John P. Adams Papers
Collection
Identifier: GTM-140116
This collection consists of the letters and legal documents of John Popkin Adams (1812-1856), his wife, and daughters. The material relates to Adams' work as U.S. consul at La Guaira, Venezuela, his efforts to establish an inter-oceanic railroad on the ithsmus of Panama, land speculation in the U.S., and his pursuit of monetary claims against Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador related to privateering during the Spanish American wars of independence. Letters are arranged chronologically from 1843 to 1889. Legal records date from 1822 to 1898.
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections.
Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.
John Popkin Adams, born at Newbury, Massachusetts on August 31, 1812, died at New York, New York on January 31, 1856. Appointed by President John Tyler to the office of U.S. consul at La Guaira, Venezuela, he served in that position from 1843 to 1850, during which time Adams took an active role as an agent for American investors seeking to build a railroad across the Isthmus of Panama. Prior to his appointment as consul, Adams had relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where, in 1835, he married Eugenia Danels, daughter of Commodore John Daniel Danels. From 1842 until his death, Adams pursued a legal suit against the successor states to Gran Colombia as heir and agent of his father-in-law, a suit related to Commodore Danel's actions from 1817-1819 as a privateer authorized by Buenos Aires and Banda Oriental.
1.85 Cubic Feet (3 document boxes, 1 oversized flat box)
English
Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
The John P. Adams Papers contain fragile and degraded documents which should be handled only with the greatest care. In some cases documents have been placed in transparent sleeves for protection, in other cases documents have been segregated by placement in white paper folders within the numbered files; in all cases, the placement and order of the papers, including the paper folders and other paper inserts, should be maintained.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository