Legal, financial, and social correspondence written to John C. Newkirk concerning the development of Joliet, Illinois, 1839-1852. The bulk of the correspondence centers upon the business relationship between Newkirk and his law partner, John M. Wilson, both of whom had invested in Joliet prospects prior to the Panic of 1837. The collection also includes correspondence from other Joliet-based lawyers, including Jesse O. Norton, a lawyer and U.S. Representative originally from Vermont, and George H. Woodruff, a lawyer, druggist, and first County Recorder in Joliet.