The papers document three generations of the Woolsey family. The most prominent figures in the collection are William Walton Woolsey (1766-1839), land owner and merchant in New York City; his son, Theodore Dwight Woolsey (1801-1889), Greek scholar, political theorist and president of Yale College; and Theodore Salisbury Woolsey (1852-1929), professor of international law at Yale Law School, son of Theodore Dwight Woolsey. The papers of William Walton Woolsey contain extensive business correspondence, ledgers, legal papers, documents relating to land sales in New York and Ohio, as well as family and personal letters. Since he was engaged in the importation of sugar, cotton and hardware, some of his business correspondence is political with discussions of the Jay Treaty of 1794, the problems of piracy, American neutrality in the 1790s and the general politics of the period. Important correspondents are Chauncey Goodrich, Archibald Gracie, Eli Whitney, Noah Webster, Elihu and Nathaniel Chauncey, Oliver Wolcott, Benjamin Tallmadge, Jedidiah Morse, James Roosevelt, John A. Schuyler, Comfort Sands, John Broome, and Nicholas Bayard. The papers of Theodore Dwight Woolsey contain his writings on Greek language and literature, the Bible, international law and the texts of his sermons.
The papers consist of correspondence, lecture notes, financial papers, and writings relating to Wightman's student years at Yale University and his early legal practice. Correspondents include his parents, his Yale classmates, his brother-in-law, and various young men and women (mainly from Middletown, Connecticut) who were his friends. The notes are from lectures and other activities in Yale College. The financial papers are for his college expenses.
Chiefly correspondence and legal papers of the law firm founded in New Haven by Henry White's father, Dyer White, in 1785. Henry White joined the firm in 1828. Records of 113 individuals, firms, and estates whose business the firm handled make up the business section of the papers. Also included are a small amount of Dyer White's family correspondence (1784-1836) and college lecture notes, account books related to church activities (1822-1837), and other miscellaneous papers of Henry White.
The papers consist of materials relating to George Peabody Wetmore and his family. Correspondence and other papers document the lives of several of Wetmore's ancestors and reflect his interest in New England history. The papers also include letter books and account books of the mercantile firms of Prosper Wetmore & Brothers and Joseph and Joshua Grafton.
The papers contain correspondence, Civil War memorabilia, diaries, and photographs of Mason Cogswell Weld, Lewis Ledyard Weld, and Charles T. Weld, sons of Lewis Weld (1796-1853). The collection has letters written from Leipzig, Germany by Mason Weld, 1853-1855; and several letters from Lewis L. Weld describing his life and activities in Colorado, 1860-1863. The bulk of the correspondence, however, dates from the Civil War, in which all three brothers served.
The papers consist of correspondence, legal papers, notes, and other materials documenting Weinberger's career as a lawyer who specialized in civil liberties cases and, later in his career, copyright law. The one hundred and sixteen (116) case files include legal briefs, writs, and memoranda prepared by Weinberger and his staff, and similar material prepared by opposing attorneys. Correspondence files include letters with clients and individuals interested in a specific case. Weinberger's clients included: Alexander Berkman, Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, Emma Goldman, and Eugene O'Neill. The papers also include a small number of Weinberg's short stories and plays and correspondence with his nephew, Warren Weinberger.
Office files compiled during Watrous' membership on the Connecticut State Bar Examining Committee and on the Yale Law School Curriculum Committee. The Bar Committee material includes correspondence, memoranda, and printed matter establishing levels of qualifications for the bar, regulations for admission, and bar examination questions. The Yale Law School papers include letters, schedules, subjects for prize orations, and newspaper clippings. Also in the papers is a notebook of model legal forms intended for use in Watrous' law practice.
Correspondence, speeches, travel diaries, and documents relating to John Q. Tilson's public life. The diary of his trip to Europe in 1925 was kept while studying munitions for a report to Calvin Coolidge. Another diary reports on a trip to the Orient in 1927. Correspondence reflects his service in the Connecticut National Guard and his connection with Yale Law School. He lectured there on parliamentary law from 1930 until his death, and papers from this course are also in the collection. Of particular interest in the correspondence is a letter from Calvin Coolidge (1923) and another from Cordell Hull (1940).
The Jason Parker Thomson papers consist of case files and notes for a small portion of Thomson's legal career in New Haven, Connecticut and personal papers such as correspondence, family papers, financial and legal records, and memorabilia. Many of the legal files concern estate settlements, property in New Haven, and legal work done for family members. Personal papers relate to Thomson's affiliation with various civic organizations, the management of personal property, and his financial fortunes in the face of the depression.
Connecticut's Archives Online