The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Risdon Family
Title: Risdon family
papers
Dates: 1794-1920
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 93x28
Quantity: 3 boxes, 1 volume, 3 framed
items
Location: 19 L 4; map case 6, drawer
1; and wire wall
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The
Risdons were early settlers of Burlington County, New Jersey, having emigrated
from England in the 18th century. Samuel
Risdon (1772-1844) and Anna Elizabeth Nightingale (1777-1846) were the
progenitors of the line of the family represented in these papers. Samuel was a saddler by trade. Samuel and Elizabeth had at least seven
children, including Isaac Nightingale Risdon (1800-1860) and William Mills
Risdon (b. 1809).
In
1816, Isaac Risdon went to Philadelphia and began an apprenticeship as a
tailor. After working for others, he and
Jacob Lukens opened their own shop, also in
Isaac
married Matilda Barras in 1819; they had ten children, including Henry Caron
Risdon (1832-1903). Matilda died in
1874. In 1863, Henry married Anna
Bunting (d. 1921); they had several children.
Henry served with distinction during the Civil War as a lieutenant and
then a captain in the New Jersey Volunteers.
After the war, he seems to have taken an active role in the
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
The
bulk of the material in this collection relates to the settlement of Isaac N.
Risdon's estate, including legal documents, household accounts, bills, deeds,
and records of income. Expenses incurred
by Isaac's widow, Matilda, are included with the estate papers. Additional items document family interests in
the
The
material relating to the settlement of Isaac N. Risdon's estate from 1860 to
1870 include his will, obituary, legal documents, household accounts, bills,
deed, and records of income. Expenses
accrued by Isaac's widow, Matilda, are included with the estate papers. Also included with Isaac Risdon's papers are
his indenture as a tailor (1816) and bills for carpentry work (1838), repairs
to a carriage (1843), and surveying lots (1858). Also included is a detailed plan showing the
placement of a house within its yard and garden, plus the location of
outbuildings and an orchard. Isaac's
association with the
Papers relating to Henry Risdon's Civil War
activities feature information about the military affairs of Company G, 23rd
regiment of the New Jersey Volunteers, 1862-1863. These include muster rolls, pay vouchers,
clothing inventories and returns, receipts for ordnance, abstracts of
expenditures, and other material on Civil War clothing and personal
equipment. Many of the items contain the
signatures of Risdon and other commanding officers. Risdon's military commissions are also
included.
Bills and receipts for purchases made by and
services rendered to the
The collection also contains checks and a receipt
for the estate of Seth Batchelder (Henry Risdon was the executor), property deeds,
a certificate issued to John Barras by the Masons (Matilda Barras Risdon’s
father), the marriage certificate of Samuel Risdon and Elizabeth Nightingale, a
pen and charcoal portrait of Henry C. Risdon, and a family Bible with birth,
marriage, and death dates for several generations of Risdons.
ORGANIZATION
The papers are in three boxes. In addition, there are 3 oversized items in frames, 1 oversize item in a map case, and a family Bible.
In Box 1 are found papers about the Mount Holly Cemetery (including the deed for the property, a list of tools, and a list of burials), and papers about settling the estate of Isaac Risdon and other papers relating to him, including his indenture to a tailor in 1816. A document from the War Department, signed by Lewis Cass, Secretary of War in 1834 is also with the material. It concerns a Revolutionary War pension for John Dorvill. [A Dorvill relative married into the Risdon family.]
In
The
The framed items are
oversized. One is a portrait of Henry C.
Risdon; the other two items relate to his Civil War Service. The family Bible includes a record of births,
deaths, and marriages. A plan of the
grounds of the home of Isaac Risdon on Garden Street in Mount Holly is in a map
case.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Gift
of Anne Hickman.
ACCESS POINTS
People :
Risdon, Henry C., 1832-1903.
Risdon,
Isaac N., 1800-1860.
Risdon,
Matilda, d. 1874.
Batchelder,
Seth.
