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O. T. Barck Collection

A description of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 8 Nov 2010

Biographical History

O. T. Barck (1902-1993) was a professor of history at Syracuse University from 1928 until his retirement in 1968.

Barck graduated from Hamilton College in 1923, then attended Cornell University and Columbia University where he gained his PhD in 1931. Barck's area of interest was American history. Notable publications include New York City During the American Revolution, published in 1931; Since 1900, co-authored with fellow SU history professor Nelson M. Black, in 1947; The United States: A Survey of National Development, co-authored with Walter L. Wakefield and Hugh T. Lefler, in 1950; Colonial America, co-authored again with Lefler; and a section in Alexander Flick's History of the State of New York. While a professor at Syracuse University, Barck donated a considerable amount of material on the colonial and revolutionary period of American history to SU's library. His most noteworthy contribution was the Moses DeWitt Collection.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The O. T. Barck Collection consists of artwork; correspondence; financial, legal, and military documents; printed material; and a small amount of memorabilia. Material in the collection dates from the Revolutionary War era and later.

Artwork consists of engravings which Barck divided into two categories: action engravings and portraits. Action engravings contains scenes depicting the end of Major John Andre's life. Portraits include artists, groups, literary figures, politicians, Revolutionary War era scenes, and miscellaneous. Among these are Rembrandt Peale, DeWitt Clinton, Benedict Arnold, Gen. James Clinton, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and group portraits of various American presidents. The last item is a souvenir from the Centennial International Exposition of 1878. It is a large book containing reproductions of pen and ink drawings by Eliza Greatorex. The images depict various locations such as Independence Square in Philadelphia, Mount Vernon, Arlington Heights, the house of Davie Burns, and more. The cover of the souvenir book is illustrated with a vignettes of Mount Vernon and Martha Washington within Mount Vernon.

Correspondence-subject files consists of notable individuals as well as one organization, the Neversink/First Great South Western Turnpike. Some notable pieces within this series are Robert Burnet's account book from 1800-1807, the beginning of the Neversink/First Great South Western Turnpike with hand-drawn maps, a humorous tale of Charles Clinton's life told by DeWitt Clinton, and a family newsletter entitled "The Family Circle" which details the Hill family's life from 1869-1873 as the adult brother and two sisters live and work on their farm.

The bulk of the Financial material dates from the Revolutionary War era. It includes bank drafts for British and American officers, various currency, and receipts from the account book of George Washington's Quartermaster General Timothy Pickering and Quartermaster Deputy David Wolfe. Barck researched many of the British and American soldiers and officers mentioned, and his original index cards are filed the items. Also included here are account ledgers and various documents connected with the Bank of Newburgh, NY.

Legal documents contains a variety of items including a 1673 land deed of sale in Woodbridge, NJ, arrest warrants, John Reed's will of 1771, and a letter detailing the crime and punishment of a dog who had killed sheep and lambs in the town of New Windsor, N.Y.

Military documents contains commissions and miscellaneous items. The Commissions, of various individuals of New York State, span from 1791 to 1893. The miscellaneous military documents include a fictitious military order with a forged George Washington signature, honorable discharge of Joseph Hallock in 1779, and a letter from the American army's surgeon stating the Private Michel Lyons was wounded and, thus, disabled from "earning his Bread by Labour."

Memorabilia includes various items such as awards of merit to schools and an invitation to the Washington Social Club.

Printed material contains various pamphlets, books, and British and American newspapers dating from 1773 to 1782.

Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, and within each folder chronologically The other series are arranged alphabetically by title, type, or topic.

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.

Related Material

Two books were removed from the collection and transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items.

Subject Headings

Persons

AndreĢ, John, 1751-1780.
Barck, Oscar Theodore, Jr., 1902-1993.
Clinton, Charles, 1690-1773.
Clinton, DeWitt, 1769-1828.
Clinton, James, 1736-1812.
Loudon, Samuel, 1727?-1813.

Corporate Bodies

Bank of Newburgh (Newburgh, N.Y.)
First Great South Western Turnpike Road Company.
Neversink Turnpike Road Company.

Subjects

Authors, American -- Pictorial representations.
Banking.
Generals.
Local transit.
Transportation.

Places

New York (State)
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.
United States -- History.

Genres and Forms

Account books.
Checks (bank checks)
Correspondence.
Deeds.
Engravings (prints)
Financial records.
Indentures.
Lithographs.
Military commissions.
Newspapers.
Paper money.
Prints (visual works)
Receipts (financial records)
Wills.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

O. T. Barck Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of O. T. Barck, 1969, 1971.

Table of Contents

Artwork

Correspondence-subject files

Financial material

Legal documents

Military documents

Memorabilia

Printed material

Inventory