Collection of material to, from, or about Gerrit Smith, American social reformer and philanthropist from Peterboro, New York. Collection created by &scrc_name; through purchase and donation.

Papers of the Army officer; U.S. Senator (1845-1849); U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. During the Civil War, President Lincoln commissioned Dix a major-general, and ordered him to take charge of the Alexandria and Arlington Department, then reassigned him to the Department of Maryland. Dix later served as commander of the Department of the East. After the Civil War, Dix was named Minister to France (1866-1869), and following his return to the U.S., the life-long Democrat became the Republican Party nominee and the successful candidate for the Governorship of New York State (1873-1875). Includes more than 130 items of outgoing correspondence, more than half of which were written to Edwards Pierrepont between 1861 and 1877. Subjects include the Civil War, Reconstruction, New York State and national politics, and French politics and foreign relations preceding the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War.

Papers of the U.S. Senator (1831-1833); New York State Governor (1833-1838); U.S. Secretary of War under James K. Polk (1845-1849); U.S. Secretary of State under Franklin Pierce (1853-1857). Incoming and outgoing letters concerning a wide variety of subjects such as the establishment of the State Geological Survey (G. W. Boyd, T. A. Conrad, John Delafield, Lardner Vanuxem); the use of volunteers for military service during the 1845-1848 war with Mexico (Silas Wright), the settlement of the New York-New Jersey boundary dispute (Andrew Jackson), the appropriation of public funds (Levi Woodbury, William C. Bouck), and the establishment of a State institution for the mentally handicapped (James B. Richards).

Papers of a Kingston, New York family include correspondence (1740-1930); account books (1768-1770); a daybook (1758-1779); ledgers (1776, 1791-1808); journals, diaries, family Bibles, legal papers (1753-1804), and memorabilia. The bulk of the collection consists of business records of Cornelius Wynkoop and his sons, Cornelius C. Wynkoop and John C. Wynkoop.