Charles Perkins papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 2019-028

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection documents the activities of early Rochester, New York lawyer Charles Perkins between 1825 and 1866, with the bulk of the material dating between 1825 and 1850.. The materials relate to some of the cases with which he was involved, along with other business dealings and property transactions. The materials include letters, deeds and other legal documents.

Dates

Creation: 1825-1866
Creation: Majority of material found within 1825-1850

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use in any current or future manifestations must be obtained in writing from the Rochester Public Library Local History and Genealogy Division.

Biographical Note

Born June 21, 1792 in Norwich, Connecticut, Charles Perkins was the son of Captain Andrew and Elizabeth (Taylor) Perkins. He attended Bacon Academy, Yale College, and the Litchfield Law School. While in Litchfield, he met and married Clarissa Deming on April 20, 1817. They had eight children together. After two years practicing law in Norwich, Perkins moved his family to Rochester, New York in 1826 and joined the law office of E. Pomeroy on Carroll Street. Perkins was amongst the founders of the Mechanics Institute in 1830 and a member of the Rochester Board of Manufacturers. He also engaged in real estate investment and development.

Perkins only stayed in Rochester a few years before returning to Litchfield. Sources differ as to how long he resided in Rochester; Dexter's Biographical Sketches says he was in Rochester for only two years, but letters in this collection are addressed to him in Rochester as late as 1832. Regardless, addresses show him back in Litchfield by 1834. Perkins continued to practice law in Litchfield, but never gave up his Rochester land holdings and continued developing buildings in Rochester for the rest of his life. For example, an 1847 article in the Rochester Daily Democrat discusses a large new building that Perkins was developing on the banks of the Genesee Valley Canal. While successful in business, Perkins suffered the loss of his wife, Clarissa, on August 6, 1837. He never remarried. Charles Perkins passed away in London, England on November 18, 1856. His body was returned to the United States and buried in Litchfield's East Cemetery.

Extent

.05 Cubic Feet (Three legal-size folders.)

.05 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of papers from early Rochester lawyer Charles Perkins, dating between 1825 and 1850. The papers include letters, deeds and other legal documents.

Arrangement

This collection consists of a single folder.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Found in Document Case 14, 2019. Referenced in part in autographed letters collection card catalog, but donor and date of donation not recorded.

Bibliography

Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. "An Old Citizen." Rochester Daily Union (Rochester, New York), December 13, 1856, p.3. "Attorney and Counselor at Law." Monroe Republican (Rochester, New York), May 30, 1826, p.3. "Buffalo Street Improvements." Rochester Daily Democrat (Rochester, New York), April 23, 1847, p.2. "Charles Perkins". The Litchfield Ledger [database on-line]. Litchfield, CT, USA: Litchfield Historical Society. https://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ledger/students/1952, accessed July 31, 2019. Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of College History, Vol. 6.New Haven: Yale University Press, 1912. "House Destroyed By Fire." Workingman's Advocate (Rochester, New York), March 25, 1840, p.2.