Hutchinson, Holmes, Papers

Collection Type
Papers
Year Start
1803
Year End
1889
Bulk Year Start
1855
Bulk Year End
1865
ID

SC12068

Quantity

2 boxes (0.50 cubic ft.)

Access

Open to research

Acquisition

Purchase, George Hodges, 1948

Processed By

Manuscripts and Special Collections, ca. 1948; revised May 2014

View Catalog Record

Biographical Note:

Holmes Hutchinson was born January 5, 1794, in Genoa, Cayuga County, New York. He pursued a career in civil engineering and became prominent in the field. He settled in Utica, New York, about 1819 when he took up a position as an engineer on the Erie Canal. He served as chief engineer of the Erie Canal from 1835 to 1841, during which time the canal was enlarged. He was also involved with other canal construction projects in New York and New England, of which the most prominent was the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in Maine, from 1828-1835. During the later years of his life he was involved in building and managing railroads in New York State. He died February 22, 1865, in Utica, New York.

Scope and Content Note:

These papers include correspondence, accounts, receipts, agreements, bonds, deeds, and other legal and business papers related to Holmes Hutchinson's personal life and professional career. Many of the files relate specifically to the canals and railroads in which he had business and professional interests.  These include the Erie Canal, the Chemung Canal, the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, the Hudson River Railroad, and the Oswego and Syracuse Railroad. Also included are files related to special projects: the bridge at Fort Plain, New York; the Black River survey; the Oswego River Starch Company; the survey of the Sullivan Swamp; and the survey of the Great Swamp in Madison County, New York. His correspondence includes a number of letters from Gerrit Smith, a noted abolitionist, social reformer, and politician during the mid-nineteenth century. 

Box and Folder List:
 

Box

Folder

Description

1

1

Account book. 1842-1861. Land records. Includes Douglass Ditch. Real estate. (1 vol.)

1

2-3

Accounts, 1814-1860 (83 items)

1

4-5

Agreements, 1827-1860 (78 items)

1

6

Black River survey with map (3 items)

1

7

Bonds, 1827-1866 (16 items)

1

8

Booklist, ca. 1860s (1 item)

1

9

Bridge at Fort Plain, ca. 1857-1860 (4 items)

1

10

Canaseraga Swamp, ca. 1829-1858 (29 items)

1

11

Check stub, 1868 (1 item)

1

12

Chemung Canal, 1830-1842 (6 items)

1

13

Cumberland and Oxford Canal (Maine), 1825-1835 (3 items)

1

14

Deeds, 1825-1861 (16 items)

1

15

Douglass Ditch, 1856-1858 (5 items)

1

16

Erie Canal enlargement, ca. 1840 (2 items)

1

17

Estate papers; also inventories, 1867-1886 (14 items)

1

18

Hudson River Railroad, 1856 (11 items)

1

19

Judgments, 1834-1865 (14 items)

1

20-21

Letters to Holmes Hutchinson, 1831-1865 (78 items) -  See appended index.

1

22

Letters by Holmes Hutchinson, 1840-1864 (18 items)

  1. To Virgil Bull, Chittenango, [N.Y.], November 7, 1856
  2. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], December 22, 1856
  3. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], September 18, 1857
  4. To Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], February 19, 1857
  5. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], June 7, 1858
  6. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], March 30, 1858
  7. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], July 19, 1858
  8. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], October 4, 1858
  9. To Carpenter and Vermilye, Utica, [N.Y.], October 6, 1858
  10. Directions to ?, n.p., n.d.
  11. To Edmund Faile, Esq., Utica, [N.Y.], July 9, 1856
  12. To H.G. Jenkins, Esq., Utica, [N.Y.], June 17, 1861
  13. To Hon. E.W. Leavenworth, Utica, [N.Y.], November 26, 1864
  14. To Henry Nichols, Esq., Utica, [N.Y.], March 14, 1858
  15. To Henry Nichols, Esq., Utica, [N.Y.], June 14, 1858
  16. To E. Pennock, Esq., n.p., February 20, 1871
  17. To Horatio Seymour, Esq., n.p., November 24, 1845
  18. To Stephen H. Smith, Utica, [N.Y.], February 22, 1856

