TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary

Historical/Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Administrative Information

Access Points

Guide to the Prince Family of Flushing Papers
1791-1918
(Bulk 1850-1879)
Control # P-1

Finding Aid prepared by: Falco, Nicholas

Archives at Queens Library

Queens Borough Public Library

89-11 Merrick Boulevard

Jamaica, NY 11432

Phone: (718) 990-0770

Historical/Biographical Note

Because of the similarity of given names in the Prince Family, the following outline guide is offered to reduce confusion. Not all of the names of children are known and, therefore, can not be listed, nor is this feasible since few letters in this collection make mention of Prince Family members other than the most prominent ones.

Robert Prince-(probably last quarter of 17th century-first quarter of 18th century) Married Mary Burgess had 6 children, one of whom was William Prince with whose papers (though fragmentary) this collection commences

William Prince-(Senior) (1725-1802) Married Ann Thome had 13 children, one of whom was William Prince, Junior

William Prince- Junior-(Nov.10-1766-April 9, 1842) Married Mary Stratton had 4 children, one of whom was William Robert Prince

William Robert Prince- (November 6, 1795-March 28, 1869) Married Charlotte Goodwin Collins had 4 children, three of whom were LeBaron Bradford Prince, William Prince, and Charlotte Prince

LeBaron Bradford Prince-(July 3, 1849-Dec, 8, 1922) Married Hattie E. Childs had no children; Married Mary C. Beardsley had one son.

BRIEF OUTLINE OF PRINCE NURSERIES AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF MEMBERS OF THE PRINCE FAMILY

WILLIAM PRINCE (c. 1725-1802) The senior William Prince was one of six children born to Robert and Mary (Burgess) Prince, and was probably-born in Flushing, Long Island where he spent his active life. With the entrance of this individual on the scene, the Prince Nurseries, it may be said, began to gain prominence. His father, Robert Prince propagated trees and shrubs to grow on his own grounds and William found it profitable to raise seedlings for sale. As early as 1771 he Issued a broadside, printed by Hugh Gaine in New York, advertising a number of different varieties of cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines, peaches and apples, as well as English and American mulberries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, and ornamental trees and shrubs. William Prince was one of the first nurserymen in America to breed new varieties.

William Prince had thirteen children. Sometime about 1793 he Retired from business and left the conduct of his affairs to his sons, William, Jr. and Benjamin. The latter maintained the original nursery for several years, calling it "The Old American Nursery”, but it eventually passed into the younger William’s hands and was merged with the Linnaean Botanic Garden and Nurseries which he had established on an adjacent tract.

WILLIAM PRINCE, JR. (Nov. 10, 1766-April 9, 1842) The Junior William Prince was one of the thirteen children born to William Prince and Ann Thorne at Flushing, Long Island. In 1793, several years before the death of his father, he bought a tract of land adjoining his father's nurseries and on part of this new ground established the Linnaean Botanic Garden and Nurseries. At about the same time, his brother, Benjamin, took over the original small nursery of his father which he continued as the Old American Nursery. Some years later when The Old American Nursery was no longer in production and a considerable portion of the land had been sold for building lots, William, Jr. bought what remained of the original establishment. He continued to import and introduce many varieties of fruits and ornamentals, and in return exported many plants and trees from the United States to Europe. In 1816, he named and shortly afterward introduced the Isabella grape which, though now of little more than historical interest was, with the Catatoba, for half a century after its introduction, one of the mainstays of American viticulture. He is also supposed to have standardized the name of the Bartlett pear. In 1827, his Linnaean Botanic Gardens and Nurseries contained more than one hundred species of Australian plan’s, among which were two Eucalyptus and several Banksias. In 1828, the nurseries covered thirty acres, the collection of roses occupying an acre and including more than six hundred kinds. In 1828, William Prince, Jr. published A Short Treatise on Horticulture, giving a few brief remarks on the culture of fruit trees and describing many fruit varieties. It was designed primarily as an advertisement of his nursery, to accompany catalogues. Two years later, with the aid of his son, William Robert, he published A Treatise on the Vine, and in 1831 he again collaborated with his son in the production of The Pomological Manual. Prince was an honorary member of many horticultural societies both in America and in Europe, including the New York Horticultural Society and the Linnaean Society of Paris and the Imperial Society of the Georgofili at Florence, Italy.

William Prince, Jr., married Mary Stratton and had four children. About 1835, he turned his nursery business over to his sons, but before his death the Linnaean Botanic Garden and Nurseries had passed, through mortgages and foreclosure, into the hands of his brother-in-law, Gabriel Winter. The situation provoked a bitter controversy.

WILLIAM ROBERT PRINCE (Nov 6, 1795-March 28, 1869) William Robert Prince was one of the four children born to William Prince, Jr. and Mary Stratton. He was educated; it is said, at Jamaica Academy and at Boucherville, Canada. Following his father's footsteps, he became associated with him in the Linnaean Botanic Garden and Nurseries and about 1835, he and his brother took over from their father the management of the nursery. In 1837, William Robert Prince became enthusiastic over the introduction of silk culture and imported mulberry species and built a cocoonary for accommodating the silkworms. The chief result of the episode to him, however, was the loss of a large fortune and the mortgaged Linnaean Botanic Garden and Nurseries. In 1846, he published Prince’s Manual of Roses, an enlargement with additional directions and comments of The Rose Amateur’s Guide by the Englishman, Thomas Rivers, who published his work in 1837. From about 1849 to 1851, Prince traveled extensively through the Par West and Mexico where he broadened his knowledge of the western trees and plan’s. Upon his re­turn to the East, he endeavored with indifferent success to retrieve the horticultural fame of the Linnaean Botanic Garden and Nurseries, of which he had gained control once more. At some time in the late 1850s, he resigned the business into the hands of his sons, who continued it under the name of Prince and Company Nurseries until the outbreak of the Civil War when the head of the new firm entered the Union Army. After the war, since he chose to accept a commission in the regular army, the nurseries were offered for sale and passed out of the family's hands.

