Freeman Clarke family papers

The Freeman Clarke Family Papers, 1812-1929, consist of the family and business papers of Freeman Clarke, primarily from the period of the late 1820's to the 1890's.

The family correspondence consists mainly of the incoming correspondence of Henrietta Jaquelina (Ward) Clarke, 1814-1890, wife of Freeman Clarke. Also included in this group is a small amount of personal correspondence from friends. Early letters (of the late 1820's and 1830's) to Henrietta Ward in Albion are from her immediate family, primarily from her brother Ferdinand De Wilton Ward while studying at Union College and Princeton Theological Seminary, and later from Maduras and Madras, South India, telling of his missionary work there from 1836-1846. Henrietta Ward married Freeman Clarke of Albion in 1833, and resided in Albion until 1845 when they moved to Rochester. From the period in Albion, Mrs. Clarke's letters are primarily from her sisters, Susan W. Seldon and Siba Hand Smith, relating to personal affairs and domestic matters such as the health of the members of the family and discussions of arrangements for visits.

A group of letters in 1848 expresses sympathy to Mr. and Mrs. Clarke on the death of their son, Henry, age 7, and in 1854, there is another group of sympathy letters on the death of their daughter Elizabeth, age 18.

There are many letters from Freeman Clarke to his wife at home in Rochester while he was in Washington serving in the 38th Congress (1865-1865) and in the 42nd and 43rd Congresses (1871-1875).

In the correspondence between Mrs. Clarke and her son, Edward Smith Clarke, during his college days at Yale (1872-1876), Edward discusses his courses of study and activities outside of school, and Mrs. Clarke keeps him informed of news of the family and of Rochester. There is weekly correspondence between Edward and his mother during his stay in Europe, 1876-1879, with his brother Sherman. Edward's letters recount his study of international law in Heidelberg, and describe German customs and manners, as well as his experiences while traveling in Europe. His letters of 1877 tell of his work in the office of the Consulate of the U. S. at Mannheim. The letters to his mother from 1879 to 1883 tell of his return to the U. S. in 1879, his study of law in New York City, a brief period of practicing law in Rochester, and his business venture in the manufacture of cotton cloth in Atlanta, Georgia in 1883.

Later family correspondence in the collection includes quite regular correspondence between Henrietta (Allen) Mills and her sister, Mary Percival Allen, and their mother, Caroline (Clarke) Allen, the daughter of Henrietta (Ward) Clarke. These letters give accounts of their travels during their trip to Europe in June through November of 1912. There is a gap in the correspondence from 1913-1917; then the following letters from the period from January 1918 to February 1919 from Mary Percival Allen to her sister, Henrietta (Allen) Mills in Rochester, tell of Mary Allen's experiences doing war work as a nurse in France from May 1918 to January 1919, The last main group of correspondence is from June through August of 1920, and is again from Mary Allen to her sister Henrietta, giving accounts of her work as a nurse at Pilley's Island Hospital in Newfoundland. During this time she kept a journal, recording her activities and feelings, which is included in the collection.

The second chronology in the collection is of business correspondence, consisting primarily of the incoming correspondence (1812-1891) mainly for Freeman Clarke. Letters in the collection from the late 1820's and early 1830's are from various clients of Mr. Clarke, who was at that time a merchant in Albion, New York, dealing in the purchase, sale, and transportation of grain and lumber. In 1837, he became cashier of the Bank of Albion, in Orleans County, New York, a position which he held until 1845, when he moved to Rochester. Correspondence from the period in Albion is mainly from various banks throughout New York State, regarding banking and financial matters, and business transactions such as the sale and purchase of stocks and of grain. Correspondents from the 1830's include William H. DeWitt, Silas O. Smith, Otis P. Sheldon, Joseph Strong, and Pheny Allen. Correspondence of the mid-1840's deals with insurance concerns, mortgages, and the sale of property. In the year following his move to Rochester, Mr. Clarke organized and became president of the Rochester Bank. Included in the collection is a letter-book of Clarke's Banking Office in Rochester, first dated July 24, 1845, which contains the outgoing correspondence of the Bank for the period of July 1845 through October 1849. Incoming correspondence from that period continues to be from various banks, and in addition, reflects Mr. Clarke's early interest in investment in the planning and building of railroads.

There is no correspondence in the collection relating to the Whig National Convention of 1850, of which Freeman Clarke was Vice-President, nor is there any relating to the Whig National Convention of 1852, of which he was a delegate, or relating to his being a presidential elector in 1856.

Incoming correspondence of the 1850's reflects Clarke's concerns with banking, railroads, and the telegraph. During this time, he was made Treasurer and a Trustee of the Monroe County Savings Bank, and in 1857 he organized and became President of the Monroe County Bank, which later (in 1865) was converted into the Clarke National Bank. Banking correspondence of the early 1850's includes routine financial correspondence regarding the collection of notes and the payment of loans and mortgages.

Correspondence relating to railroads is found primarily in the late 1850's, concerning the construction, development and extension of railroads in New York State, and the purchase and sale of stock in various railroad companies. In 1852, Mr. Clarke became Treasurer and one of the first directors of the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Railroad Company; he was also made President and a director of the Genesee Valley Railroad Company in 1854.

