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Seton Jevons family papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Mss 0005

Scope and Contents

The collection contains the papers of the Seton family of New York City and the Jevons family of Liverpool, England and New York City. Seton Jevons family members who feature prominently in the collection include Robert Seton, Thomas Seton Jevons, Isabel Seton Jevons, and others.

Included in the collection are: correspondence, photographs, drawings and engravings; holy cards and death notices; postcards and menus; bills and legal papers; genealogical material; report cards; newspaper clippings; William Seton Jr.'s prayer book; Elizabeth Seton's diary; broadsides and miscellaneous pamphlets.

The collection also includes a letter written by Elizabeth Ann Seton to her daughter Catherine, circa 1820, in Series XI.

Also included are early Seton letters: 1782-1787 consisting of seven letters, letter fragments and ship invoices of William Seton (1746-1798).

The Seton-Jevons Collection covers a wide variety of topics over a span of eighty years. A fairly extensive correspondence exists on the following subjects:

Catholicism
W. Seton Jr. to W. Seton Sr. (1850s) and Robert Seton (1902-05); Robert Seton to T.S. Jevons (1902-1914); Rev. C.G. O'Keefe (Highland Falls, NY) and J. F. Edwards (Librarian, University of Notre Dame) to Robert Seton (1902-1914); Helen Seton to Elizabeth Seton; Catherine Seton to T.E.G. Jevons Dec. 12, 1883.
Civil War
William Seton Jr. to W. Seton Sr., Elizabeth Seton, Emily Seton; Emily Seton to Elizabeth Seton Sept. 21,1862; T.E.G. and WS Jevons's letters of each other, 1861-63.
Cuba
Life on a sugar plantation, Santa Lucia, Orients Province, Cuba 1912-1917. F.T.R. Jevons to his family.
Dixon, Illinois
William Seton Jr. lived here in the late 1850's. Described in letters to his family.
England
T.E.G. Jevons maintained extensive correspondence with family and friends in England. WS Jevons's letters to him, 1861-1882 are filled with information on the political, artistic, and intellectual currents of Great Britain, especially in Liverpool, Manchester and London. Henry Jevons, a cousin, wrote frequently of life in Liverpool.
Europe
The Seton family traveled extensively in France, Germany and Italy in the 1850's. R. Seton wrote often to T.S. Jevons of his European travels and Roman society. He maintained correspondence with friends in several European countries. The Jevons made frequent trips to England and the Continent, 18870-1910.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Dozens of Robert Seton's former Parishioners and associates kept in touch with him, 1902-1915. A partial list of frequent correspondents is attached.
School Life
Letters form William, Henry and Robert Seton at Mt. St. Mary's to their parents, 1850-51; extensive correspondence between Reginald, Thomas Seton and Ferdinand Jevons and their parents wile they attended the Giggleswick School, Settle, North Yorkshire, England and Cambridge University, ca.1886-1900.
South America
Reginald Jevons recorded his impressions of a trip to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina (summer, 1898) in letters to his family.

Dates

  • 1780s-1930

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

All materials available in this collection (unless otherwise noted) are the property of the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and Seton Hall University, which reserves the right to limit access to or reproduction of these materials. Reproduction of materials or content is subject to United States copyright restrictions and may be subject to federal or state privacy regulations. Permission to publish exact reproductions must be obtained from the Director of the Archives and Special Collections Center.

Biographical / Historical

William Seton Sr. (1796-1868): Son of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton. Lived at "Cragdon" in what is now the Bronx. Spent much time with his family in Europe during the 1850's.

Emily Prime Seton (1800-1854): Daughter of Nathaniel Prime and Cornelia Sands. Wife of W. Seton Sr. Died at Pau, France.

William Seton Jr. (1835-1905): Son of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Attended Mt. St. Mary's, Emmitsburg, Md. c. 1850-51. Illinois homesteader; lawyer; Captain in the 4th NY Volunteers during the Civil War. Author of several novels for children. A leading American Catholic popularizer of theory of evolution. Lived 1870-1883 in Munich. Married Sarah Redwood Parish in 1884.

Henry Seton (1839-1927): Son of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Attended Mt. St. Mary's Emmitsburg, Md. c. 1850-51. In Australian Army c. 1860, Served as Captain in Civil War. Remained in Army until c.1901. Married Anne Foster of New Hampshire with whom he had 2 sons.

Robert Seton (1839-1927): Son of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Attended Mt. St. Mary's Emmitsburg, Md. c. 1850-51. Studied in Rome at North American College and Academia Ecclesiastica dei Nobili. Ordained 1865. Chaplain, St. Elizabeth's Convent, Convent Station, NJ, 1867-1876, Pastor, St. Joseph's, Jersey City, NJ, 1876-1901. Consecrated archbishop of Heliopolis, 1903. Resided at Rome, 1902-1914; Mt. St. Mary's, 1915; Eaux Bonns, France, c.1916-1921; St. Elizabeth's Convent, Convent Station, NJ, 1921-1927. Author of An Old Family, or the Setons of Scotland and America (1899) and Memories of Many Years (1923).

Emily Seton (1836-1868): Daughter of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Educated at Sacre Coeur, Paris.

Elizabeth Seton (1840-1906): Daughter of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Educated at Sacre Coeur, Paris. Lived in Munich 1870-1883 with her brother William. Afterwards resided with her cousin Nina Prime at Huntington, L.I., NY.

Helen Seton (d.1906): Daughter of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Educated Sacre Coeur, Paris. Entered Sisters of Mercy in 1876 at New York, taking the name Sr. Mary Catherine.

