Guide to the Godfrey Malbone letter, 1780


Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title: Godfrey Malbone letter
Date range: 1780
Creator: Malbone, Godfrey, 1724-1785
Extent: 0.01 linear feet (1 folder)
Abstract: This collection consists of one letter from Godfrey Malbone (1724-1785) regarding his petition for his land confiscated by the state of Connecticut.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Collection number: RLC.Ms.551

Scope & content

This collection consists of one letter from Godfrey Malbone to Major John Putnam on November 20, 1780, regarding the petition he was undertaking concerning the land that was confiscated by Connecticut earlier that year.

Access Points

Subject Names Geographical Names Subject Topics Document Types

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in chronological order.

Biographical note

Godfrey Malbone (1724-1785) was born on September 3, 1724, in Newport, Rhode Island, and was the son of Godfrey Malbone, Sr. (1695-1769), who was at one time one of the wealthiest men in Newport due to his involvement in privateering and the triangle trade. As an investment, Godfey’s father purchased over three thousand acres of land in the towns of Pomfret and Brooklyn, Connecticut. When his businesses began to dwindle, Godfrey, Sr. mortgaged the property to Charles Paxton (1707-1788), a Loyalist in Boston, and signed a bond for the payment of the debts with his sons Godfrey and John (1735-1795). In 1766, Godfrey, Sr. relinquished his claim on the land to his sons and Godfrey, Jr. moved to Pomfret to live and help sell other Malbone land holdings. During the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the land mortgaged to Paxton was confiscated by the state of Connecticut due to his Loyalist inclinations. As a result, the Malbones and others, to whom he had sold land, lost their title to the land, since the mortgage had not been paid. Godfrey and John petitioned the General Assembly of Connecticut and ultimately the land was signed back to the Malbones. Godfrey Malbone died on November 12, 1785, in Pomfret and was buried in the Old Trinity Cemetery in Brooklyn, Connecticut.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Use of the materials: This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Preferred citation: Godfrey Malbone letter, RLC.Ms.551, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
Contact information: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
50 Bellevue Avenue
Newport, RI 02840
Tel: (401) 847-0292
Fax: (401) 841-5680
email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: Gift of John Leach, 2007 February 24.
Processing information: This collection was originally processed by Aimee Saunders in 2010.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Elizabeth Delmage 2013 December 17
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sponsor: Funding for processing and cataloging this collection was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation.

Additional Information

Related material:
  • Godfrey Malbone oath, RLC.Ms.552, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
  • Malbone family collection, MSS 549, Rhode Island Historical Society.
Bibliography:
  • Preston, Howard W. “Godfrey Malbone’s Connecticut Investment,” Rhode Island Historical Society Collections (October 1923): 115-120.
  • Inventory


    Manuscripts Box 1 Letter to Major John Putnam
    1780 Nov 20