William H. Emerson family papers

Collection

Identifier: A.E54

Staff Only

Biographical / Historical note

Colonel William Hubbell Emerson was Corporate Counsel for the city of Rochester, N.Y.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes the Corporation Counsel papers, business and personal correspondence, and family papers of Colonel William Hubbell Emerson of Rochester, retired Corporation Counsel for the city.

The Corporation Counsel Papers (1938-1942), including many printed State Senate and Assembly Bills, legislative recommendations, and assessment committee proceedings, and General Correspondence (1945-1952), which includes postwar Corporation Counsel business, personal letters, affidavits, etc., make up the bulk of the collection.

From the period of World War I there are letters written by and to Carolyn Lillian Emerson (University of Rochester, Class of 1908) during her service as a member of the AEF YMCA, and letters written by William H. Emerson to his mother during his period of service in the U.S. Army, in the United States and France. Also among the papers are Colonel Emerson's personal correspondence during his tour of duty in World War II (1942-1945), his Army papers (1917-1953), financial papers (1921-1951), and his speeches (1941-1962).

There are letters written as early as 1814 to Judge Willard Huntington Smith (b.1785), first lawyer in Caledonia. A letter dated January 16, 1814, is written by J. Johnson to Judge Smith, his wife, and her brother, William Johnson, concerning the murder of their sister, Mrs. Lovejoy, at Buffalo, during the War of 1812. Early correspondence also includes letters from William. N. Emerson (1821-1891), State Senator and member of Rochester Common Council, written in 1889 and 1890, and letters to Willard J. Emerson, father of William H. Emerson, written in 1898.

Among the early items of interest are the diaries of Caleb Johnson of Hampstead, N.H. (dated 1768), father of Mary Johnson, wife of Judge Smith, and of Frances Connor (Smith) Wells, daughter of Judge Smith, who wrote her diary as a student at the Ontario Female Seminary in Canandaigua (1831-1837); election and memberhsip certificates; legal documents; receipts; map; manuscript for William N. Emerson essays; and a speech.

Creator

Emerson (Family : Emerson, William Hubbell) (Family)
Emerson, William Hubbell (Person)

Dates

Creation: 1768-1953

Language of Materials

English

Extent

12 box(es) (12 boxes with 107 folders)

Access

The William H. Emerson Family Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Presented to the University of Rochester Library by Colonel William Hubbell Emerson, November 14, 1961; February 1, and October 14, 1963; and June 21, 1973.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], William H. Emerson Family Papers, A.E54, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester