Samuel Akerly letters, 1829-1838
Collection context
- Creator:
- Akerly, Samuel, 1785-1845
- Extent:
- 0.21 linear feet (22 letters in 1/2 document box)
- Language:
- English
- Scope and content:
-
22 manuscript letters from Samuel Akerly to his son, Benjamin (1829-1838). Three letters were sent while Benjamin was a student in Connecticut, with he remaining nineteen sent to Detroit where he had opened a business. All letters include family and local news, but alos include descriptions of Akerly's work at the New York Institution of the Deaf and firsthand descriptions of the Great Fire of 1835 and the Panic of 1837 and its ensuing fallout.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Samuel Akerly was a physician, naturalist and philanthropist. He was born in New York City and graduated from Columbia College in 1804 and with a Masters in 1807, and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1807. Akerly wrote several publications on the natural history of the New York region, and spent most of his career on issues of disability. To that end, he contributed to the formation of the New York Institution of the Deaf and co-founded the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. He was the superintendent of the New York Institution of the Deaf from 1821-1831.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Material is unprocessed. Please contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
- Terms of access:
-
Single reproductions may be made for research purposes. It is the responsibility of the user to secure permission for publication or use from the appropriate copyright holder.
- Location of this collection:
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- Contact:
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