Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The papers of Martin Van Buren were acquired by the Library of Congress through gift and purchase beginning in 1902. The largest group of papers was given to the Library in 1904-1905 by Henrietta Van Buren and Stuyvesant Fish Morris. There have been numerous additions to the collection since 1906, most of which were acquired through purchase. The 2023 addition includes gifts from Peter and Susan Van Buren, and Nathan Raab.
Processing History
The papers of Martin Van Buren were arranged and described in 1980. Additional material was processed and the finding aid revised in 1985, 1986, 1996, 2014, and 2023. Additional revisions to the finding aid unrelated to additions occurred in 2009 and 2014. Archivists who arranged and described the papers include Mary Wolfskill, John McDonough, David Mathisen, Nan Ernst, Karen Linn Femia, and Nate Scheible.
Related Material
An edition of fifty-five reels of positive microfilm reproducing the papers of Martin Van Buren from the originals in the Library of Congress and in over 260 other repositories and private collections was produced in 1987 by Chadwyck-Healey, Inc. It is available for consultation in the Manuscript Division Reading Room with accompanying reel notes and item index. A related collection in the Manuscript Division, featuring correspondence of Martin Van Buren and matters of the Van Buren family, is the papers of the Lawrence Van Buren family (see https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2023086620).
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on thirty-seven reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as available.
Online Content
The papers of Martin Van Buren are available on the Library of Congress website at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000042. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the online edition as available.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, Martin Van Buren Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.