Railroad investor and land speculator of Defiance, Ohio. Family, business, and legal papers (chiefly 1799-1887) of William C. Holgate, of his father, Curtis Holgate, and of William's daughter, Fannie Holgate Harley. Papers before 1852 relate mostly to legal and business affairs of Holgate and his father, including investments in Ohio land and New York railroads; papers of his daughter begin in 1872 and are concerned with family affairs, but also include references to birth control, abortions, a smallpox epidemic, and the education of women. Includes letters from students at Hamilton College and the University of Vermont in the 1830s; papers relating to land speculation; and material pertaining to the economic development of Defiance, Ohio, and internal improvements and education in Ohio for the period from 1830-1840.

Family, business, and legal papers, dating chiefly from 1799-1887, of William C. Holgate, of his father, Curtis Holgate, and of William's daughter, Fannie Holgate Harley. Papers before 1852 relate mostly to legal and business affairs of Holgate and his father, including investments in Ohio land and New York railroads; papers of his daughter begin in 1872 and are concerned with family affairs, but also include references to birth control, abortions, a smallpox epidemic, and the education of women. Includes letters from students at Hamilton College and the University of Vermont in the 1830s; papers relating to land speculation; and material pertaining to the economic development of Defiance, Ohio, and internal improvements and education in Ohio for the period from 1830-1840.