Matthias B. Tallmadge papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Matthias B. Tallmadge was the fifth judge for the District of New York and the first judge for the Northern District of New York. His papers include correspondence from the Tallmadge family, as well as many prominent individuals from the period, both related and unrelated to the Tallmadges. The papers also include materials from Tallmadge's tenure in the District of New York and later the Northern District of New York.
Historical Note
Matthias B. Tallmadge
Dates of Note
Matthias Burnett Tallmadge was born in New York on March 1, 1774 to Colonel James Tallmadge and Ann Sutherland. Tallmadge graduated from Yale University in 1795 where he read law. He served on the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate before being appointed to the District Court of New York. President Thomas Jefferson gave Tallmadge a recess appointment to the bench on June 12, 1805, which had been vacated by John Sloss Hobart. Jefferson formally nominated Tallmadge for the position on December 20, 1805, and the Senate confirmed him on December 23 that same year, making Tallmadge the 5th judge of the New York District.
During Hobart's tenure on the court, the New York District faced a rising number of admiralty cases due to unrest in Europe and the number of vessels that were seized. Until 1795 New York had a Vice-Admiralty Court which adjudicated what were considered "normal" maritime cases. Then, in 1778 (though it did not become active until 1784) the Court of the Admiralty of the State of New York took over the Vice-Admiralty Court's jurisdiction. Later though, both courts fell to the wayside as New York's Constitution vested the Federal Courts with admiralty jurisdiction. Admiralty law at this time covered a wide variety of offenses including breach of contract, customs claims, assault and battery, smuggling, salvage rights, and illegal transportation of both slaves and troops.
The illegal importation of slaves became a common issue beginning in 1808. Article I Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution protected slave trade for 20 years, allowing that laws could be made towards abolition starting in 1808. In 1807 Jefferson signed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves into law which prohibited importing slaves into the United States, effective January 1, 1808. This illegal importation would be deemed piracy in 1819. Beginning in 1808, Tallmadge heard cases against captains and vessels accused of this illegal importation.
Perhaps the most notable case Tallmadge heard was U.S. v. Smith and Ogden (1806), which was a consequence of the Miranda Affair. Francisco de Miranda enlisted the help of William Stephens Smith (son-in-law to John Adams) to overthrow Spanish rule in Venezuela. Prior to leaving on the expedition, Miranda met and had private interviews with both President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison. Smith and Miranda chartered a boat from Samuel G. Ogden which they called the Leander in 1806. The men gathered guns, money, and soldiers (referred to as a force of filibusters). The Spanish captured the ship and the mercenaries. Miranda managed to escape. Smith and Ogden were indicted and stood trial in New York for violating the Neutrality Act of 1794, which provided that no American should start war against a country the United States was at peace with. Smith claimed that he was under orders from the President and Secretary of State. Jefferson and Madison refused to appear in court. Both Smith and Ogden were found to be not guilty.
Tallmadge's tenure on the bench, which lasted until he resigned on July 1, 1819, saw a marked change in New York's Federal Court. In 1814, the New York District was split into two separate districts, the Northern District of New York (which Tallmadge was reassigned to on April 9, 1814) and the Southern District of New York. William P. Van Ness, best known as being Aaron Burr's second in Burr's duel against Alexander Hamilton, was given the judgeship over the Southern District of New York. Tallmadge did not like Van Ness and did his best to have the two districts become completely separate. However, Tallmadge's failing health made it necessary for Van Ness to preside over both districts, so no complete split was made.
In 1818 the U.S. House of Representatives opened an inquiry into Tallmadge's court proceedings. He, along with Van Ness, was accused of not fulfilling his duties as a district judge, and faced potential impeachment. Tallmadge claimed he was catching up on work left by his predecessor and that his health was bad, which required a vacation. The investigators came to the conclusion that, although Tallmadge did not hold court on the days he was required to by law, it was not an impeachable offense. On February 17, 1819, it was recommended by the investigators that the inquiry be dropped.
