William George Stewart papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Correspondence, business and legal papers, invoices, accounts, and shipping records belonging to New York merchant William George Stewart during the mid-1800s. Much of the material relates to Stewart's position as Vice-Consul of Mexico in New York. The correspondence also concerns several of Stewart's business dealings such as the construction of the first telegraph line in Mexico and the printing of several materials for distribution throughout Latin America. There are also documents detailing his finances as well as shipping exports to Mexico. Also present are several letters written to and by Mexican Consul Juan de la Granja.
Biographical / Historical
William George Stewart (born about 1822, based on travel passports within the collection) was a New York merchant and the Mexican Vice-Consul in New York from 1848 to 1852. Stewart worked with B. M. Picabia in the sale of printing equipment during the late 1840s. Around this time period, Estevan Mestre hired Stewart in order to assist him with the construction of paper mill machinery in Cuba. Along with the help of Juan de la Granja, the men acquired the equipment for the project from Smith, Winchester & Co. and William Kemble from West Point Foundry.
One of Stewart's most significant relationships was that with Juan de la Granja. According to Stewart, he had known De la Granja since 1836 and they had worked together on many business ventures including that of Estevan Mestre. In 1849, De la Granja acquired a 10-year privilege from the Mexican government to build the first telegraph line in the region. However, according to Stewart, he had been the one to come up with the idea and the two men were supposed to share the privilege (Box 6, Folder 9). As the construction of the telegraph line from Veracruz to Mexico progressed, Stewart and De la Granja ran into disputes over finances and the fact that Stewart had no legal right to the privilege. When De la Granja died in 1853, the privilege for the telegraph went to Hermenegildo de Villa y Cosío. Over the course of the next few years, Stewart went to court in order to receive the right to the privilege which he eventually did win back in 1855. By this period, he wanted to expand from the existing telegraph lines from Veracruz to Mexico and Mexico to Leon. Stewart also indicated that he had plans to eventually construct an inter-oceanic line from the United States to Europe. Throughout 1855 and 1856, he sought to achieve his goals by writing to several government officials in Mexico asking for permission and financial backing for the telegraph. However, it appears as though Stewart halted the project amid a lack of funds in 1856.
Stewart was also involved in other businesses such as that of printing. He played a part in the printing of several documents in the United States and Latin America. In Mexico, he had the rights to print the newspaper "Courrier des États-Unis" and he also facilitated the printing of "El semanario mayagüezano" in Puerto Rico. In addition, he printed and distributed "Los cuatro postrimerias del hombre" and "Ensayo histórico de Cuba." Stewart also shipped printed matter to Latin America including documents requested by the Mexican government.
Following the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, Stewart was appointed Mexican Vice-Consul in New York, a post that he remained in until 1852. Furthermore, Stewart also played a part in the sale of medicine including that of Dr. Townsend's Sarsaparilla in Mexico.
Arrangement
The collection has been organized into the following series:
Series I. Correspondence, 1827-1860
Series II. Financial documents, 1836-1859
Series III. Later materials, 1878-1931
Scope and Contents
The William George Stewart papers include correspondence, business and legal papers, pressed copies of letters sent, accounts, invoices, and shipping papers related to Stewart's many business ventures during the mid-nineteenth century.
The majority of the collection is comprised of both incoming and outgoing correspondence regarding Stewart's trade dealings in the United States and Latin America. There are numerous letters that concern the construction of a telegraph line in Mexico. These usually concern Juan de la Granja, the original owner of the privilege to the telegraph and a long-time business colleague of Stewart's. There are also several letters addressed to Mexican government officials regarding permission to build the telegraph as well as financial backing for the project. In addition, the collection includes agreements made between Stewart and manufacturers for the construction of the telegraph line as well as Stewart's drawings of the trajectory of the line.
Also present are correspondence with Saturnino Carrias, a Cuban merchant, and Spanish Ambassador Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano which discuss the "Amistad" ship. These concern the fact that Carrias' nephew, who owned the "Amistad," had not been compensated by the United States government for it. The correspondence also concerns the printing industry in which Stewart played a part. These include letters regarding the printing of several newspapers and small books for distribution in Latin American regions such as Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico. There are also materials related to the construction of the actual printing machinery, including the setting up of a plant for the manufacture and printing of letter paper in Cuba (with equipment furnished by William Kemble and the West Point Foundry, and by Smith, Winchester & Co. of Windham, Conn.). The rest of the correspondence addresses other projects of Stewart's, such as his search for opal in Mexico and the sale of medicine.
