ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Title
Willet Seaman Collection
Collection Number
SC 504
OCLC Number
1545536749
Creator
Willet Seaman (October 11, 1737-May 4, 1807)
Provenance
Under review
Extent, Scope, and Content Note
Extent: the letter is 1 leaf (sheet); the accompanying note is 1 leaf (sheet)
Date: December 6, 1782; written from New York.
Dimensions: 22.5 x 18.5 cm.
Context: Willet Seaman is writing to Jonas Hawkin on December 6, 1782 to confirm receipt of a previous letter and update him on efforts to fulfill a goods request. Some requested items couldn’t be sourced at the desired price or width, so substitutes or partial shipments were made. He sent items via Charles Smith and included a bill. He also refers to a separate item or batch (perhaps “wood”) that hasn’t been cleared and therefore hasn’t been sent yet, but can be forwarded if needed.
Willet Seaman was born in 1737 in North Hempstead, Queens, New York. His parents were Samuel Seaman (1715-1781) and Martha Valentine Seaman (1717-unknown). In 1762, he married Mary Searing. During the American Revolutionary War, he was active in the Patriot cause and served in the Dutchess County Militia, 6th Regiment. After the war, Seaman became a merchant and is believed to have played a role in founding the New York City Hospital, possibly serving on its board of governors.
He was also rumored to be a supporter of the abolitionist movement. There is some evidence suggesting he may have been a founding member of the New York Manumission Society in 1785, an organization dedicated to the gradual abolition of slavery.
Possible Recipient of the Letter: Major Jonas Hawkins (1752–1817), who served as the overseer of roads in Brookhaven Township, Suffolk County, New York. Hawkins , a known member of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. He acted as a message courier for the ring but was eventually relieved of duty due to concerns about his reliability. Hawkins was the great-grandson of Zachariah Hawkins, one of the founders of the Town of Brookhaven. In 1757, the family built the William Sidney Mount Estate in Stony Brook, a property believed to have served as a meeting place for Freemasons during the Revolutionary War. After the war, Jonas Hawkins continued his military involvement. In 1786, he was appointed a captain in the New York militia in Suffolk County and was promoted to major the following year.
Arrangement and Processing Note
Transcription and research by Nicole Shaw, intern, 2015.
Finding aid updated and revised by Kristen J. Nyitray in September 2025.
Language
English
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open to researchers without restriction.
Rights and Permissions
Stony Brook University Libraries’ consent to access as the physical owner of the collection does not address copyright issues that may affect publication rights. It is the sole responsibility of the user of Special Collections and University Archives materials to investigate the copyright status of any given work and to seek and obtain permission where needed prior to publication.
Citation
Willet Seaman Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries.
Subjects
Seaman, Willet, 1737-1807 — Correspondence.
Hawkins, Jonas. 1752-1817 — Correspondence.
Merchants — New York (State) — New York.
Commerce — 18th century.
Transcription
Body of letter:
Newyork 6th 12 Mo 1782
R.d [received] thine of 2d Instant [December 2] and send thy
good By Charles Smith the ?
Could Not get upon? Check at
the Price ? have sent 2?
Black lace could not find one of 2 fingers
wide at the price Inclosed in a Bill
of the goods that was not in the other
this from thy friend
Willet Seaman
I Have got the wood? But it not
Being cleared out think the may not
want it transfer do not send it ?
it should Be wanted pray send
and I will forward it
Reverse of letter:
To
Jonas Hawkin
Brook Haven
Note accompanying letter:
Willet Seaman
a relative left it be known
that he was helping the American
cause in other ways besides the
loan of $6000.
His great grandfather was
John Seaman
His grandparents were
Nathaniel Seaman and Rachel Willis
His parents were
Samuel Seaman and Martha Valentine
His father’s sister-in-law was a
daughter of James Townsend.