Robert Hiester Montgomery papers, 1600-1945

Letters and documents, the majority written between 1700 and 1900, dealing with both personal and corporate business and financial matters, assembled by Montgomery. The letters are chiefly by American and English writers. Many of the American letters are to and from various United States Treasury officials, usually the Secretary of the Treasury. Of the 107 letters by Joseph Anderson (1757-1835), U.S. Senator and jurist, the majority are written to Samuel Swartwout (1783-1856) when he was Comptroller of the United States and Collector of the Port of New York. Most of the documents are American with New York City firms predominating.

In addition there are English, French, and Spanish items. A number of the 17th century English documents are stamped "Clayton Manuscripts" referring to Robert Clayton, a trustee of the George Villiers Buckingham estate. The range of materials includes the accounts of English nobility, some government-related accounts, real estate holdings, bills of sale, receipts, customs declarations, and other documents relating to ships and shipping, banks, and a variety of firms, large and small. For example, there are twenty five documents relating to the China tea trade of Oliver Wolcott, 1795-1811; financial accounts for two voyages of the ship MARRY MARGETTE, 1610-1614; the 1792-1795 accounts of the Duchess of Abrantes; the accounts of the Montezuma y Vivero estates in Mexico, 1664-1724; two boxes of shipping invoices, and customs declarations; and materials documenting thirteen cases handled by the U.S. National War Labor Board, 1943-1944.