The collection also contains financial and legal documents belonging to Stewart. These materials detail his personal account information including purchases, debts owed, and balances. There are papers listing the goods that left from New York to Mexico as well as the ships they were in, the passengers aboard them, and the captains of each.
The collection includes documents from the 1880s to the early 1900s. These belong to a Mary and a Sarah Stewart which are likely descendents of William George Stewart. There is also a commonplace book with poetry and miscellaneous papers inside. Some later materials mention a R. McKean Jones.
A large portion of the collection is in Spanish. At times, William George Stewart is referred to as Guillermo Jorge Stewart which is the Spanish translation of his name. The same occurs with Juan de la Granja who is sometimes addressed as John Granja in English.
Among the more frequent correspondents in the papers are were: in Mexico City: Ignatio Cumplido, José Marroquin, Tomàs S. Gardida, David Macfadden, and Luis G. Bossero (also at Washington); in Vera Cruz: Eduardo Cabrera (also at New York and New Orleans), Markoe, Price & Co., Don Pedro Palhouzie, Joaquim de Muñoz y Muñoz, J. Modesto Muñoz; in Havana, Cuba: Servanda de la Huerta, Juan Diaz de Castro, Pedro Giol, Gregorio Iglésias y Pardo, Estevan Mestre, José Gomez y Gomez, Miguel Venancio Marco, Carlos Marti, and Jacobo de la Pezuela; in New York: Juan de la Granja (Mexican consul), William Hagar, A.B. Taylor & Co., B.M. Picabia, Vital Lepeyre, J.B.G. Ladeveze; and also Luis de la Rosa of Philadelphia and Washington; José M. Gonzalez de la Vega, Washington; Smith, Winchester & Co., Windham (Conn.); William Kemble, West Point Foundry; A.D. de Pascual, Philadelphia; Magdalena Parrott; Manuel Ponz y Ardil, Tabasco, Mexico; historian William H. Prescott, Boston; his father, William Stewart, of Liverpool (an iron and steel merchant); his brother, George Charles Stewart; José M. Caballero, New Orleans; Pedro Macia, Cartagena, Mexico; Fernando Matute, Poncé, Puerto Rico; David Bruce, Jr.; J.A. Garcia del Rio, Kingston, Jamaica; O.L. Dabelsteen, New Orleans; and Salvador Darqui, Tampico, Mexico.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Use Restrictions
This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: William George Stewart Papers, MS 594, New-York Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased on August 15, 1939 from Joseph Atz who was the executer for the estate of Kate C. Jones.
Separated Materials
The Stewart papers were part of a larger purchase of documents from executor Joseph Atz on August 15, 1939. These other documents included maps, printed matter, and more. All of these other materials were not necessarily connected to William George Stewart, but it seems likely that at least some were. To see the entire list of documents acquired from Atz (and possibly to trace them into N-YHS's collections) refer to N-YHS's institutional archives, specifically:
N-YHS Collection Accession Registers (NYHS RG-15). Volume RG15.28 includes the relevant August 15, 1939 date.
N-YHS General Correspondence (NYHS-RG 2). See the folder labeled "Correspondence 1938-1942. An-Az" (Box 189, folder 8).
About this Guide
Processing Information
At some point, likely in the mid-twentieth century, the collection was given a basic level of processing, with materials flattened and placed in paper slings in flat boxes. Many, but not all of these slinged documents, reflected an arrangement by correspondent. It is unknown to what degree, if any, this rough arrangement had to the original order of the documents.
In July 2019, intern Andy Latoni of the Princeton Internships in Civic Service program more fully processed the collection. Latoni rehoused the collection, but largely retained the order of the documents as found. A bilingual English-Spanish speaker, Latoni focused on enhancing the description of the collection's content and she wrote the finding aid.