William Robert Prince was a prolific writer and besides co-authoring two books with his father, wrote many articles for the "Gardener's Monthly18 and the "Rural New-Yorker”. One of his greatest contributions to American Horticulture was the advancement of viticulture. On October 2, 1826, William Robert Prince married Charlotte Goodwin Collins. They had four children.

LeBARON BRADFORD PRINCE (Jul 3, 1840-Dec.8, 1922) LeBaron Bradford Prince was born and died in Flushing and was one of four children born to William Robert Prince. At eighteen, LeBaron began his public career, founding the Flushing Library Association. At thirty, he organized the Flushing Saint George Brotherhood, while at forty-six, he instituted the Flushing Civic Association. As a youth he worked in the nurseries run by his father and brother, but after the sale of this property at the close of the Civil War he studied law at Columbia receiving the degree of LL.B. in 1866. In the following year he published E. Pluribus Unum: the Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution which by its conservative tone gave him some prestige among Republican leaders, and for twelve years after he was regularly elected delegate to the party’s state conventions. He was also a delegate to the Re publican National Convention which nominated Grant to the presidency in 1868. From 1871 to 1875 he served in the New York Assembly and in 1876-1877 sat in the State Senate. As chairman of the judiciary committee of the Assembly, he took a leading part in the impeachment of two judges. In the Republican National Convention of 1876 he was among those who broke with Roscoe Conkling, and as a result was offered by President Hayes the governorship of the territory of Idaho. This he declined, but in 1879 he accepted the chief justice of the territory of New Mexico. In 1882, Prince resigned from the bench and two years later was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for delegate to Congress. In the five years that followed, he devoted himself to the practice of law, historical research, civic development, church government, public speaking, writing for the press, fruit raising, mining and financial operations. In 1883 Prince was elected president of the New Mexico Historical Society, in which office he continued until his death.

In the spring of 1889, President Harrison appointed Prince Governor of New Mexico, in which capacity he served until 1893. He founded and was president of the New Mexico Horticultural Society and the Society for the Preservation of Antiquities. In 1909 he was elected to the territorial council. Prince was an incessant agitator for statehood and when it had been granted presided over the first Republican state convention and published New Mexico's Struggle for Statehood in 1910. He was active in the affairs of the Protestant Episcopal Church and was president of the Association of Church Chancellors. Between 1880 and 1917, he wrote some one dozen books.

LeBaron Bradford Prince married Hattie E. Childs on December 1, 1879. Less than three months later she passed away. On November 17, 1881 he married Mary C. Beardsley. They had one son.

(CAPTAIN) WILLIAM PRINCE (Jul 9, 1833-Dec. 18, 1880) Son of William Robert Prince and brother of LeBaron Bradford Prince, Captain William Prince together with his brother was the last of the direct defendants of the originator of the Prince Nurseries enterprise to control the business. William Prince became a captain in the Civil War and this title has been used before his name in this collection in order to avoid confusion arising out of the frequent use of the given name, William, in the Prince family. Captain William Prince entered the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant on January 29, 1864. Subsequently, he was commissioned a captain in the Ordinance Department and made military service his career. He passed away in Washington, D.C.

CHARLOTTE GOODWIN COLLINS PRINCE (ca 1800-1888) She was the wife of William Robert Prince who she married on October 2, 1826.

CHARLOTTE PRINCE HENRY (Jul 12, 1827­?) Charlotte Prince was one of two daughters of the four children born to William Robert Prince and Charlotte Goodwin Collins Prince. In March of 1853 she was married to Edwin Henry. She was not directly concerned with the business activities of the Prince nurseries. She was alive as late as 1922.

EDWIN HENRY (Nov. 19, 1824-Sep 23, 1884) Edwin Henry was born in Chester, New York. He married Charlotte Prince, daughter of William Robert Prince, in 1853. Henry probably played a minor role in the conduct of the business affairs of the Prince nurseries. Like his brother-in-law, Captain William Prince, Edwin Henry served to some extent in the Civil War and was commissioned a Captain. He passed away in Greeneville, Tennessee.

As far as is known, no attempt has been made to produce a bibliography. Brief biographical sketches of many members of the family may be had by consulting such standard works as the Dictionary of American Biography. Virtually every history which deals with Queens County will also make some mention of the family or the nurseries it controlled (for example, the History of Queens County... published in 1882 by W. W. Munsell and Co. of New York).

The Archives at Queens Library of the Queens Borough Public Library also has on hand several pamphlets and newspaper clippings dealing with the family, though this is done only in an incidental manner. One of the pamphlets, however, is devoted exclusively to LeBaron Bradford Prince and was issued in his memory in 1923 shortly after his death.

In addition, the Archives at Queens Library also possesses a Prince Family Bible which was published in New York in 1828. This Bible contains several manuscript entries relating to some of the births and marriages of members of the family.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Content Note

THE PAPERS OF WILLIAM PRINCE, SENIOR

The adjective, senior, has been added to the above name in order to distinguish it from that of Prince’s son who bore the same given name and whose papers form the next sub-group in this collection, as well as to distinguish it from an other William Prince, namely a great grandson, whose papers form yet another sub-group of the Prince Collection.

