Wells Family Papers

Papers, 1921-1953, of Julia Lawrence Wells consisting of financial papers (in part relating to real estate holdings in New York City), estate papers for relatives (including her mother Sarah Remsen Wells), records of Elm farm (including deeds and financial papers) and photographs; papers, 1824-1881, of Thomas Lawrence Wells relating to personal and family business (including Elm Farm and other property) and to his legal practice; papers, 1770-1821, of Abraham Beach; scattered papers, 1805(1821)-1822, of John Wells mostly relating to his legal practice; and miscellaneous other family papers.

Papers of Abraham Beach consist chiefly of letters received, receipts, sermons, an 1821 manumission certificate (for a slave named Caesar Jackson) and papers pertaining to estates which Beach settled (including that of Francis Brazier who lived immediately west of the Elm Farm property). Among Beach's correspondents (19 letters: 1783-1792) is loyalist lawyer and Christ Church vestryman Bernardus La Grange, son-in-law of Francis Brazier, who formerly resided at Raritan Landing in Piscataway Township, Middlesex County.

Among the miscellaneous papers included is a sermon marked as having been delivered at various times from 1738 to 1766 at several locations, most or all in Connecticut. Also present is "An oration [de]livered the evening prev[i]ous to the commencement 1786" (4 p.) which concerns the status of slaves and advocates adoption of "a law for the gradual abolition of slavery." In addition, two "University of the State of New York" medical lecture tickets from 1831 (engraved by P. Maverick and by S. Maverick) are included. These tickets pertain to Abraham Beach, who graduated from Rutgers College in 1829; he is evidently the grandson of the Rev. Abraham Beach by that name (the son of Abraham Beach, Jr.) who is named in his grandfather's will.