“Letters from a Spy”: James Jay, 1808

The university’s James Jay letter (1808) is featured in the August 2, 2012 edition of The Village Times Herald. James Jay (1732 -1815), American physician and politician, and elder brother of John Jay, supplied medicines to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War and developed an invisible ink used by Washington, Thomas Jefferson, his younger brother, John Jay, and members of the Culper Spy Ring.

Historian and author Beverly C. Tyler writes, “With the acquisition of an 1808 letter…Special Collections and University Archives at Stony Brook University has again acquired a valuable Revolutionary-War era document.”

Please click here to access the entire article (page A9) and visit the website of Special Collections and University Archives for more information about this letter.

• About
• Latest Posts

Kristen Nyitray

Associate Librarian; Director, Special Collections and University Archives; and University Archivist at Stony Brook University Libraries

Contact her for research assistance with rare books, manuscript collections, historical maps, and SBU history. E-mail: kristen.nyitray@stonybrook.edu.

Latest posts by Kristen Nyitray (see all)

• Spring 2024 Art Crawl Recap - March 28, 2024
• #SBUGivingDay is Here! Support SBU Libraries in Digitizing Dan’s Papers - March 27, 2024
• Join Us on the Art Crawl: Wednesday March 27 from 12pm to 3pm - March 18, 2024