David Gelston Papers (Coll. 170)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview of the Collection

Biography of David Gelston

Scope and Content

Restrictions

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Indexes

Detailed Description of the Collection

Biography of David Gelston

David Gelston was the Collector for the Port of New York from 1801 through 1820. During the 25 years prior to this appointment he had followed a political career which included terms in the New York Assembly and Constitutional Convention, the Continental Congress of 1789, and the New York State Senate. He and a partner, Gilbert Saltonstall, also had a New York merchant shipping firm during the last decade of the eighteenth century.

President Thomas Jefferson appointed Gelston to the collectorship in 1801, and he succeeded Joshua Sands to the office in July of that year. Assisting Gelston at the Customs House was the port Naval Officer, and the Surveyor, who had general supervision over the various outdoor activities. Below these principals came scores of clerks, inspectors, weighers, gaugers, and other lesser officials. For example, a letter from the Surveyor to Gelston, dated August 1818, states that there were 64 inspectors employed by the Port of New York, eight of whom worked at the Public Store.

While the collection of duties on incoming goods was the original purpose for establishing customs houses, many other functions had been delegated to the Collector and his staff by the time Gelston took over the position. He was responsible for the activities and maintenance of the Revenue Cutters assigned to the port, as well as the lighthouses and buoys. The marine hospital and quarantine grounds on Staten Island were also the Collector's responsibility, as was the operation of the Public Store (where confiscated goods and cargoes were deposited and often auctioned by the government). Much of the daily routine involved preparing and issuing shipping documents, registers, enrollments, sea letters, and numbers of other papers involving the movement of vessels, cargoes, and passengers through the Port of New York. Gelston's authority extended to all parts of the New York Customs District, which included not only New York City, but the Hudson River up to Troy, and most of Long Island.

Ultimately the Collector was directly responsible to the Treasury Department for administering and enforcing the nation's maritime regulations. During Gelston's term this meant ensuring that American neutrality was not compromised through violations of the embargo acts, and that other trade and tariff legislation created by the Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe administrations was being carried out.

Violations of these laws and regulations usually resulted in legal action by the government against the accused offenders through the New York District and Circuit Courts, where two types of cases predominated. The first consisted of individual libels against a vessel, "her tackle, apparel, and furniture" to satisfy personal claims for wages or other debts, while the second type involved customs cases, frequently expressed as "U. S. vs 7 Bales of Woolens," etc. Prosecution was usually directed by the U. S. District Attorney working with the Collector, and various witnesses, many of whom were paid by the government for their testimony. A certificate issued by the New York District Court in 1827 stated that "not less than two hundred and fifty libels against ships and vessels, and not less than two thousand libels against property of various description" were initiated by David Gelston during his time as Collector.

It was difficult, however, to successfully prosecute embargo violations. Collectors could seize vessels or cargo if they felt there was intent to break the law, but the court generally did not accept suspicion as sufficient grounds for a conviction, and the government would frequently loose its case. Often, after an acquittal the Collector would be counter sued for damages, and it was not until 1809 that Congress afforded legal protection to Collectors against such suits, It is to Gelston's credit that in the face of such obstacles he was still commended by the Treasury Secretary, Albert Gallatin, for his rigorous enforcement of the embargo legislation.

Gelston resigned the collectorship in December 1820 at the age of 76, leaving the position to his successor, Jonathan Thompson. Unfortunately, the last eight years of his life, spent in retirement with his family in New York City, were troubled with an ongoing confrontation with the Comptroller's office of the Treasury Department. The Treasury Department claimed their books indicated that Gelston was indebted to the U. S. government for nearly $45,000 in unsettled accounts. Even after his death in 1828, the Gelston estate was still producing records for the Comptroller's office which might clear away various portions of the alleged debt, that by 1842 still totaled somewhat more than $36,000.

This incident represented an unfortunate climax to what seems to have been a long life of honest public service. David Gelston held the collectorship of the largest and most prosperous Customs District in the nation, a major patronage position, through three different Republican administrations totaling nearly 20 years, a period of longevity unmatched to this day.

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Other Biographies

Brief Sketches of Prominent Individuals Mentioned in the David Gelston Papers

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Scope and Content

The Gelston Papers are arranged chronologically, with occasional further organization by subject, and contained in 24 legal size document boxes. Most of the correspondence is filed in Boxes 1 through 12, the first two of which contain only Gelston's outgoing drafts organized by day, month and year. These drafts cover general customs matters, with numerous letters, notes, and memos to the Surveyor and inspectors, and to shippers or other individuals doing business with the Customs House. Boxes 3 and 4 are filled with similarly arranged incoming general correspondence, much of it related to Gelston's drafts in the previous boxes. Surveyors' and inspectors' reports regarding the boarding and searching of vessels, the confiscating of illegal cargos, and the investigation of smuggling activities are present, along with letters from merchants and others doing business through the Collector's Office.

