Henry Glen papers, 1781-1801
15 items
The Henry Glen collection consists of fifteen letters written to Mr. Glen over a period of twenty years by family members and business acquaintances. All but one of the letters was written while Glen was a representative in Congress. Nine of the letters date between February 1795 and February 1796.
The subject matter varies considerably. Two themes, corresponding to the two areas where letters are focused, dominate the letters. Five items, dated March 1795 through September 1795, follow the Jay Treaty from its arrival in Philadelphia through ratification and the ensuing political turmoil. Three letters, dated October 1797 through August 1799, discuss the difficulties involved with supplying troops in northwestern New York.
Three individual letters are interesting for their observations on local politics. Leonard Bronck's, a first term New York State Senator wrote to Mr. Glen in February 1796, describing the activities of the state senate. Joseph Hopkinson's letter (1801 February 15), is the reply to an earlier Glen letter (missing). Hopkinson's letter describes the responses within Philadelphia to Congressional debates over who should be the next president. Mr. Glen's earlier letter was the basis for Philadelphia's knowledge of the Congressional debates at that time. Finally, one letter from Glen's son, John Visscher, (1795 September 5) touches tangentially upon the Jay Treaty, but also provides a description of the political turmoil and suspicions in Philadelphia at the time.