?], his [nephew] Ferdinand, and to several business associates. In his letters, Frederick Schuchardt describes the plantation, his daily activities, especially hunting, and writes extensively on the subject of dog breeding.

This subseries includes documents relating to the Newtown & Bushwick Turnpike dating from 1831 to 1844. The Newtown & Bushwick Turnpike material includes letters from S. Willets, Gideon Hallet, Charles P. Lowerre, and M.P. Holland, all Inspectors of Turnpikes of the period. Also included are letters of complaint to Nicholas N. Wyckoff, the president of the turnpike company, and from William Johnson.

This subseries contains a folder of invitations and calling cards.

This subseries contains a folder of handwritten notes, dated 1937, about the collection itself, as opposed to the persons or events referred to in the collection. These notes were signed "M.D.L.", presumably Margaret Duncan Leverich, daughter of Edward and Annie Leverich.

Although most envelopes are housed with their corresponding letters, this subseries contains a few folders of envelopes for which the corresponding letter could not be readily determined.