Tallmadge resigned from the Northern District of New York on July 1, 1819. He died on October 1, 1819 in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Through blood and marriage, the Tallmadge family is related to many prominent individuals. Tallmadge, who is the main creator of these papers, was born in 1774 to Colonel James Tallmadge and Ann Southerland. Colonel James Tallmadge fought in the American Revolution, and his first cousin, through his father, was Benjamin Tallmadge who organized the Culper Spy Right for General George Washington during the American Revolution. Tallmadge's brother, James Tallmadge Jr., served in the U.S. House of Representatives. His sister Rebecca married Theodorus Bailey, who served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, and was later Postmaster of New York City. Another sister, Mary, married Stephen Gano who was a noted Baptist minister. Tallmadge's first cousin, through his father, was Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge who was a U.S. Senator and later Governor of the Wisconsin Territory. A list of Colonel James Tallmadge's immediate descendants can be seen below.
Tallmadge married Elizabeth Clinton, the daughter of the first New York Governor George Clinton, later Vice President of the United States. Elizabeth's first cousin through her father was DeWitt Clinton, who served as a U.S. Senator and then Governor of New York. Elizabeth's sister, Cornelia Tappen Clinton, married Edmund-Charles Genet, also known as Citizen Genet, who was the French Ambassador to the United States during the French Revolution. A list of George Clinton's immediate descendants can be seen below.
Sources:
H. Paul Burak, History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (New York: Federal Bar Association of New York, New Jersey & Connecticut, 1962).
"Federal Court Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications (Part 2)," National Archives, accessed July 12, 2011. http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs/fed-courts/part-02.html.
"First Case Under Our Neutrality Laws," Albany Law Journal 53 (1896): 182-87.
Mark Grossman, Political Corruption in America: An Encyclopedia of Scandals, Power, and Greed (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2003).
"Tallmadge, Matthias Burnett," Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, Federal Judicial Center, accessed July 12, 2011. http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/nGetInfo?jid=2334&cid=999&ctype=na&instate=na
Colonel James Tallmadge's Descendants
George Clinton's Descendants
Arrangement Note
The Matthias B. Tallmadge Papers have been organized into three series. Within those series the subseries are organized in order of importance. Within the subseries, folders are ordered chronologically. An arbitrary section of the collection had been mounted and moved to oversized boxes. The mounted materials should not be read as independent of the non-mounted materials.
Matthias B. Tallmadge Papers
- Series I: Correspondence
- Series II: Legal
- Subseries III: Notes and Ephemera
Scope and Content
The Matthias B. Tallmadge Papers encompass two distinct spheres: personal and professional. The first series, which encompasses his personal life, includes vast correspondence from his family—both immediate and extended. Some prominent members of the Tallmadge and Clinton families, as well as generally well known individuals of the day, sent letters to Matthias Tallmadge and his wife and children. There are a few letters dated prior to 1800, but the bulk of the correspondence is from the early nineteenth century. Within these letters there are discussions of the everyday family life in the nineteenth century, land transactions, and politics.
The second series is from Tallmadge's professional life as a federal judge. It includes documents and documentation from some notable cases of the day. Tallmadge also has a large number of handwritten notes about various cases he had heard, spanning from 1805-1813. There are also various sworn statements and other court documents relating to these cases included within the collection. There is a small folder of his family's legal papers included as well.
The third series contains various notes and ephemera that make up an interesting assortment of items that highlight aspects of Tallmadge's life. These items include references to religion, finances, and opinions on slavery. It is not a very large series.
Subjects
Families
Genres
People
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
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 Note
This collection should be cited as the Matthias B. Tallmadge Papers, MS 612, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
About this Guide
Repository
Series I: Correspondence, 1715-1868, undated, inclusive
Language of Materials
Scope and Content
Within this series, are three subseries. For the most part, the correspondence is arranged by the person who received it and then chronologically. At some point, a portion of the correspondence was mounted. There does not appear to be a particular reason why some of these letters were mounted and some were not.
