SOURCE URL: https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://www.henrylivingston.com/xmas/witnesses/smoking.htm (also https://www.mcny.org/story/clement-clarke-moore-and-santa-city) [page path reconstructed from the site's relative links] DOCUMENT: Norman Tuttle (former proprietor of the Troy Sentinel) to Prof. C. C. Moore, Troy, 26 Feb. 1844, answering Moore's (lost) inquiry of 23 Feb. 1844; written on the reverse of a copy of Tuttle's broadside. Museum of the City of New York, MS Col. Cab 2, Letters - Tuttle, 54.331.17A-B (Kaller). PROVENANCE OF THIS TEXT: henrylivingston.com transcription (from MCNY photocopies), cross-checked against the MCNY blog quotation (2016) and Kaller 2004. VERIFICATION STATUS: [S] SECOND-HAND transcription (not checked against the original) RETRIEVED: 2026-09-14 NOTES: Live site henrylivingston.com fails TLS in this environment; page fetched from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine (2024 capture) and converted HTML->text; site navigation lines removed. The site (Mary S. Van Deusen, Livingston descendant) transcribes manuscripts of the Thomas Collection / New-York Historical Society; transcriptions are SECOND-HAND and have not been checked against the manuscripts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Troy. Feb 26. 1844. Prof C C Moore, Sir - Yours of 23d inst. making inquiry concerning the publication of "A Visit from St. Nicholas ," is just received. The piece was first published in the Troy Sentinel December 23, 1823, with an introductory notice by the Editor, Orville L. Holley, Esq., and again two or three years after that. At the time of its first publication I did not know who the Author was - but have since been informed that you were the Author. I understand from Mr. Holley that he received it from Mrs. Sackett, the wife of Mr. Daniel Sackett who was then a merchant in this city. It was twice published in the Troy Sentinel; and being much admired and sought after by the younger class, I procured the Engraving which you will find on the other side of this sheet, and have published several editions of it. The Sentinel has for several years been numbered with the things that were - and Mr. Holley, I understand, is now in Albany, editing the Albany Daily Advertiser. I was myself the proprietor of the Sentinel. Very Respectfully Yours, &c N Tuttle === MCNY blog (29 Nov. 2016), for comparison === Clement Clarke Moore and Santa in the City | Museum of the City of New York Skip navigation Jump to navigation HOURS: Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sat-Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Get Tickets Now! Clement Clarke Moore and Santa in the City Tuesday, November 29, 2016 by Emily Chapin Many people know Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) as influential in the popularization of Santa Claus in America with his verse “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”  However, he was also an important New Yorker in his own right. Moore was born on the island of Manhattan in 1779 at Chelsea , the estate belonging to his mother’s family located in the eponymously named current-day neighborhood of Chelsea. Moore inherited the estate after his mother’s death, and gave a large portion of the land to the Episcopal Diocese for the construction of a seminary – the General Theological Seminary  – which remains today. Moore was a well-known Biblical scholar of his time and became a professor of Oriental and Greek Literature and Divinity and Biblical Learning at the General Theological Seminary. He divided the remaining lots of land for residential development. Moore’s requirements for sale, including no commercial use, helped to shape the neighborhood. A map showing the land owned by Moore can be seen below. Prosper Desobry. Map of Property belonging to C.C. Moore at Chelsea. 1835. Museum of the City of New York. 47.294.2 Prosper Desobry. Map of Property belonging to C.C. Moore at Chelsea. 1835. Museum of the City of New York. 47.294.2 In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Moore was a devoted family man. He married Catherine Elizabeth Taylor in 1813, and they had nine children together. Catherine died in 1830, leaving children aged three to 15 under their father’s care. He enjoyed writing poetry for his children and grandchildren, including “From Saint Nicholas,” written to his daughter Charity Elizabeth Moore, which is thought to be one of the earliest examples of a letter from Santa Claus. The poem is part of the Museum’s Manuscripts collection . Clement Clarke Moore. From Saint Nicholas. ca. 1816-1830. Museum of the City of New York. 54.331.4 “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” now more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas,” was first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. Authorship was not attributed to Moore until 1837, and Moore himself did not claim the poem as his own until 1844 when he included it in a book of poems published at the urging of his children. In 1844 Moore wrote to then Troy Sentinel publisher N. Tuttle inquiring about the author of the poem the paper had published, and Mr. Tuttle responded with an explanation: “At the time of its first publication I did not know who the Author was – but have since been informed that you were the author. I understood from Mr. [Orville L.] Holley that he received it from Mrs. Sackett, the wife of Mr. Daniel Sackett who was then a merchant in this city. It was twice published in the Troy Sentinel ; and being much admired and sought after by the younger class, I produced the engraving which you will find on the other side of this sheet, and have published several editions of it.” Moore made several corrections to the version of the poem sent by Mr. Tuttle, including the name of one of the reindeer from “Blixom” to “Blitzen”, which can be seen below: Letter from N. Tuttle to Clement Clarke Moore. 1844. Museum of the City of New York. 54.331.17b N. Tuttle. Account of a visit from St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. Museum of the City of New York. 54.331.17 Moore’s delayed claim is one of several reasons the authorship of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” is often contested. Ancestors of Major Henry Livingston, Jr., also a New Yorker, came forward in the early 20 th  century claiming that Livingston was actually the author. More information about the dispute can be found here . The Museum of the City of New York does not take a position on this issue, but simply presents the related materials that can be found in our collection. “A Visit from St. Nicholas” has delighted generations of children, including my brother and I who have read aloud from “The Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve since we learned to read – and continue to do so although we are both grown and out of the house!  We hope visitors are equally captivated by “From St. Nicholas” during this holiday season. Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email By Emily Chapin, Collections Access Archivist Emily Chapin oversees projects involving the Museum's Manuscripts and Ephemera holdings. Related Exhibition - December 3, 2016 - January 8, 2017 Santa and the City A holiday installation. Stay Connected. Get our Newsletter. Get the latest on events, upcoming exhibitions, and more. Email Signup Sign Up Want free or discounted tickets, special event invites, and more? 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