Roney and Warden Family Papers, 1805-1871 (bulk 1805-1853): Finding Aid
Published in April 2021
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6917
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: MS 555
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
- Title: Roney and Warden Family Papers
- Dates: 1805-1871
- Bulk Dates: 1805-1853
- Size: 1.25 linear feet
- Container Summary: 3 manuscript boxes
- Creator: Roney Family
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: The Roney and Warden Family Papers span from 1805 until 1871, with a majority of the documentation ceasing by 1853. The papers document the Roney and Warden families of Baltimore, particularly: U.S. Navy officer and Naval Academy Class of 1847 member Thomas Roney; his brothers William Roney, Jr., John Roney, and Edward P. Roney; his sisters Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney; Margaret Ann Roney's husband, James Warden; and James Warden's uncle, Irish-American diplomat and Consul at Paris, David Bailie Warden.
Biography of Thomas Roney
Thomas Roney, son of William Roney, Sr. and Alice Roney of Baltimore, was warranted a Midshipman in the United States Navy on March 3, 1841 and served initially aboard U.S.S. Cyane (Sloop-of-war), which was cruising on the Pacific Station. In 1845 he was ordered to the coast of Brazil, ultimately serving aboard U.S.S. Bainbridge (Brig) and U.S.S. Raritan (Frigate). Returning to Baltimore late in 1846, Roney proceeded to the U.S. Naval School in Annapolis that December for instruction, where he remained through July 1847.
On August 10, 1847, Roney was promoted to Passed Midshipman and was subsequently attached to U.S.S. Taney (Schooner), which was deployed to the Mediterranean to counter Mexican privateers. By October 1849, Roney was assigned to the Naval Observatory in Washington, serving under Matthew Fontaine Maury. Duty aboard U.S.S. Saranac (Screw sloop-of-war), U.S.S. Columbia (Frigate), and U.S.S. Bainbridge (Brig) followed in 1850. By early 1852, Roney was serving aboard U.S.S. St. Mary's in the Pacific Squadron. By 1855, he was reported as being aboard U.S.S. Portsmouth (Sloop-of-war).
On April 18, 1855, Roney received his warrant as a Master, and on September 14 of that same year, he was commissioned a Lieutenant. By 1856, he was serving aboard U.S.S. Supply (Store ship), and by 1858, he was attached to U.S.S. Powhatan (Side-wheel steamer). In 1860, Roney was ordered to the Africa Squadron. Lieutenant Thomas Roney died on April 20, 1860 while on duty off the West coast of Africa.
Biography of William Roney, Jr.
William Roney, Jr., brother of Thomas Roney and son of William Roney, Sr. and Alice Roney of Baltimore, worked as a merchant in Baltimore and was at one point employed by John Boggs & Co. In 1842, William and his wife Rebecca relocated to Philadelphia. Following the death of his wife in 1849, William Roney, Jr. moved to California in 1850 where he served, for a time, as Clerk to the U.S. Land Commission at San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Biography of James Warden
James Warden, born in 1804, was the nephew of Irish-American diplomat David Bailie Warden. A bookkeeper for flour dealers Ross & Garrott of Baltimore (and later Alexandria, Virginia), Warden married Margaret Ann Roney, sister of Thomas Roney, in 1843. Margaret Ann Roney Warden died of a brain affliction in 1852 and James Warden died in 1881. James Warden's brother, Hugh Warden, also married into the Roney Family, marrying Thomas Roney's sister Alice McBlair Roney.
Biography of David Bailie Warden
David Bailie Warden was born in 1772 in Ballycastle, Ireland to Robert and Elizabeth Warden. He received a master of arts degree from University of Glasgow in 1797 and was subsequently licensed to preach as a Presbyterian minister. As a consequence of his affiliation with the nationalist Society of United Irishmen, Warden was arrested in 1798 and banished from Ireland as punishment. Emigrating to the United States in 1799, he accepted a position as principal of the Columbia Academy and in August 1801, moved to the Kingston Academy as head tutor.
After becoming an American citizen, Warden traveled to France as private secretary to General John Armstrong, who had accepted an appointment as Minister to France in 1804. In 1808, Warden was designated consul pro tempore. Following his dismissal by Armstrong and Armstrong's eventual relief as Minister in 1810 by Joel Barlow, Warden returned to the United States in order to secure an appointment as Consul at Paris. Warden returned to Paris in 1811 and served as Consul until his removal from office on June 10, 1814 by the newly appointed Minister to France, William H. Crawford.
