Sir William Johnson papers, digital edition
(Software)

Title from title screen.

"A legacy project of the New York State French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission."

This collection comprises The Papers of Sir William Johnson (referred to in the Container List as the Johnson Papers), published by the University of the State of New York at Albany, 1921-65, vols. I-XIV; The Papers of Sir William Johnson addenda, by Milton Hamilton, published in the January 1979 edition of New York History, the quarterly journal of the New York Historical Association, vol. LX, no. 1, pp 81-101; the finding aid to the original manuscripts, Calendar of the Sir William Johnson Manuscripts in the New York State Library, compiled by Richard E. Day, published by the University of the State of New York at Albany, 1909; a selected number of the Johnson Papers, scanned from vols. I, II, and IV of The Documentary History of the State of New-York, edited by E.B. O'Callaghan, 1849; and a selected number of the Johnson Papers, scanned from vols. VI and VII, and VIII of Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New-York, edited by E.B. O'Callaghan, 1853-87. Note that the 14-volume set, The Papers of Sir William Johnson, does not include full text of most of the documents in the O'Callaghan publications, and does not adhere to the arrangement of the original manuscripts, which originally consisted of 26 volumes that were badly burned in the 1911 New York State Library fire and are inaccessible to researchers.

The first eight volumes of the Papers contain transcriptions of documents found only in the original manuscripts, and are drawn largely from a printer's proof of the transcripts compiled by New York State Historian Hugh Hastings. The manuscript of Hastings's work was also destroyed in the fire, therefore the printer's proof serves as the sole evidence of the content of many of the documents that were damaged or lost, although duplicate documents from other collections were sometimes used to fill in the gaps. Volumes 9-13 include transcriptions of documents found in other archives, manuscript repositories, and private collections, in addition to documents from these papers that were not included in the first eight volumes. Volume 13 also contains a chronological list of the documents published in volumes 1-13 of the Papers and the O'Callaghan publications. Volume 14 is the general index to the contents of all 14 volumes. The key to locating specific documents in the original manuscripts is the Calendar of the Sir William Johnson Manuscripts in the New York State Library. Since this item was completed shortly before the fire, it serves as the only complete record to all the documents that were in the original 26 volumes. Using the Calendar, one can determine which items were severely damaged or destroyed by the fire. The Calendar also includes references to documents that were published in the Documentary History of the State of New-York and Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New-York, and the duplicates found in records held by New York State Archives known as the New York Colonial Manuscripts.

The Johnson papers represent a significant number of Johnson's personal and business papers. Included in this collection are correspondence, bills, accounts, records of public proceedings, official and military reports regarding Johnson as a land developer, records relating to Johnson's activities as a fur trader and his activities as Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Also included are papers relating to trade with the Indians; papers relating to Johnson's activities during the French and Indian War, particularly the Battle of Lake George in 1755; the construction of Johnson's homes, Fort Johnson and Johnson Hall; the erection of public buildings for use by the county seat in Johnstown, N.Y. and other papers reflecting Johnson's role as a prominent figure on the colonial frontier. The collection also contains materials relating to Johnson's activities as a land agent for his uncle Sir Peter Warren. Johnson acted as Warren's agent shortly after his immigration to America and managed Warren's Mohawk Valley lands.

System requirements: Adobe Acobat Reader required.

Sir William Johnson was a wealthy land owner and trader, controlling most of the lands in New York State's Mohawk Valley. Johnson served as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs and was appointed to the New York Colony Governor's Council. In 1755 he defeated a superior French force at the Battle of Lake George and was subsequently awarded a hereditary baronetcy. Johnson's relations with the Iroquois gained him political and economic prominence. He was instrumental in relieving tensions between Native Americans and European settlers. Johnson established the city of Johnstown, N.Y., and was successful in obtaining its designation as the county seat of Tryon County. Johnson died at Johnson Hall, his baronial estate, in 1774 and is buried in Johnstown, N.Y.

Calendar of the Sir William Johnson manuscripts in the New York State Library, compiled by Richard E. Day. Calendar includes an alphabetical index to correspondants and other subjects.