Guide to the Roderick Terry, Jr. autograph collection, 1672-1940

(bulk 1750-1915)


Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Published in 2014

Collection Overview

Title: Roderick Terry, Jr. autograph collection
Date range: 1672-1940, (bulk 1750-1915)
Creator: Terry, Roderick, 1876-1951
Extent: 1.3 linear feet (1 document case, 1 flat box)
Abstract: Correspondence, financial accounts, poems, legal documents, notes, lists, and other documents primarily from individuals prominent in colonial and early United States history as well as notable literary figures.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Collection number: RLC.Ms.024

Scope & content

This collection contains correspondence, financial accounts, poems, legal documents, notes, lists, and other documents primarily from people prominent in colonial and early United States history including: George Washington, John Hancock, Aaron Burr, Henry Clay, Jonathan Edwards, Ethan Allen, Baron von Steuben, Lord North, Edmund Randolph, and Ezra Stiles. Materials from notable literary figures are also found within this collection including: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Victor Hugo, W. D. Howells, and four of the five Fireside Poets (Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier and James Russell Lowell). Letters and documents from Rhode Island and Newport residents during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are also included.

Items of particular note include a letter to Major General Nathanael Greene from R.I. Governor William Greene about the British withdrawal of troops from R.I. in 1789, fleeing Loyalists, and the subsequent seizure of their property; a 1755 census of the number of people living in Rhode Island and they amount of army they kept in their homes; and a 1740 commission from the English royal government for setting the boundaries between Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Access Points

Subject Names Subject Topics Geographical Names Subject Topics Document Types

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by sender. Oversize documents can be found within Box 2.

Biographical note

Rev. Dr. Roderick Terry, Sr. (1849-1933) was born on April 1, 1849, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of John T. and Elizabeth R. (Peet) Terry. He earned a degree from Yale University in 1870, graduated from the Union Theological Seminary in 1875, and was awarded an LL.D. from Princeton University in 1881. Rev. Terry married Lynda Marquand on September 22, 1875, in Newport, Rhode Island, and they had two children: Roderick, Jr. (1876-1951) and Eunice Terry Hale (d. 1919). Rev. Terry served as an ordained Presbyterian minister for twenty-seven years as well as a chaplain for the 12th Infantry of the New York State National Guard from 1890-1900. Following his retirement, Terry took up residence in Newport, where he was active in philanthropist pursuits and various cultural institutions such as the Redwood Library, the Newport Historical Society, the Newport Hospital, and the Newport chapter of the Red Cross. He served as the President of the Board of Directors for the Redwood Library and Athenaeum from 1916-1933 and was instrumental in the restoration of the Harrison Room. Rev. Dr. Terry died on December 28, 1933 in Newport.

Roderick Terry, Jr. (1876-1951), was born in Newport on August 6, 1876, the son of Roderick Terry, Sr. (1849-1933) and Lynda Marquand (d. 1931). He graduated from Yale University in 1898 and after working for a year at Henry Marquand and Company, bankers in New York City, he attended the New York Law School, graduating in 1904. Terry, Jr. worked as a lawyer in New York City until his retirement in 1940 when he returned to Newport and served as president of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum from 1940 to 1948. Roderick Terry, Jr. passed away on June 7, 1951, in Newport and was survived by no immediate relatives.

Rev. Dr. Terry, Sr. was an assiduous collector of books and manuscripts and a major part of his collection was sold after his death (making $270,000 at three sales in 1934 and 1935), but his son did keep several thousand items. Many of the items retained by Terry, Jr., were left to the Library after his death. These letters came to the Redwood Library as part of the bequest of Roderick Terry, Jr.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Use of the materials: This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Preferred citation: Roderick Terry, Jr. autograph collection , RLC.Ms.024, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Contact information: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: Gift of Roderick Terry, Jr, September 24, 1951A
Processing information: Prior to processing in 2009 by Leah Podolsky, this collection was found within the Steel Cabinet Collection: Drawer 7, Folder 8.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Leah Podolsky and Aimee Saunders, 2009; Elizabeth Delmage, 2014.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage 2014 November 22
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sponsor: Funding for processing and cataloging this collection was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation.

