John Bouvier Papers: Finding Aid mssBO
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Finding aid last updated by Melissa Haley on March 6, 2024.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: John Bouvier papers
Identifier/Call Number: mssBO
Physical Description:
5.58 Linear Feet
(6 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1714-1895
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of French-American jurist John Bouvier (1787-1851) and his family in Pennsylvania, including
Bouvier's daughter, science writer Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson (1811-1870), his son-in-law Robert Evans Peterson (1812-1869)
and the Petersons' son-in-law Philadelphia publisher George William Childs (1829-1894).
Language of Material: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
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[Identification of item]. John Bouvier Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Gift of David Blankerhorn in January, 1956.
114 pieces of addenda (Boxes 4-5 and Hannah Peterson scrapbook) were received as the gift of Maurice Wells, 1973
John Bouvier (1787-1851) was born of Quaker parents in 1787 in the small French village of Codognan, department du Gard. Of
his life before the age of fifteen little is known, except that he attended school in Nimes. His father, Jean (1760-1803)
was a man of considerable means, having inherited property from his uncle and money from his grandfather. Bouvier's mother,
Marie Benezet (1760-1823), also brought a respectable dowry into her marriage with Jean. Husband and wife farmed for a living,
adding to this income money earned from a distillery and from a farm products and manufacturing exchange enterprise. As a
result of his fortune, Jean Bouvier was one of the principal men of his village, occupying at one time or another almost all
of the village offices. However, when he attempted to feed his friends and finance relief from the distress occasioned by
the French Revolution (with which he sympathized), a series of misfortunes crushed the family. Thus circumstanced, Jean and
Marie applied for passports to America in 1800, finally making the voyage in 1802 with their two sons, John and Daniel (c.
1795-1825). John's father died less than a year later, while his mother returned to France and died in 1823.
Soon after his arrival in Philadelphia, John Bouvier was apprenticed to Benjamin Johnson, printer and bookseller, until he
was twenty-one. He seems to have read voraciously during this period. In 1808 friends helped him to establish his own business
in Philadelphia. Two years later he married Elizabeth Middifield (1787?-1840?), daughter of James and Hannah Middifield, prominent
Philadelphia Quakers. The union issued one child, Hannah Mary (1811-1870), who grew to become an accomplished astronomer and
author of
Familiar Astronomy: Or An Introduction to the Study of the Heavens.
About 1814 Bouvier moved to Brownsville to publish the
American Telegraph, moving again in 1818 to Uniontown, where he established the
Genius of American Liberty with John M. Austin. That same year he was admitted to the bar, and four years later he was permitted to practice before
the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Returning to Philadelphia in 1823, Bouvier published an abridgement of Blackstone. Sometime
later he became active with the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of the Abolition of Capital Punishment, the Apprentices
Library of Philadelphia, and the temperance movement. It seems that he was also interested, if not active, in Pennsylvania
Democratic-Republican politics, for between 1820 and 1824 he received regular correspondence from James Todd, a member of
the Pennsylvania legislature, about legislative proceedings and politics. A letter from former-governor Joseph Ritner is also
suggestive.
But the highest offices which Bouvier himself attained were City Recorder and associate judge of the court of criminal sessions
(1838). A year later his famous
Law Dictionary appeared, going through numerous editions. Between 1841 and his death in November, 1851, he managed to publish two more works:
a new edition of
Mathew Bacon's Abridgement of the Law (1841-1845) and
Institutes of American Law (1851).
