Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Boudinot, Elias (1740-1821) to Elihu Chauncey

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02045 Author/Creator: Boudinot, Elias (1740-1821) Place Written: Burlington, New Jersey Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 31 December 1817 Pagination: 2 p. ; 26 x 21 cm. Order a Copy

Writes concerning his bank balance. States that he sent a messenger to the bank who reported his balance to be $3614.49 which worries him because he wrote a check yesterday for $10,000. Asks Chauncey to check on this and if his balance is really below $10,000 to hold the check until he can sell some stock to make up the difference. Remarks at the end, "But I hope all Trouble will be saved, by finding that my funds are sufficient, as I can hardly think it possible that I could have been guilty of so great a blunder." Post script note states, "The public Debt will be carried to my Credit, I suppose tomorrow."

Boudinot, Elias, 1740-1821
Chauncey, Elihu, 1779-1847

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