Collection # 11

HARTSHORNE FAMILY PAPERS, 1771 - 1954

Processed by Lois R. Densky

Edited by Gregory J. Plunges

Monmouth County Historical Association
70 Court Street
Freehold, New Jersey

August 1980

INTRODUCTION

The Hartshorne Family Papers are part of a larger group of records housed at the Monmouth County Historical Association that pertain to the Hartshorne family of Monmouth County, New Jersey.

The progenitor of the family in Monmouth County was Richard Hartshorne (1641 - 1722), a lawyer from Hathern, Leicestershire, England who immigrated to Middletown Township in 1669. Richard's brother, Hugh, was one of the New Jersey Proprietors. Richard, active in community and colonial affairs, had extensive land holdings in Middletown Township including all of Sandy Hook. He settled first at Weikec, then built a house on the Navesink Highlands called Portland, and finally built a house in Middletown. Much of this property was retained by his decendants. On November 27, 1670, he married Margaret Carr of Newport, Rhode Island. They had eleven children: Robert, Hugh (1), Thomas, Mary, William, Richard (1), Katherine, Hugh (2), Sarah, Richard (2), and Mercy.

William Hartshorne (1678/9 - 1748/9), son of Richard Hartshorne and Margaret Carr, married three times to Catherine Bowne, Helena Willet, and Elizabeth Lawrence. He and his wives had twelve children: Margaret, Richard, William, Mary, Thomas, Hugh, Robert, Catherine, John, Esek, Rachel, and Eliza.

Robert Hartshorne (1721 - 1801), son of William Hartshorne and Elizabeth Lawrence, married Sarah Saltar. They had a total of nine children, four of whom survived infancy: William, Elizabeth, Richard, and Sarah.

With the descendants of Richard Hartshorne (1752 - 1831), son of Robert Hartshorne and Sarah Saltar, we begin the Hartshorne generations represented by the papers in this collection. Richard married Susan Ustick (c. 1761 - 1833) and they had five children: Susan Pelletreau (c. 1786 - 1813), Eliza (c. 1795 - 1848), Sarah (c. 1796 - 1854), Mary Ann (1800 - 1856), and Robert (1798 - 1872).

Robert Hartshorne (1798 - 1872), son of Richard Hartshorne and Susan Ustick, married Mary Ann Minturn (1802 - 1861), daughter of Benjamin Greene Minturn (1771 - 1845) and Mary Bowne (1774 - 1852). They had eight children: Richard (1824 - 1867), Benjamin Minturn (1826 - 1900), William (1) (d. 1834), Susanna (d. 1834), Robert (1833 - 1870), William (2) (1835 - 1871) Edward Minturn (1837 - 1888?), and Mary Minturn (1839 - 1890).

Richard Hartshorne (1824 - 1867) remained unmarried. Between 1847 and 1848, he lived and worked in Galveston, Texas. After returning North, he was in business in New York. Benjamin Munturn Hartshorne (1826 - 1900) married Julia Norton (1838 - 1869) in 1862 while in San Francisco, California where he moved in 1851 to seek his fortune in shipping. He was drawn to California by the expanding business opportunities in that state after gold was discovered in 1848. He and his wife remained in California until the 1870s. They had three children: Julia (1863 - 1955), Robert (1866 - 1927), and Mary Minturn (1867 - 1960).

Both William Hartshorne (1835 - 1871) and Robert Hartshorne (1833 - 1870) never married. William became a physician, while Robert was a businessman. Between 1852 and 1854, Robert was a gold miner in California. Between 1854 and 1855, Robert quit mining and worked in Chile, South America.

Edward Minturn Hartshorne (1837 - 1888?) married Louise Wichoff Hendrickson (1839 - 1876), daughter of Charles I. Hendrickson and Julia Ann Schureman. They had six children of which Louise (1866 - 1956), a family genealogist, gathered much of the material in this collection. Edward was a businessman in New York and New Jersey. Mary Minturn Hartshorne (1839 - 1890) married Felixe O'Rourke. They had no children.

