Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Denckla-Maison family papers contain business and family correspondence and financial documents primarily concerning various land holdings and other financial matters of the Denckla and Maison families, who owned substantial property in Pennsylvania throughout the mid-19th century.

The Denckla-Maison family papers consist primarily of intra-family correspondence, usually regarding monetary affairs and real estate. Several themes are common throughout the collection, with a number of letters comprising lengthy correspondence series between different members of the family. Throughout the late 1800s, William P. Denckla and his wife, Julia wrote to his sister, Mary, asking her for financial support. The collection also includes a significant amount of correspondence from William Maison to his parents, Peter and Augusta Maison, describing his life with the Pollock family in Como, Illinois, in the 1850s and, later, his intent to permanently settle there. Other main topics of correspondence are land transactions, insurance policies, and Mary Denckla's inheritance of C. Paul Denckla's estate. Several items relate to the property dispute between William Pollock and Peter Maison, and other legal cases and lawsuits are also well represented. Though the bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, the collection also holds documents and ephemera. Among these are several notarized powers of attorney, hand-drawn maps, financial calculations, and business cards. Particular examples include a series of invoices for seats at a local church, a poem entitled "Hard Times," a deed for a grave plot and use of a sepulcher, and a certified copy of Augustus Denckla's will.

1. Executrix of estate of C. Paul Denckla, by Mary Denckla, 6 January 1861-2 November 1885
2. Executrix of estate of C. Paul Denckla, by Mary Denckla, 19 November 1861-19 May 1888
3. C. Paul Denckla receipt book, 30 December 1823-26 October 1843
4. Kate M. Maison travel journal, 12 May 1869-30 July 1870
5. Peter and Augusta Maison letter book, 17 November 1858-8 March 1862
6. Augusta Maison letter book, 20 March 1862-14 July 1874
7. C. Paul Denckla receipt book, 18 November 1843-3 December 1853
8. C. Paul Denckla receipt book, 1852-1876
9. Peter and Augusta Maison receipt book, 8 August 1825-24 August 1885
10. Henry J. Denckla receipt book, 1 March 1845-19 August 1851
11. [Augusta Maison] account book, 15 November 1866-26 January 1876
12. Isaac Wampole receipt book, 7 August 1815-26 November 1826
13. C. Paul Denckla account book, 12 October 1842-14 December 1842
14. Mary Denckla account book, 12 September 1869-21 June 1872
15. [Augusta Maison] account book, 3 January 1874-4 January 1884
16. [Augusta Maison] account book, 6 January 1873-12 December 1884
17. [C. Paul Denckla] rent book, 7 May 1844-January 1853
18. [C. Paul Denckla] rent book, 11 October 1854-6 April 1872
19. [Mary Denckla] rent book, 1877-1889
20. Inventory of the estate of Paul Denckla, by Mary Denckla, 8 November 1861-9 May 1867

The George and Emilie Archer correspondence contains personal correspondence addressed to George and his wife Emilie from family and friends. Many of the letters relate to a property dispute between George and two of his siblings.

The George Archer correspondence contains letters written to George and his wife Emilie from family and friends. George's parents wrote a majority of the early items during his time at the Centenary Collegiate Institute in Hackettstown, New Jersey. His mother usually focused on news about family members and friends in Camden. His father wrote letters of advice to George, and discussed religious matters, particularly concerning conversion.

Following George's graduation, his correspondents represented a wider range of friends and social acquaintances. The majority of the early 20th century material belonged to Emilie Archer, whose parents often provided news of family and friends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many later items, written between 1905 and 1906, concern a property settlement between George and his siblings over lots in Barnegat City, New Jersey. Though the proceedings often named George as a party, many of these items were originally addressed directly to Emilie or to George's sister, Helen Devlin. An enclosure in one letter, addressed to Helen and dated September 12, 1905, was a copy of the deed to these lands.

The collection also includes a questionnaire filled out by George Archer for admittance into the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, a handful of invitations to formal events, and calling cards.

The Suckley family papers provide documentation of family life, mercantile business, and the Methodist Church in antebellum New York City.

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.