Following his dismissal, Warden remained in Paris for the remainder of his life, focusing on scholarly and literary pursuits. Prior to his dismissal, Warden had already published a translation of Bishop Henri Grégoire's An Enquiry Concerning the Intellectual and Moral Faculties and Literature of Negroes (1810) and authored On the Origin, Nature, Progress and Influence of Consular Establishments (1813). Following his dismissal, Warden authored A Chorographical and Statistical Description of the District of Columbia (1816), A Statistical, Political, and Historical Account of the United States of North America (1819), and the ten volume Chronologie Historique de l' Amérique (1826-1844). Warden was also noted for his book collecting, twice selling his personal libraries, first to Harvard in 1823, and later to the New York State Library in 1844. David Bailie Warded died in Paris on October 9, 1845.
Description of Contents
The Roney and Warden Family Papers, comprising 1.25 linear feet of documentation, span from 1805 until 1871, with a majority of the documentation ceasing by 1853. The papers document the Roney and Warden families of Baltimore, particularly: U.S. Navy officer and Naval Academy Class of 1847 member Thomas Roney; his brothers William Roney, Jr., John Roney, and Edward P. Roney; his sisters Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney; Margaret Ann Roney's husband, James Warden; and James Warden's uncle, Irish-American diplomat and Consul at Paris, David Bailie Warden.
Including in the collection are personal letters, certificates, ledgers, receipts, clippings, poems, notes, cachets, and envelopes.
The Roney and Warden Family Papers are organized into four series; four by individual family member, and one serving both families and miscellaneous members. Series 1: Thomas Roney consists of letters sent and received by U.S. Navy officer Thomas Roney to his family members during the first decade of his naval career. Series 2: William Roney, Jr. consists of letters sent and received by Thomas Roney's brother, William Roney, Jr., minus any correspondence with Thomas Roney, which is housed in Series 1. Series 3: Margaret Ann Roney Warden and James Warden consists primarily of correspondence between Margaret Ann and her cousins, as well as documents pertaining to James Warden's work as a bookkeeper. The correspondence of James Warden's uncle, the Irish-American diplomat David Bailie Warden, is the subject of Series 4. The final series consists of an aggregation of materials pertaining to John Roney, Alice McBlair Roney, and William Roney, Sr., or that have become disassociated from specific family members.
Arrangement
The Roney and Warden Family Papers are organized into the following five series:
- Series 1: Thomas Roney, 1841-1855
- Series 2: William Roney, Jr., 1837-1853
- Series 3: Margaret Ann Roney Warden and James Warden, 1834-1852
- Series 4: David Bailie Warden, 1805-1849
- Series 5: Roney and Warden Family General Files, 1807-1871
Access and Use
Access
Access is unrestricted.
Copyright and Permission
The Roney and Warden Family Papers are the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Custodial History
Originally transferred to William M. Miller by Evan Rinehart.
Provenance and Acquisition
Gift of William M. Miller and Norvell E. Miller, III in January 2008. Accession No. 08-02.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
An additional letter from Thomas Roney to his brother William is available at the University of Virginia Library.
Additional material pertaining to David Bailie Warden can be found in the David Bailie Warden Papers, 1800-1840 at the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress and in the Warden Papers, 1797-1851 at the Maryland Center for History and Culture.
Materials Cataloged Separately
No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.
Processing and Other Information
Five letters from Thomas Roney to William Roney, Jr. were originally processed and housed with the Alumni/Memorabilia section of the Naval Academy Archives.
Preferred Citation
Roney and Warden Family Papers, MS 555
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:
Malone, Dumas, ed. Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936.
Navy Department. Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1959-1981.
Skeen, C. Edward. "Warden, David Bailie (1772-1845), diplomat and scholar." American National Biography. 1 Feb. 2000; Accessed 15 Apr. 2021. https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-2001080.
United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel. Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1842-1861.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in April 2021. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in April 2021.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Baltimore (Md.) -- History -- 19th century
- California -- History -- 1846-1850
- Cyane (Sloop-of-war)
- Mexican War, 1846-1848
- Midshipmen -- Conduct of Life
- Roney Family
- Roney, Edward P.
