Collections

The George S. Brown papers consist of incoming correspondence and documents related to the merchant's business interests in Rhode Island, Georgia, and New York, though much of the correspondence originates from St. Marys, Georgia. Brown and his partners dealt in timber, foodstuffs, and cotton.

The George S. Brown papers (45 items) consist of incoming correspondence and documents related to the merchant's business interests in Rhode Island, Georgia, and New York.

Much of Brown's early incoming Correspondence is from Samuel Clarke, his business partner until 1824, concerning their financial and business affairs near St. Marys, Georgia, and in New York City. Later, Brown's associates Alfred Doolittle and David Seabury wrote of the timber and cotton industries in Georgia and northern Florida. They occasionally mentioned the purchase of slaves (September 16, 1826, et al.). Seabury, Brown's business partner after 1824, frequently discussed the state of various markets in New York and often alluded to the local fear of a cholera epidemic, and Doolittle noted the effects of the nullification crisis on the citizens of St. Marys (September 15, 1832). Brown managed a cotton plantation near Pigeon Creek, in Georgia, and a textile factory in Potowomut, Rhode Island. The final letter, addressed to Mary S. Brown, concerns taxes for land near Pigeon Creek, Georgia. Two Documents are Samuel Clarke and George S. Brown's agreement to purchase the brig Lark (December 18, 1823), and a document dissolving the pair's business partnership (November 10, 1824).

This collection is made up of letters, documents, and a logbook relating to Captain Israel Snow of Thomaston and Rockland, Maine, and vessels, ship captains, and shipments of goods in the early and mid-19th century.

This collection is made up of letters, documents, and a logbook relating to Captain Israel Snow of Thomaston and Rockland, Maine, and shipping and other nautical subjects in the early and mid-19th century.

The Correspondence Series consists of 10 letters Israel Snow received from professional acquaintances between October 2, 1829, and November 21, 1849, mostly regarding vessels, captains, and shipments of goods along the Atlantic seaboard and to New Orleans. He corresponded with men in Norfolk, New York, and Philadelphia, and received news from his home in Thomaston, Maine. Though most writers focused on cargo, consignments, ship arrivals, and finances, others commented on personal issues; for example, Israel Thorndike briefly mentioned his attempt to establish a school (December 12, 1836). The remaining items are a letter from Israel L. Snow to his father about business in Mobile, Alabama, written on a printed "Merchants' and Planters' Price-Current" (October 12, 1850), and a letter from Snow to his wife Lucy, concerning his safe arrival in Hull, England, and his plans to return home (August 27, 1840). One letter written by M. Sumner to R. B. Fuller from Rockland, Maine, on June 24, 1869, relates to a shipment aboard the Schooner Wanderer. Its relation to the Snow family is currently unknown beyond the Rockland connection.

The Documents Series consists of 19 documents, with three relating directly to Israel Snow, listed below.

• A copy of a deed between Daniel Weed and John Jameson pertaining to land in Thomaston, Maine (original dated March 9, 1804; copy dated September 12, 1844). The copy was mailed to Israel Snow.
• A receipt for Israel Snow's payment of income tax to the United States Internal Revenue, dated August 1, 1865.
• A receipt from the United States Treasury for Israel L. Snow's payment for U.S. bonds, dated October 11, 1865.

The remainder of the documents relate more generally to ships and the shipping industry of Rockland, Maine, and the surrounding area. International trade was being conducted with England, Brazil, and Peru. The connection of these items to the Snow family is currently unknown. Several items relate to the Schooner Wanderer. Items include an 1848 warranty deed for a shipyard lot, a borrower's bond relating to the Bark Rambler, an 1869 agreement between ship masters for salvage, as well as surveys and notarized documents of the condition of vessels or their damage, appraisals of ship value, bills and receipts, and insurance and legal documents. One document for the Rockland Insurance Company, dated March 28, 1867, relates to a schooner being under fire during the Civil War, leading to its abandonment.

The Logbook Series consists of one volume, "Abstract Log of Barque Jenny Pitts," covering voyages between 1853 and 1857, many captained by Israel Snow. Voyages include those from Cardiff to San Francisco; San Francisco to Hong Kong; Hong Kong to Shanghai; Shanghai to London; London to Cuba; and possibly one other to Bordeaux.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, and other items related to New Jersey politician Jonathan Dayton; his son-in-law, Oliver Hatfield Spencer; and Spencer's son-in-law, William Nelson Wood. The materials concern politics, finances, property, genealogy, and other subjects.

