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Lintner Family Papers, 1835-1904
SC13168

Quantity: 4 boxes (1.0 cubic ft.)
Access: Open to research
Acquisition: Purchased from G.M. Hodges, April 1946
Processed By: Fred Bassett, Senior Librarian, Manuscripts and Special Collections, May 1997, revised March 2000; October 2000; August 2015
Alternative Format: Joseph Albert Lintner's 1836-1837 journal is available on microfiche: MB/FF 595.7092 L761 200-5100

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Biographical Note

Joseph Albert Lintner was born February 8, 1822, in Schoharie, New York, the son of Rev. George Ames Lintner and Maria Wagner Lintner. He graduated from Schoharie Academy in 1837 and moved to New York City to work in the mercantile house of A.G. Stewart. In 1848 he returned to Schoharie to venture into business on his own. He married Frances C. Hutchinson, the daughter of Holmes Hutchinson, the surveyor of the Erie Canal, in 1856 and in 1860 moved to Utica, where he established a woolen mill. He sold this enterprise in 1868 and took a position with the New York State Museum in Albany, New York, that allowed him to pursue his interest in science. He was put in charge of the entomological department of the museum in 1874 and in 1880 he was appointed state entomologist. In these positions, he authored articles and reports on entomology. Lintner died in Rome, Italy, on May 5, 1898.

George Ames Lintner was born February 17, 1796, in Minden, Montgomery County, New York. He was a graduate of Union College and Hartwick Seminary. The seminary prepared him for a career in the ministry with the Lutheran Church and he served as pastor of congregations in Schoharie, Cobleskill, and Middleburg, New York, from 1819 to his death on December 21, 1871. He was active in the Lutheran Church hierarchy, serving as president of the General Synod of the United States (1841-1845), and he wrote and edited many church publications. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity from Gettysburg College in 1835. George Lintner married Maria E. Wagner in 1819; she died October 28, 1830. On May 31, 1832, he married Mary Elizabeth Campbell.

Aurelia Lintner (1820-1891), daughter of George A. and Mary (Wagner) Linter, was born February 17, 1820. She was married October 10, 1839, to Peter Swart Danforth (1816-1892), an attorney who was prominent in Schoharie County politics and government. In 1872 he became a justice on the New York State Supreme Court. Aurelia died March 1, 1890.

Scope and Content Note

These papers consist chiefly of letters and diaries related to the personal lives and professional careers of Joseph Albert Lintner and his father, George Ames Lintner.  The correspondence is arranged chronologically in two series: family and professional.  Family correspondence consists mostly of letters addressed to Joseph Albert Lintner from his father, step-mother, and sister.  The letters generally concern personal and family matters. The professional correspondence consists chiefly of letters addressed to Joseph Lintner and concern topics related to Lintner's work in the entomological department at the New York State Museum. Correspondents here include Horatio Seymour, Charles D. Wolcott, Joseph Henry, Roscoe Conkling, and Robert Roosevelt.  

Diaries (journals) kept by Joseph Albert Lintner relate primarily to activities and experiences during his years of adolescence and young adulthood. His 1836-1837 journal (available on microfiche: MB/FF 595.7092 L761 200-5100) details his experiences at Jefferson and Schoharie academies; his 1837-1838 diary focuses on his life in New York City. During the 1830s and 1840s, he kept diaries related to his travels in the Adirondack Mountains and the Great Lakes region.

Papers relating to George Ames Lintner include his private journals, kept from 1839 to 1871. They contain detailed descriptions of events and activities which make them a useful source of information regarding the history of Schoharie County. In addition, these journals contain comments on slavery, the Civil War, presidential elections, and other historical events. George's other papers include manuscript texts of many of his sermons.

Ancillary papers include wills and estate inventories of family members; a commonplace book containing observations relative to Halley's Comet in 1835; astronomical observations; notes and writings on entomological and other scientific topics; and diaries and verse books of Mary E. Campbell Lintner.

Related Resources

Records and correspondence related to Lintner's career with the New York State Museum as an entomological assistant and entomologist (1868-1881) and as state entomologist (1881-1897) are held by the New York State Archives.