- Roney, John
- Roney, Thomas, -1860
- Roney, William
- Taney (Schooner)
- United States -- Foreign relations -- France
- United States -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain
- United States -- History -- War of 1812
- United States Naval Academy -- Curricula
- United States. Navy. Pacific Squadron
- Warden Family
- Warden, David Bailie, 1772-1845
- Warden, James
- Warden, Margaret Ann
Genre Terms
- Certificates
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Envelopes
- Manuscripts
- Notes (documents)
- Poems
- Postmarks
Additional Creator/Author
- Roney, Thomas, -1860
- Roney, William
- Warden, David Bailie, 1772-1845
Contents List
Series 1: Thomas Roney, 1841-1855 Box 1, MSOS
Series DescriptionLetters received and sent by Thomas Roney during his career in the United States Navy, particularly in the Pacific, including his studies at the U.S. Naval School in Annapolis and service aboard U.S.S. Cyane, U.S.S. Raritan, U.S.S. Taney, U.S.S. Saranac, U.S.S. Bainbridge, and at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC under Matthew Fontaine Maury. In addition to covering topics pertaining to Roney's individual duty stations in the Navy and other such Naval topics as the Somers Affair and the capture of Monterey by Thomas ap Catesby Jones, the letters discuss topics from home, such as: the political landscape in Maryland, Baltimore, and the nation, including the fortunes of the Whig Party; updates on health and professional lives of various members of the Roney family; and the toll taken by homesickness and a lack in correspondence. Also included in the series are several commissioning certificates and official orders.
Correspondents include Roney's parents, Alice Roney and William Roney, Sr.; his sisters, Alice McBlair Roney, Rebecca Roney, and Margaret Ann Roney (later Margaret Ann Warden); his brothers, William Roney, Jr., Edward P. Roney, and John Roney; and his cousin, Margaret S. Roney.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by document type, with correspondence arranged alphabetically by correspondent thereunder.
Letters Sent to [Alice Roney], [1844] 1 leaf
Aboard U.S.S. Cyane. Incomplete letter including references to news that the Squadron may sail home via China and the Cape of Good Hope, and requests for more news from home. Includes index to letters received from Alice Roney and William Roney Sr.
Letters Received from Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney Warden, 1841 12 leaves
From Baltimore. Includes references to Edward Roney's employment at J. S. Eastman in Baltimore, the death of two members of the New Market fire company, the Centre Street Nunnery, solicitations from Horace Pratt for content for the Republican, construction of the Gay Street bridge, and the consecration of St. Vincent's Church on Front Street.
Letters Received from Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney Warden, 1843 2 leaves
From Baltimore. Includes references to Margaret Ann Roney's marriage to James Warden, John Roney's partnership in the Vincent Paste Blacking company, and Thomas Roney's religious practices. Includes a letter from Edward P. Roney.
Letters Sent to Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney Warden, 1848 4 leaves
Aboard U.S.S. Taney. Includes comparisons of the dome of St. Peters in Rome to the Maryland State House, descriptions of Naples and Pompeii, the effects of having the Captain's wife on board, and awaiting final examination results from the Academy.
Letters Sent to Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney Warden, 1851-1852 3 leaves
Aboard U.S.S. Bainbridge. Includes references to Lent in Montevideo, Roney's thoughts on the Bible, homesickness, operations on the Rio de la Plata, operations in the Gulf of Guinea, and provisioning at Fernando Po (Bioko).
Letters Received from Edward P. Roney, 1841 8 leaves
From Baltimore. Includes references to Thomas Roney's orders to U.S.S. Cyane, a pistol fight between two fire companies, William Roney Sr.'s marshalling for the North Point Association for Defenders Day, and recent Baltimore murder convictions.
Letters Received from Edward P. Roney, 1842 4 leaves
From Baltimore. Includes references to the May 16-22 encampment, the explosion of the steamboat Medora, fights between the fire companies (Vigilant, Friendship, Independent, and New Market), and resolutions by Baltimoreans to tar and feather Maryland state senators.
Letters Received from Edward P. Roney, 1843 3 leaves
From Baltimore. Includes references to the capture of Monterey by Thomas ap Catesby Jones, Thomas Roney's recent medical procedures (cupping), and improvements to the Roney's home. Also includes an appended letter by Alice McBlair Roney and an index of Edward P. Roney's letters.
Letters Received from John Roney, 1841-1844 5 leaves
From Baltimore. Includes references to the 1841 Maryland elections, the banking crisis and civil unrest in Baltimore, burning Senator Otho Scott in effigy, the 1842 military encampment, and the effects of the temperance movement on William Roney Sr.'s job as Gauger of Casks and Inspector of Domestic Distilled Spirits.
