The Law Office of Robert and Theodore Sedgwick III, Esqs. New York. records
Overview
Records (1723-1890) of Robert Sedgwick (1787-1841) and Theodore Sedgwick III (1811-1859). Theodore Sedgwick joined the New York law office of his uncle, eventually taking over the business after his uncle’s death. The collection contains materials relating to that law office, primarily Robert and Theodore’s papers, but also including materials created or received by other employees/partners of the law office. There is also a small amount of personal business material relating to family business and personal affiliations.
Dates
- Creation: 1723 - 1890
Conditions Governing Access
Access to these papers is governed by the rules and regulations of the Harvard Law School Library. This collection is open to the public, but is housed off-site at Harvard Depository and requires 2 business-day advance notice for retrieval. Consult the Special Collections staff for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Harvard Law School Library holds copyright on some, but not all, of the material in our collections. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Special Collections staff. Researchers who obtain permission to publish from the Harvard Law School Library are also responsible for identifying and contacting the persons or organizations who hold copyright.
Extent
103 boxes (45 linear feet)The records span the years 1723-1890, with the bulk of the material falling between 1810 and 1855. The documents in this collection reflect the trials, legal operations, and correspondence of the Sedgwick brothers as well others involved in the law practice: lawyers, attorneys, partners, etc., with the bulk of the material relating to the work and life of Theodore Sedgwick, and another large section being the work and life of Robert Sedgwick.
Materials included are: trial record material which includes everything from the minutes of trials to correspondence regarding the trial; correspondence including letters and telegrams, as well as notes indicating callers. Receipts, both personal and business related, deeds, promissory notes, checks, and other legal documents. There is also a small amount of personal correspondence that primarily deals with business amongst family members and membership information for various New York societies, including the New York Antislavery Society, which Theodore Sedgwick worked with during the Amistad trial.
Historical/Biographical Information
Robert Sedgwick was born on June 6, 1787 in Stockbridge, MA. A stroke forced him to relinquish control of his law practice to his nephew, Theodore, who had joined him in 1838. He died in Sachem’s Head, CT on September 2, 1841.
Theodore Sedgwick III was born in Albany, NY on January 27, 1811. He was admitted to the NY bar in 1833. He joined his uncle Robert’s law practice in May of 1835. Illness forced him to retire from the law in 1850. He died in Stockbridge, MA on December 9, 1859.
Series List/Description
- Series I: Trial Documents, 1802-1870 1802-1870
- ___Subseries A: Sedgwick Records, 1802-1867 1802-1867 Arranged alphabetically by defendant. This series containsall documents relating to a particular trial, including officialtrial documents, copies of those documents, and other materials usedin relation to the trial. Some common document types include: notes,subpoenas, interrogatories, pleas, orders, notices, affidavits,correspondence, etc.
- ___Subseries B: John C. Dodge Records, 1826-1870 1826-1870 Arranged alphanetically by defendant. This series containsall documents relating to a particular trial, including officialtrial documents, copies of those documents, and other materials usedin relation to the trial. They represent trail records from John C. Dodge, a Bostonlawyer who was a contemporary of Theodore Sedgwick.
- Series II: Correspondence, 1805-1862 1805-1862
- ___Subseries A: General Correspondence, 1805-1862 1805-1862 Arranged alphabetically by sender. Correspondence includesletters, and other forms of correspondence, such as telegrams, thatwere sent or received by the law firm or the Sedgwicks personally.The bulk of the correspondence is relating to business, with verylittle personal material. Important Note regardingCorrespondence: Some letters are explicitly marked with a specifictrial or legal proceeding name, or were nestled into the bundlespertaining to those specific cases; these letters have been housedwith the Trial Documents or Legal Documents, as the case may be,rather than in the Correspondence Series. In consequence, theCorrespondence series is populated by letters that cannot bedelegated within reasonable doubt to a particular case, as well asletters that are more personal in nature.
- ___Subseries B: New York Anti-Slavery Society Correspondence, 1834-1848 1834-1848
- Series III: Legal Documents, 1752-1890 1752-1890
Arranged chronologically. Contains legal documentsincluding: deeds, bonds, indentures, promissory notes and protests ofthose notes, accounts, articles of agreements, wills, stocks,assignments, powers of attorney, titles, bills of sale, copies oftitles, wills, deeds, etc.
- Series IV: Mutual Safety Insurance Company, 1814-1853 1814-1853
Arranged alphabetically. This series contains all documentspertaining to the Mutual Safety InsuranceCompany, of which Theodore Sedgwick acted as legal counseland was a member. This includes the founding of the company throughthe dissolution, as well as the many trials and legal proceedingsthat they were involved in. Documents include but are not limited to:the charter and
- Series V: Receipts, 1814-1858 1814-1858
Arranged chronologically. Contains receipts of individualsthat have no obvious connection to a trial or legal proceeding. Alarge portion of receipts are connected to Theodore Sedgwick and Nathan Dane. The receipts chronicle bothbusiness and personal purchases.
- Series VI: Miscellaneous, 1723-1860 1723-1860
Arranged chronologically, where applicable.Materials that are not easily identifiable or did not fit into theother series. Most of these documents are illegible due to priordamage.
Within each series and/or subseriesindividual items or folders are identified by box and folder number.For example, the number 5-12 corresponds to box 5, folder 12.
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Please contact Curator of Modern Manuscripts
Existence and Location of Copies
The Amistad materials have been digitized; click here for images.
Processing Information
Processed by Jessica Reeder, June 2009
- Title
- The Law Office of Robert and Theodore Sedgwick III, Esqs. New York. Records, 1723-1890: Finding Aid
- Author
- Harvard Law School Library, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- law00222
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections Repository
Harvard Law School Library's Historical & Special Collections (HSC) collects, preserves, and makes available research materials for the study of the law and legal history. HSC holds over 8,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over 100,000 rare books, and more than 70,000 visual images.
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