Subseries I.A: Matthias B. Tallmadge Correspondence, 1787-1819, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
Subseries A consists of Matthias B. Tallmadge's correspondence. Overwhelmingly this subseries consists of letters Tallmadge received. There is one small folder of letters sent by him to individuals outside of his family and members of his extended family. Many of these letters are from his wife, Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge. Of note, there are letters from George Clinton, Theodorus Bailey, Ephraim Snow, David Thomas, and Stephen Gano. Also of interest are several threats anonymously sent to Tallmadge while he sat on the bench. Two are from 1809, one of which contains an explicit threat against Tallmadge's children.
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1787-1803, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1804-1806, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1807-1808, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1809-1812, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1813-1814, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1815-1816, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1817-1819, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Received, undated
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Letters Sent, 1806-1817, undated, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1802-1807, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1808-1810, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1811-1819, inclusive
Matthias B. Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, undated
Subseries I.B: Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge Correspondence, 1800-1824, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
Subseries B contains correspondence to Tallmadge's wife, Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge. Many of the letters are from Tallmadge himself as well as their sons George Clinton Tallmadge and Charles William Tallmadge. There are also letters from Charlotte H. Atlee White Rowe, who was a missionary in India in the early nineteenth century.
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1800-1809, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1810-1812, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1813-1814, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1815, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1816-1817, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1818-1819, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1820-1822, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Receieved, 1823, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1824, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, undated
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, undated
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1803-1809, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1810-1813, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1814-1824, inclusive
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, undated
Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, undated
Subseries I.C: Tallmadge Children Correspondence, 1805-1868, undated, inclusive
Language of Materials
Scope and Content
Subseries C consists of correspondence received by the Tallmadge children. The bulk of this correspondence is to eldest son, George Clinton Tallmadge.
George Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1805-1815, inclusive
George Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1817-1819, inclusive
George Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1820-1823, inclusive
George Clinton Tallmadge -- Letters Received, undated
Charles William Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1812-1824, undated, inclusive
Theodore Bailey Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1815-1818, undated, inclusive
Elizabeth Matthias Tallmadge -- Letters Received, 1828-1868, undated, inclusive
George Clinton Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1808-1821, inclusive
Elizabeth Matthias Tallmadge -- Mounted Letters Received, 1835-1836, inclusive
Subseries I.D: Other Family and Friend Correspondence, 1715-1849, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Subseries D consists of correspondence received and sent by various members of the extended family, both on the Tallmadge and Clinton sides, and friends. There is a folder of correspondence received by George Clinton and his wife, Elizabeth Clinton Tallmadge's mother, Cornelia Tappen Clinton. There are letters sent from Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge and a small folder of letters of introduction, both for Tallmadge and to him.
Charlotte Horton -- Letters Received, 1816-1824, undated, inclusive
Correspondence Received and Sent by Members of the Tallmadge and Clinton Families, 1715-1849, inclusive
Letters of Introduction, 1811-1820, undated, inclusive
Unidentified Correspondence, 1803-1811, undated, inclusive
Cornelia Tappen Clinton -- Mounted Letters Received, 1768-1777, undated, inclusive
George Clinton -- Mounted Letters Received, 1772-1794, inclusive
Mounted Correspondence Received and Sent by Members of the Tallmadge and Clinton Families, 1772-1837, undated, inclusive
Series II: Legal, 1772-1829, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
This series focuses on Tallmadge's tenure as a district court judge and is divided into three subseries. It consists of official documents from the court, lawyers, and witnesses. There are also a large number of handwritten notes on cases heard in the court. This series does not cover Tallmadge's entire tenure on the bench, but it offers a sampling of the cases he heard. At some point, a portion of the documents and notes were mounted. There does not appear to be a particular reason why some were mounted and some were not.
