James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1 Papers of James Buchanan, Series 2 Financial and Legal Documents
Description
The James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1, Papers of James Buchanan, Series 2 contains the financial and legal documents of James Buchanan, including invoices and receipts, ledgers, accounts, deeds and land records, and estate papers, dated 1812-1883. Among these papers are financial papers including bank statements and memorandums; documents related to land in Clarion, PA; legal papers for the settlement of the Boyd estate and other properties; summaries of three cases decided by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; a summary for the cost of a dinner in Russia in 1833; estate papers for family members and James Buchanan's will. Amos Slaymaker, Henry F. Slaymaker, Hiram B. Swarr, Edward Young Buchanan, Harriet Lane Johnston, and Henry E. Johnston are among the names found in these records.
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
JBFP Part 1 Series 2 Financial and Legal Documents
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
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
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.
Bookcase composed of two sections. Cabinet with glass doors at top and cabinet with wooden doors at bottom. Two glass doors have square mullions holding the panes. Doors give access to moveable shelves inside. Two doors at bottom of each have simple rectangular recessed panels.
Thomas Potter - 2nd owner of Wheatland
Sold to William Morris Meredith 3rd owner of Wheatland
Sold to James Buchanan 4th owner of Wheatland
Inherited by Harriet Lane Johnston 5th owner of Wheatland
Bequeathed to John Newton Lane, Harriet Lane Johnston's nephew
Bequeathed to Mrs. Patty Lane Fay daughter of John N. Lane
Bookcases sold to Meredith in 1845 by Potter then Meredith sold them to James Buchanan in 1848. Letter dated 9/27/1848 to Buchanan from Meredith: 'In addition to the $6750 which you mention, I paid Mr. Potter for the bookcases in the library, I think $75.00.'
One of 6 sterling silver teaspoons featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 6 sterling silver teaspoons featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 6 sterling silver teaspoons featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 6 sterling silver teaspoons featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 6 sterling silver teaspoons featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 6 sterling silver teaspoons featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 12 sterling silver dinner forks featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
One of 12 sterling silver dinner forks featuring the standard shell pattern on the handle's end both front and back, as well as on the back of the bowl's head. Front of handle also features scrollwork with a palm leaf and fleur de lis. Centered below the front shell pattern is the Johnston family's coat of arms symbol; a bent armored arm holding a dagger.