Risdon,
William M., b. 1809.
Topics:
Mount Holly Cemetery
Company.
Advertising.
Building
materials - Prices.
Dwellings
- Maintenance and repair - New Jersey - Burlington County.
Cemeteries
-
Decedents'
estates -
Estates
(Law).
Executors
and administrators.
Expense
accounts.
Finance,
Personal -
Freemasons
– Pennsylvania.
Groceries
- Prices.
House
furnishings.
Household
supplies.
Inheritance
and succession.
Military
paraphernalia.
Portrait
drawing.
Real
estate management.
Real
property -
Real
property -
Widows
- Finance, Personal.
Gardens
- Design –
Architecture,
Domestic – Designs and plans –
United
States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865.
Accounts.
Bills
of sale.
Checks.
Deeds.
Estate
records.
Receipts.
Tax
records.
Wills.
Lists.
Certificates.
Genealogies.
Obituaries.
Bible
records.
Mortgages.
Bonds
(financial records).
Indentures.
Marriage
certificates.
Tailors.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 19 L 4; map case 6, drawer
1; and wire wall
Box 1:
Folder
1:
Includes
the original deed for the property, dated March 27, 1841, together with rules
for the cemetery;
a plat
of the cemetery property, surveyed Nov. 30, 1840, by E. Hammill;
a
notebook containing both a list of tools at the cemetery in 1882 and what
appears to be a list of burials in 1900;
letters
written in 1904 and 1910 about the upkeep of the property and lots (one a
printed form letter), both addressed to Mrs. Henry C. Risdon;
a
canceled deed from the cemetery to Ann Pew of Springfield township for a lot,
July 16, 1903;
also a
few sheets of blank paper, decorated with a crest, which seem to have nothing
to do with the cemetery.
Folder
2: Isaac Risdon: Indenture
Indenture,
Isaac Risdon, with the consent of his father Samuel Risdon, has put himself as
an apprentice to James Queen of Philadelphia, as a tailor, July 29, 1816. Signed by all the parties, plus Abm.
Shoemaker. Printed form.
Folder
3: Isaac Risdon: Bills, letter
Bills: for
carpentry work, from John Bender, July 12, 1838; [bill is for over $3000 and is
probably for building house];
for
repairs to carriages, from Asa Gaskill, covering 1843-1860;
for
days of work, job not specified, from B.C. Gaskill, 1856; paper is blind
embossed: B.C. Gaskill, Carpenter & Builder, Steam Sash & Blind Mill,
Mount Holly;
for surveying
lots sold to A. Baily and C. Aaronson, from Amos Bullock, 1858-1860; payment
received by William S. Bullock.
Letter
from Morton McMichael, Philadelphia, Dec. 27, 1842, requesting Isaac Risdon to
post some advertising notices for him.
The ads are for publications in which McMichael is interested.
[Morton McMichael (1807-1879) was a
prominent newspaper publisher and a mayor of Philadelphia.]
Will (copy)
of Isaac Risdon, 1860, attached to certificate (printed) stating that it is a
true copy of his will. The will is
dated March 29, 1860, and the certificate is dated June 5, 1860. Endorsed on back with initials HCR, so
probably this was a copy supplied to Henry C. Risdon.
Obituary
of Isaac Risdon, no date, but after May 21, 1860. Newspaper unknown, but may have been New Jersey Mirror.
Bills paid out of the estate of Isaac Risdon, many
for maintenance of Mount Holly Cemetery and other buildings and grounds.
Expenditures were for clothing, recording will and
inventory, stationery and blank books, wheat and oats, panes of glass, taxes,
fence, lumber, bell fixtures, stove and pipe, wallpaper, roof repairs, plowing,
tools, nails, seeds, gravel, a coffin [for Isaac Risdon], medical attendance,
gas pipe and light fixtures, etc.
Bills paid out of the estate of Isaac Risdon for the
maintenance of his widow and children.
Expenditures were for dental work, mourning
clothing, gas, food and milk, textiles, household supplies, washing, coal,
shoes, rent, etc.
