Ebenezer Stevens Papers: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids (original) (raw)
Stevens, Ebenezer, 1751-1823
The Ebenezer Stevens Papers are primarily in English but contains several documents in French and Spanish.
Ebenezer Stevens (1751-1823) served as a soldier and officer in the Continental Army and the New York State Artillery Corps during the Revolutionary War. Post-war, Stevens was an agent for the United States War Department as well as a successful merchant in New York City. This collection documents his activities as a merchant both indepentently and for the militia. Additionally, it documents Stevens' role as a commanding officer, specifically during the fortification of New York City in the early 1800s.
The Ebenezer Stevens papers are digitized and available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.
Ebenezer Stevens was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 22, 1757 to Ebenezer Stevens and Elizabeth Weld Stevens. At the age of seventeen, Stevens joined a local artillery company, beginning his long military career. With this company, Stevens participated in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Stevens left the artillery for steady employment and found work as a carpenter in Providence, Rhode Island where he married his first wife Rebecca Hodgdon in 1774. Stevens and Hodgdon had three children; Horatio Gates (named after the military hero and personal friend of Stevens), Rebecca Hodgdon and George Alexander.
After the outbreak of the Revolutionary War Stevens returned to the militia to fight in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. Shortly after the formation of the Continental Army, Stevens was commissioned as Lieutenant in Henry Knox's artillery regiment. Under the leadership of Knox, Stevens recruited and commanded various artillery companies and worked alongside major military leaders such as Horatio Gates, Philip Schuyler and John Lamb.
In 1776, Stevens was promoted to Captain. His involvement in pivotal campaigns in Quebec, Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Stillwater led to a promotion to Major in 1777. Stevens was again promoted one year later, in 1778, to Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Artillery Regiment. In this new position, Stevens was sent to Virginia in 1778 to serve under Lafayette, where his company was present at the Siege of Yorktown.
Stevens permanently settled in New York City upon reassignment to Colonel Lamb's regiment in 1783. During the post-war years, Stevens worked with the New York State Artillery Corps on the fortification and defense of the New York harbor. In 1784, Stevens married his second wife, Lucretia Ledyard, with whom he had seven children; Samuel, William, Alexander, Byam Kerby, John Austin, Henry and Mary Lucretia.
While still involved with the New York State Artillery Corps Stevens became involved with overseas trading and established himself as a successful merchant and trader. As Stevens built a reputation for himself as an independent merchant, he also acted as an agent for the United States War Department. For the War Department, Stevens conducted business related to the purchasing and sending and receiving of goods and material for new fortification structures. In 1805, Stevens received his final promotion to Major General of Artillery in New York.
In addition to his position with the New York State Artillery Corps, Stevens was elected to a one year position in the New York State Assembly in 1799. He was also an early member of the Tammany Society as well as the New York Society of Cincinnati, where he held a vice-presidency in 1804. Additionally, he was a founding member of the New England Society in New York City, where he held the presidency from 1817 until his death in 1823.
In 1815, Stevens formally resigned from his position as Major General in the New York State Artillery Corps. He died in 1823 in Rockaway, New York.
Sources:
Derby, George and James T. White. "Ebenezer Stevens." National Cyclopedia of American Biography. J.T. White, 1906.
Stevens, Eugene. Erasmus Stevens and his decendants. New York: Tobias Wright, c. 1905.
Stevens, John Austin. Biographical Sketch of Ebenezer Stevens.
Ebenezer Stevens was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 22, 1757 to Ebenezer Stevens and Elizabeth Weld Stevens. In 1768, at the age of seventeen, Stevens joined a local artillery company and remained with them through their participation in the Boston Tea Party.
Leaving the artillery for steady employment, Stevens found work building houses in Providence, Rhode Island where he married his first wife Rebecca Hodgdon in 1774. Stevens and Hodgdon had three children; Horatio Gates, Rebecca Hodgdon and George Alexander.
After the battles of Lexington and Concord and the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Stevens returned to the militia, participating in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. Shortly after the formation of the Continental Army, Stevens was commissioned as Lieutenant in Henry Knox's artillery regiment. Under the leadership of Knox, Stevens recruited and commanded various artillery companies and worked alongside major military leaders such as Horatio Gates and John Lamb.
In 1776, Stevens was promoted to Captain. Stevens involvement in pivotal campaigns in Quebec, Ticonderoga and Saratoga led to his promotion to Major in 1777. Stevens was again promoted on year later, in 1778, to Lieutenant Colonel of the Second Artillery Regiment. In 1781, Stevens served under Layfayette in Virginia where his companies participation in the
until being reassinged to Colonel Lamb's regiment in New York City in 1783. In the post-war years, Stevens worked with the New York State Artillery Corps on the fortification and defense of the New York Harbor.
In 1784, Stevens married his second wife, Lucretia Ledyard, with whom he had seven children; Samuel, William, Alexander, Byam Kerby, John Austin, Henry and Mary Lucretia. While still involved with the New York State Militia, Stevens became involved with overseas trading and established himself as a sucessful merchant and trader. As Stevens was building a reputation for himself as an independent merchant, he was also employed as an agent of the United States War Department. For the War Department, Stevens conducted business related to the purchasing, sending and recieving of goods for soliders in the milita as well as material for new forification structures.
In addition to holding a position in the New York State Artillery Corps and his trading pursuits, Stevens was elected to a one year position in the New York State Assembly in 1799. He was also an early member of the Tammany Society as well as the New York Society of Cincinnati, where he held a vice-presidency in 1804. Additionaly, he was a founding member of the New England Society in New York City, where he held the presidency from 1817 until his death in 1823.
In 1815, Stevens formally resigned from his position as Major General in the New York State Artillery Corps. He died in 1823 in Rockaway, New York.
Sources:
Derby, George and James T. White. "Ebenezer Stevens." National Cyclopedia of American Biography. J.T. White, 1906.
Stevens, John Austin. Biographical Sketch of Ebenezer Stevens.
The Ebenezer Stevens Papers are arranged chronologically within each series.
- Series I: Correspondence
- Series II: New York State Artillery Corps Papers
- Series III: Financial Documents
- Series IV: Legal Documents
- Series V: Revolutionary War Documents
- Series VI: Writings and Certificates
The Ebenezer Stevens Papers consist of the correspondence, military and financial records of Ebenezer Stevens. The collection mainly documents Stevens' tenure as a soldier and officer in the New York State Militia, focusing particularly on daily functions and the fortification of New York Harbor in the years 1802-1814. The papers do not contain much information about Stevens' Revolutionary War efforts, aside from two military orders. Additionally, the papers document Stevens' work as a merchant, both independently and as an agent for the US War Department.
The collection also contains military orders and reports, inventories, bills of lading, accounts and several legal documents. Some notable correspondents include Horatio Gates, John Lamb, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and Philip Schuyler.
Organizations
Families
Genres
People
Gates, Horatio, 1728-1806; Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804; Hancock, John, 1737-1793; Hodge, Andrew; Hodgdon, Alexander; Hodgdon, Samuel, 1745-1824; Jay, John, 1745-1829; Lamb, John, 1735-1800; Liston, Robert, Sir, 1742-1836; Stevens, Byam K.; Stevens, G. A. (George Alexander), 1710-1784; Stevens, Horatio G.; Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804; Pintard, John, 1759-1844.
Topics
Places
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
This collection should be cited as the Ebenezer Stevens Papers, MS 592, The New-York Historical Society.
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:05 -0400.
Language: Finding Aid is written in English.
New-York Historical Society
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