Unexpected Connections: New Jersey Manuscripts in the Rutgers and Princeton Libraries

The development of the manuscript collections of Princeton and Rutgers reflects the differing histories of the two universities. Princeton developed a research collection partially based on the areas of academic strengths of its university departments, augmented by the gifts of alumni, private collectors, and purchases. In contrast, Rutgers, as the state university, developed a strong regional collection. Princeton acquired New Jersey materials as well, in many cases through faculty and alumni or by virtue of its location, rather than through conscious effort. Although the New Jersey materials at Princeton are not as well known or as frequently used as other parts of the collection, they include valuable materials, some of which are complementary to collections at Rutgers which are heavily used by research scholars, students, local historians, and genealogists. The reasons why Princeton and Rutgers acquired these collections can be understood by looking at the history of the collecting policies of the two institutions. In the early 1890s, Princeton University acquired its first manuscripts, which were related to the history of the university. The transformation of the College of New Jersey, as Princeton was originally named, into Princeton University in 1896 provided the impetus to collect materials which would support the university's academic programs. During the period 1890 to 1940, Princeton's library collected mainly in the areas of classical, medieval, and Near Eastern manuscripts, highlighted by the gifts of Robert Garrett in the 1930s. The emphasis shifted toward American history when Julian Boyd was appointed university librarian in 1940. Boyd had been director of the New York State Historical Society and librarian of the Pennsylvania Historical Society before coming to Princeton. As university librarian, he collected extensively in the area of eighteenth-century American history, English and