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Letters received and sent by Edward Miller, 1797-1812, and correspondence and documents relating to the 1914 donation of these letters by Miller’s great-nephew, Edward Rittenhouse Miller, to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
History and Biography
Physician and medical educator. Edward Miller was born May 9, 1760 in Dover, Delaware, the third of eight children of the Rev. John Miller, pastor of Dover’s Presbyterian Church, and his wife, Margaret Millington Miller. He was educated at Newark Academy (now the University of Delaware), studied medicine with Dr. Charles Ridgely in his hometown, and received his medical degree in 1789 from the University of Pennsylvania. During the War of Independence Miller served as a Surgeon’s Mate in a New Jersey military hospital.
After practicing medicine in Delaware and Maryland, Miller moved to New York City in 1796 where he rapidly became one of its leading physicians. In 1797, along with Samuel Latham Mitchell and Elihu H. Smith, he founded The Medical Repository, the first medical journal published in the United States. Miller was a member of the original faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (later the medical school of Columbia University) when it opened in 1807, serving as professor of the practice of medicine and clinical medicine until his death. In 1809 he was appointed an Attending Physician of New York Hospital.
Miller died in New York City on March 17, 1812. The crowd at his funeral was said to be the second-largest the city had seen to that date, surpassed only by that of Alexander Hamilton.
Sources:
Miller, Samuel. The Medical Works of Edward Miller, M.D....Collected, and Accompanied by a Biographical Sketch of the Author. (New York: Collins & Co., 1814).
Dalton, John C. History of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the City of New York: Medical Department of Columbia College. (New York: The College, 1888).
Organization
Letters received and sent by Edward Miller, 1797-1812, and correspondence and documents relating to the 1914 donation of these letters by Miller’s great-nephew, Edward Rittenhouse Miller, to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Included are three letters from his brother-in-law, Col. Samuel McLane of Philadelphia; two letters from another brother-in-law, John Patten; two letters from Dr. Benjamin Moseley of Chelsea Hospital, London; one letter from the New York City physician, Alexander H. Stevens, written from London; and two letters from the politician, Governor of New York, and U.S. Vice President, Daniel D. Tompkins. There is also one letter written by Edward Miller to his brother Joseph.
The letters from family members generally concern financial matters and family news. Moseley’s letters deal with medical matters, especially his fierce opposition to vaccination. The two letters from Tompkins relate to the affairs of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and personal matters. Alexander H. Stevens’ letter from London mentions British war preparations against the United States.
| Box | Folder | Contents |
| 1 | 1 |
Miller, Edward Rittenhouse: correspondence and documents relating to the donation of the Miller papers to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1914 (5 items) |
| 2 |
McLane, Samuel (brother-in-law): three letters to Edward Miller, November 9, 1791, July 7, 1810, August 2, 1811 |
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| 3 |
Miller, Edward: letter to his brother Joseph, June 16, 1797 |
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| 4 |
Patten, John (brother-in-law): two letters to Edward Miller, September 25 and October 23, 1798 |
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| 5 |
Moseley, Benjamin, Chelsea Hospital, London: two letters to Edward Miller, November 26, 1803, June 1807 [no day given], with typed transcripts |
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| 6 |
Stevens, Alexander H.: letter to Edward Miller from London, February 7, 1812, with typed transcript |
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| 7 |
Tompkins, Daniel D.: two letters to Edward Miller, August 15, 1811, and January 16, 1812 [note: 1812 letter is probably in a secretary’s hand, though signed by Tompkins] |
Subject Headings and Related Records
Administrative Information
Gift of Edward Rittenhouse Miller, Philadelphia, to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1914.
At some point, the papers were broken up and filed alphabetically by correspondent in the College of Physicians and Surgeons Manuscript Collection. When this was discovered in 2016, the collection was reconstituted and cataloged separately. The finding aid was written by Stephen E. Novak, 2016.