Isabel Seton (d.1929): Daughter of William Seton Sr. and Emily Prime Seton. Educated at Sacre Coeur, Paris. Married Thomas E. Jevons in 1870. Four children. Lived in NYC, 'The Drift" at Huntington, L.I., N.Y. and Atlantic City.

Catherine Seton (1800-1891): Daughter of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton. Entered Sisters of Mercy in 1847 at NYC taking the name Sr. Mary Catherine.

Thomas J. Jevons (1791-1855): Liverpool iron merchant. Married to Mary Ann Roscoe.

Lucy Jevons Hutton (1830-1910): Oldest daughter of Thomas J. Jevons and Mary Ann Roscoe. Married John Hutton, 1862. Mother of Josephine Hutton (1867-1910). Lived in Liverpool, Wales, Buxton, West Heslerton (Yorks.) and Pitsea (Essex) England.

William Stanley Jevons (1835-1882): Son of Thomas J. Jevons and Mary Ann Roscoe. Distinguished economist, logician and social scientist. Author of many works including The Coal Question (1865) and Theory of Political Economy (1871). Married Mary Ann Taylor of Manchester in 1867. Three children.

Thomas E. Jevons (1841-1919): Son of Thomas J. Jevons and Mary Ann Roscoe. Graduated from University of London. Immigrated to New York City in 1865 as agent for Liverpool shipping firm of Rathbone Bros. & Co. Became partner in Busk & Jevons (1868). Eventually settled at "The Drift," Huntington, L.I. ( c.1902). Married Isabel Seton in 1870. They had four children.

Reginald Jevons (Rex) (1872-1907): Son of Thomas E. Jevons and Isabel Seton. Attended Giggleswick School, Settle, North Yorkshire, England and Cambridge University. Worked with father at Busk & Jevons.

Thomas Seton Jevons (1874-?): Son of Thomas E. Jevons and Isabel Seton. Attended Giggleswick School, Settle, North Yorkshire, England. Graduated from Clare College, Cambridge University, c.1899. Member of English and New York Bar. Returned to U.S. in 1907. Practiced law; member, War Trade Board, 1917-1918. Probably died c.1960.

Ferdinand T.R. Jevons (1876-1967): Son of Thomas E. Jevons and Isabel Seton. Attended Giggleswick School, Settle, North Yorkshire, England. Owner of sugar plantation in Santa Lucia, Priente, Cuba, c.1912-1917.

Marguerite Jevons (1871-1955): Daughter of Thomas E. Jevons and Isabel Seton. Privately tutored. Unmarried.

Extent

20 Linear Feet (, Approximately 45,000 items.)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection contains the papers of the Seton family of New York City and the Jevons family of Liverpool, England and New York City.

Arrangement

Correspondence is arranged by recipient, thereunder chronologically. A letter from Thomas E. Jevons to his wife would be found in Isabel Seton Jevon's papers under the appropriate date. At the end of each recipient's papers are a small number of outgoing letters as well as undated correspondence. Photographs are divided into persons and places, there-after alphabetically.

The collectionis arranged in 22 series.

Correspondence is arranged by recipient, thereunder chronologically. A letter from Thomas E. Jevons to his wife would be found in Isabel Seton Jevon's papers under the appropriate date. At the end of each recipient's papers are a small number of outgoing letters as well as undated correspondence. Photographs are divided into persons and places, there-after alphabetically.

The collection is arranged in 22 series:

Other Finding Aids

The original finding aid created and typed by Stephen E. Novak, Archival Intern, N.Y.U., is available for use in the Monsignor Noe Field Archives and Special Collections Center reading room. This paper finding aid contains additional information about the collection, including the names of correspondents featured in the collection.

Preservica Internal URL

Preservica Public URL

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection purchased from a Mr. Horowitz in Huntington, N.Y. by Msgr. William Noe Field, ca. 1977. The purchase was enabled by the gift of Delphine Perugine to Seton Hall University Library. The collection may have been purchased from the estate of Ferdinand T. Roscoe Jevons by Mr. Horowitz before coming to Seton Hall.

Existence and Location of Copies

Select items from this collection have been digitized. To view these items, click here.

Related Materials

Collection on Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1840-2006, Mss 0006, in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center.

Seton family photograph album, 1867, Mss 0074, in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Salt family letters, 1808-1917 (bulk 1850-1890), Mss 0035, in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center.

The Walsh Gallery houses three objects in their holdings--accession number 2021.05.0001.1.A, 2021.05.0001.1.b, and 2021.05.0001.2--which represents a pen that was used in signing a declaration honoring the canonization of Sr. Elizabeth Bayley Seton.

Jevons family papers can be found at the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester.

Seton Family material can be found at Notre Dame University (Robert Seton Papers), Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Md. and St. Elizabeth's College, Convent Station, NJ.

Published material includes: Papers and Correspondence of William Stanley Jevons (7 vols., London: Macmillian Co., 1972); Robert Seton, An Old Family, or the Seton in Scotland and America (Brandon's, New York, 1899); articles in the Dictionary of National Biography and the Dictionary of American Biography.

Processing Information

The Seton Jevons family papers was arranged and cataloged through a grant from the Henderson Foundation. Collection processed by and finding aid prepared by Stephen E. Novak, Archival Intern, N.Y.U. The Msgr. Field Archives & Special Collections Center thanks both the Foundation and its President, Mrs. William T. Henderson, Sr. for their generosity and support.

Title
Seton Jevons family papers, 1780s-1930
Status
Completed
Author
Collection processed by and finding aid prepared by Stephen E. Novak, Archival Intern, N.Y.U.
Date
4 May 1982
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.
  • TypeCollection

Repository Details

Part of the The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center Repository

Contact:
Archives, Walsh Library
400 South Orange Ave
South Orange NJ 07079 US
973-761-9476