Collection consists of the professional correspondence and business papers of Elijah Boardman, a prominent Connecticut merchant, land owner, and United States Senator. Also present is personal correspondence and papers from several generations of the Boardman family.

Boardman’s correspondence is comprised of retained copies of letters written by Boardman, as well as incoming letters to him. The letters document Boardman’s extensive real estate holdings and his investment in the Connecticut Land Company, as well as his various mercantile related activities. Many of the letters are addressed to and from attorneys, agents, employees, and individuals working on behalf of Boardman in Connecticut, Ohio, New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

Elijah Boardman’s business papers consists of various financial records including, statements of account, bills, receipts, various contracts and agreements, promissory notes, land surveys, copies of wills, and other legal agreements. Much of the material relates directly to his business correspondence and documents various business transactions in which he was involved.

The remaining correspondence and papers primarily written to and from the family of Elijah Boardman, including his wife and children’s families. Much of this correspondence is personal in nature, centering on aspects of family life and the experiences of women, including how they managed and conversed about the health of various family members, and how they assessed the skills (or lack thereof) of hired help. But the letters also address more serious topics like financial struggles and death. The most frequently encountered members of the extended Boardman family correspondents are: Caroline Maria Boardman, Rev. John Frederick Schroeder (1800-1857), who married Caroline Boardman in 1825, Cornelia Elizabeth Boardman, Lucy Hall Boardman, Mabel Thorp Boardman, and Mary Anna Whiting Boardman. The three remaining folders contain envelopes and enclosures, undated manuscript fragments, and a newspaper clipping.

Materials include manuscripts and clippings.