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Ford, Gordon Lester, 1823-1891.
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Restricted access; Manuscripts and Archives Division; Permit must be requested at the division indicated.
The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, legal and business papers and account books. General correspondence, 1842-1893, which includes in-coming letters and drafts and letterbooks of out-going letters, reflects Ford's activities as a lawyer and businessman, his real estate and railroad investments, his government service, and his autograph collecting. Family correspondence, 1830-1910, contains Ford's correspondence with his parents, wife (Emily Ellsworth Ford), brothers and sisters, children, and various members of his mother'sfamily, the Burnhams. Legal papers, 1837-1893, include case records, letterbook, law diaries, and law ledgers. Business papers, 1839-1891, include insurance papers, accounts, bills and receipts, promissory notes, and indentures. Account books, 1844-1892, consist of ledgers reflecting Ford's legal and business transactions and accounts with various people including family members. There are also papers, 1863-1871, concerning his internal revenue position and the Brooklyn Daily Union, in additionto miscellaneous papers which include membership certificates, invitations, calling cards, and printed ephemera.
Gordon Lester Ford (1823-1891) was a businessman, lawyer and collector of Americana. He practiced law for much of his life but his main interests were business and real estate investment. He was president of the New London, Willimantic & Palmer Railroad from 1852 to 1856 and director or investor in several other railroads. He also served as U.S. Marshall in southern New York, collector ofinternal revenue for the third collection district, commissioner of deeds, and business manager of the New York Tribune. In 1863 he helped to found the Brooklyn Daily Union, a newspaper devoted to supporting the Union cause during the Civil War. He also was a founder of the Brooklyn Academy of Music and of the Brooklyn Art Association. He collected books and manuscripts and assembled what was regarded as one of the largest private collections of Americana.
Wisconsin Pond Life ... (Detroit Publishing Company postcards). NYPL Photography Collection.
One of 700,000 pictures in the NYPL Digital Gallery