1

23

Letters to William Hutchinson and others 1836-1871 (15 items)

  1. Letter to E.A. Wetmore, Esq., from E.W. Leavenwothr, Syracuse, [N.Y.], April 29, 1836
  2. Letter to Horatio Seymour, Esq., from George B. Rowe, Canastota, [N.Y.], August 6, 1842
  3. Letter to Horatio Seymour,  from D. Luirs, E.S. Colton and C. Strowd Canastota, [N.Y.], August 8, 1859
  4. Letter to Hunt and Waterman from William Ure, Durhamville, [N.Y.], May 11, 1861
  5. Letter to Horatio Seymour from Stephen Watkins, Sullivan, [N.Y.], October 1, 1861
  6. Letter to J.A. Leintner, Esq., from E.W. Leavenworth, Syracuse, [N.Y.], May 20, 1865
  7. Letter to J.A. Leintner from James A. Christie, Horseheads, [N.Y.], August 9, 1865
  8. Letter to Dr. Edwin Hutchinson from Hiram Denio, Utica, [N.Y.], January 19, 1866
  9. M.C. Walrath, to W.A. Hutchinson,  Chittenango, [N.Y.], June 10, 1867
  10. E. Pennock, to W.A. Hutchinson, Chittenango, [N.Y.], February 14, 1871
  11. E. Pennock, to W.A. Hutchinson,  Chittenango, [N.Y.], March 22, 1871
  12. Letter to C.W. Hutchins, Esq., from Lansing and Kellogg, Chittenango, [N.Y.], August 23, 1871
  13. Horatio Seymour, to W.A. Hutchinson, Utica, [N.Y.], April 3, 1878
  14. Wm. H. Walrath, to W.A. Hutchinson, Utica, [N.Y.], July 1, 1889
  15. Letter to [?] from M.A. Hutchinson, n.p., n.d.

2

24

Locks: Dimensions, etc., ca. 1840 (1 vol.)

2

25

Memoranda, 1827-1860  (22 items)

2

26

Miscellaneous (6 items)

2

27

Mortgages, 1827-1858 (16 items)

2

28

Notes, 1833-1860 (14 items)

2

29

Oneida Reservation, 1856-1859 (11 items)

2

30

Oswego and Syracuse Railroad, 1854-1856 (5 items)

2

31-32

Oswego (new) River Starch Company, 1857-1861 (76 items)

2

33

Newspaper clippings and other printed material, ca. 1881 (8 items)

2

34

Receipts (1829-1862)

2

35

Sketch maps (6 items)

2

36

Sullivan Swamp, Great Marsh and Great Swamp, Madison County, 1841-1866 (19 items)

2

37

Surveys: Miscellaneous, 1803-1856 (27 items)

2

38

Tax receipts, 1834-1859 (24 items)

2

39

Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna Railroad, 1867 (1 item)