This sub-group is extremely fragmentary (only 2 items in it). Indeed, it has been designated a sub-group primarily for the purpose of providing continuity to the collection since the items described in it are the earliest dated ones the collection contains.

General Letters Received, letter from John (Price?), dated Dec. 3, 1791 Letter from (J.P.?), undated

THE PAPERS OF WILLIAM PRINCE, JUNIOR

These papers consist of three financial volumes, general correspondence received and miscellaneous documents. It should be borne in mind that the adjective, junior, was not always used either by Mr. Prince or by others. Therefore, especially in the case of the general correspondence, some items will bear the name, William Prince; others, William Prince, Junior.

Miscellaneous Financial Volumes Day Books The purpose of these particular day books was to record, very briefly, financial transactions, of which the following entries serve to illustrate typical examples: “Received of John Griffin for the Flushing Bridge Company....”, “Paid Bill Rapalye for Peartrees....”, “Paid Benjamin Prince....”, “Paid John Lawrence for work on the Bridge …”, “Received of J. Beggs for the Church....”, “Paid toll for shrubs....”, “Received of Roe Haviland his subscription toward the new road at Newton....”

In every one of the above examples, a particular amount of money is specified, usually a small sum, and nearly always in terms of pounds, shillings, and pence (later years the entries are listed in dollars and cents). The majority of entries are for monies paid out, net for monies received.

It should be remembered that the day books themselves contain no accounts or receipts. They served merely to record financial transactions of the day, and as a reminder and chronological guide to them.

These particular volumes evidently served to record financial transactions of all kinds, that is, those dealing with Mr. Prince's nursery business, as well as those dealing with other interests (road building and church donations, for instance). However, the majority of recordings do appear to pertain to the nursery business.

All entries are arranged in chronological order, ca Sep 1, 1807-Aug 21, 1820 (very few entries for 1819-1820) and ca Feb 15, 1830-Dec 26, 1840. Only a dozen pages, in the second volume, have been utilized in this fragmentary record; no entries at all for 1833-1838; several pages in middle of volume utilized to re cord "Extracts from different Authors and observations in reading them".

Receipt Book in this volume were entered financial receipt transactions relating exclusively to St. George Episcopal Church of Flushing of which Mr. Prince was a member, trustee and officer. Nearly all receipts are signed Daniel Bloodgood, Treasurer. Evidently, Mr. Prince regularly turned money over to Mr. Bloodgood, who in turn entered a receipt in this volume. Information regarding these transactions is often not very specific and many of the receipts entered adhere to the following very sketch format:

“Received at Flushing on Dec 31, 1814 of William Prince, $50.00 for account of Church (sig) Francis Bloodgood, Treas.”

Only a minor portion of this volume has been utilized, ca Sep 1810-May, 1828.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents The vast majority of items in this file are letters received by Mr. Prince, most of which are from William W. Woolsey and Francis Bowes Sayre. One letter is from Prince's brother, Benjamin. Most of this correspondence is very informal, and letters are addressed to "Dear Bill" or "Dear Will", are chatty, and are directed to personal matters. Only one or two letters deal in any way with the nursery business. One of these comes from a Mr. R. Thomson of Lisbon (Portugal?) and is written in extremely minute hand, difficult to decipher.

Also included in this file are several (cancelled?) checks drawn upon the Bank of America; an indenture drawn between Prince and Henry Brewster concerning land in Broome County; several deeds; a document labeled "copy of part of a letter penned by William Prince to J. W. Lawrence..." which concerns a disagreement with Gabriel Winter; an advertisement circular in the form of a letter from “Wm. Prince and Sons". The circular is addressed to the Postmaster of Flatbush, Long Island, who is requested to supply the addresses "of the principal venders of seeds...” Evidently, this particular circular may have been returned to Prince by the postmaster as being undeliverable. The dates are 1784-1785, 1788, 1790, 1794, 1819-1822, 1830, 1835-1841, undated (undated items are probably for the period ca 1784-1790).

THE PAPERS OF WILLIAM ROBERT PRINCE

The papers in this sub-group of the Prince Collection and the sub-group which follows (the papers of LeBaron Bradford Prince) are the most extensive in quantity. The William Robert Prince Papers have been divided into five series: Letter Books (correspondence sent); Miscellaneous Financial Volumes; Miscellaneous Volumes; General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents; and Miscellaneous Cancelled Checks. For the most part, these materials deal with the conduct of the Prince Nursery business. This sub-group is the only one in the Collection which Seals extensively with this activity for which the Prince family was so famous.

For the purpose of affording easier transition from one sub-group to another, and to avoid minute fragmentation of such series as letter books, for example, several items which pertain to a period when the Prince Nurseries were in the process of changing hands among various members of the family, or items which might be said to be part of both the papers of William Prince Jr. and William Robert Prince, for example, have, nevertheless, been retained as part of the William Robert Prince sub-group. There are not too many items which can be said to fall within this category, and the few that do exist are primarily for the 1850 decade. If this procedure had not been followed perhaps another sub-group titled "William Prince and Son” would have had to be formed-a sub-group which would have been rather tenuous because of the nature of the materials involved.

