Lewis Perrine Papers

The Perrine Papers is a collection of documents encompassing personal and official papers of New Jersey Quartermaster General Lewis Perrine, Sr. and his family. The collection is made up of official records concerning the 1881 centennial celebration of the Battle at Yorktown. This event is recorded through vouchers organized by the Quartermaster General's Department and letters received by Lewis Perrine pertaining to the celebration.

The collection contains Lewis Perrine's personal correspondence, as well as professional correspondence, not associated with the celebration at Yorktown. The estate papers of John Perrine, Jr. of which Lewis was an executor, are stored here, along with the estate papers of Allison Ely, of which John Perrine, Jr. was an executor. Some of Lewis Perrine's legal and financial documents may be found in this collection along with materials once belonging to or concerning other Perrine family members.

The documents contained in the Perrine Papers range from 1837 through 1921. The bulk of the material for the celebration of the Battle at Yorktown is dated in 1881, although some documents are dated in 1882. Lewis Perrine's personal documents begin in 1840, before he was appointed Quartermaster General, but are primarily papers written or received during the time he served as Quartermaster General, 1855-1889.

The first two containers store BATTLE OF YORKTOWN CELEBRATION RECORDS as arranged by the office of the Quartermaster General. General Perrine received many letters regarding preparations for the celebration. The bulk of the letters are dated from September-December 1881, but span the time period of May 1881-December 1882

Box 1, folders 1-3, contain letters received by the Quartermaster General, composed of arrangements to charter the steamship, "William Crane" from the Merchants & Miners Transportation Co. , Baltimore, for use in the celebration. Much of the correspondence is addressed to Lewis Perrine and signed by Agent A.L. Huggins of the Transportation Co., and Captain F . W. Howes of the steamship "William Crane". Folder 2 contains the charter for the steamship "William Crane" dated 9/17/81. Folder 3 contains correspondence of a legal nature regarding an occurrence on the steamship "William Crane" involving the transference of property belonging to the New Jersey Battalion.

Box 1, folder 4, contains railroad company receipts, signed by General Perrine from September-October 1881. The receipts are primarily for the transport of soldiers between camps but some are for the transport of supplies, all for the celebration of the Battle at Yorktown.

Box 1, folders 5-13, contain numbered vouchers of the Quartermaster General's office. The vouchers assure payment for various preparations for the celebration of the Battle at Yorktown. The bulk of the vouchers are for services rendered or articles received from September-November 1881 and signed in 1881 by the Quartermaster General. The vouchers have been arranged in the numerical order by which they were originally assigned and arranged by the Quartermaster General's office. In the sequence, #5, #6, #45 and #93-99 are missing. Many vouchers can be found in duplicate or triplicate form. In most cases, receipts on company letterhead and correspondence, such as letters and telegrams, are attached to the vouchers, so that details about one particular purchase or service may be understood.

Each voucher contains a voucher number, the date of service rendered or article received, and the date of approval, or date signed by General Perrine as Quartermaster General. The voucher is also signed by the actual recipient of the service or article, as well as the Adjutant General of New Jersey. The total cost of the article or service is also recorded on the voucher and a brief description such as "for the New Jersey Battalion at Yorktown Valley". The attached receipts and correspondence often go into greater detail as to the fulfillment of service or type of article received.

Box 2, folders 1-13, also contain numbered vouchers fitting the same description. Folder 14 contains unnumbered vouchers and folder 15 contains miscellaneous financial documents of 1881-1882, such as receipts for services and articles with no attached vouchers and accounts of spending progress.

The vouchers represent the military supplies and services used during the Battle at Yorktown celebration. Areas include transportation such as carriage, steamboat, or wagon, stationery and printing, forage, subsistence, servants, fuel, labor and construction, medical supplies, band and drum corps, telegrams and payroll of soldiers.

Voucher #43 is an example of a payroll and voucher #60 contains a long list of medical supplies. Voucher #65 is a memorandum of expenses of the Quartermaster General's office for the fall of 1881.

The first eight folders of Box 3, contain CORRESPONDENCE of General Lewis Perrine. The correspondence spans 1844-1889. While much of the correspondence is of a personal nature, there is some professional correspondence from before and during the time Lewis Perrine served as Quartermaster General.

Folder 1 includes correspondence from 1844-1854. Contained within, is correspondence addressed to Perrine as an attorney at law in Trenton, New Jersey and a letter to Lewis from his brother-in-law, William T. Mills.

Folder 2 contains correspondence from 1857-1859, the bulk of which is addressed to Lewis from his nephew, David Mills, but also includes correspondence from Lewis' sister, Eleanor, and her husband, William T. Mills. The Mills family wrote to Lewis Perrine on several occasions to request financial assistance towards David's education.