DESCRIPTION OF COLLECTION

The Hartshorne Family Papers contain primarily family correspondence but also include some financial and legal documents, manuscripts that pertain to a family trip, literary productions, minutes, genealogical and printed material, typed transcripts of original documents, and photographs. The bulk of material dates from 1822 to 1936.

The correspondence contains handwritten original, letterpress, typed original, and typed transcript copies, form letters, telegrams, and postcards. These letters are mostly to and from Hartshorne family members of the fourth through seventh generations (see above). The remainder of the letters are from friends and business associates. The correspondence documents family news and activities (births, deaths, marriages, etc.), family legal and business activities and transactions (the Portland estate, shipping), descriptions of travels, condolence letters, references to national politics and black slavery, letters of introduction, letters from family members in California, references to the Wharton and Drexel families of Philadelphia, letters from and to Hartshorne children at various schools, and genealogical inquiries.

There is much noteworthy correspondence. The June 15, 1833 letter notes that Andrew Jackson and the Indian chief Black Hawk were to pass through New Jersey. The September 29 and November 7, 1844 letters discuss the Whig Party and Henry Clay. The 1847-1848 letters from Richard Hartshorne in Galveston, Texas describe Texas life and society, and theTexas Rangers.

Various 1849-1854 letters from Charles Minturn, Robert Hartshorne, and Benjamin Minturn Hartshorne from California describe California life and mores during the gold rush period, and Robert's activities with his mining claim. While Benjamin stayed in California until the 1870s and continued writing home from there, the letters from Robert between 1854 and 1855, describe his adventures in Chile, the native people, and the environment.

A September 3, 1862 letter in French was a letter of recommendation for Robert Hartshorne by Jean, Archbishop of New York. The January 23, 1863 and April 21, 1864 letters from Robert Hartshorne at La Paz, Arizona Territory describe his life there and mention silver and copper mining.

The December 2, 1864, April 11, 1877, February 22, 1911, August 19, and August 22, 1913 letters deal with the Wharton and Drexel families. The 1870 through 1954 letters are mostly to Louise Hartshorne. Four letters between 1907 and 1914 are genealogical inquiries from Joseph Hartshorne, who was gathering material for a Hartshorne family book, to Louise. The majority of letters between 1920 and 1936 are from Helene and Emile Salavert-Pelletreau of France to their cousin Louise Hartshorne, and most are in French.

The August 17, 1932 letter from Joseph Hartshorne's widow Anna to Louise discussed Joseph's wish that Louise get the genealogical material to complete the Hartshorne book.

The financial documents contain personal accounts, personal bills and receipts, Middletown tax receipts, a promissory note, interest accounts, financial memoranda, and blank checks. The 1771 manuscript is a receipt from Elias Bailey to Robert Hartshorne, however, most of these manuscripts are the financial records of Robert Harshorne. A few items are the accounts of Caroline Minturn.

The legal documents include copies of the wills of Sarah Hartshorne, Mary Lawrence, and John Lawrence, an 1865 copy of an 1813 Scottish birth certificate of Alexander Brand, a 1932 typed transcript summarizing the deeds relative to the Sandy Hook property, and an unofficial copy of an agreement between Robert Hartshorne and Eberhard Faber.

Travel papers and records document a trip that Mary Ann Minturn, Edward M. Hartshorne, and Penelope Minturn made between February and May 1860 to Nassau Island, Havana, Cuba, and the American South. The papers and records contain a boat ticket, business cards, passports, a letter of credit, hotel bills, and itinerary, and a diary. Edward's diary provides an excellent record of their trip. It records detailed descriptions of the voyages, scenery, native peoples of Nassau and Cuba, people they met, and their sightseeing experiences.

The literary productions include poems, school compositions, and a speech made before an unidentified group. The minutes contain an 1872 resolution from the minutes of the Vestry of the Church of the Redeemer in Astoria, New York honoring Edward M. Hartshorne for his distinguished association with the church. The genalogical records contain information on the Hartshorne family.

