Letters, 1767-1852, undated

Physical description:

5 boxes

Scope and content:

The letter series includes correspondence addressed to and from both James Iredell Jr. and Sr. and is organized chronologically. The correspondence varies widely and includes both family and professional letters from colleagues and fellow revolutionaries concerning matters of the new nation, N.C. state government, and the Supreme Court.

Letters from Henry E. McCulloh, a royal official and landowner in N.C. on 18 February 1789, 11 September 1767, and 3 March 1768 and from William R. Davie, governor of N.C. and co-founder of the University of North Carolina, on 7 September 1789, 16 November 1789, and November 22, 1789 (as well as numerous others by both McCulloh and Davie) are addressed to Iredell Sr. A 10 March 1790 letter from John Jay, written shortly before he completed his work as Secretary of State, congratulates Iredell and advises him on judicial matters. Facsimiles of the orders by which George Washington appointed Iredell Sr. to the Supreme Court on 10 February 1790 are included. A long text of March 1777 addressed to King George III of England invokes America's rights to liberty, outlines Britain's abusive treatment of its colonies, and is signed by "A British American," likely Iredell Sr. himself.

The correspondence addressed to James Iredell Jr. includes appeals from aspiring judge appointees and district attorneys nominees. In an 1840 letter (one of several exchanged between Tyler and Iredell), the future tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, laments that he is unable to attend Iredell Jr.'s celebration in Raleigh due to assaults from the newspaper press during the presidential election. The bulk of the correspondence in the four folders with undated correspondence is addressed to a "Dear Cousin" and primarily discusses family matters.

There are also typed copies of letters. These materials include twentieth-century reproductions of letters included in the Rubenstein Library's collections, as well as letters from other archives. These two bodies of materials are housed in separate folders. The folder containing copies of letters not in Duke's collection also contains typed lists of people and places referenced in the letters.

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