John Jeffrey papers
Collection — Folder: S2063
Identifier: S2063
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the business papers of John Jeffrey regarding his work with the Evansville Gas Light Company. Ranging from 1852 to 1868, the collection includes correspondence from James Constable and Matthew Morgan of New York City and John J. Chandler, the secretary of Evansville Gas Light Company; balance sheets, statements, receipts, carbonizing and consumption reports; a circular to stockholders; company bylaws; a tracing of the 1852 Evansville city plat; and newspaper clippings. Also included is a September 27, 1832 letter from James Walker of Nashville, Tennessee regarding the steamer Chickasaw and a delivery of gas castings to Memphis.
Dates
- 1832-1868
Creator
- Jeffrey, John, 1917-1881 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
John Jeffrey was born June 2, 1817 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of John Jeffrey and Elizabeth (McConnell) Jeffrey. He immigrated to America and became a civil engineer. He and his brother Alex established John Jeffrey and Company, a business that built and managed gas plants in cities in the south and Midwest. He married Georgiana Augusta (Wylie) Keats, the widow of poet John Keats's brother George Keats, in Louisville, Kentucky in January 1843. They later lived in Cincinnati, Ohio and then Lexington, Kentucky. In 1852, Jeffrey was awarded the contract for the Evansville Gas Light Works and his stepson Clarence G. Keats served as president of this gas works until his death in 1861. Virginia Jeffrey, Alex's daughter, married John Hunt Morgan, the nephew of General John Hunt Morgan, the leader of "Morgan's Raid" during the Civil War. John Jeffrey died at the age of 63 on February 18, 1881.
Sources:
Information found within collection.
Ancestry.com. "John Jeffrey." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "John Jeffery." Kentucky, County Marriage Records, 1783-1965. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.ancestry.com/. https://www.ancestry.com.
FindaGrave.com. "John Jeffrey." Find a Grave Memorial no. 95504624. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95504624/john-jeffrey.
John M. Gresham Company. Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Chicago: J.M. Gresham Co., 1896.
"Life Ended. Death of Mr. Alexander Jeffrey Last Night. The Daily Ledger (Lexington, Ky.), September 1, 1899. https://www.newspapers.com.
Sources:
Information found within collection.
Ancestry.com. "John Jeffrey." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "John Jeffery." Kentucky, County Marriage Records, 1783-1965. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.ancestry.com/. https://www.ancestry.com.
FindaGrave.com. "John Jeffrey." Find a Grave Memorial no. 95504624. Accessed October 28, 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95504624/john-jeffrey.
John M. Gresham Company. Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Chicago: J.M. Gresham Co., 1896.
"Life Ended. Death of Mr. Alexander Jeffrey Last Night. The Daily Ledger (Lexington, Ky.), September 1, 1899. https://www.newspapers.com.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a purchase from John Wilson Townsend in 1944/10.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2020/10/29 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2020/10/29 by Laura Eliason.
Creator
- Jeffrey, John, 1917-1881 (Person)
- Title
- John Jeffrey papers
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
