Herries (William) Correspondence, 1804-approximately 1816

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Summary

Title:
William Herries correspondence
Dates:
1804-approximately 1816
Creators:
Herries, William, 1748-1811
Abstract:
Contains correspondence from William Herries to his brother and niece describing his travel and life in the United States.
Extent:
0.21 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Herries correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains 44 letters written by William Herries to his English relatives during his journey across the Atlantic Ocean to New York and his travels around America including Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Kentucky, the Indiana and Louisiana territories, New Orleans, and Spanish Florida. Herries writes about people he meets including President Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, William Pultney, and John Jacob Astor. He also describes his various economic endeavors including attempts as a fur trader, general merchant, trader of enslaved persons, and land speculator before his acquisition and operation of the Montesano plantation near Fort Baton Rouge and his eventual ruin following the short-lived West Florida Republic.

There is a note from Charles Herries from approximately 1816 stating that he had recently received word that William Herries had died three or four years previously. An unsigned and undated note lists all of Herries's stops from New York to New Orleans.

Biographical / historical:

William Herries was born in 1748 to William Herries and Katherine Henderson. He had two older brothers: Sir Robert Herries, who founded the banking firm that would become Lloyd's of London, and Charles Herries, colonel of the Light Horse Volunteers of London and Westminster and who was buried in Westminster Abbey. William worked as a banker on the European continent in Ostend, Brussels, Barcelona, and Paris prior to moving to the United States in 1804. Herries arrived in New York City and then traveled to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and the Kentucky, Indiana and Louisiana Territories before settling in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

While living in New Orleans, Herries explored multiple commercial enterprises including the fur trade, general merchandizing, and the trade of enslaved persons. He purchased a large plantation near Baton Rouge in May 1805 with the help of his brother-in-law Fulwar Skipwith and a large portion of land with the aim of establishing a new town called Montesano. Following the West Florida Rebellion in 1810, Herries faced serious financial difficulties.

William Herries married Isabella Magdelan in 1776. Then, in 1790, Herries married Theresa Josephine Vanden Clooster. Herries died in 1811 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Acquisition information:
Purchased for The Huntington from Boston Rare Maps in part by the Library Collectors' Council, March 2026.
Processing information:

Processed at the time of accessioning by Kahlee Leingang in May 2026.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Kahlee Leingang
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-05-14 14:06:11 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Herries correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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