Letter Press Books (Correspondence Sent) These letter books contain the copies of letters which Prince sent out to various individuals. For the most part, they are signed "William R. Prince and Co.” and deal with the nursery business-few personal letters are to be found. Correspondence was virtually carried out on a nation-wide basis and there are at least one or two letters addressed to persons in practically every state existing at the time, although, as one might expect, most letters are addressed to individuals residing in the eastern states bordering on New York.

Most letter books are in rather poor condition, and because of qualities inherent in their very physical make-up, are extremely difficult to read. All are indexed, usually by name of correspondent. The date range is Apr, 4, 1855 -Apr. 26, 1861.

Miscellaneous Financial Volumes Receipt Books, Aug 1833-1863, in these volumes, all of which are basically similar, are listed receipt entries, usually rather brief. In many cases it is difficult to determine the types of activities to which these receipts refer, that is, if they represent payments made by Prince for work done in connection with nursery business or with some other field of interest or concern of Mr. Prince’s, or with strictly personal matters. Probably a combination of all these interests is represented by them. Some typical examples of these receipt entries are the following: “Received at Flushing on Nov. 22, 1851, from William R. Prince, $49.43 in full for bill for carpenter work to date. (sig) William Post,” “Received from William R. Prince, $14.50 in full for bill to 14th inst. Flushing, Feb 18, 1851. (sig) Stephen K. Church”, “Received at Flushing on June 24, 1852 from William R, Prince $21.33 in full for postage to Apr. 1, 1362, (sig) Francis Bloodgood”

Check Book only the check stubs remain in this volume. Stubs simply indicate the number of the check (this particular volume ran from number 261 to 382), the date (month and day only), and a one word description as to why the check was issued (wages, labor and expenses) are the three most common terms used), Oct-April ca. 1850.

Payroll and Rent Account Volume though this volume is not clearly labeled, it would appear to be an account book used to record payments made to various individuals in the employ of the Prince family. The record has been maintained primarily on a weekly basis. On the average, about a dozen names are listed each week, though some weeks have as few as four or five, other weeks as many as twenty five names. Next to each name is listed the amount of payment issued. This portion of the volume covers the period Jul 1850-Dec 1853 and Dec 1860-Mar 1864.

A small portion of the back of the volume is devoted exclusively to the listing of other financial transactions. Unlike those listed above, these transactions are arranged by name of individual. There are about twelve such individuals listed, most of whom have appeared in the previous section. In these accounts, the emphasis is on recording the amount of rent which they paid. It would appear, judging from some of these transactions, that in several cases rent was paid by a combination of cash outlay coupled with a work or service outlay at the business. This portion of the volume is dated ca 1860-1863. In all probability, some pages have been torn-out.

About a dozen pages in the middle of the volume were utilized to compose a draft for what appears to be a speech or article concerning personal reminiscences of the Civil War. The hand writing has not been determined but it may be that of LeBaron Bradford Prince. No date appears in this section. This volume is in very poor condition.

Miscellaneous Volumes Supply Order Book of Prince and Co. This volume consists of printed order blanks which read as follows: “___________________186 This certifies that I have purchased of to be supplied by PRINCE and CO., Proprietors of the Linnaean Botanic Nurseries, Flushing, N.Y. (founded 1732) the following: Trees, Shrubs, etc., etc If any of the VARIEITIES cannot be procured, others of equal merit may be substituted. The same are to be delivered, in good order at next; for which I agree to pay CASH ON DELIVERY, at the annexed prices.

There are 28 different items listed (peach trees, Balsam Fir Trees, etc.). None of the order blanks in this volume have been filled in. One page at the back of the volume contains some manuscript notes (probably copied from a book or periodical dealing with subject) regarding the subject of Saints. Several pages of the volume have been torn put.

Register Volume titled Register of Horticultural Amateurs, Wm. R. Prince and Co. This book is entirely blank.

Published Book The Pomological Manual, or, a Treatise on Fruits, by William Robert Prince, aided by William Prince. Published by T. and J. Swords and others in New York in 1831. (copies)

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents Included in this file are several letters from Prince's son, LeBaron Bradford Prince, written when the latter was in his raid-teens; a copy of a lengthy letter addressed to Gabriel Winter stating differences between Prince and Winter; a safe conduct pass issued by the United States Consul stationed at Acapulco; several promissory notes involving Edwin Henry; and a property deed relating to land in the Williamsburgh area of Kings County. Also a Petition of Bankruptcy filed Oct 30, 1867. The petition has several "Schedules” attached upon which are listed such pertinent de tails as Names of Creditors and similar information. The signature William Prince has been used and not William R. Prince. The Petition was actually filed before the Judge of the District Ct. of South Carolina, and then addressed to the Judge of the Eastern District of N.Y. The date range is 1816, 1831-1867, undated ca 50 items.

Miscellaneous Cancelled Checks Cancelled checks signed by William Robert Prince. Checks are for 3 years-1830 (ca.115), 1831 (ca.50) and 1832 (ca.90). Though most were made out to specific individuals, many were simply made out to "Labourers”. All checks are drawn on the Chemical Bank of New York; few are made out for amounts over $50.00; all bear numbers. Many are in somewhat fragile condition primarily owing to the fact that the cancellation on them was of the type which perforated clear through the paper causing part of the face of the check to tear easily.

THE PAPERS OF LEBARON BRADFORD PRINCE

Though there are some papers of Mr. Prince's for virtually every of his adult life, the majority are dated in the 1860's and 1870 s. By and large they refer to political matters, and the references to any aspect of the Prince Nurseries are very few.