Folder 3 contains correspondence from 1860-1864. It includes a letter addressed to Lewis Perrine, dated January 10, 1861, from G.P. Langer Esq., of Boston. The letter is apparently a reply to Perrine's request for the names and addresses of the officers of the senate and the assembly for the sessions of 1860 and 1861. Perrine also requested the names of the members of the 37th Congress of five districts in New Jersey. The names and addresses of these persons are included in Langer's response.

Also stored in folder 3 are several letters to Lewis Perrine from Lewis S. Coryll of New Hope, Pennsylvania, and a letter to Lewis from his brother, James A. Perrine, dated October 17, 1864.

Box 3, folder 4, contains correspondence dated between 1867 and 1869, primarily addressed to Anna and Lewis Perrine from Anna's cousin, Richard Tyler, of Bridesburg. The correspondence is in relation to the sale of property. Included also in folder 4 is correspondence of furniture manufacturer, Joseph Walton, in regard to an order to construct doors for Lewis Perrine.

Folder 5 contains correspondence dated 1870-1883. Several letters of complaint written by George W. Barker in 1875 in regards to the late departure of a military train are found here. Lewis Perrine had these letters in his possession. Also included are letters addressed to Lewis Perrine from Governor's Island, New York, dated 1882. The correspondence is a request for information and photographs which the Quartermaster General's office would have had at its disposal. Several 1883 letters of correspondence in regards to the Pratt Estate are also found in folder 5. Henry Pratt was the father of Lewis Perrine's wife, Anna E.

Folder 6 contains correspondence dated 1884-1886 and is composed primarily ofletters concerning the Pratt Estate from the law offices of J.M. & W.P. Gest. Also of importance is a letter written by Lewis Perrine in July of 1886 to Hugh B. Ely, and Ely's response.

Folder 7 includes correspondence dated 1888-1889. There are two letters addressed to Lewis Perrine from William C. Heppenheimer, attorney and counselor of New York, NY.

Folder 8 contains one undated and torn letter written to Lewis Perrine from A.S. Green. Folder 8 concludes the CORRESPONDENCE of Lewis Perrine.

Box 3, folder 9, contains FIRE INSURANCE POLICIES held by Perrine of the years 1849-1885.

Folder 10 contains LEGAL DOCUMENTS of Lewis Perrine, 1866-1884, including an indenture for land in Brooklyn, New York, belonging to Eleanor and William Mills, and legal documents related to the sale of the Pratt Estate dated 1884.

Folder 11 holds a few miscellaneous BILLS AND RECEIPTS dated 1844-1887. These include a bill for tuition and receipts from Joseph Walton & Co. for the purchase of a set of doors.

Folders 12-17 contain the EST A TE PAPERS OF JOHN PERRINE, JR., of which Lewis Perrine was an executor along with his brothers Barclay and James.

Folder 12 contains the will of John Perrine, Jr., dated 1847.

Folder 13 contains receipts and other financial documents dated 1849-1863. Within folder 13 may be found the receipts as to the distribution of monies as set forth in the will of John Perrine, Jr., as well as an 1849 Refunding Bond from Amos Hutchinson to the executors of John Perrine, Jr.

Folders 14-17 contain documents dated 1844-1869 concerning the Mills family and a property dispute over a mortgage held and a forced sale of property, arranged chronologically.

Box 3, folder 18, contains the ESTATE PAPERS OF WILLIAM NORCROSS, dated 1866-1873. The papers are in relation to the guardianship of the children of William Norcross. Enclosed are two letters of guardianship naming Lewis Perrine the guardian of the children.

The documents found in folders 19-32 deal directly with other members of Lewis Perrine's family. Folders 19-30 contain the ESTATE PAPERS OF ALLISON ELY of which John Perrine, Jr. was an executor. The other executors were Amos Hutchinson and Joshua Ely.

Folders 19-30 contain accounts of monies dispensed according to the will of Allison Ely, from 1840-1846, an 1845 bond of William T. Mills, deeds dated 1841, an undated inventory of the possessions of Allison Ely, undated calculations regarding the estate, an 1842 mortgage of William T. Mills, receipts dated 1837-1846 as to the disbursement of monies according to the will of Allison Ely, 1844 releases and vendue documents dated 1840-1841 for the sale of two separate properties. The conditions of the sale are included.

Box 3, folder 31, contains the PERSONAL MISCELLANY of Henry P. Perrine, the son of General Lewis Perrine, dated 1889-1921. The folder contains a letter written to Capt. Henry P. Perrine in 1889, directly following the death of his father. The letter was sent from the State Arsenal in regards to unreturned property. An 1895 letter addressed to Harry from his brother Lewis at law offices in Trenton is also filed within folder 31. In addition, included is a letter written in the hand of Henry P. Perrine to the Trenton Passenger Railway Company Consolidated.

Box 3, folder 32, contains FAMILY MISCELLANY dated 1855-1889, as well as undated material. This folder includes an 1884 plumbing and gas fitting agreement made between Anna Perrine and plumber, Thomas Siddal, and an undated copy of the will of Sarah Perrine (General Lewis Perrine's mother).