Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Title:	William Jay Roberts Collection
Inclusive Dates:	1844-1901
Quantity:	3 linear ft.
Abstract:	The collection consists mostly of correspondence of the Roberts family and to a smaller extent of the Wentworth family. The majority of the letters was written during the Civil War by William Jay Roberts to his sister and mother and by George B. Wentworth to his wife. There are also letters written by Roberts' sister Jennette as well as by Wentworth's son and daughter-in-law. In addition to the correspondence there are also a few items of memorabilia, including William Jay Roberts' diary for 1861 and a record book of Company I of the 8th Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteers containing entries by several officers as well as letters and field orders and other miscellaneous military documents related to William Jay Roberts.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Captain William Jay Roberts (1836-1870) of New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut was an American soldier and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He studied Law at Yale and was admitted to the bar in Litchfield County in 1866 but never practiced due to his health. In 1861, he organized the enlistment of volunteers for the Union Army and served himself in the 8th Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteers as First Lieutenant. On May 1862 he was promoted to the rank of Captain. On January 31, 1865 he was discharged for disability reasons due to wounds he had received at Fort Harrison. He died five years later at the age of 34. His wife Ann Eliza Roberts (1839-1920) outlived him by several decades. William's sister Jennette (d. 1854) attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, MA.

George B. Wentworth (1820-1902) served as a Union soldier in the 22nd Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteers during the Civil War. He was married to Comfort W. (Fisher) Wentworth. Their son Daniel (1850-1934) became a landscape and animal painter, and married Sarah O. Cooley in 1874. Daniel and Sarah went to Munich, Bavaria in 1884-1885 where Daniel studied painting. A letter of Sarah Wentworth to her mother-in-law Comfort Wentworth mentions Roberts' wife Ann Eliza and a census of 1940 lists Ann Eliza's and William's daughter Caroline Eliza Roberts as living in the household of Gilbert Wentworth (son of Sarah and Daniel Wentworth) in Syracuse, N.Y.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The majority of the William Jay Roberts Collection consists of Correspondence, mostly letters sent by William Jay Roberts to his sister and mother as well as by George B. Wentworth to his wife, during the Civil War. There is also a small number of letters sent by Jennette Roberts, William's sister, as well as by the painter Daniel F. Wentworth, George Wentworth's son, while he and his wife were in London and Munich, talking about the two cities, Bavarian culture and his art education. The collection also comprises a few items of Memorabilia belonging to William Jay Roberts and to George B. Wentworth. The series Military documents holds Roberts' promotion and discharge certificate, various documents related to army life, a brochure on pension legislature, etc. and a record book of Company I of the Eighth Connecticut Volunteers containing notes, field orders, etc. from various officers.

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Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is divided into three series: Correspondence, Memorabilia and Military documents. The Correspondence is arranged by sender and chronologically. The Military documents are also arranged chronologically.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Places

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

William Jay Roberts Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Gil Kehoe, 2014.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: SM
Date: 26 May 2016
Revision history:

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		Roberts, William Jay 1853-1869 4 folders
Box 1		Roberts, Jennette 1844-1852 - contains as well a letter by Jennette's father Gerardus Roberts
Box 1		Wentworth, George B. 1861-1863 - contains as well a few letters sent by George's sister Catherine P. Wentworth
Box 1		Wentworth, Daniel F. and Sarah 1884-1885
Box 1		Unidentified

	Memorabilia
Oversize 2		Newspapers Nov 1861-Apr 1865 - six issues in total containing the New York Times, the New York Tribune, the New York Herald, and the Connecticut War Record
Box 1		Photographs (2 items)
Box 1		Miscellaneous 1847-1901 - Roberts' diary, his admission certificate to Yale, his admission to the bar in Lichtfield County, material related to reunions of volunteer regiments, material related to William's father Gerardus Roberts, flyer by Samuel Wentworth regarding the publication of the Wentworth Genealogy

	Military documents
Oversize 1		Record book of Company I of the Eighth Connecticut Volunteers 3 Oct 1861-4 Nov 1863 - notes, field orders, etc. from various officers
Box 1		Miscellaneous 15 Mar 1861-28 Apr 1866 - Roberts' promotion and discharge certificate, various documents related to army life, a brochure on pension legislature, etc.

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