Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Cortlandt Van Rensselaer. Letters, 1834-1845. Accession 23002a, Personal papers collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Munroe d'Antignac, Griffin, Georgia, 4 December 1948.

Biographical/Historical Information

Cortlandt Van Rensselaer was born 26 May 1808 in Albany, New York. He graduated from Yale College (now University) in 1827, and studied theology at both the Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and at Princeton. Ordained an evangelist by the West Hanover Presbytery, Van Rensselaer was a missionary to slaves in Virginia from 1833 to 1835. He served as a pastor in Burlington, New Jersey, from 1837 to 1840, then in Washington, D.C., from 1841 to 1842. Van Rensselaer was the agent of Princeton Seminary in 1844, and served as Secretary of the Board of Education from 1846 to 1860. He also was editor of the Home, School, and Church and Presbyterian Magazine . Van Rensselaer was moderator of the Presybterian General Assembly in 1857 and served as a director of the Princeton Theological Seminary. He died in Burlington on 25 July 1860.

Scope and Content Information

Letters, 1834-1845, to Cortlandt Van Rensselaer (1808-1860)of Halifax County, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Burlington, New Jersey, consisting of: a) a letter, dated 8 April 1834, from Charles Goddard of Richmond, Virginia, discussing a potential trip west with Van Rensselaer, personal news, and the Sabbath Society; b) a letter, dated 2 May 1834, from Alexander McBane of Richmond, concerning his classes and religious meetings for African Americans and their success; c) a letter, dated 15 May 1835, from Benjamin Brand (d. 1843) of Richmond stating that he won't publish "Catechism for Colored Persons" because there is little interest, also stating that he has received some tracts and is forwarding them to Van Rensselaer; d) a letter, dated 13 July 1835, from Helen Grinnan of Fredericksburg, Virginia, discussing the increasing difficulty of continuing the work of the colonization society and the importance of missionaries to Africa; e) a letter, dated 4 February 1841, from William S. Plumer of Richmond, regretting that he is unable to comply with an unknown request by Van Rensselaer; f) a letter, dated 28 April 1841, from Mary B. Blackford of Fredericksburg, recommending that Van Rensselaer publish his sermon on the death of William Henry Harrison; and g) a letter, 1845, from Eliza H. Carrington of Botetourt County, Virginia, relating her plans to operate a school for girls and young women in Richmond.