Letters Received from William Roney, Jr., 1842 8 leaves
From Baltimore and Philadelphia. Includes references to the effect of economic and currency troubles on the merchant class, William Roney Sr.'s nomination to the Office of Gauger for the Maryland Senate, national economic woes, William Roney's relocation to Philadelphia, the dispatching of an American squadron to Veracruz, and rumors of conflict with Mexico.
Letters Sent to William Roney, Jr., 1841-1843 5 leaves
Aboard U.S.S. Cyane. Includes references to entertaining French officers, rumors of war with Mexico and British purchase of California, the capture of Monterey by Thomas ap Catesby Jones, Commodore Alexander Dallas' arrival at Honolulu to relieve Jones of command of the Pacific Squadron, the need for more discipline, and rumors of war between England and Mexico. The final letter of the file was completed on January 1, 1844.
Letters Sent to William Roney, Jr., 1844 7 leaves
Aboard U.S.S. Cyane and at Baltimore. Includes references to news that the Squadron may sail home via China and the Cape of Good Hope, attempts to purge the Squadron of Commodore Jones' officers, Cyane's return to the U.S. following the death of Commodore Dallas, and William Roney Sr.'s ill health.
Letters Sent to William Roney, Jr., 1845-1846 5 leaves
Aboard U.S.S. Portsmouth and U.S.S. Raritan, and from Baltimore. Includes references to the death of William Roney Sr., transfer to the Brazil Squadron, opinion of Captain Francis Gregory, shipboard language instruction, the defenses of Castle San Juan-de-Ulloa (San Juan de Ulua) at Veracruz, orders to assist General Zachary Taylor, and the blockade of Veracruz.
Letters Sent to William Roney, Jr., 1847 10 leaves
From the U.S. Naval School and aboard U.S.S. Taney. Includes references to midshipman pay, studies at the Academy, the death of T. B. Shubrick at Veracruz, [James I.] Waddell, Professor William Chauvenet, examinations in mathematics and chemistry, Commodore Jones' shortening of the gunnery exam, assignment to the schooner Taney to hunt privateers in the Mediterranean, and thoughts on the Taney and her commanding officer Lieutenant Charles G. Hunter, and rough passage to Gibraltar.
Letters Sent to William Roney, Jr., 1849 12 leaves, 4 envelopes
Aboard U.S.S. Taney and from the Naval Observatory. Includes references to William Roney's business dealings, nature of duty at the Naval Observatory, Roney's warranting as a Passed Midshipman, possibility of joining the Coast Survey aboard the Hetzel, recommendations on whether to winter in Cuba or Jamaica, Edward Roney's plans to buy a store near Hanover Market, distaste for Washington and its high society, and the need for older officers to retire from the Navy.
Letters Sent to William Roney, Jr., 1852-1853 3 leaves, 1 envelope
Aboard U.S.S. St. Mary's, from Baltimore, and from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Includes references to expected assignment to a surveying expedition to the Bering Sea and China Seas, subsequent removal from the expedition to appear in a slaving trial, and Roney's health.
Series 2: William Roney, Jr., 1837-1853 Boxes 1-2
Series DescriptionLetters received and sent by William Roney, Jr., covering such topics as updates on the health of various members of the family (such as John Roney's bouts of eczema), John Roney's work as a merchant, updates on Thomas Roney, William and Edward Roney's moves to California, the settlement of the estate of William Roney, Sr., and William Roney, Jr.'s former employment by John Boggs & Co. Included among the correspondence are several notes and receipts.
Correspondents include William Roney's parents, Alice Roney and William Roney, Sr.; his brothers, John Roney and Edward P. Roney; his sisters Alice McBlair Roney and Margaret Ann Roney Warden; his niece, Ellen L. Roney; his wife, Rebecca Roney; and associates and friends H. S. Solomon, George Fisher, and John Boggs. Correspondence with William Roney's brother, Thomas, can be found in Series 1: Thomas Roney.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by document type, with correspondence arranged alphabetically by correspondent thereunder.
Letters Received from Edward P. Roney, 1852 6 leaves, 3 envelopes
Includes references to Edward P. Roney's arrival in Stockton, California, thoughts on entering the liquor business with Jeremiah Roland, and desire to head to the gold mines. Includes a receipt from Gregory's California Express.
