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Creator: | Yates, Christopher, 1737-1785. |
Title: | Christopher Yates Papers |
Inclusive Dates: | 1677-1936 |
Quantity: | 2.7 linear feet |
Abstract: | Christopher Yates was Quartermaster-General during the American Revolution. Collection includes correspondence, 1728-1848; financial records, 1732-1841; legal records, 1677-1898; military records, 1777-81; and miscellany. Correspondents include John De Lancey, Elizabeth De Lancey Yates, Joseph Yates, and Judge Robert Morris of New Jersey. Financial records of John Butler, Peter Van Benthuysen, and Christopher Yates family are included. Also includes a journal by Captain Thomas Butler, 1756. |
Language: | English, some Dutch |
Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Christopher Yates (1737-1785), a member of the prominent Yates family of Schenectady in colonial New York, was a surveyor by trade. He served as a captain under Sir William Johnson in the French and Indian War, taking part in the attack on Fort Ticonderoga and in the capture of Fort Niagara. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Yates offered his services in the Continental Army and received a commission. He fought at the Battle of Saratoga.
Most of Christopher Yates' service was spent as quartermaster general at Saratoga and at other posts. As quartermaster, Yates served beneath Philip Schuyler, Morgan Lewis and Timothy Pickering. His duties were to obtain and transport all types of supplies for the Continental forces in his area. Yates seems to have served well in this difficult post, for he is said to have been highly respected by both his superiors and his men. Nor did he turn his position to personal profit, for he returned home to Schenectady at the end of the war nearly penniless. Christopher Yates married Jane Bradt in 1760, and they had ten children.
Members of the Yates family who are represented by only a few items in these papers include Christopher's father, Joseph Yates, a wealthy landowner in Schenectady; Jellis Yates, brother of Christopher, who served as a private and lieutenant of the line all through the Revolution; Christopher's eldest son, Joseph C., the Governor of New York State from 1823 to 1825; Andrew, another son of Christopher Yates, who graduated from Yale and became a professor at Union College; and a third son, John B., who served in the War of 1812 and became a member of Congress. Other families mentioned in the papers include the Bradts, Fondas and De Lanceys. The genealogical chart, though incomplete, should help to clarify these family relationships.
The Christopher Yates Papers are organized in five sections: correspondence, financial records, legal records, military records, and miscellany. The materials date from 1677 to 1936, with the bulk falling between 1750 and 1800. Most of the papers are in English, though a few, relating to the Van Benthuysen family and dating from early provincial New York, are in Dutch.
Correspondence (boxes 1-2), which dates from 1728 to 1848, is arranged chronologically. In addition, an alphabetical index of correspondence appears at the end of this finding aid. There are also three letterbooks, which have been placed at the end of the correspondence section.
The bulk of the letters date from Christopher Yates' service as quartermaster general during the Revolutionary War. Yates' letters were frequently an informal conveyance of orders, and many letters deal with specific needs for lumber, wagons and various other supplies. His notable correspondents included Philip Schuyler, Morgan Lewis, Walter Livingston and Timothy Pickering. Christopher Yates' correspondence also contained news of the progress of the war. There is a copy of a letter from General Washington to General Gates which describes the Battle of Monmouth, and one letter of September, 1775 which gives an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The correspondence in Christopher Yates' letterbook (1780-1781) is similar to his individual letters and has been included in the index.
There is a small amount of correspondence in the 1800's consisting mostly of incoming letters to Elizabeth (De Lancey) Yates, wife of New York Governor Joseph C. Yates. These letters contain local and family news. Two letterbooks, dating from 1805 to 1829, belonged to John De Lancey. De Lancey had extensive correspondence with Joseph C. Yates and Judge Robert Morris of New Jersey. Most of De Lancey's letters deal with business and legal affairs.
Financial records, which date from 1732 to 1841, include papers of several members of the Yates family, John Butler, Peter Van Benthuysen and the Morris Canal Co. The folders are arranged alphabetically, and the items include bills and receipts, statements of account, bids, estimates, account books and receipt books.
Legal records comprise individually listed legal documents arranged alphabetically by the name of the chief person involved. These papers range from 1677 to 1898, with most from the 1700's. There are numerous items relating to members of Christopher Yates' family, as well as documents of the Bradt and Fonda families. The materials include deeds, bills of sale, apprenticeship papers, complaints, wills, affidavits, notes of recognizance, bonds, warrants, stock assignments, quitclaims, and certificates of appointment and election.