LeBaron Bradford Prince's papers are divided into three series, namely, General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents; Legal Papers and Supporting Documents Re: The Continental Telegraph Co. Case; and Miscellaneous Volumes. In the first aforementioned series will be found some letters addressed not to Prince but rather to other Individuals. This is largely accounted for by the fact that Mr. Prince, because of the capacity of some of the offices which he held (for example, secretary of an organization), often may have received such items from third parties who passed them on to him. There will also be found several deeds, mortgages and other documents referring to land matters, as well as, some legal papers resulting from the practice of law in which Prince was engaged.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents A rather voluminous series (about 450 items), this material has been arranged in chronological groupings listed below. A brief description of the con tents of each grouping is given.

1849-1851, 1854 Included in this grouping are several small certificates of awards Issued to Prince by the Flushing Public School; a newspaper clipping concerning the Flushing Library Association; and a letter from a former school mate, ca. 16 items

1861-1864 Brief minutes of special meetings held by the Flushing Republican Association of which Prince was recording secretary; Prince's draft notice for Civil War ser vice (fragment only); several letters dealing principally with agriculture, agricultural fairs, and political matters. ca. 16 items

1865-1866 Mainly letters urging Prince to use influence to obtain federal political appointments for various individuals. Also, some letters concerning local political matters. ca. 17 items

1867 Mainly letters, most of which concern local political appointments. Two letters addressed not to Prince but to other individuals. ca. 20 items

1868 Mainly letters concerning local and national politics. However, many of them are addressed not to Prince but to others. There is also a letter from Prince to Benjamin Hicks which does not appear to be a copy. Either never sent or returned by Hicks to Prince. ca. 10 items

1869 Primarily letters, nearly all of which are addressed to the Honorable Columbus Delano, Commissioner of Internal Revenue at Washington, D.C. These letters endorse Mr. Prince’s application for the post of United States assessor for Queens County. There is also a letter addressed to "Messrs. Prince and Co.” in which the writer regrets the passing of William Robert Prince and states that he is now "at a loss to know how to proceed having been a patient under treatment of his (William Robert Prince) medicines". ca. 107 items

1870-1872 Mainly letters pertaining to local and nation al politics, several of which are addressed not to Prince but to others. Among the miscellaneous documents is a bill submitted by E. P. Dutton, booksellers and publishers, listing some 50 books purchased by Mr. Prince; an indenture between Mr. Prince and Maria Titus involving Flushing real estate; and a petition bearing 60-80 signatures addressed to the State Legislature and referring to an Act regarding drain age of lands in Flushing. ca. 45 items

1873-1875 Included in this file are several stock certificates for shares in the capital stock of the Whitestone Homestead Association; an indenture between Mr. Prince and Lambert Freeman regarding Flushing real estate and several other indentures; and a tear-sheet from the newspaper, "Jamaica Farmer” featuring a news story concerning Mr. Prince. Most of the letters pertain to local politics, especially to the election of Prince as state senator. Several are personal letters from cousins (one of whom describes a voyage to Europe). ca. 57 items

1876-1879 Primarily letters, many of which concern Prince's appointment to the chief justice in New Mexico, or with political matters; while others deal with St. George’s Episcopal Church in Flushing or with other religious matters. Among the miscellaneous documents to be found are a "Table Showing Bonded Indebtedness of the Town of Newtown, Sept.1, 1876”; and a copy of a resolution adopted at the annual town meeting of the Citizens of Oyster Bay regarding the possibilities of forming a new county. ca. 40 items

1880-1881, 1884-1889 Included in this file are several letters primarily of a personal nature (2 pertain to arrangements made for the transportation of the body of Mr. Prince's deceased wife). Also found are several legal documents (referee's report, leases, etc.) involving Prince and Williemene B. Harsell and others; other legal documents; and a copy of the publication, New Mexico, issued by the Bureau of Immigration. ca. 50 items

1890, 1892, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1901-1902, 1905, 1997-1910, 1913, 1918 A fragmentary file consisting largely of personal letters relating to real estate matters. Three letters are from the American Numismatic and Archeological Society. Two letters in the file are not addressed to Mr. Prince and refer to the inventor, Dr. Theodore R. Timby. These may have been part of Mr. Prince's papers relating to legal cases for which he may have acted as attorney. Also included is a copy of Mr. Prince's will, dated May 20, 1918. ca. 20 items

undated About half of the items in this file are political letters. Also included are several newspaper clippings and copies of two resolutions pertaining to the village of Hempstead and the town of North Hempstead. A political broadside was also found. Broadside refers to Mr. Prince's campaign for Senator. ca. 50 items

Legal Papers and Supporting Documents Relating to the Continental Telegraph Company Case Mr. Prince was an attorney in a suit which concerned the Continental Telegraph Company, the directors of which were, according to the articles of co-partnership found in these papers, James G, Smith of Hackensack, James Shaw of Philadelphia, Andrew Baldwin of Philadelphia, and Alfred Nelson of Astoria, Many of the items in this series consist of notes, memoranda, and other similar documents probably used in the preparation for arguing the case. Since these papers are not in any order, it is possible that a few stray items may exist in the preceding series also. Most documents are dated between 1876 and 1879. ca. 100 items

Miscellaneous Volumes Half of the following volumes are primarily concerned, in one way or another, with the maintaining of a record of the correspondence which Mr. Prince sent out to various individuals. To some extent, these books can help fill some of the gaps found in the previous series which dealt with the correspondence which Mr. Prince received. All volumes are arranged in chronological order.

