Found 49 collections related to Merchants

Letters of Massachusetts merchant and statesman Abbott Lawrence written mainly to Washington, D. C., attorney David A. Hall between 1830 and 1854. The letters predominantly document Abbot's mercantile activities, his Congressional duties, his political efforts on behalf of the Whig party, and his activities as Minister to Great Britain less

Charles E. Pierce (1842-1907), a farmer from Oneida County, New York, served as a private in Company I of the 146th New York Infantry from 1862 to 1865 during the American Civil War. The Charles E. Pierce cash book, 1853-1879, contains a narrative of his capture at the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864 and imprisonment at Andersonville, Georgia and Florence, South Carolina; records kept at Camp Parole Hospital, most likely by W. L. Cooper and Pierce as chief ward masters, 1865; Pierce's post-war cash accounts, and his genealogical notes. The volume was previously used by the mercantile firm of Orme, Wilson & Co. of Loudon, Tennessee, and individually by its partner R. T. Wilson, 1853-1863. The volume is accompanied by a letter written by Pierce at Camp Parole to his mother, 1865 May 21; a form letter from a veterans' association dated 188-; his admission ticket to the Soldiers' Reading Room in Philadelphia, and a few clippings relating to the Civil War. less

The Straus family of New York City were the descendants of Lazarus Straus (1809-1898) and Sara Straus (1823-1876) who emigrated from Otterberg, Germany in the early 1850s with their four children: Isidor (1845-1912), Hermine (1846-1922), Nathan (1848-1931), and Oscar (1850-1926). They settled in Talbotton, Georgia where Lazarus opened a dry goods store. In 1865 the Strauses relocated to New York City and Isidor and Nathan joined their father in establishing L. Straus and Sons, a glass and chinaware store. They became partners with R.H. Macy's & Company in 1888 and by 1892 were also partners in the Brooklyn N.Y. retail company Abraham & Straus. Isidor Straus represented New York City's fifteenth district in the U.S. Congress, 1893-1894; and was founder and president of the Educational Alliance, an organization for immigrants living in New York. He and his wife were among the passengers who lost their lives in the sinking of the Titanic. Oscar Straus served as U.S. ambassador to Turkey from 1887 to 1900 and 1909, Secretary of Commerce and Labor from 1906 to 1908, and advisor to Woodrow Wilson during the first World War. Collection contains correspondence, speeches, photographs, scrapbooks, and other items concerning Lazarus, Oscar and Isidor Straus, and Isidor's sons and grandsons. Family papers include genealogical charts and family history. Oscar and Isidor Straus papers consist of one box of materials concerning Oscar Straus's 1912 campaign for governor of New York and other political and family matters; the remaining eleven boxes are papers of Isidor Straus and include family and business correspondence, speeches and writings, notebooks, scrapbooks, materials related to his political career and to his death on the Titanic, and biographical information. Papers of Isidor Straus's sons consist of personal and business papers with correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, and clippings. L. Straus & Sons records concern the operations of the partnership. Also, photographs of Jack Straus (son of Jesse Straus) and members of his family, framed documents and other materials that belonged to Jack Straus. less

Everett Frazar (1834-1901), American diplomat and merchant, was appointed consul-general for Korea at New York in 1883. His firm, Frazar and Company, did business in China, Japan and Korea. He served as president of the American Asiatic Association. Collection consists of correspondence, official documents, business papers, newsclippings, and other papers of Frazar and his son, Everett W. Frazar (b. 1867). Materials relate chiefly to Frazar's activities as consul-general, 1883-1900; to the business of the mercantile firm of Frazar and Company, 1884-1923; and to the American Asiatic Association, 1898-1948. less

The Fergusons were an English family that settled in New York City beginning around 1802. The patriarch, Samuel Ferguson, was a prosperous merchant who established familial and commercial relationships with other wealthy and socially prominent New York families, including the Walton, Morewood, Day, Ogden, Lyde, and Fisher families. The Ferguson family papers, 1727-1943, consist of 18th and 19th century correspondence, business records, financial and legal documents, diaries, and family miscellany of the Ferguson and allied families. Genealogical notes, charts, and clippings dating from the early- to mid-20th century reflect the research of Samuel Ferguson's great-granddaughter, Helen Ferguson on the family's history. less

