RWG Vail Western New York land speculation papers
Creator: Vail, R. W. G. (Robert William Glenroie), 1890-1966
Call Number: D.386
Dates: 1778-1959 ; 1916-1959 [bulk]
Physical Description: 0.74 Cubic feet
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Table of Contents:

Biographical/Historical Note
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Subject(s)
Processing Information
Access
Use
Citation
Related Materials
Bibliography
Content List
Series I: Vail's manuscript, undated
Series II: George S. Conover research materials, 1884-1898
Series III: Vail's research, 1916-1959
Series IV: People of the Seneca Nation and Haudenosaunee, 1793-1959
Series V: Purchase and sale of old books, 1900-1954
Collection Overview
Title: RWG Vail Western New York land speculation papers
Creator: Vail, R. W. G. (Robert William Glenroie), 1890-1966
Call Number: D.386
Dates: 1778-1959 ; 1916-1959 [bulk]
Physical Description: 0.74 Cubic feet
Language(s): Materials are in English
Repository: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Biographical/Historical Note
Robert William Glenroie Vail (1890-1966) was born in Victor, N Y and was a 1914 graduate of Cornell University. He attended the Library School of the New York Public Library that same year and was a lifelong bibliophile and bibliographer. After serving in WWI he worked as a librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society (1919-1921), the Roosevelt Memorial Association (1921-1930), the American Antiquarian Society in Worcestor, Massachusetts (1930-1939), and finally as the State Librarian of New York in Albany (1939-1944). In 1944, he became the director of the New York Historical Society, a position he held until his retirement in 1960. He was a former president of the Bibliographical Society of America, and completed Joseph Sabin's bibliographic encyclopedia Bibliotheca Americana, A Dictionary of Books relating to America. Vail was also the recipient of two honorary degrees, a Doctorate of Letters from Dickerson College, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Clark University. After retiring he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he died in 1966. Throughout his life he maintained an interest in historical land speculation in Western New York State, which included a long interest in the history and descendants of the Seneca Nation and other members of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) confederacy.

George S. Conover (1824-1898), also known as Hy-we-saus, was a white American-born historian whose ethnographic research focused on the people and history of the Seneca Nation and other Haudenosaunee tribes. He was adopted into the Seneca Nation in 1885 at the Cattaraugus reservation, the details of which he wrote about in The Naming Ceremonies and Rites of Adoption by the Seneca Indians. This work was published in a compilation of works along with The Last Rite of Adoption into the Confederacy of the Iroquois, under which the entire book is sometimes known, a poem written by a fellow Seneca adoptee. It is probable that he was a member of the group of highly-educated young white men who regularly met at the home of Ely S. Parker (Do-ne-ho-gâ-wâ, a Seneca), the noted attorney, engineer, and diplomat who was Commissioner of Indian Affairs under President Grant, which also included noted anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan; in any case, Conover maintained a close and friendly relationship with many members of the Seneca Nation, who regarded him and his work fondly.

Sayenqueraghta (c.1707-1786), or Sa-kay-en-qua-ra-doh, was the Mohawk name of the Seneca war chief Kaieñãkwaahtoñ (meaning "the disappearing smoke or mist"). He belonged to the Turtle clan of the Seneca Nation, and lived most of his life at Ganundasaga, near what is today called Geneva, New York. While he tried to keep the Haudenosaunee neutral during the American Revolution, the Seneca eventually sided with the British, and he and Kaiiontwa'kon (Cornplanter) were named war chiefs of the Haudenosaunee confederacy. After the destruction of Ganundasaga during the Sullivan Campaign in 1779 he relocated to Buffalo Creek. He died in Smoke Creek (which is named after him) in Lackawanna, NY, in 1786.