Letters Received from Edward P. Roney, 1853 January-August 16 leaves, 7 envelopes
Includes references to Edward P. Roney's work for Hugg & Co. selling goods at French Camp, the use of quassia to treat night sweats, a proposal to raise livestock, funding John Roney's relocation to California, and the Roneys' California land holdings.
Letters Received from John Roney, 1848 9 leaves
Includes reference to the settlement of William Roney Sr.'s estate, the procurement of trunks for sale, and attempts to secure a new partner to continue John Roney's business operations. Includes a check to Dr. C. W. Chipman of Philadelphia.
Letters Received from John Roney, 1850 9 leaves, 3 envelopes
Includes references to prospects for William's recovery from consumption in Cuba, William's attempts to find a position at a port in the West Indies, William's move to California, and John Roney's continued association with Johns Hopkins.
Letters Received from John Roney, 1851 5 leaves, 3 envelopes
Includes references to Thomas Roney's hopes of appointment as Master of U.S.S. St. Louis, difficulties with Johns Hopkins, John Roney's near death from a urethral hemorrhage, Alice McBlair Roney's marriage to Hugh Warden, Edward P. Roney's move to California.
Letters Received from John Roney, 1852 5 leaves, 3 envelopes
Includes references to Tom Roney's attachment to the Africa Squadron aboard U.S.S. Bainbridge, Margaret Ann Roney Warden's suffering and death from a severe brain condition, Tom Roney's appointment as Acting Master of U.S.S. Bainbridge, and John Roney's recent unemployment and hopes to go to sea to recover his health.
Letters Received from Margaret Ann Roney Warden, 1842-1843 5 leaves
Includes references to lectures by Charles Fenno Hoffman at the Mercantile Library Association, James Warden's employment history, and Alice Roney's health. Also includes summaries of Thomas Roney's letters of May 1842 off Callao, including an admonition to Edward P. Roney not to get involved with Baltimore's fire companies, and his letters of October 1842 regarding the capture of Monterey.
Series 3: Margaret Ann Roney Warden and James Warden, 1834-1852 Box 2
Series DescriptionDocumentation, largely in the form of correspondence, pertaining to the lives of Margaret Ann Roney Warden and her husband, James Warden. The materials pertain to such topics as the lives of the Philadelphia Roney Family (families of Colonel Thomas Roney, John Roney of Philadelphia, and the Eckels Family), including that family's travels to Cincinnati; the health and business dealings of the Baltimore Roney Family; James Warden's business partnerships and work for Ross & Garrott; and James Warden's family in Ballyblack, Northern Ireland. In addition to correspondence, the series includes legal documents, a partial diary, and several poems.
Correspondents of the Wardens' include Margaret Ann's siblings Edward P. Roney, John Roney, Alice McBlair Roney, and Rebecca Roney; her cousins Ann Jane Roney, Eleanor Roney, Elizabeth Roney, Jenny Roney, Margaret S. Roney, and Rebecca Roney; several of Margaret Ann's friends in Alexandria Virginia; James Warden's parents Robert Warden and Susanna Warden of Ballyblack; and his brother, Hugh Warden. Correspondence with Margaret Ann Roney's brother, Thomas, can be found in Series 1: Thomas Roney. Correspondence with her brother William Roney, Jr. can be found in Series 2: William Roney, Jr.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by document type, with correspondence arranged alphabetically by correspondent thereunder.
Letters Received by Margaret Ann Roney Warden from Edward P. Roney (Brother), 1849, 1852 2 leaves
Description of Edward's passage to San Francisco via the Straits of Lemaire and Cape Horn, and description of Valparaiso on a later trip. Includes on letter co-addressed to Alice McBlair Roney.
Letters Received by Margaret Ann Roney Warden from John Roney (Brother), 1838, 1845, undated 5 leaves
Includes references to the explosion of the riverboat Moselle and John's hopes of receiving an appointment as an Assistant Purser in the Navy. Also includes a broadside for John Roney's business with Alexander W. Owings, Roney & Owings, Tea and Liquor Dealers and Grocers of Baltimore. Includes a letter from Mary Ann Roney to John Roney regarding religion.
Letters Received by Margaret Ann Roney Warden from Margaret S. Roney (Cousin), 1834-1842 12 leaves
Includes references to Philadelphia's volunteer fire companies, views on religion, the preaching of Reverend Kirk, 1840 Whig celebrations in Baltimore, and William Roney's relocation to Philadelphia. Includes a letter to John Roney regarding his religious practices.
