Richard G. Sheeran Collection of Early Onondaga County and Syracuse Manuscripts

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Richard G. Sheeran
Title: Richard G. Sheeran Collection of Early Onondaga County and Syracuse Manuscripts
Dates: 1797 - 1893
Quantity: 1.67 Linear Feet
Abstract: Letters and documents written by and about early Syracuse and Onondaga County pioneers, dating from 1797 - 1893.
Language: English
Repository: Onondaga County Public Library
Local History & Genealogy Department
447 South Salina Street
Syracuse, New York, 13202
(315) 435-1900

Biographical History

Richard G. Sheeran, Syracuse resident and Onondaga County employee, has a long standing interest in the early history and pioneers of Syracuse and Onondaga County. During the 1960’s Mr. Sheeran purchased a collection of letters and manuscripts from his neighbor Paul Livingston. These documents chronicle pieces of the early establishment and growth of the city of Syracuse and surrounding Onondaga County during the years 1797 – 1893. While Mr. Sheeran owned this collection, he put them on display in the Onondaga County Courthouse. This exhibit featured the early manuscripts, with exhibition write ups describing the context of the documents to the history of the area. These exhibition write ups are housed with the manuscripts. In 1985 Mr. Sheeran donated his collection of documents and letters of early Onondaga County and Syracuse history to the Onondaga County Public Library. At that time Mr. Sheeran was employed as the Purchasing Director for Onondaga County. Through his work at the county, Mr. Sheeran came to know the Onondaga County Public Library Director Robert Kinchen. Mr. Sheeran offered his manuscript collection to Mr. Kinchen to be housed and preserved by the Onondaga County Public Library. The library accepted this donation. Prior to the donation, Mr. Sheeran had the collection appraised and this appraisal is included in the archive. Two of the documents on the appraisal are no longer a part of the collection.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

This collection consists of letters and documents relating to the early history of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York dating from 1797 – 1893. The collection is divided into two categories, the Onondaga County documents and the Syracuse Documents.

Series 1 – Onondaga County Records

This series comprises 9 documents, including letters, receipts, land surveys and appointments. These documents date from 1797 – 1851 and all relate to persons or events connected with Onondaga County, New York. The Onondaga County documents are arranged in chronological order.

Series 2 – Syracuse Records

The 10 documents in this series include letters, certificates, receipts and invoices ranging in dates from 1793-1893. These records describe some of the early history and people of the city of Syracuse, NY. The City of Syracuse documents are arranged in chronological order.

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Arrangement of the Collection

This collection is arranged into 2 series – Onondaga County and Syracuse. Within each series the documents are arranged in chronological order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

User must have a valid Onondaga County Public Library card.

Use Restrictions

User must use materials in the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Central Library.
Permission must be obtained from staff for reproduction of any materials.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Alvord, Thomas
Baldwin, Harvey, 1795-1863
Bennett, M. W.
Burr, Aaron
Byington, B.
Clarke, Frances Amelia
Danforth, Asa
Dayton, Jona
Dewitt, Moses, 1766-1794
Dewitt, Simeon
Forman, Joshua, 1777-1849
Forman, Samuel
Geddes, James, 1763-1829
George, Samuel
Green, Methiah
Green, William
Greene, Timothy
Greenway, John
Gridley, John
Haight, Jacob
Hopping, E.D.
Jackson, Albion
Ludington, Jared
Phelps, Philip
Rust, R.N.
Sanford, J.A.
Smith, David
Spencer, Thomas
St. John, Reuben
Stetson, R.R.
Teall, Oliver
Townsend, Isaiah
Townsend, J.
Truesdell, Wheeler
Tyler, Comfort, 1764-1827
Webster, George
Webster, Henry
Wilkinson, John
Wood, Thaddeus, 1772-1836

Corporate Bodies

Bank of Salina, Syracuse, NY
Greenway Brewing Company, Syracuse, NY
Onondaga Salt Springs
Salina Sentinel

