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Maurice Leyden Family papers

 Collection
Identifier: BUSC-2002-001

Scope and Contents

This collection includes diaries, letters, financial documents, professional correspondence, and other papers by Maurice Leyden (1836 - 1906) of Rochester, Monroe County, New York. It also includes family correspondence, as well as diaries and school essays written by his daughter, Blanche Eloise Leyden (1874 - 1936), and diaries written by a maternal aunt of Maurice Leyden's wife Margaret Leora Garrigues Leyden (1841 - 1928), Sarah Woodruff Pottle (1815 - 1887).

Sarah Woodruff Pottle's diaries cover the years 1860 to 1886; Maurice Leyden's diaries cover the years 1871 to 1905, with the last diary partly written by his daughter Blanche. Blanche Leyden's diaries cover the years 1897 to 1908. Note that Maurice Leyden's diaries for 1871 through 1874 have been digitized and are available via New York Heritage Digital Collections. A final diary by an unidentified writer documents the start of an ocean voyage from Boston with entries dated June 27-30 of an unspecified year (possibly 1907).

The diaries document mid-nineteenth and early twentieth century life in Rochester, Monroe County, New York. Leyden writes of day-to-day life with entries about the weather, family life and activities, his dental practice and business travel. A member of the Republican Party, Leyden also writes of his involvement in local politics. The financial accounts of family and business expenses provide additional insight into the cost of living at this time.

Of particular interest are entries concerning the Women’s Suffrage movement. Leyden and his wife, Margaret were supporters of the movement and friends with Susan B. Anthony. The diaries contain entries of attending lectures by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as well as other notable suffrage speakers. Leyden provides details of his wife Margaret’s involvement in the movement, including of her arrest along with Anthony and several other women for registering to vote in 1872, and Anthony’s subsequent trial for refusing to pay the fine imposed up her for the illegal registration.

Box 8 includes several financial ledgers, notebooks, and wallets, as well as ten photographs of Maurice Leyden and a copy of Maurice Leyden's military service record.

Box 9 includes written correspondence to the Leyden family, financial receipts, legal documents, four essays (likely by Blanche Leyden) on historical topics, and a family tree of the Garrigues family.

The oversize boxes house framed photographs of Maurice Leyden, as well as his military service certificates and his Masonic certificate.

Dates

  • Creation: 1833 - 1919

Creator

Biographical Note

Maurice Leyden was born in Collamer, Onondaga County, New York on October 18, 1836, the oldest of the twelve children of Michael and Catherine (Carhart) Leyden. He attended school in Syracuse and the Cazenovia Seminary, then studied dentistry under Dr. Amos Westcott of Syracuse. He enlisted in Company B, 3rd New York Cavalry, on June 13, 1861, and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on July 30, 1861; to 1st Lieutenant on June 12, 1863; and to captain on October 10, 1864. He was captured on October 7, 1864 and spent months in Confederate prison camps in Salisbury, North Carolina; Danville, Virginia; and Libby Prison before being paroled on February 22, 1865. After a brief leave he returned to the front. On July 21, 1865 he was transferred to Company C, 1st New York Mounted Rifles, and was breveted major on October 13, 1865, which rank he held at the time of his discharge.

While on furlough in March 1865 Leyden married Margaret "Maggie" Leora Garrigues of Rochester, the daughter of Cyrus and Eliza (Woodruff) Garrigues. The couple had four children: two sons and a daugther (Maud) who died in infancy, and one daughter who survived: Blanche Eloise.

Following the Civil War Leyden settled in Rochester, where he first practiced dentistry with Dr. Frank French as the firm French & Leyden, until he joined George P. Davis as Davis & Leyden in manufacturing dental instruments and amalgams for the wholesale market. Leyden was active in the local and state Republican Party and in local politics, serving a term in the Rochester board of supervisors and as Monroe County Clerk from January 1886 to January 1889. In 1887 he organized the Rochester Title Insurance Company, and held various positions with the firm until his retirement. In 1889 he was elected president of the Rochester Saving & Loan Association. Leyden was also very active in Civil War veterans' associations and reunions, as well as in the Valley Lodge of Masons. He died August 15, 1906.

Margaret "Maggie" Leora Garrigues Leyden was a graduate of the East Avenue Collegiate Institute in Rochester, and an active suffragist. With Susan B. Anthony and other women Maggie Leyden registered to vote in the 1872 elections, and cast ballots. This episode and Anthony's ensuing trial for illegal voting are documented in Maurice Leyden's diaries for the period. Margaret Leyden lived until 1928.

Blanche Eloise Leyden was born in Rochester, New York in 1874. She married Harry C. Andrews in 1931, and died in 1936. Census records indicate that she lived with her parents until their deaths, and no occupation is listed.

Maurice, Margaret, and Blanche Leyden are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, Monroe County, New York.

Margaret Leyden's maternal aunt, Sarah Woodruff Pottle, is also represented in the collection through her diaries. Sarah was the wife of Rochester merchant and farmer Edward L. Pottle. Edward and Sarah Pottle are also bured in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, Monroe County, New York.

Extent

8 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection includes diaries, letters, financial documents, and other papers by Maurice Leyden (1836 - 1906) of Rochester, Monroe County, New York. It also includes family correspondence, as well as diaries and school essays written by his daughter, Blanche Eloise Leyden (1874 - 1936), and diaries written by a maternal aunt of Maurice Leyden's wife Margaret Leora Garrigues Leyden (1841 - 1928), Sarah Woodruff Pottle (1815 - 1887). The collection also includes several photographs of Maurice Leyden and various framed documents related to his military service and his status as a master Mason. Maurice Leyden's diaries for 1871 through 1874 have been digitized and are available via New York Heritage Digital Collections.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, May 2002.

Related Materials

Maurice Leyden material is widely scattered. A May 27, 1864 letter from Leyden to his future wife is at the Library of Virginia (see https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990017083590205756). A November 18, 1889 letter in which Leyden describes his captivity during the Civil War is at the University of Virginia (see https://search.lib.virginia.edu/sources/uva_library/items/u3822159).

Several additional letters are cited in Edward Alexander, "Kill General Lee: A Yankee Officer Opposes Reconciliation." https://emergingcivilwar.com/2019/05/29/kill-general-lee-a-yankee-opposes-reconciliation/ (viewed July 19, 2023).

This collection is closely related to the 3rd New York Cavalry Association records; Leyden served as the first president of the 3rd New York Cavalry Association and the two collections were acquired together. See also the letters at the University of Virginia: https://search.lib.virginia.edu/sources/uva_library/items/u3822159

Digitized Materials

Maurice Leyden's diaries for 1871 through 1874 have been digitized and are available via New York Heritage Digital Collections.

Title
Guide to the Maurice Leyden Family papers
Author
Processed 2005 by Randall Miles. Revised and updated 2023 by Jeremy Dibbell
Date
2023-07-18
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Binghamton University Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Binghamton NY 13902 USA