Repository
Series I. Correspondence, 1827-1860, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This series includes correspondence, business and legal papers, and pressed copies of letters belonging to the merchant William George Stewart. The majority of the materials concern Stewart's business ventures both in the United States and abroad, including Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and England.
A large portion of the series relates to Stewart's attempts to build a telegraph line in Mexico. These include correspondence related to the construction of the first telegraph in Mexico which was an effort shared between Stewart and his longtime friend Juan de la Granja. Therefore, much of the materials concern De la Granja and there are several personal letters of his scattered throughout the length of the collection. Furthermore, there are documents related to the financial and legal disputes that occurred between Stewart and De la Granja concerning the construction of the telegraph line. Once De la Granja dies in 1853, much of the materials relate to Stewart's attempts to build a second telegraph line in Mexico. These include letters to several Mexican government officials in order to receive permission for the construction as well as financial support for the project.
The series also concerns Stewart's other business ventures which include that of printing. There are papers related to Stewart's function in the building of a paper mill in Cuba. These include correspondence with Estevan Mestre, who was in charge of the project, which mention Smith, Winchester, & Co. and William Kemble from West Point Foundry. Some correspondence relates to the printing of several books, pamphlets, and newspapers in the United States and across Latin America. These include the newspaper "Courrier des États-Unis" as well as "El Semanario Mayagüezano." In addition, the materials include records of which printed matter was shipped where. There are letters and documents regarding the construction of printing machines such as David Bruce Jr's type casting machine. Also present are correspondence with Joaquin Muñoz y Muñoz and J. Modesto Muñoz y Muñoz. These act as representatives of the business interests of Stewart's in Veracruz which include the importing of printing materials, zarzaparilla, and pieces to construct the telegraph.
The materials of this series also provide insight into US-Mexico relations before and after the Mexican American War. Due to the fact that Stewart was Vice-Consul of Mexico in New York during the years following the war, there is some correspondence addressed to Mexican government officials including a few that concern the President of Mexico.
This series also contains some correspondence that relates to the "Amistad" schooner controversy. This is addressed in a series of letters to the Spanish Ambassador Ángel Calderón de la Barca y Belgrano and Saturnino Carrias, whose nephew owned the slaves aboard "Amistad." These discuss Congress's failure to pass a resolution that would pay back the men for the loss of their slaves.
Other materials in this series include correspondence to family members, Stewart's search for opal in Mexico, and the shipment of medicine across the Western hemisphere.
A large portion of the material is written in Spanish.
Arrangement
Series I is largely arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent with miscellaneous materials placed at the end. It is important to note that the contents of each folder have not been altered from the arrangement that they were found in by the processing archivist in June 2019. This is especially notable for the many "miscellaneous" folders, which were left as found in case the seemingly random documents in any one folder were in fact related in some way not perceived by the processing archivist. In addition, some of the folders' labels were determined by the processing archivist by analyzing the contents of the folder while others received the same label that they had prior to their processing in 2019.
Furthermore, some folders are labelled by correspondent — "De la Granja, Juan" — and others are labelled by the alphabetical letter that corresponds to the group of correspondents within a folder — "D". Those that are labelled by a letter will have a Scope Note that will highlight the frequent correspondents of each folder. At times, some of the folders might be labelled by topic as well.
Any materials that are especially notable will be noted in a Scope Note for the folder. The same will be done for those folders that are labelled "Miscellaneous."
Bossero, Luis G. (2 folders), 1852-1855, inclusive
Bruce Jr, David, 1843
Scope and Contents
Includes patent, designs, and photos of David Bruce Jr's type casting machine.
Correspondence, C, 1849-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Javier Calpini, Perfecto de la Cerda, F. Camerden, Francisco de la Cerda, and Ceballos y Rubira.
Correspondence, C, 1849-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Ceballos y Rubira, James H. Causten, John N. Caulkin, and Manuel Castañeda y Nájera.
Correspondence, C, 1846-1853, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Manuel Castañeda y Nájera, Ygnacio Fernández de Castro, Antonio Casas y Ramón, Saturnino Carrias, and J. W. Carmen. Correspondence with Saturnino Carrias addresses "Amistad" schooner.
Correspondence, C, 1846-1853, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Captain W. D. Cargill, Vicente Canalizo, Fredrick Camerden, Antonio Canalizo, and J. M. Caminero.