Additional relatives of Bouvier include: Antoine Benezet, 1st cousin, son of François; Bellamy Benezet, son of Jean, Husband
of Fanny Majolier (the daughter of Louis); François Benezet, uncle; Jean Benezet, uncle; Jeanne Benezet, 1st cousin, daughter
of François, wife of Pierre Clavel; Etienne Bouvier, cousin (probable); Guillame Bouvier, uncle; Jean Bouvier (a), father
of John (John occasionally signed as "Jean"); Jean Bouvier (b), 1st cousin, son of Guillame; Pierre Bouvier, uncle; Pierre
Bouvier, Cousin, son of above; "Sanier" Andre Guillame Bouvier, 1st cousin, son of Guillame; Antoine Clavel, husband of Madalein
Bouvier (the daughter of Pierre Bouvier a); Etienne Clavel, cousin (probable); Pierre Clavel, cousin; Louis Antoine Majolier,
2nd cousin; Justin Paradon, cousin (probable); Emma Peterson, granddaughter, daughter of Robert Evans Peterson; George Peterson,
father of Robert Evans Peterson Hannah Mary Peterson, daughter, wife of Robert Evans Peterson; Jane Evans Peterson, mother
of Robert Evans Peterson; Robert Evans Peterson (a), son-in-law, born Nov. 12, 1812, brother of Henry Peterson, author and
publisher; partner in law firm with John Bouvier; went into insurance after the Civil War; and Robert ("Rob") Evans Peterson
(b), grandson; son of [unknown].
This collection contains the papers of French-American jurist John Bouvier (1787-1851) and his family in Pennsylvania, including
Bouvier's daughter astronomy writer Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson (1811-1870), his son-in-law Robert Evans Peterson (1812-1869)
and the Petersons' son-in-law Philadelphia publisher George William Childs (1829-1894). The papers include letters, documents,
and photographs document the family history; personal affairs of John Bouvier; political affairs, including charges of corruption
against Pennsylvania Governor William Findlay (1817-1820); Democratic-Republican politics in Pennsylvania (1820-1824), correspondence
and business papers Robert Evans Peterson and his wife Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson (1811-1870), including correspondence
concerning Hannah Peterson's astronomy works and her text on astronomy from people eminent in the field. Some of the letters
contain corrections of information found in the book; there are also incoming correspondence and documents pertaining to the
personal affairs of George William Childs. In addition, there is one box of photographs of military figures, primarily American,
and Presidents. Correspondents include James Todd, Alexander James Dallas, Joseph Ritner, Samuel Austin Allibone, James Thomas
Fields, Frederick Edwin Church, Charlotte Saunders Cushman, George William Curtis, Henry Martyn Hoyt, and others. There are
29 pieces of John Bouvier and 30 pieces of James Todd
Some notable items include:
- Bouvier, John. Entry regarding the War of 1812 in his journal. June 1, 1813.
- Dallas, Alexander James. Letter to John Irvine giving professional opinion about a legal document.
- Todd, James. Letter to John Bouvier defending Governor William Findlay against the charges of corruption. Feb. 2, 1820.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssBO 1-217.
Organized in the following series:
- John Bouvier (1714-1843) (Boxes 1-2)
- Robert Evans Peterson (1845-1895) and Ephemera (Box 3)
- George William Childs (1822-1893) (Box 4)
- Photographs (Box 5)
Arranged chronologically within each series.
Brigham, Clarence.
History and Bibliography of American Newspapers. Vol. 2. pp. 978-979.
Dictionary of American Biography. Vol 2. pp. 490-491.
National Cyclopedia of American Biography. Vol. 8, 1. 99; Vol. 16, p. 34
North American Revie, July, 1861. pp. 71-82
Simpson, Henry.
The Lives of Eminent Philadelphians. pp. 111-123.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Astronomy -- Study and teaching -- United States
Lawyers -- Pennsylvania -- Correspondence
Insurance -- Pennsylvania -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Politicians -- Pennsylvania -- Archives
Publishers and publishing -- Pennsylvania -- Correspondence
Quakers -- Pennsylvania -- Correspondence
Women astronomers -- United States -- Correspondence
Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Sources
Pennsylvania -- Politics and government -- 1775-1865 -- Sources
United States -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Business records -- United States -- 19th century
Family papers -- United States
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Photographs -- United States -- 19th century
Cushman, Charlotte, 1816-1876
John Bouvier
Box 1
1714-1821
Box 2
1822-1843
Robert Evans Peterson
Box 3
1845-1895 and ephemera
George William Childs
Box 4
1822-1893 (BO 151-217)
Photographs
Box 5
Photographs