Subjects

Brewing Industry – New York (State) - Syracuse
Burr Conspiracy, 1805-1807
Education –New York (State) - Syracuse
Gunpowder - History
New York (State) - Militia
Onondaga County Court House (NY) – Court of Common Pleas - History
Onondaga Indians - History
Postal Service – New York (State) – Syracuse - History
Salt Industry and Trade – New York (State) - Salina
Salt Industry and Trade – New York (State) - Syracuse
Salt Mines and Mining – New York (State) - Syracuse
Schools – New York (State) - Syracuse
Weather – New York (State) - Syracuse

Places

Onondaga County (NY) - Biography
Onondaga County (NY) - Genealogy
Onondaga County (NY) History
Salina (NY) – History
Syracuse (NY) - Biography
Syracuse (NY) - Genealogy
Syracuse (NY) - History
Syracuse (NY) – Industries
Syracuse (NY) – Public Schools

Genres and Forms

Agreement.
Appointment.
Certificate.
Contract.
Correspondence, Commercial.
Correspondence, Legal
Correspondence.
Envelope.
Invoice.
Mortgage deed.
Promissory Note
Receipts (financial record).

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Richard G. Sheeran Collection
Onondaga County Public Library
Local History and Genealogy Department

Acquisition Information

Gift from Richard G. Sheeran to the Onondaga County Public Library.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: bes
Date: Nov. 29, 2010
Revision history:

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Inventory

Onondaga County Documents
Oversize 1 Letter from Asa Danforth, Jr. to William Green and Methiah Green contracting to pay for grain with salt,Jan. 19, 1796
Oversize 1 Letter from Asa Danforth, Sr. to T. Greene,Aug. 15, 1797
Oversize 1 Letter from Comfort Tyler to Jona Dayton pertaining to the procurement of settlers and settling land to establish a new colony without ties to the United States,Aug. 7, 1806
Oversize 1 Appointment of Oliver Teal as Sergeant in Jared Ludingtons’s Company of Thaddeus Wood’s Regiment of Militia,Oct. 3, 1809
Oversize 1 Appointment of Joshua Forman as First Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in the County of Onondaga,Mar. 11 1813
Oversize 1 Receipt to Simeon Dewitt for payment of advertising in the Salina Sentinel (newspaper) for land sale in Manlius, NY,Apr. 3, 1827
Oversize 1 Mortgage signed by James Geddes for property in the town of Onondaga, witnessed by M.W. Bennett and Wheeler Truesdell,April 1, 1829
Oversize 1 Letter from B. Byington to I. and J. Townsend requesting financial backing to drill for beds of salt in the city of Syracuse,April 23, 1832
Oversize 1 Letter of agreement from Onondaga Chiefs David Smith, Samuel George, George Webster, Henry Webster to pay J.A. Sanford for his services as an interpreter,Apr. 21, 1851
Syracuse Documents
Oversize 1 Mortgage document signed by agent Joshua Forman,July 20, 1818
Oversize 1 Envelope from John Wilkinson to Philip Phelps,Sept. 10, 1828
Oversize 1 Promissory agreement from Albion Jackson to John Gridley,Feb. 10, 1830
Oversize 1 Letter from Harvey Baldwin to Isaiah Townsand,Feb. 10, 1834
Oversize 1 Letter from Philo N. Rust to John Townsend,Sept. 26, 1840
Oversize 1 Letter from E. D. Hopping to his wife, Mrs. Hopping regarding the Syracuse gunpowder explosion of 1841,Aug. 22, 1841
Oversize 1 Deposit Slip, Bank of Salina, signed by M.W. Bennett (cashier) to the credit of Jacob Haight, Treasurer by Thomas Spenser, Supt. of Onondaga Salt Springs,Aug. 3, 1841
Oversize 1 Highest Honors Certificate from Principal R.R. Stetson, to Frances Amelia Clark, Syracuse Public School No. 5,April 6, 1849
Oversize 1 Invoice from John Greenway, Brewer and Maltster to Martin Christen of McConnellsville for the purchase of ale,Aug. 20 and Aug. 23, 1869
Oversize 1 Letter from Thomas G. Alvord to his cousin (not named),Oct. 24, 1893
Supplementary Materials
Oversize 1 Appraisal/Donation Letter from Richard G. Sheeran to Robert Kinchen,Dec. 30, 1985

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