Scope and Content Note
The papers of the Clinton family span the years 1776-1806 and include correspondence, land grants, an orderly book, resolve, and surrogate commission. The papers are chiefly those of George Clinton (1739-1812), delegate to the Continental Congress, governor of New York, and vice president; his brother, James Clinton (1733-1812), an officer in the Continental Army and public official; and his son, George Clinton (1771-1809), congressman.
The correspondence includes original manuscripts, typewritten transcripts, and photostatic copies pertaining primarily to military engagements during the Revolutionary War, the drafting of the Articles of Confederation by the Continental Congress, and land transactions in New York. Correspondents include Horatio Gates, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Philip John Schuyler, Ambrose Spencer, and George Washington. An orderly book of James Clinton contains orders given during the expedition against the Iroquois in 1779. Land grants pertain to patents for Nicholas Fund, 1790, in Clinton County, New York, and Garrett Tunison, 1791, in Montgomery County, New York. The resolve, passed by the New York legislature in 1786, pertains to a boundary settlement with the state of Massachusetts. The commission for surrogate of Tioga County, New York, was granted to John Mersercan by the New York legislature in 1791.
An addition to the collection consists of a letter of 1806 from George Clinton (1771-1809) to Ambrose Spencer concerning matters before Congress.