Grant Thorburn was a Scottish-born New York City nurseryman and author. The collection consists mainly of letters and letter fragments from his friend William Carver, a mutual acquaintance of Thomas Paine, with a loose poem by Carver on Nature and Her Laws, and miscellaneous holograph writings by Thorburn. Letters concern Carver's poverty and troubled life in New York; his efforts to find a publisher for a sketch of Paine's life; and his atheism, disputed in Thorburn's copy of a letter he wrote to Carver, and a memorandum of a conversation with him. There are also two letters discussing family and business matters; Thorburn autographs and a letter fragment; and several receipts for purchases from G. Thorburn & Son, seedsmen and florists in Manhattan. Writings by Thorburn are: Pocahontas, 1852 (her story, inspired by a visit to Yorktown in 1848); Life of Thomas Paine, No. 1, 1852; his unfinished autobiographical History of Lawrie Todd, 1862, with lithograph portrait; Grant Thorburn Sinior's (sic) Manuscript No. 2, undated; Churches and Meetinghouses in New York, undated; and Anecdote of George Watson, undated. Also present is an 1849 manuscript, "Hints to Doctors, Quacks, and Grave-Diggers" by Lawrie Todd (Thorburn), a vituperative attack on the skill of physicians during epidemics, and the personal and political character of William Cobbett, his business competitor, and Thomas Paine. The name Lawrie Todd also appears as Laurie Todd. less

Harry Rockafellar (1840-1875) was an American merchant, Civil War veteran, and commanding Colonel of the 71st Regiment, New York State National Guard, from 1869 to 1872. Harry Rockafellar was the son of Mary M. and Asa J. Rockafellar of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He resided in New York City prior to the Civil War, and enlisted in the 71st N.Y.N.G. at its outbreak, serving in Company F. Rockafellar was severely wounded at the battle of First Manassas, resulting in the amputation of his left arm and capture by the Confederates. He spent several months in Liggon's Tobacco Warehouse, a hospital and prison in Richmond, Virginia. He served in other units after his exchange, notably as a Captain in the U.S. Army Invalid Corps (Veteran Reserve Corps). After the war, Rockafellar worked in New York City as an importer and commission merchant in the clothing trade. He maintained his connection with the 71st N.Y.N.G., serving as commanding Colonel of the regiment from 1869-1872. He married Jenny L. Baker, daughter of Alfred E. Baker, a New York City fire marshal, in 1867. Harry Rockafellar died in Orange, N.J. in 1875. The collection consists of letters written by Harry Rockafellar, 1860-1875, reflecting his Civil War service, his business travels abroad, and his personal and family life, as well as a small amount of related correspondence, photographs, writings and miscellaneous personal items. Most of the letters are written to his mother, Mary M. Rockafellar; other recipients include family members and his future father-in-law, Alfred E. Baker. Wartime letters, 1861-1864, with mention of camp life, social activities, and family matters, mainly document his wounding and capture at battle of First Manassas and his life as a prisoner of war in Richmond, Virginia, in 1861, and his duties as an Invalid Corps officer, 1863-1864, while stationed in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Also present are Rockafellar's 19 Nov. 1861 letter to the editor of a Philadelphia newspaper concerning prisoner exchange, and a letter of appreciation dated 7 Jan. 1862 from Congressman Alfred Ely, a fellow former prisoner. Postwar letters concern his marriage to Jenny L. Baker in 1867; three business trips to Europe in 1871, 1872 and 1873; his health; and his mother's well-being and financial affairs. Business travels took him mainly to Manchester, London, and Paris. The 1872 trip, taken with his wife Jenny, is extensively described in their separate letters to his mother and uncle. Notable content includes seven letters written 1861 July 26-Oct. 1 as a prisoner of war, and his letter of 27 July 1871 describing conditions in Paris in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. Photographs include an 1862 carte-de-visite of Harry Rockafellar in uniform, and a later portrait; a carte-de-visite of Alfred E. Baker in his uniform as fire marshal, 1865; and a photograph of Sudley Church, Bull Run (Brady's Album Gallery no. 315). Writings include an undated 5-page typescript of reminiscences recalling his encounters with President Abraham Lincoln, while on guard duty in Washington, D.C., at Fort Stevens, in a personal interview, and as part of the guard of honor over his remains; and an 1868 offprint of the report of the Seventy-First Regiment's Civil War service submitted by Lt. Col. Rockafellar to the Adjutant General of the State of New York. Personal miscellany includes Rockafellar's wedding announcement and business card, and seven specimens of 19th-century Confederate, U.S. and Canadian paper currency. less