Correspondence, C, 1847-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Fredrick Camerden and Angel Calderon de la Barca y Belgrano who was the Spanish Ambassador at Washington. Calderon de la Barca addresses attempts to receive a financial settlement following "Amistad" case.
Caballero, José M., 1848-1850, inclusive
Cabrera, Eduardo, 1850-1852, inclusive
Correspondence book, 1848-1850, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Copies of letters related to Stewart's time as Vice-Consul of Mexico.
Crespo de la Serna, Juan, 1848-1849, inclusive
Cumplido, Ignacio, 1855-1859, inclusive
Correspondence, D, 1847-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: M.S Dannais, Henry Davies, H. A. Dalton, and James Dongal.
Dabelsteen, O. L., 1851-1853, inclusive
Darquí, Salvador, 1846-1850, inclusive
De la Huerta, Servando, 1847-1850, inclusive
De la Granja, Juan, 1827-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence belonging to De la Granja dating before his acquaintance with Stewart. These concern business and legal issues that De la Granja faced.
De la Rosa, Luis (2 folders), 1849-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Mentions of work of Felix Varela.
De la Sierra, Ramón, 1847-1851, inclusive
Díaz de Castro, Juan, 1846-1849, inclusive
Ethiopian languages, 1833, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Materials concerning the pronounciation and writing of several Ethiopian languages.
García del Río, J.A., 1849-1853, inclusive
Giol, Pedro, 1847-1848, inclusive
Gómez y Gómez, José, 1845-1852, inclusive
González de la Vega, José M., 1850-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondence concerns President Mariano Arista of Mexico, General Carlos Butterfield, Stewart's printing of a pamphlet for the Mexican Government, and US-Mexico relations.
Gordida, Tomás, 1849-1859, inclusive
Correspondence, H, 1846-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: R. Hoe & Co., A. de Haro y Tamariz, and Luis Hargous.
Correspondence, H, 1848-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: C. Henschel, Howland & Aspinwall, J. N. Hull, Haskel and Merrick, Daniel Henarie, and C. Hawley Jr.
Correspondence, H, 1848-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Servando de la Huerta, Thomas Hendrickson, W Dionisio Hidalgo, and L. C. Hopkins.
Hagar, William, 1846-1854, inclusive
Correspondence, J, 1847-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Gregorio Jimenez, L. Johnson & Co., Harrison Jones, L. K. Jones, Louis Joralemon, and James Joralemon.
Javier Gómez, Francisco, 1844-1856, inclusive
Correspondence, K, 1847-1855, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: William Kemble, William Kumbel, Green Kendrick, W. F. Kent, William Kerr, and Krogh & Lorenzen.
Correspondence, L, 1832-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Vital Lapeyre, Jonas P. Levy, Manuel Pedro de Llana, La Rosa, A. S. Levy, and Lebaron & Son.
Correspondence, L, 1840-1855, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Theodore Lacombe, Cosme Varela, Jonas P. Levy, and Pedro de Landero.
Ladeveze, J. B. G., 1848-1852, inclusive
Lapeyre, Vital, 1849
Lestrado Hermanos, 1850-1851, inclusive
Correspondence, M, 1846-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Manning Mackintosh, Miguel Marco, W. Murdock, F. C. de Mosquera, Juan de Molina, and Moale & Medcalfe.
Macfadden, David, 1854-1856, inclusive
Macia, Pedro, 1848-1853, inclusive
Maneyro, Luis, 1851-1854, inclusive
Markoe Price & Co., 1848-1854, inclusive
Marroquin, José, 1847-1849, inclusive
Martí, Carlos, 1847-1850, inclusive
Matute, Fernando, 1847-1850, inclusive
Mendarte, Felix, 1848-1849, inclusive
Merino, Felix, 1849-1853, inclusive
Mestre, Estevan, 1846-1850, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondence related to construction of paper mill in Cuba.
Mexican Government (3 folders), 1838-1846
Scope and Contents
Correspondence with government officials of Mexico.
Millet, Anastasio, 1841-1843, inclusive
Muñoz y Muñoz (7 folders), 1847-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes letters from Joaquin Muñoz y Muñoz and J. Modesto Muñoz y Muñoz.