This collection is made up of 3 linear feet of correspondence, documents, and other items related to New Jersey politician Jonathan Dayton; his son-in-law, Oliver Hatfield Spencer; and Spencer's son-in-law, William Nelson Wood. The materials date between 1764 and 1892, and they concern politics, finances, property, genealogy, and other subjects. The collection is arranged into groups of Jonathan Dayton papers, Oliver Hatfield Spencer papers, William Nelson Wood papers, and Spencer and Wood family papers.

The Jonathan Dayton Papers are divided into 3 subseries. The Jonathan Dayton Correspondence subseries is made up of Dayton's incoming (over 310 items) and outgoing (approximately 55 items) letters between 1780 and 1824. Dayton corresponded with family members, professional acquaintances, and political figures. Many of the early letters pertain to Dayton's congressional service, national and local politics, and personal matters. A group of 14 letters from 1807 concern the Burr Conspiracy and its effects on Dayton, who was imprisoned in connection with the incident. Some of Dayton's correspondents discussed Native American relations and the Northwest Territory. Others provided family news from Cincinnati and commented on legal and financial issues.

The Jonathan Dayton Financial Documents (15 items, 1774-1830) consist of receipts, accounts, and account books, pertaining to real property, taxes, and other financial matters. The 2 account books (1792-1793 and 1823) concern shipping costs, livestock, debts, and real property. A copy of Gaine's New-York Pocket Almanack for 1775 contains an unidentified writer's manuscript notes and financial records kept between 1775 and 1779.

The Jonathan Dayton Legal Documents (76 items, 1764-1821) include deeds for property in New Jersey, contracts, records pertaining to court cases, and other items.

The Oliver Hatfield Spencer series , divided into subseries of Correspondence (5 items) and Documents (13 items). Letters to Spencer, dated 1820-1821, concern his claims against the estate of "Mr. Evans." Other items, dated between 1802 and 1856, include certificates, deeds, Spencer's will, receipts, and a military commission. These documents relate to Spencer's medical career, his work for the New Orleans Board of Health and the Medical Board of the State of Louisiana, and his memberships in the Medical Society of Philadelphia and the Chemical Society of Philadelphia. Three later items pertain to his estate.

The William Nelson Wood series includes Correspondence (19 items) and Estate Documents (41 items). James Cook informed Wood of his brother's death in a letter dated February 21, 1831. The bulk of the remaining correspondence, written from 1853-1854, concern the estate of Clement Wood, a resident of England. Two letters by Luigi Palma di Cesnola (June 27, 1864, and July 7, 1864) report the death of Wood's son Oliver during the Civil War and discuss the Battle of Trevilian Station. A subseries of Estate Documents consists primarily of claims made against Wood's estate following his death in 1865.

The Spencer and Wood Family Papers (153 items) consist of letters, documents receipts, genealogical notes, autographs, an invitation, and an essay related to the descendants of Jonathan Dayton, Oliver Hatfield Spencer, and William Nelson Wood. Correspondence, Documents, and Receipts include incoming and outgoing letters related to members of the Dayton, Spencer, and Wood families, often concerning family news and legal affairs. The series includes Genealogical Materials for the Dayton, Williamson, Halstead, Spencer, and Ogden families. Eighty-seven Autographs cut from letters include signatures and handwriting of prominent individuals in the late 18th and early 19th century. The final items in the collection include an essay description of Jesus Christ (with an 1847 song "The Hieland Laddies' Farewell" written on the back) and a vellum invitation for Edward Meeker Wood to attend The General Society of the Cincinnati and the Sons of the Revolution commemorative event for the death of George Washington, held on December 14, 1899.

The Thomas Amory collection is comprised of letters, legal documents, and financial records related to the sugar and wine merchant's business affairs throughout the early 1700s.

The Thomas Amory collection is comprised of letters, legal documents, and financial records related to the sugar and wine merchant's business affairs throughout the early 1700s. Three early items relate to Amory's interests in the sugar and wine trade in Brazil, including a receipt written at Angra dos Reis in 1709, a business letter from 1720, and a document entitled "An Answer to the Objections of each Article that Mr. George Jaffrey makes to my accts.," respecting disputed accounts associated with shipping voyages of the Pinke Bachus ([1719]). Amory received business correspondence from contacts in North America and Great Britain, often related to the shipment of wine and the settling of financial accounts. The collection also holds a contract between Amory and Benjamin Eddy, whom Amory hired to ship "Indian corn" between North Carolina and Boston (April 14, 1726), and a receipt related to the late merchant's estate (July 13, 1730).