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Suckley family papers, 1791-1885

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Summary

Creator:
Suckley family
Abstract:
The Suckley family papers provide documentation of family life, mercantile business, and the Methodist Church in antebellum New York City.
Extent:
2.5 linear feet
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Manuscript Division Staff

Background

Scope and Content:

This Suckley collection is only a small residuum of a much larger collection, yet what remains provides important documentation of several aspects of nineteenth century life, particularly relating to commercial life in antebellum New York City and the Methodist Church.

Boxes 1 and 2 consists primarily of in-coming correspondence dated between 1791 and 1839, centering on the personal and professional life of George Suckley, with the earliest material originating in the family of his first wife, Miss Lang, in England. The letters contain some information on English Methodism (1:1-6, 16-18). Of particular interest are the letters of the Methodist missionary, Francis Asbury (1:10-11) and of the wife of Richard Reece, who began his itinerant ministry in 1787 (The Christian Advocate and Journal, May 13, 1846, contains a brief sketch of Reece's life). The letters of Catherine Rutsen Suckley and Joseph Holdich include discussions of the Methodist Church in America, and the missionary Freeborn Garretson, is discussed in several letters (1:21-23,25,26,32).

George Suckley's business correspondence includes dealings with the English firm of Holy, Newbould and Suckley (1:33-42,47) and two sets of letters from agents who Suckley retained to manage his vast land holdings, John Reed in upstate New York and John Rangeley in Maine. Among the personal correspondence are several letters from Philadelphia lawyer(?) Cornelius Comegys and letters from three of George Suckley's sons. John Lang Suckley wrote frequently to request money to pay his servants; Rutsen Suckley assisted in managing his father's properties, and Thomas Holy Suckley was a college student.

Box 3 contains family correspondence written after George's death in 1846. Among the family members represented are George's children Rusten, Mary, and Thomas Holy Suckley, and his grandson Dr. George Suckley (1830-1869). George's letters are the most intrinsically interesting, as they were written during a period in the 1850s when he was practicing in Oregon and Washington Territory and considering land investments in California. During this same period, Dr. Suckley was the recipient of several letters from David and Jack Green (apparently cousins of some sort). One item (3:39) relates to George's Civil War service. The later correspondence heavily concerns New York charities. One interesting letter (3:52) is a stableman's apology for drunkenness on Christmas.

Boxes 5 through 9 are arranged in folders by subject. Of particularly interest are materials that document the various New York City rental properties owned by Rutsen Suckley, recording rents collected and upkeep expenses between the 1840s and 1870s. The cost of living in New York can be calculated from bills and receipts for a wide range of products and services.

Biographical / Historical:

As a young man in England, George Suckley (1765-1846) was converted to Methodism by the ardent preaching of the Wesleys, and by the 1790s, he had become serious enough in his religion to agree to accompany his friend, Bishop Thomas Coke (1747-1814), on a missionary voyage to America. Suckley decided to remain, settling in New York city. By 1796, he was serving as American representative of the mercantile firm of Holy, Newbould, & Suckley, headquartered in Sheffield, England, and was well on his way to earning a substantial fortune. Although his business pursuits occupied much of his time, Suckley never flagged in his religious zeal. He was accepted into membership of the John Street Church, where he served on the Board of Trustees for many years, and he later helped to found the Wesleyan Chapel in Vestry Street. His religious zeal crossed denominational bounds in the 1830s, when he became Vice President of the American Bible Society. Throughout his adult life, Suckley was acquainted with many of the most prominent Methodists in the United States. Francis Asbury (1745-1816) was a frequent visitor to the Suckley home, and even sat out a yellow fever epidemic of 1805 with the Suckleys in Greenwich Village. Only a few months before his death, Asbury recorded a visit to the Suckleys in his journal.

In 1796, Suckley returned to England to marry the daughter of Obadiah Lang, presumably an old acquaintance. During this visit, Suckley prepared his will, naming his mother and sister in England and a brother John, a minor living in Philadelphia, as beneficiaries. At the time, his estate included his share of the mercantile firm as well as extensive land holdings in New York and North Carolina. After returning to the United States in 1798, Suckley's young wife gave birth to a son, John Lang Suckley, but it appears that she either died in childbirth or not long after. By the end of the year, George had remarried, joining Catherine Rutsen, daughter of John Rutsen, of Rhinebeck, N.Y., who was not coincidentally a close friend of the wife of the renowned Methodist preacher, Freeborn Garrettson (1752-1827). George and Catherine Suckley were the parents of six children.

Acquisition Information:
1983, 2002, 2018. M-2076, M-4245.6, M-7055 .
Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Suckley Family Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

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Collection

Suckley family papers, 1791-1885
Total components 30
Last indexed 2024-10-17