Additional Information

Related material:
  • Cortazzo autograph collection, RLC.Ms.027, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
  • Henry Ledyard collection, RLC.Ms.564, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Bibliography:
  • Newport Historical Society, "In memory of Reverend Roderick Terry, D. D.: President 1918-1933; died, December 28, 1933," Bulletin of the Newport Historical Society, no. 90 (April 1934).
  • Terry, Roderick.The library of the late Rev. Dr. Roderick Terry of Newport, Rhode Island. New York: American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc., 1934-35.
    		•

    Inventory

    Box 1, Folder 1 Adventure (Schooner)
    Contents Note: Account of wine brought on board the Adventure to the port of Newport.

    		 1802 Nov 8-13
    Box 2, Folder 83 Allen, Ethan (1738-1789)
    Contents Note: Letter to Herman and Levi Allen written in regards to a financial transaction.

    		1772 Mar 16
    Box 1, Folder 2 Arbuthnot, Marriot (1711-1794)
    Contents Note: Letter to John Hancock regarding repatriating troops and war prisoners back to Europe.

    		1781 Jan 6
    Box 1, Folder 3 Bancroft, George (1800-1891)
    Contents Note: Letter to Mr. Reed.

    		 1860 Jul 16
    Box 1, Folder 4
    Contents Note: Letter to [Washington Irving.]

    		 1855 Jan 2
    Box 1, Folder 78 Baylis, John
    Contents Note: Land survey previously attributed to George Washington (Christopher Coover of Christie's said it is not in Washington's hand, 2001 Mar 8.); typed transcript of document; clip indicating that the land survey was written by Washington, yet signed by Baylis; letter to Donald Jackson regarding the validity of this document.

    		1749 Dec 9
    Box 1, Folder 5 Benjamin, Walter Romeyn (1854-1943)
    Contents Note: "The Drums," poem.

    		 1912 Jan 22
    Box 1, Folder 6 Berkeley, George (1685-1853)
    Contents Note: Letter to Rev. Dean Gervais. Includes typed copy.

    		1752 Apr 6
    Box 1, Folder 7 Bigelow, Poultney, 1855-1954
    Contents Note: Letter to Mrs. Roderick Terry.

    		 1915 Feb 12
    Box 1, Folder 8 Bounty certificate and proof of payment
    Contents Note: Certificate of payment for eight wolves killed in Northfield. Signed by Samuel Mattoon, James Lyman, and Aaron Whitney.

    		 1793 Feb 28
    Box 1, Folder 9 Bryant, William Cullen (1794-1878)
    Contents Note: Letter to John Durand.

    		 1871 Mar
    Box 1, Folder 10 Burr, Aaron (1756-1836)
    Contents Note: Letter to James Greenleaf.

    		 1795 Dec 9
    Box 2, Folder 84 Champlin, George C. (1738-1809)
    Contents Note: Letter to B. Bourn Esq. written in regards to congressional representatives and a presidential election.

    		1792 Jul 21
    Box 1, Folder 11 Clap, Nathaniel (1669-1745)
    Contents Note: Letter to Rev. John Calendar.

    		 1744 May 26
    Box 1, Folder 12 Clay, Henry (1777-1852)
    Contents Note: Letter to Horace Greeley, written in Newport on Bellevue House stationary. This letter is regarding the U.S. purchase of land near Texas and New Mexico as well as concerns of whether or not new land will become Slave Territory.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 13 Cooke, Rose Terry (1827-1892)
    Contents Note: Letter to Mr. Butterworth.

    		1887 Sep 12
    Box 1, Folder 14
    Contents Note: Letter to Professor Stillman with two of her poems attached.

    		 1847 Aug 27
    Box 1, Folder 15 Dorchester, Guy Carleton, Baron (1724-1808)
    Contents Note: Letter to the Respective Offices of His Majesty's Ordinance Stores at Quebec regarding order for troops. An image of Gen. Carleton is included in the folder.

