Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Jay, John (1745-1829) to Sarah Livingston Jay

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02312 Author/Creator: Jay, John (1745-1829) Place Written: St. Idelfonso, Spain Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 5 September 1780 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket ; 20.4 x 15 cm. Order a Copy

Written by Jay as Minister to Spain to his wife, who he refers to as Sally, in Madrid. Mentions he received her letter of 1 September 1780, as well as the bundle of letters she sent along. Says she did well in opening the bundle of letters. Also mentions "poor Morris" - referring to Gouverneur Morris, who had recently been criticized by his localist opponents in the New York Assembly for his inattention to New York land claims in what would eventually become Vermont. He was removed from Congress on 1 October 1779. Refers to the British capture of Charlestown, South Carolina and says Generals Du Portail, Hogan, and Scott have been captured. Says he has read in the newspapers that Baron Wilhelm Knyphausen's troops were repulsed near Elizabethtown, Sarah's hometown.

Jay, John, 1745-1829

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