Diary kept by Prince when he was about 13 years of age. Written partly in pencil and partly in ink, the diary is, unfortunately, in rather poor condition, and several pages of it have been lost, apparently. It presently contains about 125 pages. Among other family activities described are a carriage ride from Flushing to New York, and a boat trip to (Ziken?), ca. Oct l853-Apr 1854

Autograph Book This volume was maintained by Mr. Prince when he was a young man attending the Flushing Institute. It contains approximately 135 autographs, most of which are signatures of fellow students at the Institute. Upon occasion, some individuals have added a brief verse or sentiment next to their autograph. ca. Jul 1855-Aug l859

Record of Activities Notebook Though somewhat similar in purpose to a diary, this volume was utilized simply to make very, very brief notes concerning activities of the day. Some typical entries read as follows: “Wrote Goodrich-will support him for Attorney General.” “Went to P.O.” “Birdsall called.” “Called at J.D. Armstrong.”

This volume is very similar to the Record of Correspondence described below in that it also makes mention of some letters which Mr. Prince received or sent. Two pages at the end have been utilized for a very brief listing of certain expenses, plus a (list of appointments made by Prince?), ca. May 187l-Dec 1871, Sep 1873-Oct 1873.

Account Book This account book contains extremely brief entries, more in the nature of a notebook rather than full financial account entries. It is difficult to ascertain what specific accounts are being referred to, though it is evident that the volume encompasses those referring to a number of different activities. That is, some accounts deal with real estate matters, others to such things as payments of town and school taxes. All entries arranged in chronological order. ca. 1872-1874

Mailing List Apparently a mailing list used by Mr. Prince while he served as a member of the New York State Assembly. Probably intended to keep track of various reports and political news items which he mailed out to individuals. The volume is divided and arranged according to name of communities, all of which appear to be on Long Island (an occasional Connecticut community is found). The first page of this volume contains a guide to a code which was used next to an individual’s name. Apparently, not all persons received the same type of mail. Undated, probably ca. 1873-1874

Correspondence Record In this volume was noted the names of those who corresponded with Mr. Prince, as well as a brief note indicating the cons tents or subjects of letters. Next to each entry is also found a word or two concerning final disposition (if letter was answered or not). Some typical entries would be the following: “Gov. Edward Saloman As to Concord Bill Answered” “H. W. Eastman Notary Bill Answered” “G. W. White Answered” “J. W. Gilbert As to his bill”

Entries are arranged in chronological order. Several pages at the back are devoted to brief listings of Acts, evidently introduced to some legislative body (presumably, the New York State Assembly). Note is usually made of final disposition. This particular section not dated but probably 1874.

In as much as the papers of LeBaron Bradford Prince lack correspondence for this year, except for a very few items, this Correspondence Record volume is an important item, in that it gives us some indication of who were the correspondents of Mr. Prince and helps fill in the aforementioned gap.

Letter Press Book (Correspondence Sent) In this book will be found the carbon copies of letters which Mr. Prince addressed to various individuals. Unfortunately, the condition of these carbons is such that nearly all are extremely difficult to read (some are totally illegible). During the period covered by the volume, Mr. Prince was engaged in a number of activities including the practice of law, historical research and civic development. ca. Oct l882-Aug 1886

THE PAPERS OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM PRINCE

This sub-group of the Prince Family Papers is a fragmentary one, and consists of one series, namely General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents. Included in this series is a small notebook listing various financial transactions involving money paid out or received. The book is labeled (barely legible) "Wm. Prince, Private Memoranda”.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents 1863, 1866-1870, 1872, 1874, 1877, 1878, undated Included is a page of rough notes titled "Various Gunpowders Used by Govt. During the War”, as well as another sheet containing a draft (only a few corrections, however) titled "History of 3rd Regt.” Though these two items do not carry the name of Captain Prince and their provenance is unclear, they were in all likelihood, part of his papers. There are also five letters from Prince's brother, Bradford. Most of the miscellaneous documents consist of Army documents signed by Prince in his capacity as an officer. ca. 32 items

THE PAPERS OF CHARLOTTE GOODWIN COLLINS PRINCE

A very small sub-group of the Prince Family Papers, this grouping is not to be confused with that of Mrs. Prince's daughter, Charlotte Prince Henry. It consists of the following series.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents Letters from various children or other members of the family. All concern personal family matters and are chatty and friendly in nature. Included also is an hotel bill, and a pension voucher and a copy of Mrs. Prince's will; and several property deeds. 1833-1888, undated ca. 25 items

THE PAPERS OF CHARLOTTE PRINCE HENRY

The papers of Charlotte Prince Henry consist of one series, General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents. Prior to 1853, these papers are principally letters received from her brother, LeBaron Bradford Prince, or her parents. After this date, the papers consist primarily of letters from her husband, Edwin Henry.