Other prominent figures represented by primary sources and research notes in Vail's collection include William Cooper, Henry O'Reilly, Charles Williamson, Nathaniel Gorham, and Robert Morris. William Cooper, father of historical novelist James Fenimore Cooper, was an American merchant, land speculator and developer. Henry O'Reilly was an Irish-American businessman and telegraphy pioneer who was one of the first authors to write a survey of Rochester and its immediate surroundings. Charles Williamson surveyed the Genesee Lands in 1792 and became the holder of the title of the purchased lands. Williamson also invested in the great road west from the Mohawk River to Canandaigua. Nathaniel Gorham formed, with Oliver Phelps, the land company which in 1788 purchased six million acres of land from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They later negotiated with the Seneca Nation and other Haudenosaunee tribes to acquire the title for two million more acres east of the Genesee River, among other properties. They were later forced to sell much of the land known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase at a loss to Robert Morris, a senator and financier of the American Revolution from Philadelphia.

Scope and Content
The materials in this collection were collected and produced by Glen Vail in his research on settler land speculation and acquisition in Western New York, in preparation for his unpublished book entitled Land Speculation in New York State, 1791-1847. The materials consist largely of handwritten notes, as well as original source materials in the form of correspondence, maps, land survey diagrams, anthropological studies, scrapbooks, and bound volumes. Vail approached his research as a bibliographer- indeed, he subtitled the introduction to his manuscript "A Bibliographical Study of Certain New York Real Estate Rarities"- and many of the materials and his notes concern the purchase and citations of old books, through which he was conducting his research. The date range of this finding aid describes the date range of the original materials in the collection, some of which are notes on or photocopies of earlier primary sources; the date ranges on the folders reflect the dates of the sources, and so in some instances the enclosed material may be Vail's (usually undated) notes on a much earlier document. Although Vail continued to return to his research on land tenure and speculation throughout the course of his several decades in the library profession, his focus shifted over time to care more about the people of the Seneca Nation who had originally held tenure of the land before the arrival of the white settlers- a focus which may have been inspired by the depth of the notes in George S. Conover's papers, which contain descriptions of many historical Seneca individuals, rites, rituals, and traditions.

The first series contains an outline of Vail's book and his introduction to his manuscript.

The second series encompasses a collection of materials and original research conducted by George S. Conover, which Vail bought from Conover's widow. Conover pasted his own published pamphlets into bound books with additional articles, and thereafter added in his own handwritten notes. Conover's research focuses on the leadership, history, and traditions of the Seneca Nation, and the history around the acquisition of the land from the Seneca by white settlers. His materials include his published writing on the Seneca chief Sa-kay-en-qua-ra-doh (which he anglicized as Sayenqueraghta) and on initiation ceremonies for being adopted into the tribe; research notes made from the papers of Phelps & Gorham Company land survey agent William Walker; a series of scrapbooks collecting his writings, correspondence, newspaper articles, and notes; and correspondence with various historians, librarians, and members of the Seneca Nation about his work. Among these are correspondence with William C. Bryant, who describes Sa-kay-en-qua-ra-doh's funeral, and Ely S. Parker (Do-ne-ho-gâ-wâ). Of particular note are the letters included in the "Rites of Adoption" scrapbook, many of which are from members of the Seneca Nation living on the Cattaraugus Reservation. There are numerous notes tipped into the volume with correspondence lists of English and Haudenosaunee* names for various figures, with translated meanings. Vail also made some additional notes in some of Conover's scrapbooks detailing how he obtained the materials and other details of interest to his research.

