Charles Lanman Manuscripts

This collection consists of letters received by Charles Lanman from eight Senators and Congressmen from New Jersey (in one case from a secretary). The letters contain biographical details and were composed in response to a circular distributed by Lanman in the course of research for his, "Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States, during its first century..." (Washington, DC, 1876). The letters are accompanied by typed explanatory notes supplied by the dealer, Maury A. Bromsen of Boston, who sold them to the Newark Public Library.

This collection comprises Charles Lanman's correspondence and manuscripts of autobiographical notes of 8 congressmen from New Jersey -- Lucius Quntius Cincinnatus Elmer (1793-1883), Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1817-1885), George Armstrong Halsey (1827-1894), William Pennington (1796-1862), Nehemiah Perry (1816-1881), William Wright (1790-1866), Philemon Dickerson (1788-1862), Peter Dumont Vroom Jr. (1791-1873).

Foldder 1 contains the original letters, with dealer's notes on each. Five of the letters are from politicians closely associated with Newark; they are as follows:

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1817-1885): Newark lawyer, Common Council member (1850), U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State, died/buried in Newark. Letter dated 1866.

George Armstrong Halsey (1827-1894): Newark leather manufacturer and clothing dealer from 1844, member NJ Assembly, Congressman, died/buried in Newark. Letter dated 1867.

William Pennington (1796-1862): born Newark, lawyer, NJ Assembly, Governor of NJ, Congressman, died/buried in Newark. Letter dated 1860, includes notes about his cousin, A. C. M. Pennington.

Nehemiah Perry (1816-1881): came to Newark from Connecticut in 1836, cloth and clothing merchant, Congressman 1861-1875, mayor of Newark 1873, died/buried in Newark. Letter dated 1861.

William Wright (1790-1866): moved to Newark 1821, mayor of Newark 1840-1843, Congressman 1843-1847, U.S. Senator 1853-1859 and 1863-1866. Two letters, from Edward H. Wright, dated 1865.



Folder 2: contains a receipt for the purchase of the collection on behalf of the Library by Charles Cummings from manuscript dealer Maury A. Bromsen of Boston (1976); correspondence between Charles Cummings and Maury A. Bromsen and copies of clippings on Bromsen (1970s); copies of correspondence between Bromsen and Donald Sinclair of Rutgers University (1974-19766); background material on Charles Lanman and his biographical dictionary; a list of Lanman manuscripts relating to New Jersey; correspondence between Bromsen and several universities to which parts of the Lanman collection were sold; and a report by the Indiana Historical Society (1972).