See additional accounts in Box 2.
Bills
paid out of the estate of Isaac Risdon, mostly for the maintenance of his widow
Matilda. Also included are bills for the
funeral of Matilda Risdon, 1874.
Expenditures
were for rent and board, coal, taxes, carpet, clothing, picture frames, gas
pipes, food, wallpaper, medical attendance, etc.
Bills
paid out of the estate of Isaac Risdon, mostly for the maintenance of buildings
and property, including cemetery.
Includes
fencing, paint and painting, spouts, trees, lumber, tools, taxes, nails,
wallpaper, dirt and gravel, plowing, lawn mower, bricks, funeral notice, etc.
Bonds and mortgages owed to William Rossell by the
estate of Isaac Risdon.
On printed forms.
Includes records of interest received and real
estate sold for the estate of Isaac Risdon.
Also includes lists of debts paid, bonds held against the estate, rents
received on behalf of the estate, and other financial documents, including an
appraisal of the Mount Holly Cemetery (1875, valued at $1.00).
Also: calling card of Major General Bunting, late
chief of artillery, Guatemala.
Folder 12: Samuel Risdon and Elizabeth Nightingale: marriage
certificate
Marriage
certificate of Samuel Risdon and Elizabeth Nightingale, Dec. 14, 1794. Married in Burlington County, New Jersey, by
Justice of the Peace [signature illegible].
Witnessed by Mary Stevenson, Sally
Nightingale, and James Stevenson.
[in two pieces, badly stained]
Folder
13: John Barras: Masonic membership
certificate
Masonic membership certificate
issued to John Barras by Lodge #19, Ancient York Masons, Philadelphia, April
18, 5799 [i.e. 1799], naming him as a Master Mason. Signed by [illegible,] Alex R. Cox, R.
[illegible[ Dunkin, and Samuel Hampton.
Taped together, stained by
tape, brittle.
Folder 14: John Dorvill:
Revolutionary claim.
Pension claim of John
Dorvill, for Revolutionary War service as a private and a sergeant, 1834.
Printed form, signed by
Secretary of War Lewis Cass and J.L. Edwards, commissioner of pensions.
(The relation of John
Dorvill to the Ridsons is not known. He
was born around 1749 and lived in Pennsylvania.)
Box 2: Matilda
Risdon: accounts
Seven
rolls of paper containing accounts of Matilda Risdon for groceries, rent, the
gas bill and other household expenses, along with Henry C. Risdon's expense
account for costs associated with settling Isaac's estate, 1860-1869. Pages have been glued together at the top and
bottom and stored like scrolls.
Also, a key labeled “Mail Box, Henry
C. Risdon.”
See additional accounts in Box 1.
Commission, State of
[Printed form, signed by Governor Charles S. Olden
and New Jersey Secretary of State W. S. Johnson (Whitfield S. Johnson).]
