Rare Book & Manuscript Library
 

Thomas W. Olcott papers, 1811-1925

Summary Information

At a Glance

Call No.: MS#0948
Bib ID 4079178 View CLIO record
Creator(s) Olcott, Thomas W (Thomas Worth), 1795-1880
Title Thomas W. Olcott papers, 1811-1925
Physical Description 18 boxes (18 boxes)
Language(s) English .
Access 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 is located on-site.

This collection has no restrictions.

Arrangement

Arrangement

Cataloged.

Description

Summary

Letters and papers of Olcott. Among the subjects covered are the history of the Bank; banks and politics in New York during the Jacksonian era; the operations of the safety Fund Banking System; land acquisition in the West, particularly Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and western New York; the Boston and Albany Railroad; the Corning Land Company; and the building of the Union Pacific Railroad. The papers are divided into the following groups: letters received, including correspondence with Martin Van Buren, Samuel P. Chase, William Henry Seward, William B. Astor, Silas Wright, William Kent, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Horatio Seymour; documents including land deeds, wills, leases, bonds, sureties, orders to pay, checks, bank ledgers, partnership agreements, earnings reports, tax assessments, and land sales; household bills and receipts; bank notes including excellent examples of early American currency; miscellaneous account books, photographs, and printed material; patents for Michigan and Ohio lands to William Thompson, Thomas W. Olcott, and Garrit Denniston signed by Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren (proxy signatures).

Two onsite card catalog drawers (Catalog Card File Drawers 65A and 65B) contain catalog cards, filed chronologically, for materials in the collection.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

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 is located on-site.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

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.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Thomas W. Olcott papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Olcott, Douglas W., Mrs. Louise Olcott McClure, Mrs. Emily Olcott Garrison, Mrs. Grace Rathbone Adkins, Mrs. Anna Rathbone Johnson, and the Directors of the Mechanics and Farmers' Bank of Albany. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--06/14/60. Accession number--M-60-06-14.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 08/--/89.

Revision Description

2020-02-18 Container list and note on catalog card file drawers added to the finding aid. CCR.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"
"CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"
"Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Autographs (manuscripts) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Patents (land) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Photographic prints Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

Subject

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"
"CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"
"Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Astor, William B. (William Backhouse), 1792-1875 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Banks and banking -- New York (State) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Banks and banking -- New York (State) -- Albany Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Boston and Albany Railroad Co. Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Chase, Salmon P (Salmon Portland), 1808-1873 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Corning Land Company Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Denniston, Garrit Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Kent, William, 1802-1861 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Mechanics and Farmers Bank (Albany, N.Y.) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Money -- United States Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont), 1837-1913 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
New York (State) -- Politics and government -- 1775-1865 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Railroads -- New York (State) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Railroads -- United States Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Real property -- Illinois Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Real property -- Michigan Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Real property -- New York (State) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Real property -- Ohio Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Real property -- Wisconsin Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Safety Fund Banking System Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Seward, William H (William Henry), 1801-1872 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Seymour, Horatio, 1810-1886 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Tax assessment Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Thompson, William, 1813-1897 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Union Pacific Railroad Company Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Wright, Silas, 1795-1847 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

President of the Mechanics and Farmers' Bank of Albany, N.Y. Olcott was a prominent figure in New York State politics and finance.