Series 4: David Bailie Warden, 1805-1849 Boxes 2-3
Series DescriptionCorrespondence received by David Bailie Warden during and after his time as American Consul in Paris. The correspondence pertains to such topics as the capture of American ships and sailors during the War of 1812, Warden's appointment as dismissal as American Consul in Paris, the defeat of General William Hull, the Presidential elections of 1812 and 1816, American foreign policy, Warden's relationship with General John Armstrong, and the pursuits of Samuel Latham Mitchill and other scientific endeavors. Included with the correspondence are documents pertaining to Warden's estate, notes, a newspaper clipping, partial transcriptions of published works, and notes on an 1812 visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
Correspondents of Warden's include Reuben G. Beaseley, United States agent for prisoners of war in London; Charles Brooks, possibly the Unitarian minister and Professor of Natural History; Charlotte A. H. Brooks, likely the wife of Charles Brooks); George Washington's step-granddaughter Elizabeth Parke Custis Law (letters signed and filed as Eliza Parke Custis); journalist and General William Duane of Philadelphia; Eliza Godefroy, editor and wife of architect Maximilian Godefroy; Baptis Irvine, editor of the Baltimore Whig and the New York Columbian; physician William James MacNeven; diplomatic agent Joseph Marcadier; General John Mason; naturalist, physician, and politician Dr. Samuel Latham Mitchill; Irish novelist Sydney, Lady Morgan and her husband Thomas Charles Morgan; land agent and former soldier James C. Mountflorence; diplomat and journalist Mordecai Manuel Noah; New York merchant and lawyer John Rodman; historian and educator Jared Sparks; Wesleyan minister William Toase; and Warden's nephew, and husband of Margaret Ann Roney Warden, James Warden.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by document type, with correspondence arranged alphabetically by correspondent thereunder.
Estate Documents, 1842-1849, undated 30 leaves, 1 seal
Management and distribution of David Bailie Warden's estate by his nephew, James Warden, including the donation of Warden's library to the New York State Library and the presentation of a letter between the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.
Letters Received from Eliza Parke Custis, 1811-1824, undated 9 leaves
Includes well wishes for Warden's role as Consul in Paris, the special relationship between France and United States, thoughts on the relationship between men and women, Custis' esteem for Warden, grief over the death of Custis' daughter, and Custis' failing health.
Letters Received from Baptis Irvine, 1810-1817 8 leaves
Includes letters pertaining to reconciliation with General John Armstrong, critique of Timothy Pickering, changes to the Whig, Warden's appointment as Consul in Paris, preparations for war against Britain, General Hull's preparations at Detroit, Irvine's taking over the Columbian, British capture of French vessels off Sandy Hook, Gallatin's role in the 1816 Presidential nomination, Dewitt Clinton, and the political vitriol of the time.
Letters Received from Samuel Latham Mitchill, 1806-1827 34 leaves
Includes letters pertaining to the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, Mitchill's study of the fish of New York, Mitchill's collections of American minerals and other scientific specimens, incorporation of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, introductions to Dr. Wagstaff and Captain Benjamin Morrell, observations on the atmosphere of North America, Fulton's development of the steamboat, and Mitchill's study of mutes.
Letters Received from Mordecai Manuel Noah, 1814-1816, undated 6 leaves
Includes discussion of Warden's recent dismissal as Consul, the destitution of Noah's father, the need for reform in America's foreign relations, a blank Letter of Marque held by Warden's successor in Paris, and several introductions.
Letters Received from John Rodman, 1814-1820, undated 11 leaves
Includes reference to the War of 1812 as a second war of independence, appointment of Albert Gallatin as ambassador to the restored Bourbon government in France, debt owed to a Mr. [Leflo], the treaty between the United States and Spain, Rodman's 1818 trip to Paris, and Warden's A Statistical, Political, and Historical Account of the United States of North America.
Series 5: Roney and Warden Family General Files, 1807-1871 Box 3, MSOS
Series DescriptionScattered documentation pertaining to the Roney and Warden families, including material received by or pertaining to William Roney, Sr., John Roney, and Alice McBlair Roney. Topical coverage includes William Roney's membership in the Maryland Militia, Defenders Day celebrations in Baltimore, Warden Family genealogy, and the collection of stamps and cachets. Included in the series are letters, poems, cachets, envelopes, notes, poems, a newspaper clipping, a building plan, a certificate, and a set of meeting minutes.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by document type and topic.