Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This volume contains invoices and accounts related to London-based merchant James Douglas, who shipped fabrics, woven goods, and other items between Great Britain and the United States during the 1780s. The bulk of the records document the amount and cost of goods shipped on behalf of various firms and consignment agents. Later accounts reflect the shipment of tobacco, indigo, rice, and other goods from the United States to Great Britain.

This volume (329 pages) contains invoices and accounts related to London-based merchant James Douglas, who shipped fabrics, woven goods, and other items between Great Britain and the United States during the 1780s. The bulk of the records (317 pages) pertain to shipments of cloth goods from Great Britain to the United States between April 1784 and August 1786. His goods included domestic and imported cloths, handkerchiefs, blankets, and other finished products. Daily records include the name of the ship carrying the goods from London or Liverpool to North American ports, including Charleston, South Carolina. Some records include the price of related items such as buttons and tassels. One entry concerns a shipment of books (pp. 202-204).

The remaining accounts (12 pages) pertain to shipments of tobacco from Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, to British ports between January 1, 1789, and July 7, 1792. These accounts, recorded sporadically, primarily pertain to the value of the tobacco and, less frequently, other items such as rice and indigo.

This collection is made up of 22 business letters and financial documents related to the Livingston family of Albany and New York City. Most of the material concerns the Livingstons' financial relationship with Samuel Storke of London, England.

This collection is made up of 22 business letters and financial documents related to the Livingston family of Albany and New York City. Most of the material concerns the Livingstons' financial relationship with Samuel Storke of London, England.

The first 3 items are copies of contracts between Philip Livingston and Lendert Lewis for loans totaling over £350 (November 3, 1733). The remaining items consist of letters, accounts, invoices, and payment orders between Robert Livingston, Robert & Peter Livingston & Company, Samuel Storke, and Storke & Gainsborough. Robert and Peter Van Brugh Livingston shipped textiles such as cotton wool and beaver pelts, as well as other items, to Great Britain in the mid-1730s. Many of the goods were shipped onboard the Albany. In one of his letters to Samuel Storke, Robert Livingston discussed his unsuccessful attempts to sell clothing in New York (June 2, 1735). The payment orders are addressed to Storke & Gainsborough of London, England, and concern money that Robert Livingston owed to individuals, often for merchandise. The final letter pertains to the Gentleman's Monthly Magazine, which Robert Livingston wished to have sent to his father (December 1737).