Suffern Family Papers
Biographical Information
The Suffern Family Papers consist of correspondence, both personal and business, receipts, telegrams, contracts and miscellaneous materials received by David Suffern (1814-1862) and his son, David Jr. (1853-1924), through the 1930s.
David Suffern (1814-1862) emigrated from Ireland to Argentina in 1841. Around 1854, he purchased farmland in Argentina and later in Uruguay. His family spread throughout both Argentina and Uruguay in the following years.
The letters in the collection focus largely on the business dealings of the Suffern family. Of particular interest are two legal issues that caused considerable concern within the family: the first, a longstanding property dispute over the property ownership in Uruguay; the second, an estate settlement following the elder Suffern's death in 1862. There are also numerous letters that deal with family and personal issues. Many letters are from women in the Suffern family.
Description of Archival Collection (MSH/SCH 1000-1 to 1000-51)
The archive contains about 1,400 pieces. The items have been placed in files according to their date. In most cases, there is a single file for each year. The files are arranged chronologically. Within each file, the items are arranged chronologically by day and month. If no day is found but a month is on an item, that item follows the other items within that month. If no month is found, the item is placed at the end of the file for that year. A separate file holds items that have no date.
There is a separate file for Henry Walsall, the Suffern's agent in England, which contains the letters written by Walsall. The business letters found in this letter run from 1861 to 1871.
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