The printed material contains a circular, business and calling cards, books, a newspaper, and clippings. The books include an 1833 edition of John S.C. Abbot's The Child at Home, and Elizabeth Lady Decies' (Elizabeth Wharton Drexel) Turn of the World. The newspaper contains an article on Richard Hartshorne and the clippings pertain to the Wharton and Drexel families.

The typed transcripts were compiled by Louisa Hartshorne and Mary Hartshorne Noonan from original 17th -19th century Hartshorne manuscripts. The first part includes histories of the Hartshorne name, their ancestral home in England, of Richard Hartshorne and his descendants, of Navasink and Sandy Hook, transcripts of Richard Hartshorne's letters, and family legal papers. The second part contains typed transcripts of letters in the correspondence series (c. 1830 - 1850; n.d.) These letters were annotated by Louise Hartshorne identifying who wrote to whom and the familial relationships.

There are two photographs in the collection. One is a daguerreotype of an unidentified man in a horse and buggy. The second is a group photograph of the Drexel Family.

The Hartshorne Family Papers document one of the earliest Monmouth County families and will be of interest to genealogists and social historians. The collection records the domestic activitites of the family estate "Portland", family finances, activities and relationships. The collection will be useful to historians of the California gold rush period, the American West, the American South, and for the 19th century descriptions of South America, Nassau Island, and Cuba.

The Joseph Hartshorne Collection, also housed at the Monmouth County Historical Association Library, closely relates to these papers. Several smaller Hartshorne manuscript groups will be found in the LIbrary's catalog under the heading "Hartshorne". Hartshorne material will also be found in the Holmes Papers, 1680-1907 housed at the NJ Historical Society in Newark.

PROVENANCE: Acquired in 1978 and 1979, a bequest of Mary Hartshorne Noonan, Portland Farm House, Locust, NJ.

RESTRICTIONS: None.

SIZE OF COLLECTION: 3 Linear Feet

CONTAINER LIST

BOX / FOLDER # / CONTENTS

1 / 1 / Correspondence, 1822 - 1832

1 / 2 / Correspondence, 1833 - 1835

1 / 3 / Correspondence, 1836 - 1838

1 / 4 / Correspondence, 1839 - 1841

1 / 5 / Correspondence, 1842 - 1844

1 / 6 / Correspondence, 1845 - 1846

1 / 7 / Correspondence, Jan. - June 1847

2 / 1 / Correspondence, July - Dec. 1847

2 / 2 / Correspondence, 1848

2 / 3 / Correspondence, 1849

2 / 4 / Correspondence, 1850

2 / 5 / Correspondence, 1851

2 / 6 / Correspondence, 1852

2 / 7 / Correspondence, 1853

2 / 8 / Correspondence, 1854

3 / 1 / Correspondence, 1855

3 / 2 / Correspondence, 1856 - 1860

3 / 3 / Correspondence, 1861 - 1863

3 / 4 / Correspondence, 1864 - 1865

3 / 5 / Correspondence, 1866 - 1869

3 / 6 / Correspondence, 1870 - 1885

4 / 1 / Correspondence, 1907 - 1924

4 / 2 / Correspondence, 1925 - 1954

4 / 3 / Correspondence, n.d.

4 / 4 / Correspondence, n.d.

4 / 5 / Correspondence, n.d.

4 / 6 / Correspondence, n.d.

4 / 7 / Correspondence, n.d.

5 / 1 / Financial Documents, 1771; 1836 - 1864; n.d.

5 / 2 / Legal Documents, 1849; 1865; 1932; n.d.

5 / 3 / Travel Papers and Records, Feb. - May 1860

5 / 4 / Literary Productions, 1801 - 1855; n.d. Minutes, 1872

5./ 5/ Genealogical Material, n.d.

5 / 6 / Printed Material, 1833, 1863, 1915 - 1953; n.d.

5 / 7 / Typed Transcrips, n.d.

5 / 8 / Typed Transcripts, n.d.

5 / 9 / Photograph, n.d.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Freehold, NJ Monmouth County Historical Association. Joseph Hartshorne Collection (Hartshorne, Bowne, Minturn Line).

Stillwell, John E., M.D. Historical and Genealogical Miscellany v. III. New York: s.n., 1914.