Frederick Henry Wolcott diary

1849-1854

Prominent New York City merchant Frederick Henry Wolcott kept this diary (2 vols.) from November 5, 1849 through January 2, 1854. Prior to his retirement on January 1, 1852, he was partner in the dry goods firm Wolcott and Slade. Diary entries includes genealogical data on the Wolcott and Howland families; records of business transactions and conditions, failures, the prices of cotton goods, and other matters; current events of local, national, and international interest; notes concerning the proceedings of Congress regarding the admission of California and Texas as states; the arrival and departure of ships, particularly those bringing treasure from California via Chagres; some account of his brother, Henry Wolcott, and his China trade; mention of a Sharpless portrait of George Washington owned by Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury, and a Cheney portrait of the author's wife