Documents of land transactions in Albany County, N.Y., are numerous. Items of special interest include a brief for Onondaga Nation v. Thacher (ca. 1898), known as "the Wampum Case," which contains accounts of Iroquois beliefs and customs in the use of wampum. Also, there are five records of sales or bequests of slaves, mostly in New York State.
Military records are divided into three sections: records of the British Colonial Army, the American Continental Army and the U.S. Army. The British Colonial Army material includes a few receipts, and a journal of Captain Thomas Butler, dated April and May of 1756. Sir William Johnson ordered Captain Butler to command an expedition to Oswego to guard that outpost against attack by the French. The Journal is probably unpublished, but references to the Butler expedition may be found in the Sir William Johnson Papers (Albany 1922), IX, 429. In this journal, Butler describes the course of his journey, noting all the reports of his Indian scouts, particularly with regard to the activities of the French. Butler's journal also contains detailed accounts of his expenses, consisting largely of pay given to the Indians of the Six Nations who accompanied him.
The records of the American Continental Army are divided into two groups: quartermaster papers and resolutions of Congress. The quartermaster papers (1777-1781) comprise a large body of material related to Christopher Yates' service as quartermaster general. In this position, Yates was responsible not only for transport and distribution of supplies in his area, but also for some manufacture of needed goods. At Saratoga he had charge of a sawmill producing lumber for buildings and boats. The papers, reflecting his activities in obtaining all types of supplies and labor for the Continental Army, include receipts, notes, contracts and agreements, orders, payrolls, reports, and account books. There are four copies of resolutions passed by Congress between 1779 and 1781. They concern appointments, debts, loyalists and soldiers.
The U.S. Army material, dating from the 1800's, includes several commissions of descendants of Christopher Yates, and some records of a company in the 2d Regiment of Light Dragoons.
Miscellany includes some biographical material on the Yates and Fonda families. There is a paper on the Yates family which was read in 1936 before the Schenectady County Historical Society. Another item of interest is a printed copy of Sermons to Assess, dated 1770. Other materials include a surveyor's field book, maps, music books, sermons, verse and miscellaneous printed matter.
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.
A few items in the collection are restricted due to their fragile condition. These items are noted in the inventory below and are accessible with special permission only.
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Christopher Yates Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Purchased, 1970.
Created by: --
Date: 2001-01-01
Revision history: 12 Mar 2007 - converted to EAD (MRC);
6 Jul 2016 - pkg rehoused as Oversize 1 (MRC);
2 Nov 2016 - minor box changes for SULF (MS)
Correspondence | |||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] Undated | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Letter to C. Yates restricted due to condition, see Restricted Material, Box 6 | |||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] 1728-1731 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Letter Livingston to Van Slyck (1731) restricted due to condition, see Restricted Material, Box 6 | |||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] 1758-1768 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] 1773-1774 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] 1775 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] Jan-Dec 1776 (9 folders) | ||||||||||
[General] Mar-Aug 1777 (6 folders) | |||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Letter C. Yates to Hay, Lansing and Visscher restricted due to condition, see Restricted Material, Box 6 | |||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] Jan-Dec 1778 (10 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] Jan-Dec 1779 (12 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] Feb-Dec 1780 (10 folders) | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Letter C. Yates to Peak (1780) restricted due to condition; see Restricted Material, Box 6. | |||||||||||
Box 1 | [General] Jan-Dec 1781 (11 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1782-1786 (5 folders) | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Letters unknown to Van Benthuysen (1783) and C. Yates to Ellice (1786) restricted due to condition; see Restricted Material, Box 6. | |||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1798 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] [MISSING Nov 2016] 1816 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1820-1822 (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1824 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1826-1828 [MISSING Nov 2016] | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1832 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1834-1835 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1845-1846 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | [General] 1848 | ||||||||||
Letterbooks | |||||||||||
Box 2 | John De Lancey 1805-1813, 1814-1829 - 2 bound volumes plus fragments (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Christopher Yates 1780-1781 - fragments |
Financial records | |||||||||||
Butler, John | |||||||||||
Box 2 | Statements of account | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Morris Canal Co., Newark, N.J. 1841 - construction; bids and informal proposals; final estimates; miscellaneous material (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Van Benthuysen, Peter 1759-1779 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Yates, Abraham 1751-1767 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Yates, Christopher 1766-1783 | ||||||||||
Oversize 1 | Yates, Christopher and others 1774-1794 - account book | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Yates, Joseph 1732-1764 | ||||||||||
Miscellaneous | |||||||||||