    		 1769 Jul 6
    Box 1, Folder 16 Edwards, Jonathan (1745-1801)
    Contents Note: Letter signed to unknown.

    		1791 Jan 14
    Box 1, Folder 17 Edwards, Timothy (1738-1813)
    Contents Note: Letter signed to Mr. Aaron [Burne?].

    		 1776 Jan 29
    Box 1, Folder 18 Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882)
    Contents Note: Receipt signed to Ticknor and Fields.

    		 1868 Oct 16
    Box 1, Folder 19
    Contents Note: Letter to Miss Terry, his cousin, Allyn House, regarding a visit. A typed transcription is also included.

    		[18--]
    Box 1, Folder 20
    Contents Note: Letter to D. W. Gooch. Emerson received a letter for Gooch by mistake and sent it to him.

    		 1864 Mar 31
    Box 1, Folder 21 Everett, Edward
    Contents Note: Letter to Rev. Dr. Sprague in regards to an autograph.

    		1940 May 16
    Box 1, Folder 22 Everett, Edward B. (1858-1937)
    Contents Note: Letter to George D. Canale.

    		1911 Dec 29, 1912 Jan 11
    Box 1, Folder 23 Galignani, Giovanni Antonio (1757-1821)
    Contents Note: Letter to Messrs. Manners and Miller, Paris.

    		1803 Feb 27
    Box 1, Folder 24 Gates, Horatio (1728-1806)
    Contents Note: Letter fragment.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 25 Godfrey, Caleb
    Contents Note: Letter to Isaac Winslow, Newport.

    		1749 Feb 9
    Box 1, Folder 26 Godwin, William (1756-1836)
    Contents Note: Promissory note.

    		 1814 Jan 31
    Box 2, Folder 85 Greene, William (1696-1758)
    Contents Note: Letter to Major General Nathanael Greene about the British withdrawal of troops from Rhode Island, fleeing Loyalists, and the subsequent seizure of Loyalist property in Rhode Island.

    		1779 Nov 14
    Box 2, Folder 86
    Contents Note: Letter from Warwick to Newport to Major General Nathanael Greene.

    		 1785 Oct 2
    Box 1, Folder 27 Halleck, Fitz-Greene (1790-1867)
    Contents Note: Letter to Thomas Kings.

    		 1851 Dec 31
    Box 1, Folder 28
    Contents Note: Letter to G. D. Canch Esq.

    		 1860 Mar 14
    Box 1, Folder 29
    Contents Note: Letter to G. D. Canch Esq.

    		 1860 Mar 15
    Box 1, Folder 30 Hancock, John (1737-1793)
    Contents Note: Letter to John Avery Collins of Newport, in regards to coffee shipments and other business in Newport. Also includes an undated engraving of Hancock.

    		1799 Dec 12
    Box 1, Folder 31 Hartford, John and Thomas Powell
    Contents Note: Certificate signed by John Hartford and Thomas Powell in London granting Power of Attorney to Henry Marchant; witnessed by Abraham Ogier, Moses Pitt, and William Cornafleau. Also includes an Act of Substitution, signed by Henry Marchant of Newport and witnessed by Henry Ward, Joseph Borden, and Edward Wanton.

    		1770 May 31, 1771 Jun 27
    Box 1, Folder 32 Hawthorne, Julian (1846-1934)
    Contents Note: Letter to E. P. Roe.

    		 1887 Nov 21
    Box 1, Folder 33
    Contents Note: Letter fragment.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 34 Hazard, Roland (1801-1888)
    Contents Note: Letter sent to Newport for William R. Prince.

    		 1821 Jul 26
    Box 1, Folder 35 Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1809-1894)
    Contents Note: Letter to Madam.

