The papers of Thomas Davenport (1802-1851) consist of letters written between 1836 and 1837 and one undated item. After experimenting with electromagnets for several years, Davenport, a blacksmith in Brandon, Vermont, constructed an electric motor in 1834. Three years later he received a patent for "improvements in propelling machinery by magnetism and electromagnetism." Davenport eventually established a workshop in New York City. Ransom Cook, Davenport's business partner, received most of the letters. Four are from Nelson Cook, Cook's brother and company agent, in Toronto, Canada, and four are from W. W. Ayres, Cook's nephew and company clerk, in Saratoga Springs, New York. Marcus Cook, another brother, writes from Michigan requesting rights of distributorship. Six of the letters to Cook are from Davenport. Cook appears to have been in charge of the workshop in New York while Davenport spent much of his time in Brandon.

A number of the letters pertain to business matters, such as the formation of the company, issuing stock and other stockholder concerns, title searches, patents, distributorship rights, sales development, and exhibition rights. Most of the letters relate to the use and purpose of the new electromagnetic machine. Some inquire about specific applications, such as printing, plowing, sugar grinding, bark milling, lumber milling and lathing, grain harvesting, carpet and silk weaving, and railroad locomotion. Two letters dated 19 August 1837 and 20 October 1837 contain sketches with detailed technical discussions regarding changes and improvements in design.

The majority of the letters were written from the early centers of American industry in New York and New England, but there are also inquiries from Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama. One writer from Ohio was particularly interested in obtaining a new source of power for manufacturing purposes because his state was predominantly flat and lacked the abundant water power of the New England states. Of interest also are two letters from William H. C. Bartlett, professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, who requested a machine for use in teaching engine mechanics to his students.