James Wilson Jr. Papers, 1835-1873

Title:

James Wilson Jr. Papers, 1835-1873

Creator:

Wilson, James, 1797-1881

Accession / Call Number:

1974.012

Object ID:

1974.012

Date:

1835-1873

Physical Description:

24 boxes and 16 volumes.

Scope and Content:

The James Wilson Jr. Papers., 1835-1873, provides a picture of the day-to-day routine of the Congressman as he dealt with squabbles back home over who should be postmaster and where the post office should be located, mail routes, pension requests and applications for the US Military Academy at West Point, demands for government jobs - often as political payoffs-and a myriad of personal requests from constituents. The partisanship of local politics - sometimes petty and vindictive - is seen in correspondence with certain key New Hampshire figures in the Whig party: Aaron P. Hughes, Charles W. Cutter, Ichabod Goodwin, Ephraim Hutchins, Lory Odell, George O. Odlin, Levi Chamberlain, D.S. Palmer, and Amos Tuck, in particular. The prevailing influence of politics is also evident in correspondence both before and after Wilson's terms in Congress, in his positions in Iowa and California. In fact, the collection as a whole probably says as much about the atmosphere and politics of California in the 1850s and 1860s, as it does about New Hampshire.

Subjects:

Surveying. , Gold mines and mining , Gold Bluff Mine (Calif.) , Decedents' estates , Inheritance and succession. , Probate law and practice , Debt , Politics and government , California--Gold discoveries , Weddings , Railroads , Land prospecting , Justices of the peace , Land Commissioner

Locations:

Washington
Wisconsin
Iowa
Tallahassee, FL

Credit Line:

This collection was placed on permanent deposit at the New Hampshire Historical Society by the Clerk of the Superior Court of Cheshire County, Keene, NH, 1974.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Collection

Finding Aid Link:

RS24900_Wilson_James_Papers_1974.012.pdf