Box and Folder List

Box Folder Contents
1 1 Lintner Family Correspondence, 1837-1839 (22 items)

Mostly letters sent to Joseph Albert Lintner from George A. Lintner, Mary E. (Campbell) Lintner, and Aurelia (Lintner) Danforth.
1 2 Lintner Family Correspondence, 1840-1841; 1845 (25 items)

Mostly letters sent to Joseph Albert Lintner from George A. Lintner, Mary E. (Campbell) Lintner, and Aurelia (Lintner) Danforth.
1 3 Lintner Family Correspondence, 1859-1864 (35 items)

Mostly letters to Joseph Albert Lintner from family as well as letters from Holmes and Edwin Hutchinson and Peter Swart Danforth.
1 4 Lintner Family Correspondence, 1865-1869 (46 items) Mostly letters to Joseph Albert Lintner from family as well as letters from Holmes and Edwin Hutchinson, and Peter Swart Danforth.
1 5 Professional Correspondence, Joseph Albert Lintner, 1874-1878 (50 items)

Includes letters written by Horatio Seymour, Charles D. Wolcott, Joseph Henry, Roscoe Conkling, and Robert Roosevelt.
1 6 Professional Correspondence, Joseph Albert Lintner, 1879-1880; 1897 (38 items) Includes letters written by Horatio Seymour, Charles D. Wolcott, Roscoe Conkling, and Robert Roosevelt.
1 7 Journal (Diary) of Joseph Albert Lintner, April 1, 1836-May 24, 1836;  November 1, 1836-February 27, 1837; and June 1-August 18, 1837 (ca. 144 p.; 3 pts.)

Record of his experiences as a student attending Jefferson and Schoharie academies. Available on microfiche: MB/FF 595.7092 L761 200-5100
1 8 Journal (Diary) of Joseph Albert Lintner, August 21, 1837-February 3, 1838, [January 1, 18]41 (ca. 50 p.)

Contains information on the political and social life of New York City.
1 9 Journal and sketchbook of Joseph Albert Lintner, ca. 1830s-1840s (ca. 50 p.)

Regarding travels in the Adirondack Mountains.
1 10 Journal of travels through the Great Lakes region, ca. 1840s (ca. 100 p.)

Includes descriptions of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Cleveland, Detroit, Lake Saint Clair, the Mackinac Island, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Georgian Islands, Sturgeon Bay, Lake Simcoe, and Toronto. Also includes comments on lake transportation, railroads, and mining operations, and the social life and customs of Native Americans, frontier settlers, and inhabitants of Cleveland, Detroit, and Toronto.
1 11 Commonplace Book of Joseph Albert Lintner, ca. 1836-1838 (ca. 50 p.)

