James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1, Papers of James Buchanan, Series 1 Correspondence
Description
The James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1, Papers of James Buchanan, Series 1 Correspondence, Subseries 1 contains letters to James Buchanan and Subseries 2 contains letters from James Buchanan. Within these subseries, the letters are arranged chronologically, dating from 1819-1868.
This collection contains letters, both to and from James Buchanan. The letters from Buchanan range from the different periods of his life-as a private citizen and lawyer, senator, and ambassador to Russia and Britain; his Presidential term from 1857 to 1861; and his later years until his death in 1868. The earlier letters include details of his travels, political matters and the military, social engagements and responsibilities, his responsibilities as a political figure, and accounts of family chatter and gossip. He also discusses at length, in his letters to and about Harriet Lane, his opinions of whom she should marry, his opinions about her social encounters and interactions, her living situations, and her livelihood. Buchanan also often wrote about his Christian beliefs, especially during the later years of his life. Letters from his later years detail the day-to-day life at home in Wheatland, including some of his guests, his servants, and his illnesses as the end of his life neared.
The letters that are addressed to James Buchanan range in different topics, concerning military affairs, political and legal information, and family chatter. Other letters include details of Buchanan's financial matters that are in reference to loans, Buchanan's investments and purchases, deeds and bonds. There are also a number of thank-you letters and notes of recommendation.
Many of the letters are to his niece, Harriet Lane and nephew, James Buchanan Henry. Other correspondents are H. B. Swarr, Henry A. Muhlenberg, family members, Francis Scott Key, Riggs & Co., James L. Reynolds, and many political colleagues.
Admin/Biographical History
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 to James Buchanan and Elizabeth Speer. He was the second child born out of ten children, and he would go on to outlive all but one of his siblings. Most popularly remembered as Pennsylvania's only President and as a lifelong bachelor, Buchanan committed a lifetime to politics. In 1821, he left his law practice and embarked on his political career after having been voted into the U.S. House of Representatives. He would remain in the House for five consecutive terms before serving as the U.S. Minister to Russia, a Senator in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.S. Minister to Great Britain, and finally, the 15th President of the United States. He died in his bedchamber at Wheatland at 8:30 AM on June 1, 1868. He was 77 years old. [https://www.lancasterhistory.org/about-wheatland, accessed 10/24/2019]
System of Arrangement
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1 Papers of James Buchanan is arranged into six series.
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
James Buchanan Collection (MG0096) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo3760
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph Collection
Curatorial Collection
Wheatland Collection
Wheatland Mansion
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Part #, Series #, Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
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Copyright
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009.
Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
Parisian Pink decorated china platter. pink and gold border with a gold medallion at the center of the platter. Designed by Jean-Pierre Feuillet. Some wear on interior and exterior gold border.
James Buchanan purchased the platter as part of a Parisian Pink china service from the retiring French Ambassador, Louis Adolphe Aimé Fourier, comte de Bacourt at his Washington diplomatic residence in the year 1846.
The catalog number written on the bottom of the platter is 98.1.18 and will need to be changed to W.1998.001.016.
Urn-shaped wood candlestick cup and stem screws onto shallow bowl base. Incised line around outside lip. Outside bottom is flat, slightly concave. On the base is a circular image of a man and woman on a donkey comprised of varied colors of inlaid wood. Background of the image is dark brown.
Oval top empire-style table with side skirt. Skirt has beaded top and bottom. Table divides to accomodate four leaves. Four-sided reeded central pillar with two turned feet underneath and four c-scrolled supports. Solid base with four radial, long legs w
Undocumented stories claim that this table was ordered by William Jenkins in 1828, the year he had the Wheatland mansion built, and that it has conveyed to each subsequent owner with the deed. The table dates from the first quarter of the nineteenth century and might attributed to the Bachman cabinetmakers.
translated from the original Latin of Cornelius van Bynkershoek, being the first book of his Quaestiones juris publici, with notes, by Peter Stephen Du Ponceau.
Signatures preceded by a dagger, e.g. [dagger]a, [dagger]A, [dagger]2E.
Errata: p. [199].
Issued also as The American law journal, v. 3, no. 11-12, Oct. 1810.
"An account of the life and writings of the author": pages [xiii]-xxi.
Half title: Treatise on the law of war.
Jasper Yeates's Colonial Law Library.
Yeates's signature at top of title page.
Book number 806 as assigned by Yeates.
Includes bibliographical references (pages xxiii-xxx) and index.
Shaw & Shoemaker
Cohen, M.L. Bib. of early Amer. law,
Contents
Of war in general -- Of a declaration of war -- Of war, considered as between enemies -- Of the capture of movable property, and particularly of ships -- Of the recapture of movable property -- Of the possession of immovables taken in war -- Of the confiscation of the enemy's actions and credits -- Of hostilities in a neutral port or territory -- Of neutrality -- Of contraband -- Of trade with blockaded and besieged places -- Of the mixture of lawful with contraband goods -- Of neutral goods found on board of the ships of enemies -- Of enemy's goods found on board of neutral ships -- Of the right of Postliminy on neutral territory -- Of the right of Postliminy, as applied to cities and states -- Of pirates -- Of privateers -- Of the responsibility of owners of privateers -- Of captures made by vessels not commissioned -- Of insuring enemy's property -- Of enlisting men in foreign countries, and incidentally, of expatriation -- Of the right of the several provinces of the United Netherlands, to declare and make war -- Of reprisals -- Miscellaneous maxims and observations.
Summary
"A brief alphabetical notice of several writers and works on the civil law and the law of nations: not generally known, and which are quoted or referred to in this book": pages [xxiii]-xxx.
A practical treatise on the law of nations, relative to the legal effect of war on the commerce of belligerents and neutrals : and on orders in council and licenses
by Joseph Chitty, Esquire. Of the Middle Temple. To which are added, extracts from Grotius, Bynkershoek, and Vattel: also, the letter of Sir William Scott, and of the Duke of Newcastle, &c. containing matters applicable to the law of prize.
Reports of cases determined at nisi prius, in the courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas, and on the home circuit : from the sittings after Michaelmas term 48 Geo. III. 1807, to the sittings after [Hilary term, 56 Geo. III. 1816] both inclusive
Vol. 2 has title: Reports of cases determined at nisi prius, in the courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas, and on the circuits ...
Vols. 3-4 have title: Reports of cases determined at nisi prius, in the courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas, and on the circuit ... to which are added notes referring to the American authorities: by Samuel Howe ... New York, S. Gould; 1821.
Book plate of James Louis Petigrul, v. 1-3.
"May be regarded as a continuation of Espinasse's reports."--Marvin's Legal bibliography.
Includes index.
Jasper Yeates's Colonial Law Library.
Yeates's signature at top of title page.
Book numbers 817-and 918 as assigned by Yeates.
Contents
V. 1. From the sittings after Michmaelmas [sic] term, 48 Geo. III. 1807, to the sittings after Michaelmas term, 49 Geo. III. 1808 -- v. 2. From the sittings after Hilary term, 49 Geo. III. 1809, to the sittings before Easter term, 51 Geo. III. 1811.
