Speed Family Papers, 1804-1912

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Summary

Creators:
Speed family.
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of the family of New York State congressman and businessman John James Speed (1803-1867) including letters, indentures, announcements, receipts, and photographs. Includes family correspondence, as well as letters to Speed about business ventures, including Speed’s attempt to build a telegraph line from St. Louis, Missouri, to the West coast.
Extent:
363 pieces in 7 boxes
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of 305 letters, indentures, announcements, and receipts. There are also 19 pieces of ephemera and 39 albumen, tintype, and daguerreotype photographs. The majority of the correspondence in the collection (179 letters) was sent to John James Speed (1803-1867) from business associates and family members. George James Pumpelly wrote more letters than any other associate, sending 99 letters to Speed between 1853-1863. He talks about business finances, owing and collecting money, and various business ventures that Speed is involved in at the time. Some of his letters discuss investigating the purchase of coal mines and Speed’s attempt to build a telegraph line from St. Louis, Missouri, to the West coast.

Several of the letters sent by various people during 1832 congratulate Speed on his appointment to the New York State legislature.

Ann Speed (d. 1881) writes 5 letters to her husband during the period while he is in the legislature and living in Albany, New York. Her family also corresponds with her husband, and her father, Charles Horton Morrell, wrote 13 of these letters. Morrell and his son, Lewis H. Morrell (Ann’s brother who sends 2 letters) refer to Speed as “Son” and “Brother,” respectively. Speed receives 5 letters from his cousin, Joshua J. Speed; he also receives a few letters from his children. Most of these letters discuss family matters, travel plans, and the weather.

Perhaps the most noteworthy item in the collection is an unsigned speech made by John James Speed (1803-1867) at the National Republican Convention in June 1864 in Baltimore, Maryland. He touches on several subjects including President Abraham Lincoln, Vice-Presidential nominee Andrew Johnson, and the Civil War. He also mentions the death of his son, William Johnson Speed (1832-1863) at Gettysburg.

The collection also includes 29 indentures written during the early 1800s between John James Speed (d. 1860) and others. Three folders containing ephemera include invitations to a Fourth of July celebration (June 1822) and a New Year’s Day (Dec. 1822) party.

The collection also contains 39 photographs (Boxes 6-7). A few of the Speed family members have been identified including John James Speed (1803-1867), Cornelia Speed (1847-1884) and Frederic Speed (b. 1841). There is also a photograph of Ezra Cornell (1807-1874) and one of Mrs. Cornell in Box 7.

Note: The maiden name of Ann Speed, the wife of John James Speed (1803-1867), was Anne Sophia Morrell, and she signed each of her letters using her married name. She appears in this collection as: Ann Speed, d. 1881.

Biographical / historical:

John James Speed (1803-1867) was born on July 20, 1803 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, the son of John James Speed (d. 1860) and Lucy Swepson Speed (d. 1840). He was appointed to the New York State legislature in 1832. He lived in various towns throughout his life including Ithaca, Speedsville, and Albany, New York. He also lived for a time in Wellsville, Ohio, Gorham, Maine, and Detroit, Michigan. died in Brooklyn, New York, sometime in June 1867.

Speed married Anne Sophia Morrell on September 30, 1829. The Speeds had eight children: Charles Henry Speed (1830-1890), William Johnson Speed (1832-1863), Anna Speed (b. 1834), Francis Morrell Speed (b. 1836), John James Speed (b. 1839), Frederic Speed (b. 1841), Charlotte Morrell Speed (b. 1844), and Cornelia Speed (1847-1884).

Very little is known about the children. William Johnson Speed (1832-1863) died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Frederic Speed (b. 1841), who had formerly been a clerk in a law office in Mississippi, became a lawyer and formed a partnership in 1868.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from G. Gosen Rare Books and Old Paper, September 10, 1999.
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged chronologically, with oversize materials and photographs stored at the end.

  • Box 1: 1804-1832
  • Box 2: 1834-1854
  • Box 3: 1855-1859
  • Box 4: 1860-1867
  • Box 5: Post-1867-post-1912
  • Box 6: Oversize materials (including 2 photographs), 1805-post-1868
  • Box 7: Photographs (37)

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

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