Subseries II.A: United States v. Smith and Ogden, 1806, undated, inclusive
Language of Materials
Scope and Content
Subseries A contains materials from U.S. v. Smith and Ogden. This case concerned William S. Smith and Samuel G. Ogden's alleged involvement with the Miranda Affair, which would have been a violation of the Neutrality Act of 1794. The Act provided that no American should start war against a country the United States was at peace with. There are official documents from the case as well as handwritten notes. Of particular note are the letters from attorneys stating that Secretary of State James Madison and Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith would not testify in the case.
Mounted Notes on the Case, 1806, undated, inclusive
Mounted Documents Written by Lawyers and Witnesses, 1806, undated, inclusive
Mounted Subpoena and Judicial Rulings, 1806, undated, inclusive
Mounted Jury Charge, undated
Subseries II.B: Court Documents, 1772-1822, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
Subseries B contains a variety of official materials. There are affidavits from cases heard from 1807-1810. Of note among these affidavits are several pertaining to the illegal importation of slaves including affidavits from William L. Lawrence and Anthony Anthe, both dated March 15, 1810 and Isaac Sherman's dated March 17, 1810. There are a variety of other official documents from the court, though none of them have a number close to that of the affidavits. Two cases have been given their own files because of the amount of documentation: William Jackson et al. v. Ship Frederick and U.S. v. Aquila Giles, Nicholas Fish, and Matthew Clarkson, in which the defendants were known Revolutionary War heroes.
Affidavits, 1807-1809, inclusive
Assorted Court Documents, 1802-1814, undated, inclusive
Mounted Affidavits, 1807-1810, undated, inclusive
Assorted Mounted Court Documents, 1772-1808, undated, inclusive
Mounted Petitions and Writs, 1805-1812, inclusive
Mounted Warrants and Extradition Order, 1806-1811, inclusive
Mounted Court Documents from William Jackson et al. v. Ship Frederick, 1808, inclusive
Mounted Court Documents from U.S. v. Aquila Giles, Nicholas Fish, and Matthew Clarkson, undated
Subseries II.C: Handwritten Notes, 1800-1813, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
Subseries C consists of handwritten notes. There are some notes on administrative or financial matters, but the bulk of this subseries is made up of handwritten notes on cases before the court. Many of these cases were admiralty cases. As in the previous subseries, there is a certain amount of information from William Jackson et al. v. Ship Frederick and U.S. v. Aquila Giles, Nicholas Fish, and Matthew Clarkson and those cases are each given their own folder for notes.
Administrative and Financial Notes, 1800, undated, inclusive
Notes on Cases in New York District Court, 1805-1807, inclusive
Notes on Cases in New York District Court, 1808-1809, inclusive
Notes on Cases in New York District Court, 1810-1813, inclusive
Notes on Cases in New York District Court, undated
Mounted Notes on Cases in New York District Court, 1805-1808, inclusive
Mounted Notes on William Jackson et al. v. Ship Frederick, 1808, inclusive
Mounted Notes on Cases in New York District Court, 1809, inclusive
Mounted Notes on Cases in New York District Court, 1810-1813, inclusive
Mounted Notes on Cases in New York District Court, undated
Mounted Notes on U.S. v. Aquila Giles, Nicholas Fish, and Matthew Clarkson, undated
Subseries II.D: Tallmadge Family Documents, 1829, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
Subseries D is very small and consists of personal legal instruments for the Tallmadge family property.
Tallmadge Family Legal Documents, 1829, undated, inclusive
Series III: Notes and Ephemera, 1771-1825, undated, inclusive
Scope and Content
This small series, mostly not dated, provides a look into the Tallmadge family life. There are documents relating to finance and property as well as hymns and poetry. Of note in this series is the folder Hymns, Poetry, and Narratives. Within that folder is testimony from Susan Wright, one of the Clinton family's slaves who became a Baptist. At some point, a portion of the documents were mounted. There does not appear to be a particular reason why some were mounted and some were not.