Though there are items in the collection representing many of her adult years, not all years are represented equally. Indeed the majority are for the years 1863 and 1864. Included in these papers is a diary (described more fully below) which Mrs. Henry maintained for a brief period.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents

1840-1859 The majority of the items in this file are letters addressed to Charlotte from her mother or brother, LeBaron Bradford. Many of them are addressed in the familiar and affection ate name of "Charty", and not the more formal Charlotte. The earlier dated letters are homey, friendly letters discussing affairs at home and written, for the most part while Charlotte was away at school. Some of the later dated letters make mention of Charlotte’s husband, Edwin Henry. ca. 18 items

1862-1865, 1868 All items in this file are letters from Mrs. Henry’s husband, Edwin, and the major portion are for 1864 and 1865. This particular group of letters concern Henry's participation in the Civil War, as well as some business matters, and are postmarked from various cities in the South. ca. 62 items

1888, 1892-18931 1906-1907, undated Included in this file Is a diary kept by Mrs. Henry (about 25 pages in length covering the period ca. Feb 1892-Oct 1893). It was not maintained in the usual diary book but was written on unused portions of an account book or letter book. Without a doubt, the diary was at one time lengthier than its present state, but by how much is difficult to state. It is concerned primarily with activities in the Flushing area. LeBaron Bradford Prince is mentioned extensively throughout. Also found in this file are copies of several legal documents (lease, deed, etc.) referring to some Flushing real estate, as well as several undated letters. Though undated, a fair estimate of the period covered by these latter items can be made by examining their contents. ca. 25 items

THE PAPERS OF EDWIN HENRY

These papers consist of two series.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents Letters dated 1867 and 1868 form the major portion of the items in this file. These letters deal generally with business matters pertaining to what appears to be an iron-ore smelting enterprise in the South. The chief correspondent is (A.A. Galway?). Most of the earlier dated letters are from Henry’s father-in-law, William Robert Prince and are concerned primarily with Prince nursery matters. Also included are several army documents signed by Henry in his capacity as an officer, 1853-1878, ca. 50 items.

Financial Documents Receipts, promissory notes or cancelled checks 1848-1874, ca. 15 items

THE PAPERS OF OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PRINCE FAMILY

Gathered herein within this very fragmentary sub-group of the Prince Family Papers are items referring to members of the family other than those previously listed, but for whom there was no substantial amount of papers accumulated to form individual sub-groups. Most of the member's represented in this group were female members of the family, and most of the items in it are undated. There is only one series.

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents included herein are 2 invitations to the Inaugural Reception Promenade Concert held upon the occasion of the inauguration of President Chester A. Arthur. One of the invitations is addressed to Miss Henry, probably a daughter of Charlotte and Edwin Henry. One item is in rather poor condition. 1844-1888, undated ca. 13 items

MISCELLANEOUS PRINCE FAMILY PAPERS

The greater majority of the papers In this sub-group of Prince Family Papers were in all probability accumulated by LeBaron Bradford Prince, or to a lesser degree they may be those of William Robert Prince. However, because of their unclear provenance, they have been designated as miscellaneous. The greater majority of them are legal papers and printed items of an ephemeral nature. This sub-group is not voluminous at all.

Also included in this sub-group are several photostats (described more fully below), most of which were made as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey. These have been included in the Prince Collection because of their incidental bearing on the Prince Family.

Miscellaneous Documents and Printed Materials Included in this series are some legal documents(probably accumulated by LeBaron Bradford Prince while engaged in the practice of law), as well as several minor military documents (either those of Captain William Prince or Edwin Henry). Among other items found are about 20 copies of mounted engravings of the coat-of-arms of William Prince; two penciled drawings illustrating two different types of mirrors (embellishments and decorative ornamentations are shown in rather good detail); a rough draft of speech consisting of 3 pages, evidently given on the occasion of a school graduation ceremony; and several tear sheets from magazines.

Also found are negative photostats of several deeds, letters and similar manuscripts concerning the Prince family. The range of years covered is ca. 1790-1820 and about 12 different manuscripts are included. At the time these photostats were taken (probably dated 1940s or early 1950s), the originals were in the possession of the Halleran family of Flushing.

There is also another group of negative photostats of plans of the Prince House which was located at Northern Blvd. and Lawrence Street in Flushing. The plans of the house were re-drawn in 1934 as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey being conducted at that time. These photostats were probably ordered by the Halleran family of Flushing, and as with the group of photostats described above, were probably done sometime during the late 1940s or early 1950s, various 19th century dates, and undated 75 ca. 75 items (including photostats and the copies of the coat-of-arms).

NONTEXTUAL ITEMS

In this series, are found seven small tin forms, designed in the shapes of fruits. Presumably, these forms were used for advertising purposes( designs for the nursery catalogs), though it is not quite certain. The following forms are found:

Apple Shaped Form labeled "Duchess of Oldenburgh”

Plum Shaped Form labeled “Purple Magnum Bonum”

Heart Shaped Form labeled "St. Andre”

Apple Shaped Form labeled "Flushing Beauty”

Circular Shaped form labeled "Blush Nutmeg"

Plum Shaped Form labeled "Sweet Water"

Plum Shaped Form, (label has been lost, evidently)

The above-mentioned names were those given by the Prince Nursery to various varieties of fruits which they cultivated. These forms were probably used in the 1850-1860 period.

PUBLISHED MATERIALS WRITTEN BY VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THE PRINCE FAMILY

The following list while not attempting to be exhaustive (it restricts itself to materials held by the Archives at Queens Library of the Queens Borough Public Library) is, nevertheless, a reasonably complete list of works published by the family. Complete bibliographic data may be had by consulting our card catalog.

William Prince, Jr.

A short treatise on horticulture: embracing descriptions of a great variety of fruit... 1828

A treatise on the vine... 1830 (co-authored with William Robert Prince)

The Pomological Manual: or a treatise on fruits... 1831 and 1832 ( 2 editions) (co-authored with William Robert Prince)

William Robert Prince

An oration pronounced in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Hempstead, July 4, 1831.... 1831

A treatise on nature's sovereign remedials; eclectic fluid compounds.... 1864

See also under William Prince, Jr.