Gelston's correspondence with the U. S. Treasury Department - incoming and outgoing drafts interfiled in chronological order - fill the next five boxes. Correspondence with Treasury Secretaries Albert Gallatin 1803-1814, Alexander J. Dallas 1814-1816, and William Crawford 1816 - 1820, involve interpretation of the embargo laws to specific cases, instructions for enforcing new trade legislation, suggestions for appointments to Customs House positions, and the receipt of circulars and Treasury decisions regarding various libel cases before the District Court. The correspondence between David Gelston and the Comptroller's Office generally concerns his accounts with the Treasury Department for everything from expenses incurred during libel cases, to money paid out for renting and refurbishing the Customs House. Accountability for the expenses and income involved in the operation of the Port of New York was controlled through the Comptroller's Office.

A limited amount of correspondence - primarily outgoing drafts with the Secretary of State and the President of the United States is filed in Box 9. Included here is a draft of Gelston's letter of resignation, August 18, 1820, to President James Monroe.

Box 10 contains an interesting collection of correspondence, incoming and outgoing, relative to impressment of American seamen, and to people in debtors' prison. Here also is a series of incoming letters, 1812-1813, to Gelston from people informing the Collector of embargo violations. These "informers' letters" were evidently the product of legislation that would bring rewards to these people if the government successfully prosecuted the violators based on their information.

Correspondence between Gelston and Collectors at other ports is found in Box 11. Arranged alphabetically by port, with Boston and Philadelphia the most prominent, the letters cover general matters of coordinating enforcement of laws, alerting Collectors to the arrival at their port of vessels that might be in violation of the embargo, and other similar subjects.

Correspondence regarding government and libel cases against embargo violators is filed in Box 12. Primarily there are outgoing drafts and incoming letters, chronologically interfiled, between David Gelston and New York District Attorneys Edward Livingston 1802-1804, Nathan Sanford 1805-1814, and Jonathan Fisk 1815-1819. Included is correspondence with Attorney Charles Baldwin, who evidently sued Gelston for attorney's fees. Related documents and other papers regarding these cases before the District Court are filed chronologically in Box 20.

Box 13 contains papers and documents relative to the operation of the Public Store, a place where confiscated goods and cargos were deposited while questions of guilt or innocence were being decided. Should no violations be found, the items would be released to the shippers or consignees. If the law had been broken, the goods would eventually be sold, usually at auction, with the income going to the government. The Public Store was one of Gelston's more important responsibilities, as was the operation of the Marine Hospital, and some of his reports and other general papers regarding the hospital are found in Box 14.

The Collector was also responsible for the operation of the Port's revenue cutters. The captains of these vessels received their commissions from the Treasury Department, sometimes after being recommended for the position by the Collector. Box 15 contains correspondence and related documents and papers relative to cutter operations, and construction of cutters in New York shipyards. The papers are arranged alphabetically by vessel name.

An interesting and varied collection of papers regarding general operation of the Customs House has been organized by subject and filed in Box 16. Here one will find lists of clerks employed by the Port of New York, and a list of inspectors for 1814, information regarding libels, accounts of annual expenses, and a petition to remove the Surveyor from office. Box 17 contains Gelston's quarterly reports and current accounts with the U. S. Government, and while some reports are missing, it still represents a valid presentation of the Collector's major accounts between 1801 and 1820.

Boxes 18 and 19 contains papers, documents and related correspondence for vessels that had been suspected of violating the embargo or other customs regulations. The material is arranged by vessel name.

As previously mentioned, Box 20 is filled with papers regarding embargo and customs violations that were brought before the New York District Court. Included are sworn libel statements, receipts for witnesses, and other related documents, all arranged in chronological order- 1801 to 1820. These court cases were an important part of Gelston's activities as Collector, and would eventually be the chief cause of his accounting difficulties with the Treasury Department when he retired. While we have attempted to bring together all papers obviously relative to these cases in this box, the researcher should not hesitate to check for related information in other areas of the Gelston Papers.

In Box 21 are bonds and related papers. In this instance the bonds were between individuals and the government, pledging compliance with our maritime laws and regulations during a forthcoming voyage by a vessel under their control. Violations of these agreements would usually result in a government libel suit against the bond holder in District Court.

Box 22 contains papers relative to Gelston's problems with the Treasury Department after he retired. Primarily correspondence between him and the Comptroller, Joseph Anderson, along with copies of accounts and receipts, etc., the items are chronologically arranged, 1820-1843.

Miscellaneous papers are contained in the last two boxes. Box 23 has been organized by subject, and here will be found shipping manifests for various vessels, a detailed description of a proposed lighthouse, 1810, information regarding relative values of international currencies, and correspondence between Gelston and captains of two Royal Navy ships anchored off New York, September 3-7, 1807. Box 24 contains bills, receipts, memos, unidentified documents and papers, all filed by year, 1800-1820, plus undated material.

Items in this collection are considered to be in fair to good condition. Xeroxing of limited numbers of pieces in this collection is possible after an evaluation of their condition by the manuscripts staff. Researchers must be aware of the importance of the DAVID GELSTON PAPERS, and agree to treat each piece with appropriate consideration due to fragile items of historical significance.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Available for use in the Manuscripts Division

Restrictions on Use

Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division. See also: Mystic Seaport's copyright notice.

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Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Corporate Bodies (Including Vessels):

Subjects:

Document Types:

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Coll. 170, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.

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Indexes