William Edgar (1736-1820) was an Irish-born merchant of Detroit, Michigan, where he was a financial agent for the British Army post. He moved to New York City in 1780 or 1781 and engaged in trade with China and East India. Collection consists of negative copies of correspondence, accounts and other papers relating to Edgar's trading post at Detroit; and correspondence concerning family and personal matters. Papers until the end of the American Revolution are dated at New York, Albany, Montreal, Michilimackinac, Philadelphia, Trenton, and elsewhere. Later papers relate to trade with London, Calcutta, Canton, China, and locations within the U.S. Correspondents include Gerard Beekman, Aaron Burr, DeWitt Clinton, Horatio Gates, Alexander Hamilton, Brockholst Livingston, Philip Livingston, Alexander Macomb, Gurdon S. Mumford, Henry Remsen, Henry Rutgers, and Daniel Webster.
Biographical/historical: William Edgar (1736-1820) was an Irish-born merchant of Detroit, Michigan, where he was a financial agent for the British Army post. He moved to New York City in 1780 or 1781 and engaged in trade with China and East India.
Acquisition: Negatives were made from originals owned by Herman L.R. Edgar, 1932.
Additional physical form: Correspondence from vols. 1, 2 and 4 available on microfilm; New York Public Library. Originals in possession of the Edgar family.