Folder
2: Civil War Papers: reports, 1862
Clothing issued to men of Co. G,
1862. (2 copies) [printed forms]
Report of men and officers of Co. G
on duty or absent, Nov. 1862. [printed
form]
Muster-out roll of Co. G, 1862. [printed form]
Acknowledgment
of receipt of clothing list,
Muster roll of Co. G,
October-December 1862. [printed form]
Quarterly
return of clothing, camp, and garrison equipage, received and issued during the
quarter ending
Folder 3:
Civil War Papers, 1862-1863
Return
of ordnance and ordnance stores, for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 1862. [printed form];
Return
of ordnance and ordnance stores, for the quarter ending March 31, 1863. [printed form];
Certificate
of enlisted men that they have lost certain articles of clothing, n.d.;
Invoice
of camp and garrison equipage for Co. G,
Receipt
showing that William H. Garwood of Co. G has received clothing, May 12,
1863. [printed form];
Volunteer
descriptive list and account of pay and clothing of Corp. George P. Gillis of
Co. G, Feb. 28, 1863. [printed form];
Quartermaster’s
receipt for return of equipment, Dec. 31, 1862;
Descriptive
list and account of pay and clothing of Edward C. Parker of Co. G, Jan. 16,
1862. [printed form];
Letter
from Edward C. Parker, Carver Hospital, Washington, to “Dear Sir,” March 3 [1863], asking the
Captain to send him a certificate that he had lost his clothing in battle so he
can received new clothes while in hospital;
Invoice
of clothing turned over by New Jersey State Arsenal to Co. G,
Inventory
of arms in the possession of Co. G, Nov. 15, 1862;
Statement
of property lost in action on May 3, 1863, near Salem Heights, Va.,
Statement
of property lost by Company G in action on May 3 and 4 near Salem Heights, Va.,
dated May 25, 1863;
Letter
from Peck, Gardner & Zulick,Washington, attorneys for William Estworthy,
asking for a certificate that he became ill while on duty, for pension
purposes, March 7, 1863. [printed form];
Quarterly
return of ordnance, for the quarter ending Sept. 30, 1862;
Invoice
of ordnance and ordnance stores turned over by New Jersey State Arsenal to Co.
G, Sept. 23, 1862. [printed form];
Invoice
of ordnance and ordnance stores turned over by New Jersey State Arsenal to Co.
G, Sept. 25, 1862. [printed form];
Abstract
of materials expended or consumed in Co. G, no. 9, during the 2d quarter of
1863. (3 copies);
Quartermaster’s invoice for the
quarter ending Dec. 31, 1862;
List of items transferred to Co. G
in Feb. and March 1863;
Inventory and inspection report of
clothing, camp, and garrison equipage, April 6, 1863.
Folder
4: Civil War Papers: reports and
receipts, 1863
Receipt for return of equipment by
Henry C. Risdon,
Receipt for return of equipment by
Henry C. Risdon,
Receipt for return of equipment by
Henry C. Risdon,
Receipt for return of equipment by
Henry C. Risdon,
Receipt for return of equipment by
Henry C. Risdon,
Inventory of arms in the possession
of Co. G, 23d Regt., N.J. Vol., Nov. 15, 1862.
Quarterly return of ordnance and
ordnance stores for Co. G, 2d quarter 1863.
Inventory of public property in
possession of Co. G, March 31, 1863.
Envelope that held the above
documents.
Envelope addressed to Capt. Joseph
R. Ridgway, Washington, D.C.
Folder
5: Civil War Papers: reports, chiefly 2d
quarter 1863
Receipt
for return of accoutrements by J.C. Bowers, Seminary Hospital, Hagerstown,
Maryland, Dec. 18, 1862, signed by Charles McGloughlin, assistant surgeon, and
Samuel Downs, adjutant.
Statement
of losses of ordnance and ordnance stores, charged on muster and pay rolls, 2d
quarter 1863, signed by Henry C. Risdon.
(4 copies, in 2 formats)
Return
of Ordnance and ordnance stores, 2d quarter, 1863.
Quartermaster’s
receipt of ordnance, Dec. 31, 1862, signed by Lt. A. H. Nichols, and mentioning
Capt. J. R. Ridgway.
Statement
of losses of camp and garrison equipage, 2d quarter 1863, signed by Henry C.
Risdon. (2 copies)
Envelope
which held the above statements of clothing, camp and garrison equipage, 2d
quarter 1863.
Folder
6: Civil War Papers: reports, chiefly
1863
List of lost belts, plates, and
cartridge boxes, n.d. (Includes names of
soldiers.)
Receipt for return of equipment by Corp.
George P. Gillis,
Abstract of materials expended or
consumed, 1st quarter 1863.
[Printed form]
List of
ordnance stores received in the field, during the quarter ending March 31,
1863. [Printed form]
Inventory
of public property in possession of Co. G, Camp near White Oak Church, Jan. 7,
1863.
Statement
of camp and garrison property lost during the quarter ending March 31, 1863,
Camp near White Oak Church, Va; report dated April 14, 1863.