Muñoz y Muñoz (4 folders), 1849-1859, inclusive
Correspondence, O, 1851-1959, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Manuel de Ocampo and John O'Sullivan.
Correspondence, P, 1848-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: A. P. de la Peña, Manuel Perez, L. Petit and Pfeiffer, José Pizarro, John Pilkington, and H. Plummer.
Correspondence, P, 1946-1853, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Aaron H. Palmer, Miguel Pando, William M. Parks, Manuel Payno, and A. Paya.
Correspondence, P, 1847-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Probst and Meinertzhagen, Manuel de Prega, J. B. Purroy, O. C. Putnam, Luis Pradel, and Post & Taylor.
Palenque, Agustin, 1848-1851, inclusive
Palhouzie, Pedro (2 folders), 1848-1852, inclusive
Parrot, Magdalena, 1851-1854, inclusive
Pascual, A. D., 1850-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Addresses printing of "Los cuatro postrimerias del hombre" and "El semanario mayagüezano."
Pasquel, José M., 1850-1853, inclusive
Pezuela, Jacobo, 1848-1849, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes edits of "Ensayo histórico de Cuba."
Picabia, B. M., 1847-1848, inclusive
Ponz y Ardil, Manuel, 1844-1853, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Relates to the shipment of medicine to New York and Mexico.
Prescott, William H., 1849-1854, inclusive
Correspondence, R, 1848-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Luis de la Rosa, J. S. Rogers, Jose Guadalupe Romero, and Rojas & Segrestáa.
Correspondence, R, 1850-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: José M. Rufino and Rosenberg Hermanos.
Correspondence, R, 1847-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Rojas and Segrestáa, Rafael Rafael, José F. Ramirez, Ramon de Rivera, Francisco Ramirez, John A. Rockwell, and Luis de la Rosa.
Correspondence, R, 1849-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Luis de la Rosa, Rafael Rafael, and Carlos Rabadan.
R. Hoe & Co., 1849-1852, inclusive
Rikeman and Seymour, 1849
Correspondence, S, 1845-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: A. X. San Martin, Robert Schonberg, William Serrell, Catherine Smith, and James Smith.
Correspondence, S, 1849-1857, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: A. X. San Martin, Smith Winchester & Co., A. Salisbury, and Southmayd and Harrison.
Smith Winchester & Co., 1846-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes details of paper mill machinery to be built in Cuba.
Stewart Family, 1849-1859, inclusive
Taylor, A.B., 1848-1852, inclusive
Telegraph (6 folders), 1843-1856, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Juan de la Granja, Luis de la Rosa, and Luis Bossero. Also contains contracts, agreements, and government documents.
Telegraph (7 folders), 1855-1856, inclusive
Townsend's Sarsaparilla, 1850-1852, inclusive
Travelling passes
Correspondence, V, 1847-1859, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Cosme Varila, L. A. Van Boskerck, Pablo Vergara, H. de Viya, and F. J. Vingnt.
Venancio Marco, Miguel, 1847-1849, inclusive
Correspondence, W, 1847-1853, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Washington and Myers, J. H. Williams, J. Whitney, Wilmer & Rogers, Caleb Woodhall, and Samuel Whitwell.
Yglesias y Pardo, Gregorio, 1847-1854, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1841-1852, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1848-1855, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondence relates to Stewart's business arrangements including those with Juan de la Granja. Frequent correspondence with Luis Bossero.
Miscellaneous, 1845-1855, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1839-1846, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondence with William Hagar, Eliza J. Stanton, and Daniel Mossier.
Miscellaneous, 1847-1855, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Some correspondence addresses the efforts to build a telegraph in Mexico.
Miscellaneous, 1845-1859, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondence with Henry Makepeace regarding the telegraph in Mexico.
Miscellaneous, 1842-1857, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1838-1857, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondence with Luis Bossero. Material related to printing business and Stewart's work as Vice-Consul for Mexico.
Miscellaneous, 1841-1852, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1840-1859, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes letter from Juan de la Granja to President Santa Anna of Mexico. Materials addressing Mexican-American War.