The Hasbrouck family papers include original documents and copies of documents relating to the Hasbrouck family of New Paltz, New York, 1730-1858. The bulk of the papers are comprised of legal documents such as indentures, wills, and financial documents including property lists, account books, and receipts. The papers belong predominantly to John Hasbrouck; Elias Hasbrouck (1741-1791), a merchant from Woodstock, Ulster County, NY; and Richard M. Hasbrouck. Other family members represented in the collection include Susannah Hasbrouck, Abraham Hasbrouck, Elizabeth Hasbrouck, Phoebe Nordstrom, and William Conklin. Items of note include John Hasbrouck's undated school exercise book; a list dating from 1777 of the losses sustained by Elias Hasbrouck "in the burning of Esopus," and a 1764 letter from Henry Remsen to Elias Hasbrouck, discussing the new act passed in Parliament preventing trade with non- English islands. less

Henry Hunter Peters, merchant and farmer, had a mercantile business in California and then farmed in Southboro, Mass. Collection consists of diaries, correspondence, accounts, lectures, photographs, and printed matter. Diaries, 1850-1856, describe Peters's journeys by steamer from New York to California and Oregon; his life as a merchant in California during the early period of the gold rush; and life on his dairy farm in Southboro, Mass. Includes personal and business letters; mercantile accounts of Peters and Hazeltine and Scranton and Peters in San Francisco and Sacramento; lectures on farming and on his 1871 trip to Europe; and diary, 1851-1852, of H.C. Leonard in Astoria, Oregon, containing a vocabulary of a North American Indian language (Chinook?) and a daguerreotype portrait of Peters, ca. 1848. less

Reverend Henry Miller Cox (1854-1916) was a minister of the Reformed Church of America and a genealogist. He held pastorates in New York and New Jersey, and was the author of The Cox Family in America, published in 1912. The Henry Miller Cox papers includes his personal and professional correspondence as a clergyman, 1904-1915, and papers pertaining to his genealogical research on the Cox family in America. Research materials include correspondence with Cox family members and others, and notes and family trees he compiled. Nineteenth-century Cox family documents consist of business papers, 1818-1871, of his father James B. Cox of New Brunswick, N.J. and New York City, and his associates, including the New Brunswick firm of Bray & Cox in partnership with John W. Bray. These include correspondence, legal and financial documents, and receipts and orders for sugar, cloth, brandy, wood, and other dry goods. less

James Waterbury Eaton was a New York City businessman who resided in Babylon (Long Island), New York. These papers include correspondence (1917-1922) relating to his activities as agent for Parker Plate & Machinery Co., personal affairs at his home in Babylon, and Suffolk County school affairs. A letterbook (1898-1906) contains correspondence relating to the manufacture of boat engines; investments managed for A. A. Low and other members of the Low family; real estate interests of the Low family in Newport News, Virginia; church affairs in Suffolk County; and other matters. An account book (1899-1917) was used to record sales and exchanges of adding machines and accessories less

John Thallon & Co., Inc. was a wholesale firm in New York City that handled meats, poultry, dairy products, and pickles. Collection consists of journals, ledgers, cash books, contract books, and other business records, as well as some personal financial accounting records of the Thallon family. Also included are samples of telephone code books and World War II ration books. less