Box 2 | Account books 1762-1791 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Bills and receipts 1709-1773, 1779-1822 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Statement of account 1734-1772 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Van Slyck statement of account (1743) restricted due to condition, see Restricted Material, Box 6 |
Legal records | |||||||||||
Box 6 | Albany, N.Y. to J. Knickerbocker - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1709 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 2 | Bradt, A. - Memorandum 1751 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Bradt, A. to A. Fonda - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1752 | ||||||||||
Box 6 | Bradt, A. to F. Van Den Cogard and others - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1747 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 2 | Bradt, A. to J. Vrooman - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1755 | ||||||||||
Box 6 | Bradt, A. to J. L. Vrooman - Deed, Albany County N.Y. 1751 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 6 | Butler, J. to A. Wemple Deed, Tryon County, N.Y. 1773 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 3 | Clement, P. to D. Marenes Bill of sale, sawmill and iron works 1738 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Copernol, W. to A. Laninoy Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1737 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Courtney, H. to J. Boshart Apprenticing of his Bons 1772 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Davis, J.L. - Complaint 1782 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | De Graff, A. to D. Marenes - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1742 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Dellemont, I. with F. and D. Van Petten - Agreement concerning construction of sawmill 1748 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Dutch Reformed Church of Schnectady to C. Van De Volgen and others - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. [?] 1757 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | [?] Flyrse, A. - Will 1758 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Fonda, A. to C. Yates Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1761 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 3 | Fonda, R. to her daughters - Bequest of slaves 1755 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Grant, W. and M. Kennedy - Recognizance, Tryon County, N.Y. 1782 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Gray, D. and others - Affidavits 1776 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Hearsay, D. to the Mohawk Bridge Co. - Deed, Schnectady County, N.Y. 1813 | ||||||||||
Higgel, M. and others - Complaint 1781 | |||||||||||
Box 3 | High, M. and others - Recognizance, Tryon County, N.Y. 1782 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Hughan, J. to C. Yates - Deed, Tryon County, N.Y. 1775 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 3 | Livingston, H. to M. Smith - Bill of sale of slave, New York, N.Y. 1792 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Lyne, J. to C.H. Toll - Deed, Tryon County, N.Y. 1783 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Marenes, D. to P. Clement - Bond 1783 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Marenes, D. to S. Keemstraat - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1736 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Marselis, A. to J. Simmons - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1735 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Onondaga Nation v. Thacher ("the Wampum Case") - Brief for plaintiffs, tsc ca. 1898 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Phillips, J. - Will undated | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 3 | [?] Playton, O. to W. Willis - Bill of sale of slave, Philadelphia, Pa. 1726 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Rose, I. to J. Sanders - Bond 1777 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Schnectady Fire Insurance Co. - Petitioners for an act of incorporation 1830 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Schuyler, P. to C. Van Benthuysen - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1707 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Service, C. to New York State - Petition for assistance 1785 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Sevits, A. to A. Marselis - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1770 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Staats, G. to J. Yates - Bill of sale of slave, Rensselaer, N.Y. 1798 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Thomas, L. - Warrant for arrest 1811 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Van Cornelius, F. to P. Van Benthuysen - Bill of sale of slave, New York, N.Y. 1729 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Van De Werke, J. to D. Fonda - Bond 1755 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Van Eps, A. to J. Condry. Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1766 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Van Eps, C. to J. Van Eps - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. ca. 1763 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Van Eps, E. - Will 1741 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Van Eps, J. with P. Luwes - Agreement concerning land transfer, Albany County, N.Y. 1754 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Vrooman, J. to J. Fonda Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1767 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Walter, J. and others - Recognizance, Tryon County, N.Y. 1782 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Wemp, J. and others to W. Marynus and others - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1719 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Wendell, J. to J. Yates - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1738 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Willson, A. to constables - Order 1770 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Wimple, H. to J. Van Eps - Bill of sale of cattle, horses and goods 1769 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Winne, Pieter to Joseph Yates - Release, sawmill company, Albany Co. 1749 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Yates, A. and others to C. and J. Yates - Quitclaim 1769 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 3 | Yates, A.J. to J.A. - Stock assignment, Texas Railroad Navigation & Banking Co. 1837 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Yates, A.A. - Admission to New York State Bar, Certificate of election, New York State Assembly 1857, 1887 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Yates, C. - Declaration of candidacy, Schnectady, N.Y., undated; Will and probate 1782-1824 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Yates, Jane and others to C. Peck and others - Deed, Montgomery County, N.Y. 1787 | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Yates, J.B. 1805-1815 | ||||||||||