Miscellaneous, 1842-1856, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1842-1855, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1844-1855, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Some correspondence addresses Juan de la Granja's death. Agreement between Henry F. Makepeace and William George Stewart for the construction of telegraph line in Mexico.
Miscellaneous, 1843-1856, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondence with Pedro Giol concerning sale of Tabascos.
Miscellaneous, 1843-1845, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1843-1849, inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1841-1852, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondence between Juan de la Granja and F. Stodart. Materials addressing printing business.
Miscellaneous, 1845-1860, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Frequent correspondents include: Joaquín Múñoz y Múñoz, J. A. Ingram, Daniel Henarie, and Juan de la Granja.
Miscellaneous, 1842
Series II. Financial documents, 1836-1859, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This series includes accounts, invoices, and shipping papers related to William George Stewart's businesses and personal finances. There are records of Stewart's transactions as a merchant including trade reports of the goods that left from New York to Mexico. These also contain accounts of the ships leaving the port, the people aboard them, and their captains.
In addition, there are materials associated with Stewart's business dealings in printing. These comprise records of what publications are sent to Mexico as well as receipts from subscriptions to certain printed matter. There are also agreements between Stewart and publication companies such as the "Courrier des États-Unis." Box 10, folder 5 contains a copy of the patent for the R. Hoe single cylinder printing machine.
Furthermore, the series includes personal financial material such as records of Stewart's own purchases, debts, and income. There are legal documents and financial agreements that Stewart took part in as well. Box 10, folder 1 also contains documents related to the Mexican Consul in New York Sebastian Mercado.
Much of the documents are written in Spanish.
An additional account book with information from 1852-1854 that was used as a commonplace book later in the century can be found in Series III.
Arrangement
Series II is roughly arranged by chronological order. It is important to note that some of the dates overlap therefore, the order was determined by the earliest dated content in each folder. Most folders have not been altered from the arrangement they were found in by the processing archivist in July 2019. However, items that were not originally found in folders were arranged by similarity of content.
Additional checks, receipts, and promissory notes are placed at the end of Box 11.
Exports from New York to Mexico (4 folders), 1838-1841
Exports from New York to Mexico. Oversize, 1841
Consul of Mexico, 1838-1842, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Materials related to Juan de la Granja and Sebastián Mercado, the Mexican Consul in New York.
Bills to pay, 1841-1842, inclusive
Business statements, 1843-1846, inclusive
Trial balances, 1845-1847, inclusive
R. Hoe & Co. Single Cylinder Printing Machine, 1846
Withdrawals and shipments (2 folders), 1846-1851, inclusive
Checks, 1846-1856, inclusive
Checks, promissory notes, and receipts, 1846-1856, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Three bundles located at the end of Box 11.
Account book, 1846-1848, inclusive
Agreements, 1847
Invoices, 1847-1849, inclusive
Invoice book, 1848-1849
Protests, 1848-1852, inclusive
Stock account, 1849
Ocean Bank account book, 1849-1852, inclusive
Debts, 1849-1852, inclusive
Purchases and exports, 1849-1859, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes records of publication exports to Mexico.
Miscellaneous, 1851-1852, inclusive
Printing business, 1850-1854, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Materials related to "Los cuatro postrimerias del hombre."
Purchases, 1847-1857 (bulk 1855-1856), inclusive
Miscellaneous, 1836-1859 (bulk 1855-1856), inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes receipts, records of purchases, and business correspondence.
Series III. Later materials, 1852-1854, 1878-1931, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series III includes materials that relate to later generations of the Stewart family, especially a Mary and a Sarah Stewart. These include an account book from 1852 to 1854 that was later used as a commonplace book during the 1880s. Within this book there are pieces of poetry as well as miscellaneous papers. In addition, there are letters addressed to either Mary or Sarah Stewart. The series also includes items related to a Mrs. Jones and a R. McKean Jones.
It is important to note that items found within the commonplace book were removed and placed into archival folders. The original location of the items is noted on their enclosure.
Miscellaneous later documents, 1909-1931, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes records of purchases of a Mrs. Jones and mail addressed to Mary and Sarah Stewart.
Commonplace book (1 of 4), 1878-1909, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes transcription of lecture by Henry Ward Beecher from December 22, 1882.