Josiah Little (1747-1830), of Newbury, Mass., was a landowner, merchant and politician. His son Josiah Little (1791-1860) was a lawyer, merchant and manufacturer in Danville, Maine. Collection consists of correspondence of Josiah Little, his son and other members of the family. Letters received by Little and his son concern personal and business matters including Little, Sr.'s landed estate, development of waterpower and manufacturing along the Androscoggin River, the lumber industry, and the start of railroads in Maine. less

Account books kept at his farm, "Oak Neck," in Islip, New York. Entries for ploughing, planting, sowing, hauling, and other farm activities; prices of potatoes, milk, beef, rye, corn, hay, pork, timber; accounts for boarding farm hands; prices of fish, rum, farm and household equipment; wages paid, etc. 9 volumes less

Joseph O. Hasbrouck was a postmaster and merchant of Tuthill in Ulster County, New York. Collection consists of papers relating to political, legal, financial, and personal matters. Includes a letter, 1847, from an American soldier on board a United States warship anchored near the mouth of the Rio Grande River during the War with Mexico with information about the progress of the war. less

Robert Swartwout (1778-1848) was an Army officer and merchant of New York City. Collection consists of Swartwout's correspondence, accounts and other papers relating to personal matters, business and politics. Includes materials on the reclamation of salt marshes in Bergen County, N.J. and financial enterprises in which Swartwout was interested; several papers relating to the War of 1812; and papers of Swartwout's sons and brothers. less

Samuel Crocker was a merchant and cotton manufacturer of Taunton, Mass. Papers include his letters, 1809-1836; accounts, 1802-1808; land papers concerning property in Bristol County, Mass.; papers from public offices held at the town, county and state levels, 1801-1823; accounts of his firm Crocker and Richmond, 1831-1847; and a sermon by his father, Rev. Josiah Crocker. Also, papers of his son, Samuel Leonard Crocker, regarding Thomas Coram, and St. Thomas Church, Taunton, Mass.; and accounts of his son-in-law Samuel Bass King, 1847-1856. less

The Provoost (Provost) family, of French Huguenot descent, were early settlers of New Amsterdam. David Provoost (1670-1724) was a merchant and Mayor of the City of New York from 1699 to 1700. His nephew John Provoost (d. 1767) was the son of Samuel Provoost and Mary Spratt Provoost Alexander, prominent New York City merchants, and the stepson of James Alexander, a prominent New York lawyer and politician. The Provoost family papers include a manuscript copy of David Provoost's genealogy of the Provoost family of New Amsterdam (compiled 1724), made by John Provoost in 1742, as well as two letters from John Provoost at Curacao to his parents dated 18 May 1736 and 21 June 1736, concerning shipment and prices of goods, addressed to his stepfather, James Alexander, in New York. Also present are some genealogical notes dated 1785, and a letter from Lucy D. Akerly to a Mr. King, 6 Oct. 1897, loosely laid in, concerning the Provoost family. less

Silas Peirce and Company was a wholesale grocery firm in Boston, Mass., during the 19th century. Along with groceries and household supplies, the firm had a substantial trade in luxury items. Collection consists of records of general merchandise bought and sold by Silas Peirce and Company. Materials include orders, invoices, receipts, accounts. bills, price lists, import certificates, and some correspondence. less

Abner Lord Ely (1805-1871) was a New York City merchant and real estate manager. He founded the real estate management firm Horace S. Ely & Company in New York City. Collection consists of general and family correspondence, legal and financial papers, and other materials relating mainly to Ely's activities as a dry goods merchant, commission agent, and manager of real estate in New York City. Correspondence, 1832-1871, received from John B. Lesieur, a socially prominent American residing in Paris, France, concerns political events in France and Europe and properties in New York which were managed by Ely. Included is correspondence with members of the Mead family and with Ely's brother John, a lawyer, regarding cases involving mercantile law being tried before the United States Supreme Court. Also, miscellaneous legal and financial papers of other members of the Ely family and a history, 1955, of the firm founded by Ely written by his lineal descendant Richard Ely Nevius. less