The Winterthur Archives

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:          Salem Howe Wales                                                     

Title:               Papers

Dates:             1837-1908

Call No.:         Arc. 4

Quantity:        7 boxes

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Salem Howe Wales was a journalist, politician, and philanthropist.  Born in Wales, Mass. on October 4, 1825, he attended the Academy of Attica in New York.  In 1846, Wales began his career as a clerk in a New York importing house.  From 1848-1871, he served as managing editor of Scientific American.  Wales was a commissioner to the Paris Exposition (1855), a member of the executive committee of the Christian Commission during the Civil War era, and a member of the Union League Club.  In 1873, he became President of the New York City Department of Parks and in 1874 ran as the Republican candidate for mayor of the city.  From 1874-1876, Wales served as President of the Department of Docks, and he was the New York City Parks Commissioner from 1880-1885.  Wales was a founder and trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a Director of the National Bank of North America.  He married Frances Elizabeth Johnson on February 12, 1851 and they had two children; he was the grandfather of Mrs. Henry Francis du Pont.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Consists of correspondence, corporate records, manuscripts, a scrapbook, a guest book, travel diaries, and photographs that reflect Wales' career in journalism and his interests in business, politics, civic and social affairs, urban reform, park development, and philanthropy.  Correspondents include Chester A. Arthur, P.T. Barnum, Henry Ward Beecher, Andrew Carnegie, Schuyler Colfax, Roscoe Conkling, Cyrus W. Field, Hamilton Fish, Horace Greeley, William McKinley, Frederick Law Olmstead, Josiah Quincy, Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, William H. Seward, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.  In addition, he corresponded with representatives of the California King Gold Mines Company, Fifth Avenue Bank of New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Bank of North America, New England Society, New York State Bar Association, South Yuba Water Company, Union League Club, and the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery.

 

The collection also contains a polyglot Bible dated 1844, an oversize photograph of Theodore Roosevelt that is autographed and dated 1900, the title page to Horace Greeley's Political Economy (1870) in his own handwriting, and a cartoon by Thomas Nast.

 

 

ORGANIZATION

 

Record group organized into nine series: series 1 contains architectural drawings; series 2 corporate items such as invoices; series 3 correspondence; series 5 original manuscripts; series 6 objects; series 7 photographs; series 8 publications; series 9 social forms; and series 11 miscellaneous items.  Series 4 and 10 are not represented.  Within each box, folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title.

 

 

PROVENANCE

 

Collection is owned by the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, but housed at Hagley Museum and Library.  It was assembled between 1969-1976 by transfers and gifts from various sources: in 1969 and 1976, from the H.F. du Pont House; in 1972, from the office of the properties and gardens divisions at Winterthur; in 1973, from the H.F. du Pont House and gift; in 1974, from the Coach House, Gray Building and gift.

 

 

RELATED MATERIALS

 

The papers of Ruth Wales du Pont are housed in the Winterthur Archives.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1822-1903

            Dix, John A (John Adams), 1798-1879

            Arthur, Chester Alan, 1829-1886

            Barnum, P.T., 1810-1891

            Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887

            Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919

            Colfax, Schuyler, 1823-1885

            Conkling, Roscoe, 1829-1888

            Field, Cyrus W., 1819-1892

            Fish, Hamilton, 1808-1893

            Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872

            McKinley, William, 1843-1901

            Quincy, Josiah, 1802-1882

            Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

            Root, Elihu, 1845-1937

            Seward, William Henry, 1801-1872

            Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 1794-1877

            Nast, Thomas, 1840-1902

            Cooper, Peter, 1791-1883

            Cornell, Ezra, 1807-1874

            Unites States Civil Service Commission

            Republican Party – United States

            Commissioners of Public Parks

            New York Medical College

            National Temperance Society

            California King Gold Mines Company

            Fifth Avenue Bank of New York

            Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York

            National bank of North America

            New England Society in the City of New York

            New York State Bar Assn.

            South Yuba Water Company

            Union League Club

            Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery

            Journalism – scientific

            Social problems

            Social reformers

            Parks – management

            Temperance – societies

            Charities

            Upper class – United States – social life and customs

            Parks – New York, New York

            United States – politics and government

            Central Park - New York

            Southampton, New York - description and travel

            England – description and travel

            Europe – description and travel

            Philippines – description and travel

            Correspondence

            Scrapbooks

            Photographs

            Diaries

            Journalists

            Politicians

            Philanthropists

            Editors

 

 

        

Salem Howe Wales

Folder title

Information and date

Series

Box

Adams, W.

social, 1874

3

A52

Andrews, W. L.

social, 1901

3

A52

Arthur, Chester

business, social, 1879, 1886

3

A52

Auld, Robert

business, 1881

3

A52

Barney, H.

social, 1880

3

A52

Barnum, P. T.

notes, social, publication, photos, 1859-1890

3, 8, 7

A51, AP15

Bartell, Willard, M/M

social, n.d., 1887-1895

3

A52

Beach, M. S.

social, 1855, 1872

3

A51

Beall, I. A.

social, 1881

3

A52

Beecher, Henry Ward

social, 1874

3

A52

Bellows, Henry

social, 1867-1879

3

A52

Bible

1851

8

A54

Bishop, Nathan

social, 1863

3

A52

Blake, Charles M.

genealogy, 1880, 1882

3

A52

Bliss, C. N.

social, 1885

3

A52

Bliss, George

social, n.d.