The third series is comprised of materials Vail himself researched, and his notes. It should be noted that his research was primarily bibliographic in nature, and while there are some original documents throughout the series, often the item represented is only represented by photocopies, citations, or an entry in a book seller's catalogue. Materials include bibliographic citations with notes, notes and correspondence on maps and resources, advertisements for land sale, documents for land sales and transfers, photocopies and translations of early articles about land in western New York, letters discussing payment and use of land, early land surveys and maps, descriptions of settler interaction with the Haudenosaunee and of the land itself, drawings of artifacts, photographs of landmarks, a transcription of a speech given at a joint meeting between the settler and Seneca leadership, an autograph sentiment from Seneca chief Hou-nou-deh (also called Henry G. Strong), and notes made from other pertinent collections of papers. While some of the original materials are in French, German, or Dutch, Vail's notes are in English. Notable early maps include several undated maps of the Genesee River, and the villages Oswego (with illustrations) and Charlotte (hand-colored) on Lake Ontario. A Photostat negative of a full issue of The Victor Monitor, dated 1874, is also a rarity.

The fourth series are materials gathered by Vail which focus more on the Seneca people, traditions, and culture, rather than the land and its tenure. The highlight of this series is the folder containing newspaper articles featuring members of the Seneca Nation through the 1900s, contemporary with Vail's own time. Other materials in the series include an autograph sentiment from Hon-non-de-uh, or Nathaniel Thayer Strong, a Seneca chief, illustrations of several notable historical figures and events, and a sketch of an array of Haudenosaunee artifacts from Honeoye Falls, dated 1899.

The fifth series is a single folder containing material related to the production or purchase of old books in Rochester, NY, and elsewhere.

*It is somewhat unclear whether the names are in the Mohawk or Seneca language, especially given the confusion over Sayenqueraghta/Sa-kay-en-qua-ra-doh/Kaieñãkwaahtoñ perpetuated through Conover's writings.

Arrangement
The collection is broken into five series:

Series I: Vail's manuscript, undated

Series II: George S. Conover research materials, 1884-1898

Series III: Vail's research, 1916-1959

Series IV: People of the Seneca Nation and Haudenosaunee, 1793-1959

Series V: Purchase and sale of old books, 1900-1954

Subject(s):
Western New York (State)
Seneca Indians
Iroquois Indians
Land speculation
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Iroquois Indians--Land tenure
Maps
Vail, R. W. G. (Robert William Glenroie), 1890-1966
Bibliographers
Processing Information
The first series is organized as if it were the beginning of Vail's manuscript, with the introduction following the table of contents.The materials in the second series have been ordered alphabetically by the title Conover pasted on the cover of each scrapbook, as definite chronology could not be otherwise established. It should be noted that the scrapbooks are usually titled by the principal pamphlet Conover pasted into them, but contain additional articles and notes besides. Some materials which were folded into the "Sayenqueraghta" scrapbook have been removed and flattened for preservation, and are included in the folders immediately following the scrapbook, in the order in which they were inserted. The third series is ordered chronologically by date of publication of the original source, as Vail's accompanying notes are usually undated. . Undated maps have been placed at the beginning of the series. Collections of notes which reference multiple dates or documents have been placed at the end of the series, in closer proximity to the notes on maps and correspondence which also references several documents and date ranges. The materials in the fourth series have been organized in reverse-chronological order, as the bulk focus of the materials in the series is from the later dates. The materials in the fifth series, comprising a single folder, have been ordered chronologically. Access
The RWG Vail Western New York land speculation papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.Use
Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. Please note that some materials may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.eduCitation
[Item title, item date], RWG Vail Western New York land speculation papers, D.386, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of RochesterRelated Materials
The Ely Samuel Parker papers

Dr. Ruth W. Schwartz and Dr. Seymour I. Schwartz collection

Bibliography
Vail, R.W.G. "The Lure of the Land Promoter: A Bibliographical Study of Certain New York Real Estate Rarities." The University of Rochester Library Bulletin. Vol. XXIV, No. 2-3, Winter-Spring 1969.

Vail, R.W.G. "A Western New York Land Prospectus." New York Public Library, New York, 1943. 15p.


Administrative Information
Author: Lev Earle
Publisher: Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Address:
Rush Rhees Library
Second Floor, Room 225
Rochester, NY 14627-0055
rarebks@library.rochester.edu
URL:

Finding aid publication date: 2019-10-16
Content List