Straus Autograph Collection

The collection consists of Americana dating, primarily, from the period of the
American Revolution and the thirty years immediately following, collected by Straus.
Included are autograph letters from, and documents signed by, some of the leading
figures of the period, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander
Hamilton, John Hancock, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Jay (1745-1829), James
Madison, James Monroe, Robert Morris, and various signers of the Declaration of
Independence. In addition, there are autograph letters from later presidents--Andrew
Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, James Buchanan; a folder of
letters from various other 19th-century statesmen, English and American; and a folder
of colonial bills of lading, dating back to 1698.Specific items include John Adams's letter to Richard Rush (1813) in support of the
War of 1812; letters patent (1835) for a new kind of brick, with accompanying
diagrams and description by the inventor; an autograph memorandum (1637) of Roger
Williams; George Washington's letter to James Madison (1788) in which he rejoices at
all the states having, so far, adopted the Constitution; John Hancock's letter to the
Assembly of the State of Delaware (1777), enclosing a copy of the Declaration of
Independence for the state's archives; the petition (1676) of Peter Freeman, Indian,
to the Court of Mass. for the freedom of his wife; and a document circulated by the
Massachusetts' Committee of Correspondence (1773), discussing the colonies' common
grievances against Great Britain and anticipating war.