- Creator
- Edgar, William, 1739-1820
- Call number
- MssCol 893
- Physical description
- 2 linear feet (11 v.)
- Preferred Citation
- William Edgar papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Manuscripts and Archives Division
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
- Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.
William Edgar (1736-1820) was an Irish-born merchant of Detroit, Michigan, where he was a financial agent for the British Army post. He moved to New York City in 1780 or 1781 and engaged in trade with China and East India. Collection consists of negative copies of correspondence, accounts and other papers relating to Edgar's trading post at Detroit; and correspondence concerning family and personal matters. Papers until the end of the American Revolution are dated at New York, Albany, Montreal, Michilimackinac, Philadelphia, Trenton, and elsewhere. Later papers relate to trade with London, Calcutta, Canton, China, and locations within the U.S. Correspondents include Gerard Beekman, Aaron Burr, DeWitt Clinton, Horatio Gates, Alexander Hamilton, Brockholst Livingston, Philip Livingston, Alexander Macomb, Gurdon S. Mumford, Henry Remsen, Henry Rutgers, and Daniel Webster.
Digital Assets
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Negatives were made from originals owned by Herman L.R. Edgar, 1932Key terms
Names
- Edgar, William, 1739-1820
- Beekman, Gerard
- Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836
- Clinton, DeWitt, 1769-1828
- Edgar, William, 1739-1820
- Gates, Horatio, 1728-1806
- Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804
- Livingston, Brockholst, 1757-1823
- Livingston, Philip, 1716-1778
- Macomb, Alexander, 1782-1841
- Mumford, Gurdon Saltonstall, 1764-1831
- Remsen, Henry, 1736-1792
- Rutgers, Henry, 1745-1830
- Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
- Edgar family
Places
- Calcutta (India) -- Commerce
- Detroit (Mich.) -- Commerce
- Guangzhou (China) -- Commerce
- New York (N.Y.) -- Commerce
Occupations
Using the collection
Location
Manuscripts and Archives DivisionStephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Alternative form available
Correspondence from vols. 1, 2 and 4 available on microfilm; New York Public Library
Location of originals
Originals in possession of the Edgar family