Account Book as Executor of the Estate of Thomas Rathbone Lee

Somers, New York, 1860-1889; 1917-1920. Details of the Management of an Eminent Westchester, New York Lawyer-Businessman's Estate [Manuscript]. [Lee, Elijah (1824-1902)]. Account Book as Executor of the Estate of Thomas Rathbone Lee [Cover Title]. [Somers, New York, 1860-1889; 1917-1920]. [150] pp. 5 leaves tipped or pinned in. Octavo (7-1/2" x 4-3/4"; 19 x 12 cm). Calf, blind fillets to boards. Moderate rubbing to boards, spine backstrip perished, a few cracks to text block, final gathering detached, some edgewear to tipped-in and laid-in leaves. Small owner stamp of Elijah Lee to front pastedown and verso of front free endpaper, note in later hand identifying the nature of this manuscript to its recto. Light toning, content in neat, highly legible hand throughout. $500. * An intimate window into sixty years of legal administration, real estate management, and commerce in 19th-century Westchester County. This manuscript details the long-term administration of the vast estate of Thomas Rathbone Lee (1800-1860), an eminent lawyer and businessman from Somers, New York. The entries, spanning a total period of sixty years, provide a granular look at the intersection of local law and commerce during a period of rapid development in the region. The primary ledger entries up to 1889 were meticulously kept by Lee's half-brother and executor, Elijah Lee. The later entries (1917-1920), written in unknown hands, continue to track the financial and property dealings of other members of this prominent family. Thomas Rathbone Lee was a powerhouse in Westchester society; a sophisticated attorney with extensive property holdings and diverse business investments. His legal clients included members of the county's most influential foundational families, such as the Purdys and the Wrights. Among his notable commercial ventures detailed or referenced in family records was his ownership of the famous Croton House hotel in Croton Falls, a vital local hub during the railroad boom of the mid-19th century. An excellent primary source for historians studying regional New York commerce, estate law, and genealogy. History of Westchester County, New York (1886) II: 534.…