List of Co. C and G. equipage transferred in the field
during the quarter ending
Clothing, camp, and garrison equipage received and
issued during the quarter ending
Envelope that held the above
documents.
Folder
7: Civil War Papers: reports, 1862-May 1863
A List
of Men of Company G accountable for muskets and accoutrements, April 20, 1863,
with a report of lost articles of clothing, Dec. 13, 1862.
Camp
and garrison equipage and ordnance lost by members of Co. G., May 3d [no year,
but 1863].
Return of ordnance and ordnance
stores, for 2d quarter 1863. (2 copies)
List of property lost May and
December [no year, probably Dec. 1862 and May1863].
Envelope that held the above
documents.
Folder
8: Civil War Papers: reports: 2d quarter
1863
List of equipage transferred from quartermaster to Capt.
Risdon, April, May, and June 1863. (3 reports)
[Printed forms]
List of equipage returned to quartermaster, April, May,
June 1863. (3 reports) [Printed forms]
List of equipage lost during battle, report dated May
25, 1863, camp near White Oak Church, Va.
The equipment was lost in battle May 3, 1863.
Quarterly return of clothing, camp, and garrison
equipage, for the quarter ending
Statement of clothing issued to Co. G, for the 2d
quarter of 1863. (3 pages)
Statement of losses of camp and garrison equipage for 2d
quarter 1863.
Statement of mistake in inventory taken January 5,
1863. Noted dated Beverly, New Jersey,
June 12, 1863, signed by Henry C. Risdon.
Clothing issued to members of Co. G
at 4th Division Convalescent Camp, May 1863.
Envelope that held the above
documents.
Folder
9: Civil War Papers: reports, 1863
Document
certifying that David Doolittle of Co. G has returned his accoutrements,
Document
certifying that Charles Smith of Co. G has returned his accoutrements,
Document
certifying that William H. Garwood of Co. G has returned his accoutrements,
Inventory
of ordnance and ordnance stores, camp near White Oak Church, Va., Jan. 7, 1863.
Affidavit
of Edwin S. Parezo about desertions of John H. Adams and Asa Borden, camp near
White Oak Church, Va.,
List of
stores lost in action at
Receipt
for return of ordnance and ordnance stores, Trenton, N.J., June 24, 1863. [printed form]
Receipt
for return of cartridge rounds, Beverly, N.J., June 27, 1863. [printed form]
Abstract
of materials expended or consumed during the 2d quarter 1863 [includes action
at Fredericksburg, Va.]
Receipt
for return of muskets and accoutrements, by Henry C. Risdon, camp near White
Oak Church, Va., June 5, 1863.
Statement
of losses of ordnance and ordnance stores, 2d quarter 1863.
A note
that was probably attached to the above about the desertions of John H. Adams
and Asa Borden, signed Henry C. Risdon, Beverly, N.J., June 25, 1863.
Quarterly
return of ordnance and ordnance stores, during the quarter ending June 30,
1863. [printed form]
Envelope that held the above
documents.
Folder
10:
Miscellaneous receipts and bills,
including tax bills and water rent bills, 1855-1877.
(22 items)
Folder
11:
Miscellaneous receipts and bills,
including tax bills and water rent bills, 1878-1879
(31 items)
Consists
of three documents that pertain to investments with the Union National Bank,
Mount Holly, N.J. (1920-1921), and a postcard from the Bureau of Pensions,
Department of the Interior, that indicates receipt of items necessary for Anna
to receive Henry's accrued pension (1903).
Personal
expense book of William M. Risdon, 1862-1864, primarily recording purchase of
groceries. (Volume is labeled Pass
Book.)
First
page is headed: Henry C. Rison in a/c with Wm. M. Risdon
Folder
14: Estate of Seth Batchelder
Contains
checks and a receipt book for items purchased and money paid out for the
settlement of Batchelder's estate from 1880 to 1883. Henry C. Risdon was an executor. (30 items)
[During
the Civil War, Seth Batchelder had served in Company C of the 23d Regiment of
New Jersey infantry.]