Appointment as Master of the Court of Chancery of the state of New York, by Morgan
Lewis, 1806
Appointment as Notary Public, 1808 License to practice before the Court of Chancery of the state of New York, 1815 License to practice before the New York State Supreme Court, 1805 |
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Box 4 | Yates, J.B. to J. Auchard - Deed, Herkimer County, N.Y. 1794 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Yates, Joseph to N. Stevens - Deed, Albany County, N.Y. 1749 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Yates, J.C. 1799-1822 | ||||||||||
Appointment as Justice of New York State Supreme Court, 1808
Appointments as Master of the Court of Chancery of the state of New York by John Jay, 1800 Appointments as Mayor of Schenectady by John Jay, 1799-1800 by George Clinton, 1801-1804 by Morgan Lewis, 1805 Certificate of election as Governor of New York, 1822 License to practice before the Mayor's Court of Albany, N.Y., 1791 |
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Box 4 | Yates, J.C. and S. Southwick - Appointment as Regents of the State University of New York 1812 | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Miscellaneous 1677-1774 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Two items (unidentified, in Dutch, 1696; Van Benthuysen memorandum, 1757) restricted due to condition. |
Military records | |||||||||||
British Colonial Army | |||||||||||
Box 4 | Journal of Captain Thomas Butler on a mission to Oswego for Sir William Johnson 1756 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Receipts 1761-1764 | ||||||||||
American Continental Army | |||||||||||
Quartermaster Papers | |||||||||||
Accounts | |||||||||||
Box 4 | Books 1779-1780 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | General instructions 1780 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Summaries 1778-1780 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Contracts and agreements 1779-1780 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Orders and instructions 1778-1779 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Payrolls 1778-1779 | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Receipts and notes 1777-1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, undated (8 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Receipt books 1776-1777, 1779 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Reports | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Inventories of goods 1777-1781 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Requisition orders 1779 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Summaries of goods and labor 1780-1781 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Miscellaneous 1777-1785 | ||||||||||
Resolutions of Congress | |||||||||||
Box 5 | On appointments and dismissals 1779 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | On debts 1781 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | On loyalists 1780 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | On soldiers 1780 | ||||||||||
U.S. Army | |||||||||||
Commissions | |||||||||||
Yates, Austin A. | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Captain, New York State Volunteers 1862 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Major, New York Volunteers 1898 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Major, U.S. National Guard 1898 | ||||||||||
Yates, John B. | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Captain, New York State Militia 1809 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Lt. Colonel, New York Militia 1810 | ||||||||||
Light Dragoons, 2d Regiment | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Muster rolls 1813-1814 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Payroll 1813 |
Miscellany | |||||||||||
Biographical material | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Unidentified (Dutch) 1740-1793 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Fonda, Jellis and children 1785-1800 | ||||||||||
RESTRICTED: Restricted due to condition. | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Yates, Andrew 1794 - Bechelor's degree from Yale, signed by Ezra Stiles | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Yates, Joseph C. 1799 - Philomathean Society, Union College | ||||||||||
Box 5 | On the Yates family 1931-1936 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Field book: Hendrik Frey's survey of Sir Henry Moore's land 1767 | ||||||||||
Imprints (Vols. 3-5) | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Backus, Azel, Inaugural Discourse 1812 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | (Murray, James), Sermons to Asses 1770 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Norton, A.S., Sermon 1821 | ||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||
Box 5 | Harlem: John De Lancey's farm 1791 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Mohawk Valley: Arent Bradt's land undated | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Music books: Hymns, carols, songs 1864-1879 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Printed matter, miscellaneous 1822-1882 | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Verse, anonymous undated | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Unidentified diary fragments [1759?] - possibly Christopher Yates; recounts siege of Niagara |
Restricted material | |||||||||||
Box 6 | Originals of items listed above as restricted |
All letters are incoming to Christopher Yates, unless otherwise indicated