9

A55

Blodgett, W. M.

social, 1870

3

A52

Boutwell, George

politics, 1902

3

A52

Brady, John R.

social, n.d.

3

A52

Brady, R.

social, 1895

3

A52

Bright, J.

social, 1868

3

A52

Bromley, Isaac

tribute, 1898

8

A54

Brownell, W. C.

business, 1897

3

A52

Buckingham, William

social, 1865-1866

3

A56 (oversize)

Buiton, B. H.

social, 1876, 1882

3

A52

Burns, Thomas

business, 1882

3

A52

Burr, Jane A.

social, n.d., 1867

3

A53

Buss, R. U.

photo

7

AP15

California King Gold Mines Co.

business, 1901

3

A52

Cane

object

6

AO20

Cantor, Jacob

social, 1901

3

A52

Carnegie, Andrew

social, 1901

3

A52

Chandler, C.

social, 1870

3

A52

Chandler, Dr.

social, 1876

3

A52

Chase, S. P.

social, 1863

3

A52

Choate, Joseph H.

social, 1969-1870

3

A52

Clarke, George

social, 1896

3

A52

Colfax, Schuyler [2]

publication, social, politics, 1865-1872

3, 8

A52, A51

Conkling, Roscoe

social, 1875-1878

3

A52

Corbin, Austin

social, 1882

3

A52

Cornell, A. B.

social, 1869

9

A55

Courtney, F.

social, 1876

3

A52

Crosby, Howard

social, 1866

3

A52

Cummings, A.

social, 1886

3

A52

Curtis, George Wm.

social, 1878

3

A52

Dalif, E. T.

social, 1880

3

A52

Davis, Jefferson

social, 1888

3

A52

Davis, Noah

social, 1876

3

A52

Diaries (travel)

1867-1868

5

A53, A54 (4 folders)

Dillon, Judge

social, n.d.

3

A52

Doane, W. C.

n.d.

5

A53

Dodge, W. E.

social, 1870, 1879, 1882

3

A52

Duell, R. H.

social, 1876

3

A52

Di Cesnola, L. B.

social, 1880, 1900

3

A52

Edson, Franklin

business, 1884

3

A52

Elections

notice, 1884

8

A54

Erungh, U.

social, 1889

3

A52

Evarts, William M.

social, 1879-1883

3

A52

Fairchild, Charles

politics, 1895

3

A52

Field, Cyrus W.

social, 1879, 1884

3

A52

Field, David D.

business, 1884

3

A52

Field, H.

social, 1872

3

A52

Field, Kate

social, 1889, 1894

3

A52

Fifth Avenue Bank of New York

notes, n.d.

3

A52

Fish, Hamilton

social, 1879-1884

3

A52

Fitch, Littleton

social, 1937

9

A55

Fogg, William

social, 1870

9

A55

Folger, C.

social, 1882

3

A52

Foord, John

social, 1881

3

A52

Foote, Rear Admiral

social, 1863

3

A52

Fordham, Henry A.

deeds, title, 1881, 1883

2

A56

Fourteenth Street Church

business, 1863

3

A52

Fraham, P. K.

social, 1875

3

A52

Gibbons, Cardinal

social, 1897

3

A52

Grace, William

social, business, 1880, 1885

3

A52

Grady, Thomas F.

social, 1898

3

A52

Grand Jury

social, 1880

9

A55

Grant, Frederick

social, 1885, 1895

3

A52

Grant, William H.

business, 1881

3

A52

Greeley, Horace (2)

social, 1864-1872

3, 9

A51, A55

Hall, J. H.

social, business, 1882-1884

3

A52

Ham, F. F.

social, 1883

3

A52

Hamilton, John

social, 1879

3

A52

Harlan, Joseph

politics, 1870

3

A52

Hastings, Thomas

social, 1896

3

A52

Havemeyer, William F.

business, 1873-1874

3

A52

Hawley, J. R.

social, 1866, 1872

3

A52

Hay, John

social, 1868-1869

3

A52

Hewitt, A.

social, n.d., 1879, 1882

3

A52

Hobart, Garret

social, 1896

3

A52

Hoffman, J.

business, 1880

3

A52

Hornblower, William

social, 1900

3

A52

Hulbert, William H.

social, n.d., 1881

3

A52

Hurry & Condit wedding

publication, 1883

8

A56

James, F. L.

social, 1881

3

A52

Jennings, J. W.

social, 1874

3

A52

Jones, George

social, 1870-1876

3

A52

Kellogg, Clara L.

social, 1872

3

A52

Kelly, John

business, 1880-1883

3

A52

Kern, John

business, 1883

3

A52

Lamb, Charles

excerpt, n.d.

11

A55

Lane, T. E.

social, 1882

3

A52

Lenox, S.