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John B. Yates Deed Book

A description of the item at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 9 Mar 2007

Biographical History

John B. (Barentse) Yates was born in Schenectady, New York on February 1, 1784. He graduated from Union College at Schenectady in 1802 where he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1805. He practiced in Schenectady until the War of 1812, where he served under Gen. Wade Hampton on the northern frontier and was subsequently appointed aide-de-camp to Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins. In 1815 he was elected as a Republican to the Fourteenth Congress (1815-1817) where he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State.

In 1816 Yates became an early settler and one of the first lawyers in Chittenango, New York, where he was in large part responsible for the growth and development of the town. He opened a large store; built a plaster mill, an oil mill, and a woolen factory; carried on transportation business on the canal and promoted the development of a sidecut canal which connected Chittenango with the Erie Canal just north of the village; manufactured lime; and carried on various other occupations. He founded Yates Polytechnic Institute in 1824 (now occupied by the Union school, organized in 1871). He was a Madison County judge (1835-1836) and was elected to the State Assembly (1836) where he served until his death on July 10, 1836.

Yates is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery, near Chittenango. The Yates House in Chittenango is named for him.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The John B. Yates Deed Book consists of a single volume bound in leather. 28 pages are filled with manuscript copies of deeds showing the properties acquired by Yates during his early years in the Chittenango/Sullivan area. The remaining pages are blank, apart from some penciled notes.

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.

Subject Headings

Persons

Yates, John B. (John Barentse), 1784-1836

Subjects

Businessmen, New York (State)
Land settlement, New York (State), Chittenango
Land settlement, New York (State), Sullivan
Land titles
Legislators, United States
Real property Ownership

Places

Chittenango (N.Y.), History
Madison County (N.Y.), History
New York (State), History, 1775-1865

Genres and Forms

Deed books.

Occupations

Businessmen

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John B. Yates Deed Book,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased, 2007.

Table of Contents

Property records

Inventory