Scope and Content Note
The Joshua Coit Correspondence span the years 1792-1798 and consist of letters from Coit to his wife, Nancy, his oldest son, Robert, and to Charles Bulkeley. Almost all of the letters were written during the period of Coit's service in the United States House of Representatives, 1793-1798, as a Federalist representative from Connecticut. The letters are most numerous for the years 1794 and 1798. Many of the letters are accompanied by typed transcripts, and two exist in transcript only.
All but two of the letters are to Coit's wife and son. Letters to his wife describe his feelings on family, religion, and politics and the burdens caused by his absence. Included in his correspondence from 1794 are details of a dinner with President George Washington and levees for Martha Washington and Coit's views on the prospect of war with Great Britain. In 1798 he remarked on an altercation between fellow representatives Roger Griswold and Matthew Lyon. Following the XYZ Affair and as a result of his efforts to prevent war with France, Coit wrote in June 1798 that he felt he would not be reelected to Congress. Coit died of yellow fever a few months later. His letters to his son include fatherly instruction and advice and focus on the importance of good behavior and helping with household chores, schooling, and proper letter writing.