    		 1892 Mar 15
    Box 1, Folder 36
    Contents Note: Poem.

    		 1888 Dec 22
    Box 1, Folder 37 Hopkins, Esek (1718-1802)
    Contents Note: Deed to John Andres. Also included is an undated engraving of Hopkins.

    		1754
    Box 1, Folder 38 Howell, David (1747-1824)
    Contents Note: Letter to James Sullivan.

    		 1797 Jul 31
    Box 1, Folder 39 Howells, William Dean (1837-1920)
    Contents Note: "Midway," poem.

    		 1895
    Box 1, Folder 40 Hugo, Victor (1802-1885)
    Contents Note: Manuscript draft of "Un Mot sure John Brown," with a presentation inscription to M. Marquand by Hugo. This document is in French.

    		 1859 Dec 1
    Box 1, Folder 41 Huskinson[?]
    Contents Note: Note sent to Downing St. stating that Mr. Huskinson would not be able to wait upon the Lord Mayor at dinner that day.

    		1807 Nov 9
    Box 1, Folder 42 Johnson, Edward (1599?-1672)
    Contents Note: Letter to Bartholomew Poirsou.

    		 1672 Apr 2
    Box 1, Folder 43 Loudoun, John Campbell, Earl of (1705-1782)
    Contents Note: Copy of a letter from Albany, NY, signed to Stephen Hopkins asking for troops to assist him against the French. This contemporary copy was delivered to Abraham Redwood.

    		1756 Aug 20
    Box 1, Folder 44 Lowell, Amy (1874-1925)
    Contents Note: Typed letter to Roderick Terry, Sr. in regards to their Keats manuscript collections.

    		1923 Jul 18
    Box 1, Folder 45 Lowell, Abbott Lawrence (1856-1943)
    Contents Note: Letter to Roderick Terry, Sr. in regards to the Keats manuscripts and his sister, Amy Lowell's, death.

    		1925 May 30
    Box 1, Folder 46 Lowell, James Russell (1819-1891)
    Contents Note: Letter to L. Clark David Esq.

    		1891 Apr 2
    Box 1, Folder 47 Malbone, Edward Greene (1777-1807)
    Contents Note: Letter to John Derby sending payment for the payment of two miniatures. Print of Malbone's portrait. Typed letter from William Arthur Dupee to Richard Champlin of the Redwood Library in regards to the "Derby Miniatures."

    		 1805 Aug 12, 1975 Nov 25
    Box 1, Folder 48 Muhlenberg, Henry Melchior (1711-1787)
    Contents Note: Letter to Reverend.

    		1755 Aug 6
    Box 1, Folder 49
    Contents Note: Letter.

    		 1759 Jun 9
    Box 1, Folder 50 North, Frederick, Lord (1732-1792)
    Contents Note: Letter from Bushy Park, England, to Lieut. Gov. Clarke (Jamaica).

    		 1764 Nov 19
    Box 1, Folder 51 Paulding, James Kirke (1778-1860)
    Contents Note: Letter.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 52 Peck, Samuel Minturn (1854-1860)
    Contents Note: "A Knot of Blue," poem.

    		 1898 Dec 6
    Box 1, Folder 53 Prescott, William Hickling (1796-1859)
    Contents Note: Letter to Mrs. Willard.

    		[1818] Dec 17
    Box 1, Folder 54
    Contents Note: Letter to Lizzie [Elizabeth Wormeley?].

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 55
    Contents Note: Letter Henry W. Longfellow.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 56 Pym, Charles
    Contents Note: Letter to John Elliot and includes a reply from Thomas Staples.

    		1718 Aug 8
    Box 1, Folder 57 Randolph, Edmund (1751-1813)
    Contents Note: Copy of a letter from George Washington to General Lee, Headquarters Cambridge. (Copied by Edmund Randolph, his aide de camp.)

    		 1776 Mar 14
    Box 1, Folder 58 Randolph, Edmund (1751-1813)
    Contents Note: Copy of a letter from George Washington to Lord Alexander Stirling, commander of forces at New York, Headquarters Cambridge. (Copied by Edmund Randolph, his aide de camp.)

