Rosedale Estate Papers | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Title: Rosedale Estate Papers

Extent: 0.0

Arrangement:

The Rosedale Estate Papers are divided into four series.

The papers are arranged as one series of family papers concerning the Roosevelt, Aspinwall, Clark, and Crosby families; a second series of family papers, arranged by the historian Helen Wilkinson Reynolds of Dutchess County, New York, in December 1940; a third series highlighting the tennis careers of Grace and Ellen Roosevelt; and a fourth series consisting of photographs belonging to the Roosevelt, Aspinwall, Clark, and Crosby families.

The Rosedale Estate Papers contain historical manuscript materials, ranging from the 18^th to the 20^th Century, and span several generations of the Roosevelt, Aspinwall, Clark, and Crosby families that trace their lineage to and through the homestead named Rosedale (Hyde Park, NY).

The bulk of the materials relate to the correspondence of John Aspinwall Roosevelt and his brother James Roosevelt (II), and their mother Mary Rebecca Aspinwall Roosevelt. There is additional correspondence of the family including Dr. Isaac Roosevelt, James Roosevelt (I), Isaac Roosevelt (I), Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ellen Crosby Roosevelt, Grace Walton Roosevelt, as well as other family members. Subjects within this correspondence include family matters such as the inheritance of Rosedale and the sale of the Mount Hope homestead in the 1860s. There is also correspondence of Isaac Roosvelt (I) during his service in New York State’s convention to ratify the U.S. Constitution. There is also correspondence between Ellen Crosby Roosevelt and her cousin President Frankin D. Roosevelt, regarding the appraisal of family bibles.

The collection includes newspaper clippings concerning topics such as the wedding of Grace W. Roosevelt to Appleton L. Clark, and the fire at James Roosevelt’s Mount Hope.

Also of significance are materials related to the tennis careers of sisters Ellen Crosby Roosevelt and Grace Walton Roosevelt. Grace and Ellen were tennis champions in the United States and would rank in the sport nationally. This portion of the collection offers important and valuable documentation of early American tennis (1880s – 1900s) and the women who competed in the era.

There are also photographs in this collection, which include subjects ranging from the Roosevelt family, and the Rosedale property, to the picnic at FDR’s Top Cottage hosted by the President and First Lady for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The Rosedale Estate Papers are centered around the homestead named Rosedale, in Hyde Park, New York, with its contributors largely the members of the Roosevelt, Aspinwall, Clark, and Crosby families who resided or were related to residents of this property.

The property was purchased by Dr. Isaac Roosevelt in 1832, followed soon after by the construction of a home. Isaac, and his wife Mary Rebecca Aspinwall, would raise their family of two sons, James Roosevelt and John Aspinwall Roosevelt, at Rosedale. The estate was acquired by John in 1863, upon the death of his father, Dr. Roosevelt. His mother Mary, continued to reside at Rosedale, until her death in 1886. John and his wife, Ellen Murray Crosby, would live at Rosedale until their deaths in 1909, and 1928 respectively. During their period of residence there, John and Ellen would raise two daughters, Grace Walton Roosevelt, and Ellen Crosby Roosevelt. Grace and Ellen would become tennis champions in the United States and would rank in the sport nationally. Their victories included the Women’s Singles title, won by Ellen, and the Women’s Doubles title, won by both sisters, at the U.S. National Championships (U.S. Open) in 1890. Ellen would also win the Mixed Doubles title along with partner Clarence Hobart, at the 1893 U.S. National Championships. Ellen would be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1975. Rosedale, would host significant events in the family’s history, including the wedding of Grace Walton Roosevelt to Appleton LeSure Clark in 1895.

Rosedale was located approximately 2 miles south of Springwood, the home and property of James Roosevelt, John Aspinwall Roosevelt’s older brother. James’ son, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the President of the United States.

Upon the death of John Roosevelt in 1909, ownership of Rosedale would ultimately pass to his daughter, Ellen Crosby Roosevelt, until her death in 1954. The property would be subsequently reduced by sale and subdivision, but the home remains and is largely intact. In 1993, the Rosedale home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Access Restrictions: None

Acquisition Source: The papers were presented to the Library by Casey Catherine Simmons Clark, David Aspinwall Clark, and William Bedlow Clark

Acquisition Method: The papers were donated to the Library in 2021. Copyright interest was then assigned to the United States Government.

Related Materials:

Files related to the Roosevelt, Aspinwall, Clark, and Crosby families can be found throughout collections such as the Roosevelt Family Papers, FDR’s Papers as President, FDR’s Personal Papers, the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, and the Edgewood Club Papers. Additionally, the FDR Library’s General Photograph Collection also contains related subjects such as the Town of Hyde Park, and family members such as Ellen Crosby Roosevelt, whose photos include subjects such as tennis. Files related to Helen Wilkinson Reynolds also reside outside the Rosedale Estate Papers and can be found throughout the President's Papers. These files contain useful information concerning papers from Rosedale, including those found in this collection.

Researchers should also consult the collection: “Roosevelt Family - Material Accumulated by George Roach for an Editorial Project, 1753-1963,” and its microfilms, as this collection contains copies of original documents that are found in the Rosedale Estate Papers and may contain documentation from the family not found elsewhere.

Furthermore, documents now part of the Rosedale Estate Papers, may have been previously copied for inclusion in the Roosevelt Family Papers.