Contains notes on astronomy and other sciences.
1 12 Notes and writings on entomological and other topics
  1. Classified Lists of Phalaenidae. (manuscript) ca. 24(32) p.
  2. The Genera of the Hesperidae of the European Faunal Region by Dr. A. Speyer (Translated from Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung, 1878, p. 167-193). (printed) 43 p.
  3. South Australian Museum. "Notes from the Entomologist's Department on Some Recent Donations." From the S.A. Register, Sept. 23, 1897. (printed) 6 p.
  4. "List of Principal Papers, etc. by J.G.O. Tepper." (printed) 4 p.
  5. Notes relative to micro-photography and carrier pigeons. (manuscript) 1 p.
1 13 Lintner Family Legal and Estate Papers, 1837-1849 (6 items)
  1. Inventory of the personal property of Albert Lintner, 1843. 10 p.
  2. Probate of the last will and testament of George Ames Lintner, 1872.
  3. Mortgage deed of Holmes Hutchinson, Lot no. 6, Crosby Manor, 1837.
  4. Fort-Plain Bridge Company, Stock Certificate, October 28, 1850
  5. Letter to George A. Lintner (II) from Dyer & Ten Eyck regarding Lintner's appointment as trustee in place of Peter Danforth under the terms of the will of Maria A. Hutchinson, October 5, 1904.
  6. Letter to Holmes Hutchinson from L.A. Spalding, Lockport, [Niagara County, N.Y.], February 2, 1831. Salutation: Dear Cousin.
1 14 Journal of Mary E. (Campbell) Lintner, 1837-1849 (ca. 42 p.)
1 15 Wagner family genealogy and history (32 p.)
1 16 Account current with the estate of David Taylor, 1845-1856 (ca. 60 p.)
1 17 Miscellaneous papers of Frances H. Lintner, ca. 1890s (4 items)
  1. Admission card to inaugural ceremonies, Assembly Chamber, Capitol, January 1, 1895 – Prof. and Mrs. Lintner
  2. The Olympian Games [by] Emilie Souvestre, translated from French by Frances H. Lintner, [ca. 1896]
  3. Poem: "A Valentine" [J.A. Lintner?]
  4. Printed Circular:  Memoirs of the life of Colonel Hutchinson
1 18 Correspondence of Frances Hutchinson Lintner with New York State Education Department Officials and Employees, 1901-1905 (3 items)
  1. J. Russel Parsons, March 13, 1901
  2. E.P. Felt, April 17, 1905
  3. Proposed articles of agreement to donate the personal library and entomological collection of Joseph Albert Lintner to the University of the State of New York
    Private Journals (Diaries) of George Ames Lintner, 1839-1871
2 1 1839-1840 (ca. 88 p.; 19 cm.)
2 2 1841 (ca. 60 p.; 19 cm.)
2 3 1842 (ca. 72 p.; 19 cm)
2 4 1843 (ca. 64 p.; 19 cm.)
2 5 1844 (ca. 60 p.; 19 cm.)
2 6 1845 (ca. 56 p.; 19 cm.)
2 7 1846 (ca. 56 p.; 19 cm.)
2 8 1847 (ca. 56 p.; 19 cm.)
2 9 1848 (ca. 56 p.; 19 cm.)
2 10 1849 (ca. 50 p.; 19 cm.)
2 11 1850 (ca. 14 p.; 19 cm.)
2 12 1851 (ca. 56 p.; 19 cm.)
2 13 1852 (ca. 40 p.; 19 cm.)
2 14 1853 (ca. 32 p.; 19 cm.)
2 15 1854 (ca. 40 p.; 19 cm.)
2 15 1855 (ca. 24 p.; 19 cm.)
2 16 1856 (ca. 40 p.; 19 cm.)
2 16 1857 (ca. 24 p.; 19 cm.)
2 17 1858 (ca. 20 p.; 19 cm.)
2 17 1859 (ca. 20 p.; 19 cm.)
2 18 1860 (ca. 48 p.; 19 cm.)
2 18 1861 (ca. 14 p.; 19 cm.)
2 18 1862 (ca. 20 p.: 19 cm.)
2 19 1863 (ca. 28 p.; 19 cm.)
2 19 1864 (ca. 23 p.; 19 cm.)
2 19 1865 (ca. 28 p.; 19 cm.)
2 20 1866 (ca. 36 p.; 19 cm.)
2 20 1867 (ca. 24 p.; 19 cm.)
2 20 1868 (ca. 32 p.; 19 cm.)
2 21 1869 (ca. 22 p.; 19 cm.)
2 21 1870 (ca. 28 p.; 19 cm.)
2 21 1871 (ca. 16 p.; 19 cm.)
    Sermons of George A. Lintner
3 1
  1. "Reformation"
  2. "Maintaining the Truth"
3 2
  1. "Duty of Parents to Give Their Children Religious Instruction"
  2. "A Useful Life"
3 3
  1. "Duties and Responsibilities of Christians in View of the Moral Condition of the World"
  2. "Spiritual Sacrifices of the Church"
  3. "Intercession of the Church"
  4. "Character of Isaiah"
3 4
  1. "A Clean Heart"
  2. "The Trial of Abraham's Faith"
  3. "The Great Sin of Rejecting the Gospel"
  4. "Revelation of Divine Mysteries"
3 5
  1. "Conformity to the World"
  2. "Common Schools"
  3. "Sanctification"
  4. "Divinity of Jesus Christ"
  5. "Duty of Christians to Meet Together to Pray"
  6. "The Great Supper"
3 6
  1. "The Revelation of Esther"
  2. "The Reformation"
  3. "An Appeal of the Teluga Missions"
  4. "On the death of W.C. Bouck" (William C, Bouck was Governor of New York State, January 1, 1843-December 31, 1844; he died April 19, 1859.)
  5. "The Conversion of St. Paul"
3 7 Sermon on the privileges of the Christian church
3 8 Sermons written in German, ca. 1818 (3 items)
3 9 Verse book, ca. 1820s-1830s. Mary E. Campbell
3 10 Ledgerbook of Dr. Hutchinson, 1866-1873
4   Scrapbook containing news clippings on scientific topics as well as obituaries of several members of the Lintner Family (1 v.)
Last Updated: January 18, 2022