    		 1776 Mar 14
    Box 1, Folder 59 Rhode Island Census
    Contents Note: Account of the People in the Colony of Rhode Island - Whites and Blacks, together with the Quantity of Arms and Ammunitions In the Hands of Private Persons.

    		 1755 Dec 24
    Box 1, Folder 60 Rhode Island Commission to Set Boundaries
    Contents Note: Commission for settling the eastern boundaries of the colony of Rhode Island towards the province of the Massachusetts Bay.

    		1740 Sep 4
    Box 1, Folder 61 Rives, W. L.
    Contents Note: Letter to F. Corbin.

    		 1851 Dec 12
    Box 1, Folder 62 Rodman, Joseph
    Contents Note: Bond monies signed by John Rogers and David Sweet.

    		1774 Jul 26
    Box 1, Folder 63 Rome, Richard
    Contents Note: Letter to Mr. Seton.

    		 1774 Dec 3
    Box 1, Folder 64 Sheridan, Richard Brinsley (1751-1816)
    Contents Note: Letter to John Palmer regarding his work at Palmer's theatre, hoping to receive an advance on his salary.

    		 1791 Oct 1
    Box 1, Folder 65 Sigourney, L. H. (Lydia Howard) (1791-1865)
    Contents Note: Note signed on the anniversary of the Battle of Burgoyne in 1777.

    		 1861 Oct 17
    Box 1, Folder 66 Smith, Francis Hopkinson (1838-1915)
    Contents Note: Letter to William Travers Jerome.

    		 1886 Apr 14
    Box 1, Folder 67 Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin, Baron von (1730-1794)
    Contents Note: Letter also signed by John Hinton, addressed to Sir.

    		 Jul 22
    Box 1, Folder 68 Stiles, Abel (1709-1783)
    Contents Note: Letter to Rev. Solomon Williams.

    		 1741 Jul 9
    Box 1, Folder 69 Stiles, Ezra (1727-1795)
    Contents Note: Letter from Yale College to Lieut. Hingham.

    		 1789
    Box 1, Folder 70
    Contents Note: List of "members actually communicating" at Stiles' church.

    		 1770
    Box 1, Folder 71 Stoddard, Richard Henry (1825-1903)
    Contents Note: Letter.

    		 1901 May 21
    Box 1, Folder 72 Sullivan, John (1740-1795)
    Contents Note: Letter from Headquarters at Providence to Samuel Grey.

    		1778 Apr 18
    Box 1, Folder 73 Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles Maurice, prince de Bénévent (1754-1838)
    Contents Note: Letter to Monsieur Dupertuis, written in French.

    		1837
    Box 1, Folder 74 Tuckerman, Henry T. (Henry Theodore) (1813-1871)
    Contents Note: "To Teresa," poem.

    		 1848 May 3
    Box 1, Folder 75 Unidentified author
    Contents Note: "The flower of Lincoln Castle," poem.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 76 Unidentified author
    Contents Note: Poem.

    		 undated
    Box 2, Folder 87 Vernon, William (1719-1806)
    Contents Note: Letter to his brother, James Vernon.

    		1746 Aug 1
    Box 1, Folder 77 Ward, Thomas (1711-1760)
    Contents Note: Letter to Mr. Willard regarding the Boundary Commission and General Assembly of Rhode Island. Includes a response by T. Hubbard.

    		 1750 May 11
    Box 1, Folder 78 Washington, George (1732-1799)
    Contents Note: Receipt of payment from Dr. David Stuart.

    		1787 Apr 12
    Box 1, Folder 79 Whittier, John Greenleaf (1807-1892)
    Contents Note: Letter to John Elderkin Esq.

    		 1878
    Box 1, Folder 80
    Contents Note: Poem.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 81
    Contents Note: "Garrison of Cape Ann," poem.

    		 undated
    Box 1, Folder 82 Wilkie, David (1785-1841)
    Contents Note: Letter.

    		 1837 Feb 18