Daniel B. Fayerweather Will Papers, 1890-1948
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Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Sarang Gopalakrishnan. 2003-06-24
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Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Fayerweather Will Papers
Creation of Fayerweather Will Papers
Time of Creation of Fayerweather Will Papers
Fayerweather, Daniel B.
Biographical History for: Fayerweather Will Papers
Biographical Note Daniel Burton Fayerweather was born on March 12, 1822 in Stepney, Connecticut. His father (a shoemaker) died when he was still very young, leaving his family with insufficient means for support. Daniel Fayerweather was "bound out" by court order to a Connecticut farmer, to serve as a farm hand until he was capable of supporting himself. After he finished his term, he went to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and learned shoemaking. His career as a shoemaker was interrupted by his conducting the "shoemaker's colic," an occupational disease; he turned to peddling tin products and traveling across the country until his health improved, and then returned to Bridgeport where he set up a shoemaker's shop. In 1854, he was offered a clerkship by the New York leather-trading firm of Hoyt Brothers. At the end of his first year, Fayerweather was offered a share in the company. It was this share that made him wealthy, as the firm expanded to become the biggest leather trader in the country. On the resignation of Joseph Hoyt, the chief shareholder, Fayerweather became the senior partner in the firm, which was renamed Fayerweather & Ladew. By the time of his death on November 6, 1890, Fayerweather was a millionaire. Encouraged by his friend Dr. Roswell Hitchcock of Union Theological Seminary, Fayerweather bequeathed a significant portion of his wealth to colleges and universities, including Amherst, Williams, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia and several others. The settlement of his estate encountered legal problems, which extended over several years; however, the courts ultimately sustained the bequest of the residue of his estate to the colleges. At Amherst, the Fayerweather bequest was used to construct a chemistry and physics building, which opened in 1894; it later became the Fayerweather Laboratory of Physics. In 2002 Fayerweather Hall was renovated to house the Fine Arts departments.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The papers consist mainly of court statements, orders and records involving the court cases brought by Fayerweather's legatees against his executors over the settlement of his estate. There is also some correspondence and a folder of newspaper clippings relating to the dispute.
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Amherst College--History--Sources.
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Correspondence, arranged chronologically, from the following correspondents: Arnaux, Ritch, Woodford - 1; James L. Bishop - 23 + 1 copy; Chanler, Maxwell, Philip - 1; W. Austin Dickinson - 3; Merrill Gates - 1; Gilbert R. Hawes - 2; Bradford W. Hitchcock - 10; Jerome and Nason - 6; John E. Lauton (?) - 1; R.B. Reynolds - 1; James White - 1 1890-1897
Pamphlet; papers relating to the trust upon which the residuary estate of Daniel B. Fayerweather is held by his executors (4 copies) post-1890
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court, Reynolds vs. Ritch 1892
Citation; NY Surrogate Court, order remitting collateral inheritance tax matter back to appraiser with notice. 1893
Citation; NY Surrogate Court, judicial settlement of the account of the proceedings of Buckley, Ritch, and Vaughan, executors of Daniel B. Fayerweather 1893
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court; Reynolds, Beardsley as executors vs. Ritch, Buckley and Vaughan, answer of A.C. Trustees (2 copies) 1893
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court, Trustees of A.C., Dartmouth, Hamilton, University of Rochester, and Williams College vs. Ritch, Buckley and Vaughan as executors of Fayerweather estate, summons and complaint (3 copies) 1893
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court, Trustees of A.C. and others vs. Ritch and others, notes of cases relating to the trust alleged in the complaint. ca. 1894
Pamphlet; US Circuit Court (NY) Fayerweather and Achter vs. Ritch et al. (2 copies) 1893
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court, Trustees of A.C. and others vs. Ritch and others; argument for plaintiffs 1894
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court, Trustees of A.C. and others vs. Ritch and others, proceedings 1-368 1894
Pamphlet; NY Supreme Court, Trustees of A.C. and others vs. Ritch and others, proceedings 369-770 1894
Citation; NY Surrogate Court, judicial settlement of the account of the proceedings of Buckley, Ritch, and Vaughan as executors of will of Fayerweather 1895 1895
Pamphlet; statement relating to the will of Daniel B. Fayerweather 1896
Printed document; letter from five colleges to other institutions to pay expense of court case (2 copies) 1896
Typed copy; court record 1896
Pamphlet; NY Court of Appeals, Trustees of A.C. and others vs. Ritch and others 1897
Typed copy; dictation of Stanley King re: Fayerweather Estate (2 copies) 1948 Oct 18
Newsclippings on court case n.d.