Index of letters to Holmes Hutchinson found in Folders 20-21

John Adams, Sullivan, [N.Y.?], December 19, 1855

John Arnott, Elmira, [N.Y.], July 5, 1855

V.B. Backman, Horseheads, [N.Y.], June 19, 1860

Cyrus Barlow, Horseheads, [N.Y.], November 21, 1853

Wm. G. Barlow, n.p., November 11, 1853

John Bates, Chittenango, [N.Y.], March 9, 1859

F.C. Bloomer, Horseheads, [N.Y.], April 20, 1861

George Brinkerhoff, Albany, [N.Y.], May 11, 1835

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], January 11, 1854

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], November 6, 1855

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], October 26, 1857

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], December 2, 1857

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], January 11, 1858

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], May 13, 1859

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], August 17, 1859

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], August 30, 1859

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], November 9, 1859

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], December 14, 1859

E. Carpenter, Horseheads, [N.Y.], March 8, 1860

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], December 20, 1856

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], December 29, 1856

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], March 2, 1858

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], March 3, 1858

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], March 6, 1858

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], March 9, 1858

Carpenter and Vermilye, New York, [N.Y.], May 31, 1858

Sam'l R. Case, n.p., April 30, 1861

James A. Christie, n.p., March 11, 1860

James A. Christie, Horseheads, [N.Y.], August 17, 1860

James A. Christie, Horseheads, [N.Y.], March 18, 1861

Lucius P. Clark, Morrisville, [N.Y.?], March 6, 1857

L.B. Clark, Canajoharie, [N.Y.], June 21, 1861

David Collins, Fayetteville, [N.Y.], November 10, 1859

Jas. H. Gardner, n.p., July 19, 1858

Seymour Green, Osceola, November 15, 1859

W.P. Hastings, Horseheads, [N.Y.], April 5, 1854

S. Hathaway, Jr., Elmira, [N.Y.], May 6, 1848

Nancy Hefferan, Chittenango, [N.Y.], July 23, 1864

Michael Hoffman, Albany, [N.Y.], October 18, 1841

M. Hutchinson, Cayuga, [N.Y.], January 27, 1833

M. Hutchinson, Cayuga, [N.Y.], June 7, 1853

E.W. Leavenworth, Syracuse, [N.Y.], January 5, 1864

D. Lewis, Canastota, [N.Y.], May 29, 1859

W.W. McCoy, Bath, [N.Y.], August 26, 1831

W. Maxwell, Elmira, [N.Y.], November 18, 1849

Patrick McNicholes, New Boston, [    ] 28, 1843

Henry Morgan, Aaron, [?], June [?] 7, 1856

Henry Morgan, Aaron, [?], February 14, 1861

G.J. Olcott, Durham, May 31, 1858

E. Pennock, Chittenango, [N.Y.], July 6, 1859

E. Pennock, Chittenango, [N.Y.], July 3, 1869

J.W. Porter, Syracuse, [N.Y.], November 2, 1858

H.C. Potter, East Saginaw,  [Mich.?], March 3, 1862

D.H. Rasbach, Chittenango, [N.Y.], January 21, 1856

Van R. Richmond, Syracuse, [N.Y.], September 22, 1855

C.M. Rickey, Horseheads, [N.Y.], August 31, 1839

James Roosevelt, New York, August 2, 1852

John Seymour, Albany, [N.Y.], March 23, 1863

Gerrit Smith, Peterboro, [N.Y.], June 30, 1841

Gerrit Smith, Peterboro, [N.Y.], May 14, 1855

Gerrit Smith, Peterboro, [N.Y.], May 20, 1859

Gerrit Smith, Peterboro, [N.Y.], August 19, 1862

Stephen H. Smith, Providence, [R.I.?], May 19, 1855

L.A. Spalding, Lockport, [N.Y.], May 23, 1860

L.A. Spalding, Lockport, [N.Y.], July 20, 1860

L.A. Spalding, Lockport, [N.Y.], November 9, 1861

L.A. Spalding, Utica, [N.Y.], July 17, 1862

L.A. Spalding, Lockport, [N.Y.], March 3, 1863

John E. Stone, n.p., December 10, 1858

John E. Stone, Oneida, [N.Y.], June 27, 1861

B. Townsend, Oswego, [N.Y.], June 28, 1849 [?]

B. Townsend, n.p., June 28, 1849

W.H. Walrath, Chittenango, [N.Y.], December 10, 1856

Wm. H.. Walrath, Chittenango, [N.Y.], November 9, 1858

Wm. Walrath, Chittenango, [N.Y.], December 17, 1863

P.G. Webster, Fort Plain, [N.Y.], December 19, 1862

P.G. Webster, Fort Plain, [N.Y.], January 26, 1857

P.G. Webster, Fort Plain, [N.Y.], February 5, 1863

S.D. Westlake, n.p., January 5, 1857

Allis and Wheeler, Salina, [N.Y.], March 4, 1861