Correspondence regarding the telegraph first appears in the mid 1850's, reflecting his concern in the extension of existing telegraph lines, the expansion of telegraph service, and the consolidation of various lines. Mr. Clarke owned stock in several telegraph companies and was a director of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and Treasurer and Director of the House Telegraph Company.

Letters of the early 1860's consist of voluminous routine banking correspondence from other bankers and brokers regarding the purchase and sale of stocks and bonds in various railroads, telegraph companies and banks. In 1862, Freeman Clarke was elected to Congress as a Republican Representative from the 28th New York District. The incoming correspondence from constituents during his first term in Congress (March 1863 - March 1865) includes: requests for appointments to the Military Academy at West Point; requests for aid in obtaining situations (such as postmasterships and clerkships) and filling vacant positions; inquiries of the procedure for applying for positions and promotions; requests for procuring copies of public documents (such as the Census Report, the Report of Major General McClellan, the Agricultural Report, and the Patent Office Report); requests for seeds, requests for aid in obtaining military discharges and furloughs, opinions regarding taxation, the currency, and national fiscal policy; and numerous letters of introduction and recommendation. Other correspondence form this period is from other bankers discussing State Banks, the new National Banking system, the National Currency Act of 1863 and bills to amend this act, and the establishment of the Fourth National Bank of New York City in 1864, of which Mr. Clarke was one of the first directors.

Mr. Clarke did not seek re-election in 1864 to Congress for the following term, and in March of 1865 he received from President Lincoln the appointment to the position of Comptroller of the Currency, serving under Hugh McCullock, who was the Secretary of the Treasury. During his incumbency, much important financial legislation of war times was enacted, including the organization of the national banks. Correspondence from this period (March 1865 - July 1866) is mainly from various bankers and financial experts, dealing with financial legislation, discussions of the national banking system, and reactions to Mr. Clarke's Report of the Currency (which was a proposed amendment to the National Banking Law). In 1866 there are numerous inquiries regarding the procedure for changing state banks to national banks, as well as questions regarding the interpretation of national banking laws.

Mr. Clarke resigned as Comptroller of the Currency in July of 1866, and resumed his former business pursuits. There is no correspondence regarding the State Constitutional Convention of 1867, to which Mr. Clarke was elected as a delegate. Letters of the late 1860's continue to reflect his interests in the field of railroads and telegraphs. In 1868 he was elected a director of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company and of the South Pacific Railroad Company of Missouri. Incoming correspondence of this period is from bankers and brokers regarding the sale and purchase of stocks and bonds in various telegraph and railroad companies, and of dividends from stocks and bonds.

In 1870, Freeman Clarke was re-elected to Congress, and again in 1872. His incoming correspondence from constituents while serving in the 42nd (1871-1873) and 43rd (1875-1875) Congresses concern appointments and removals of postmaster positions, clerkships and collectorships; military academy appointments; numerous letters regarding military pensions; requests for public documents; letters of introduction and recommendation, requests for autographs, opinions about the taxation of tobacco, requests for information on obtaining patents; discussion regarding a bill that Mr. Clarke introduced into the House in January of 1872 regarding specie payments; and correspondence relating to his work on the committee on appropriations (of which he was a member during the 42nd Congress) and also the committee on foreign affairs (of which he was a member during the 43rd Congress).

Other correspondence during his terms of office is with various brokers and bankers regarding Mr. Clarke's personal financial affairs, notices of meetings reflecting his involvement with railroads, and correspondence regarding the sale and purchase of stocks and bonds. There is also regular correspondence from his sons, Levi Ward Clarke and Freeman De Witt Clarke, giving accounts of daily business events at the Clarke National Bank in Rochester to Mr. Clarke in Washington.

Mr. Clarke held no other public office after his retirement from Congress in March of 1875, but he remained active in his personal business affairs, especially in railroad stocks and bonds. There is no correspondence in the collection regarding Mr. Clarke's purchase of the Rochester Chronicle in 1870, which was consolidated with the Democrat to form the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, of which he was one of the first directors. There is, however, weekly correspondence from his son Levi Ward Clarke during the period of July to December of 1876, reporting recent business developments at the newspaper. There is also correspondence during 1877 from his son Freeman De Witt Clarke in Buffalo, regarding his business, the Steam Gauge and Lantern Company, and from his son George Hunt Clarke in Fullerville, N.Y., regarding his business, the Fullerville Iron Works.

Correspondence of the very late 1870's and 1880's becomes increasingly scant. Letters from this period indicate that Mr. Clarke did business with the Cayuta Wheel and Foundry Company of Waverly, N. Y., apparently selling pig iron to this company.

There is no correspondence in the collection regarding Mr. Clarke's position as a Trustee of the University of Rochester, a position he held from 1872-1887. Nor does the collection contain any correspondence regarding Mr. Clarke's participation in community and church affairs.

The third chronology is of legal and financial records, including bills and receipts, documents, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous legal papers. Contained within this legal and financial chronology is a separate chronology of notices of protest, primarily from the period of 1846-1853 which apparently were notices sent to each of the endorsers of a check or draft that was dishonored. A notary public prepared a notarial protest certificate in addition to a separate notice of protest to each of the endorsers. The notarial protest certificate legal evidence of presentation and refusal to pay by the drawer or endorser, and was a legal measure for the purpose of holding the endorsers liable on account of the item dishonored for payment by the maker.