Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 96
image_0 image_1 image_2
Alexander Hamilton Drafts a Circular Letter to Tenants for His Brother-in-Law
Alexander Hamilton Drafts a Circular Letter to Tenants for His Brother-in-Law
image_0 image_1 image_2
Description:

Hamilton Alexander

Hamilton drafts a circular letter for his young brother-in-law Stephen Van Rensselaer III, the patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, who had just reached the age at which he could take control of the manor from an administrator.

 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON. Autograph Letter Signed (but with signature struck), drafted by Hamilton for his brother-in-law Stephen van Rensselaer, circa. July-August 1786. 1 page, 7.5”  x 10”.  With docketing by Hamilton, "Circular Letter"

 

Complete Transcript

Sir

            The situation in which you occupy the lands in your possession in the manor of Rensselaerwyck must of course make you anxious to be put upon a more certain and explicit footing. On my part it is my wish not merely to do justice but to act liberally towards those with whom I have any concerns of property. In this disposition I have concluded to give you a lease in fee for the farm in your possession on such rent ^terms^ and conditions as will be reasonable in respect to you and consistent with a due regard to myself and my family. You will therefore call upon me at my house on   [intentionally blank]    in order that what is necessary may be done.

                                                I am Sir Your hume ser

                                                A Hamilton

 

[On verso, in Hamilton's hand]: “Circular Letter”

 

Historical Background

The Van Rensselaer family holdings were based on purchases from American Indians and Dutch West India Company grants to the first patroon, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer (1586-1643), in 1630. Van Rensselaer was a diamond and pearl merchant from Amsterdam who became a founder and director of the Dutch West India Company. Van Rensselaer was a leading proponent of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions and the only patroon who was successful in establishing American settlements. (Patroonships were large tracts of land with manorial rights granted to individuals to encourage Dutch colonization and settlement in New Netherland.) After the English assuming control and New Netherland became New York later in the seventeenth century, Rensselaerswyck became an English manor and passed down in the Van Rensselaer family. Although its boundaries are unclear, it contained all of the land around Albany, New York, along both sides of the Hudson River.

 

In 1704, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer (1663-1719), grandson of the first patroon, divided Rensselaerswyck with his younger brother Hendrick (Henry) Van Rensselaer (1667-1740), who received the Lower Manor (Claverack) plus 1,500 acres east of Albany (Greenbush) in fee tail (a form of lifetime use with descent to a specific successor). The main estate of Rensselaerswyck passed to Kiliaen Van Rensselaer’s second son Stephen Van Rensselaer (1707-1747) after his older brother died without children. After serving as Patroon of Rensselaerwyck for two years, Stephen Van Rensselaer died, and the estate passed to his oldest son Stephen.

 

Stephen Van Rensselaer II (1742-1769) was the Patroon of Rensselaerwyck from 1747 to 1769. When he died, his oldest son Stephen Van Rensselaer III became the final Patroon of Rennsselaerwyck. As the younger Stephen was only five years old when his father died, his uncle Abraham Ten Broeck administered the estate until he came of age. On his 21st birthday in 1785, Stephen Van Rensselaer III took possession of Rensselaerwyck, his family’s 1,200-square-mile estate. Reluctant to sell the land, Van Rensselaer offered perpetual leases at moderate rates to farmers. This arrangement provided him with a steady rental income, while farmers avoided having to pay a large purchase price. Over time, Van Rensselaer became landlord to more than 80,000 tenants.

 

On July 11, 1786, Philip Schuyler wrote to his son-in-law Alexander Hamilton asking him to send “the papers I requested” to Stephen Van Rensselaer “as soon as you can,” because “his tenants seem at present in good humour and anxious for their leases.” Hamilton forwarded this document to his brother-in-law, which Van Rensselaer then had copied and sent to his tenants.

 

 

Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764-1839) was born in New York City. His mother was Catharina Livingston, daughter of Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Because his father died when he was five years old, Van Rensselaer was raised to be lord of the manor of Rensselaerwyck. Van Rensselaer began attending the College of New Jersey (Princeton) but nearby battles in the Revolutionary War caused his transfer to Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1782. In June 1783, he married Margarita “Peggy” Schuyler (1758-1801), his third cousin and the younger sister of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, making him Alexander Hamilton’s brother-in-law. In November 1785, on his 21st birthday, Van Rensselaer took possession of Rennselaerwyck. He was a generous and lenient landlord to the tens of thousands of tenants that ultimately leased land on the estate. He served as a Federalist member of the New York State Assembly from 1789 to 1791 and the New York Senate from 1791 to 1796. He served as Governor John Jay’s lieutenant governor from 1795 to 1801, and he narrowly lost the 1801 election for governor to George Clinton. Van Rensselaer was active in the New York Militia, eventually rising to the rank of major general. He reluctantly commanded during the War of 1812 and led an attack that became the Battle of Queenston Heights in Canada, a disastrous defeat by a smaller British force that ended Van Rensselaer’s active military career. He served on the Erie Canal Commission from 1816 to 1839, for fourteen years as its president. In 1822, he won election to the U.S House of Representatives and served from 1822 to 1829. There, he cast a key vote in favor of John Quincy Adams in the 1824 presidential election.


We provide in-house shipping worldwide.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!
Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000