Deed
between Amos Gibbs and Ewan Merritt, both of Mount Holly, for property in same
place, Jan. 19, 1872. [printed form]
Deed
between Josephus and Louisa Sooy, and Ewan Merritt, all of Mount Holly, for
property in same place, May 13, 1872. [printed form]
Deed
between William Budd and Virginia [Risdon] Deacon, and Anna B. Risdon, all of
Mount Holly, for property in same place, March 23, 1875. [printed form]
Deed
between Jackson L. and Edith A. Keeley, and Anna B. Risdon, all of Mount Holly,
for property in same place, Aug. 23, 1878. [printed form]
Deed
between James and Adeline Clothier, and Henry C. Risdon, all of Mount Holly,
for property in same place, Sept. 30, 1879. [printed form]
Lease,
Elizabeth B. Deacon leases property to Ewan Merritt, all in Mount Holly, March
22, 1873.
Draft
of a deed between F. and Hope Ann Dill, and [blank], Mount Holly, March
1901. Written on stationery of Mount
Holly Water Co.
Deed, between John and Margaret
Birnbaum, and William Mulligan, all of Philadelphia, for property on 15th
Street in Philadelphia, May 22, 1872.
[on form printed on vellum on John C. Clark & Sons]
Deed, between James R. and Mary
Eliza Booth, and Barzillai Ridgway (a stone mason), all of Philadelphia, for
property on Walnut Street, Philadelphia, February 25, 1885. [on form printed by Samuel Yeo]
Deed, between Barzillai and Mary E.
Ridgway, and John Stewart (a painter), all of Philadelphia, for property on
Walnut Street, Philadelphia, June 26, 1889.
[on form printed by John C. Clark & Sons]
Mortgage, between James R. Booth
(attorney), and John Corr (liquor dealer), both of Philadelphia, June 4,
1881. [on form printed by Samuel Yeo]
Map of
Santa Lou Sarier [?] Mining Property, Grand Island District, Boulder County,
Colorado. No date. [Possibly means Santa La Saria mine]
Volume on shelf: Bible:
The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New
Testaments… (Baltimore: Joseph N. Lewis; John D. Toy, printer, no
date). Supposed to be in two volumes,
but is bound in one.
Risdon
family Bible with coat of arms, birth, marriage, and death dates for several
generations inserted between the Old and New Testaments. The records begin with a list of the children
of John and Sarah Turner Risdon, born 1751-1772; the youngest child was Samuel,
the father of Isaac Risdon. (A copy of
the family tree is also with the case file.)
The Bible is stamped I.N. & M. Risdon on the front cover. Inside front cover is bookseller’s label:
Clark & Lippincott, Philadelphia.
Map case:
A hand
drawn and colored diagram by the surveyor, Israel Wells, showing the grounds of
a house along Garden Street. The diagram
shows the placement of the house on the lot; the layout of the ground floor
rooms; the diagram of the ornamental gardens around the house; the placement of
the barnyard, which included a chicken house, carriage house, corn crib, and
stable; the layout of the orchard; and the placement of the wood house. This is a plan for the property Isaac bought
on Garden Street in the fall of 1837.
His obituary says this is a tract of 8 acres.
[nothing
is known about the surveyor Israel Wells; the house is located at 314 Garden
Street and was still standing in 2012]
Framed items (on wire wall):
New
Jersey Militia certificate issued to Henry C. Risdon for his commission as
captain in the New Jersey Militia, 23d Regiment, Co. G, in 1862. In period gold lined walnut frame.
New
Jersey Civil War military testimonial issued to Henry C. Risdon in 1866, with
pictorial vignettes. Engraved by the
American Banknote Company. In period
gold lined walnut frame.
Pen
and charcoal portrait of Henry C. Risdon, ca. 1880. In original plaster gilt (chipped) and golden
oak frame.