This collection has no restrictions.
This collection is located on-site.
The Duer Family Papers consists primarily of correspondence, documents, and books pertaining to the Duer Family as well as tintypes, daguerreotypes, photographs and illustrations. Also included in the collection are the diaries of Frances Maria Duer Hoyt's travels in Europe from 1864 to 1894, and the diaries of Hannah Maria Denning Duers from 1838 to 1862.
Some of the correspondence and manuscripts are cataloged.
The collection is arranged in three series.
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection has no restrictions.
This collection is located on-site.
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Duer family papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Alice Duer Miller Papers, Barnard College Archives.
Duer Family Papers, Barnard College Archives.
Elizabeth Meads Duer Papers, Barnard College Archives.
Caroline King Duer Papers, Barnard College Archives.
"Reminiscences of Caroline King Duer," Oral History Research Office.
Papers of George Washington, University of Virgina.
Papers of William Duer, New-York Historical Society.
No additons expected
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
The Duer family papers were assembled by Caroline King Duer (1865-1956), Alice Duer Miller (1874-1942, Barnard College A.B., 1899), and May King Van Rensselaer (1848-1925).
Source of acquisition--Miller, Alice Duer. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1937.
Source of acquisition--Benjamin, Mary. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1956.
Source of acquisition--Miller, Denning. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1981.
Source of acquisition--Granat, Henry. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1986.
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 06/--/1989.
Papers processed by Vanessa Cano (Pratt Institute, 2011).
Finding aid written by Vanessa Cano (Pratt Institute, 2011) February 2011.
2011-03-04 File created.
2011-03-08 XML document instance created by Catherine C. Ricciardi
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
The Duer Family was one of the founding families of New York City. Prior to moving to New York from England, the Duer Family had purchased tracts of land on the Hudson River near Albany. The area, known as Fort Miller, served as their first residence and as the site of their early financial ventures. By 1776 the Duer family had built a successful mercantile business based primarily on lumber production.
The Duer family patriarch, William Duer (March 18, 1743-May 7, 1799), was an American lawyer, developer, and speculator who lived in New York City. A Federalist, he had served in the Continental Congress and the convention that framed the New York Constitution. In 1778, he signed the United States Articles of Confederation. Duer was married to Katherine "Kitty" Alexander, the daughter of the Revolutionary War General William Alexander (Lord Stirling), and together they had three sons: William, Alexander and John.
William Alexander Duer (1780-1858) grandson of William Duer through his son John, was an American lawyer, jurist, educator, member of the New York State Assembly (1816), and one of the first eight New York State Circuit Courts judges appointed (1823). He served as the President of Columbia College (now Columbia University) from 1829 to 1842.
William Alexander and Hannah Denning Duer (1782-1862) had four children: Henrietta Amlie, Frances Maria, Catherine Theodora, and William Denning. The writings and correspondence of William Alexander, Hannah Maria Denning Duer, and their daughter Frances Maria Duer Hoyt are featured throughout this collection.