New York and Canada Line account book, 1869-1921 (majority within 1869-1873, 1889-1910)

Summary

Creator:

Smith & Wilkins

Abstract:

The first section of this volume contains 73 pages of accounting records for the New York and Canada Line, which shipped cargo on the Northeast Atlantic seaboard and along the St. Lawrence Seaway. The entries date from 1869 to 1873. A second section of the volume contains accounting and inventory records for an unidentified slate company, between 1889 and 1910. The final page contains a single entry by an unknown party for a lumber purchase in 1921.

Extent:

1 volume

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Cari Griffin, March 2019

Background

Scope and Content:

The first section of this volume contains 73 pages of accounting records for the New York and Canada Line, which shipped cargo on the Northeast Atlantic seaboard and along the St. Lawrence Seaway. The entries date from 1869 to 1873 and they contain varying levels of detail, such as boat names; Captains' names; expenses (such as towing and freight fees); Captains' compensation; monetary details (such as monies exchanged by cash or check, and rates based upon a gold standard); and cargo (such as salt, coal/egg coal, pitch, rosin, clay, tobacco, and provisions).

Destinations referenced include:

• Albany, New York
• Burlington, Vermont
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Cornwall, Canada
• Fort Edward, New York
• Hillsborough, New York
• Montréal, Canada
• New York, New York
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Québec, Canada
• Richelieu, Québec, Canada
• Whitehall, New York

The second section of the volume, consisting of 24 pages, contains accounting and inventory records from 1889-1910 for an unidentified slate company.

The final page contains a single entry by an unknown party for a lumber purchase in 1921.

Biographical / Historical:

The Smith & Wilkins Company formed the New York and Canada Line in the early 1840s in Burlington, Vermont, to help facilitate the transportation of goods westward. The shipping line consisted of "long boats," similar to sloops, that allowed for the removal of their mast and sails to permit canal transportation by steam. By 1853, however, increased railroad use reduced the need for westward maritime routes and the New York and Canada Line was discontinued in 1879.

Acquisition Information:

2016. M-6040.23 .

Processing information:

This collection has been processed according to minimal, accession-level processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:

The collection is a single bound volume.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Bibliography

Carlisle, L. Diana. "Champlain Glass Company: Burlington's First Manufacturing Enterprise." Vermont History Journal 68 (2000): 133-161.

United States. Department of Treasury. Treasury Decisions under Customs and Other Laws. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1879.

Subjects

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Subjects:

Commerce.
Shipping--Canada.
Shipping--Hudson River (N.Y. and N.J.)
Shipping--New York (State)
Shipping--Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Ships.

Formats:

Account books.
Business records.

Places:

Burlington (Vt.)--Businesses, industries, and trades.