LEFFERTS, MARSHALL CLIFFORD

Marshall Clifford Lefferts (1848-1928), was born on November 28, 1848, at New York, son of General Marshall Lefferts (1821-1876) and Mary Allen Lefferts.

His father Gen. Marshall Lefferts was president of the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company, a subsidiary of Western Union, New York, and the Celluloid Manufacturing Company, Newark, New Jersey. In 1871, Lefferts became a partner with John Wesley Hyatt in the Celluloid Manufacturing Company. The Celluloid factory at Newark manufactured combs, brushes, knife handles, and cuffs and collars for men's shirts. Lefferts became a major financier of Thomas Edison supplying him with capital to research and develop his inventions.

Marshall C. Lefferts took over his father's interest in the Celluloid Manufacturing Company, Newark, New Jersey, after his father's death in 1876.

On April 9, 1878, he married Carrie Ella Baker (1856-). They had two sons Franklin and Marshall C. Lefferts.

Fig. Marshall C. Lefferts correspondence with the Chapman Brothers, postal stationery, Thorp-Bartels #590, postmarked December 3, 1879, Newark, New Jersey, Bullseye or Target Cancel. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive.

Fig. Marshall C. Lefferts correspondence with the Chapman Brothers postmarked May 25, 1881. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library, Special Collection, The Chapman Family Correspondence Archive.

The Marshall C. Lefferts Collection of U. S. Coins, Chapman Brothers, 7th Coin Auction Sale, July 28-29, 1881.

Besides coins Lefferts was a collector of rare books and manuscripts. His library was sold at auction by Bangs & Company, April 21, 1902.

Bookplate of Marshall Clifford Lefferts engraved by E. D. French in 1894.

He died April 30, 1928. He is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

Bibliography :

The Magazine of American History

American Journal of Numismatics, October (1881) : 47

John W. Adams, United States Numismatic Literature, Vol. 1, page 85

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