LeBaron Bradford Prince

E. Pluribus Unum: the Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution... 1867

A nation or a league?..., 1880

New Mexico, A defense of the people ... 1882

New Mexico, its wonderful resources and products... 1883

The present and future of New Mexico... 1891

Mensaje a la Assamblea legislativa... ca. 1892

New Mexico's claims; Ex-gov. Prince pleads for statehood. 1903

New Mexico's struggle for statehood... 1910

Old Port Marcy.... 1912

The student's history of New Mexico. 1913

Spanish Mission Churches of New Mexico. 1915

Addresses (delivered between 1870-1876 and 1903, 1907 and 1920). With these addresses are bound a memorial dedicated to Prince, as well as the work, The Republican Party proved to be constitutional.

Reports (made as Governor of New Mexico) to the Secretary of the Interior. 1888/89, 1889/90, 1890/91, 1891/92, 1092/93

Lawrence and Mills firm of nurserymen, Flushing, N.Y.

A treatise and catalogue of fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, etc. 1823

Prince Firm, nurserymen, Flushing, N.Y.

Prince's annual catalogue... (title varies, many published in parts) 1820(2 parts); 1823; 1825; 1827; 1829; 1830; 1832(2 parts); 1834; 1834-35; 1835-36(2 parts); 1837; 1841; 1842; 1844-45 (2 parts); 1846; 1846-47 (2 parts) 1848; 1851-52; 1854; 1856; 1856-57; 1857-58(3 parts); 1859-6O; Autumn 1859-Spring 1860; 1860-61(2 parts); Autumn 1860-Spring 1861; 1861-62; Sept 1866

Dioscorea batatas; or, New Chinese potato.... (3rd and 5th eds) 1856

BOADSIDES RELATING TO THE PRINCE FAMILY

There are at least a dozen broadsides in the Broadside Collection maintained by the Archives at Queens Library of the Queens Borough Public Library which directly concern the Prince family. These broadsides are described fully in our card catalogue and are found under the general headings of "Prince” and "Flushing". The two following descriptions are listed simply as a sampling:

“Reward: $10 reward for information leading to the conviction of any person cutting trees or stealing earth on these premises. Prince and co.”

“Meeting! L. Bradford Prince, candidate for senator, will be pleased to meet the citizens of Riverhead... Oct. 25th at the Coast House”

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Creator of item, date of item (if known), identification of item, if a photograph its control number. The Prince Family of Flushing Papers, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library.

Alternate Form Available

The entire Prince Family Papers have been microfilmed with the exception of the volumes and documents listed in the Appendix.

Access Restrictions

Open for research without restrictions. Manuscripts are only available in the Archives at Queens Library, please call (718) 990-0770 for hours. Manuscript users will be required to complete the division's Manuscript Usage Form and deposit their photograph identification or Queens Borough Public Library card with a staff member. The identification will be returned to the user after she/he has returned the material. Manuscript users will deposit all their personal items behind the reference desk. Manuscript users must use the division's loose sheets of paper for note taking. To reiterate, no pen of any type is permitted. Paper and a pencil are available upon request. Manuscript users may be required to use special handling procedures depending on the conditions of the material.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:

Archives at Queens Library

Queens Borough Public Library

89-11 Merrick Boulevard

Jamaica, NY 11432

Phone: (718) 990-0770.

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Access Points

Subject Names:

• Henry, Edwin, 1824-1884
• Prince, L. Bradford (Le Baron Bradford), 1840-1922
• Prince, William Robert, 1795-1869
• Prince, William, 1725-1802
• Prince, William, 1766-1842

Subject Family Names:

• Prince family

Subject Places:

• Flushing (New York, N.Y.)

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Inventory

[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in thecollection.]

The Papers of William Prince Sr. General Correspondence Received (, )
Box - Folder: 7

The Papers of William Prince Jr. (, )

Miscellaneous Financial Volumes (, )
Box - Folder: 11

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )
Box - Folder: 7

The Papers of William Robert Prince (, )

Letter Press Books (, )

(1855-1857) (, )
Box - Folder: 9

(1858-1861) (, )
Box - Folder: 10

Miscellaneous Financial Volumes (, )
Box - Folder: 11

Miscellaneous Volumes (, )
Box - Folder: 11, Oversize volume

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )
Box - Folder: 7

Miscellaneous Cancelled Checks (, )
Box - Folder: 7

Spine, Advertisement and Plant and Flower Samples from William R. Prince’s Book Treatise on the Vine (, )
Box - Folder: 7

The Papers of LeBaron Bradford Prince (, )

General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )

1849-1875 (, )
Box - Folder: 7

1876-undated (, )
Box - Folder: 8

Legal Papers Re: Continental Telegraph Co (, )
Box - Folder: 8

Miscellaneous Volumes (, )
Box - Folder: 10, 11

The Papers of Captain William Prince General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )
Box - Folder: 8

The Papers of Charlotte Goodwin Collins Prince General Correspondence Received (, )
Box - Folder: 8

The Papers of Charlotte Prince Henry General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )
Box - Folder: 9

The Papers of Edwin Henry General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )
Box - Folder: 9

Papers of Other Members of the Prince Family General Correspondence Received and Miscellaneous Documents (, )
Box - Folder: 9

Miscellaneous Papers Series Miscellaneous Documents and Printed Materials (, )
Box - Folder: 9, 11

Non-Textural Items (, )
Box - Folder: 11

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