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

The Beebee, Ludlow and Company papers consist of business correspondence and financial documents related to the firm, which operated in New York City and Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. The company traded in bullion and specie.

The Beebee, Ludlow and Company papers consist of business correspondence and financial documents related to the firm, which operated in New York City and Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. The collection holds both incoming and, to a lesser extent, outgoing correspondence related to the company's trade in bullion and specie, which included specie from several foreign countries across Europe and North America, as well as gold from around the world. Most of the letters contain financial figures and account statements between the firm and their business partners, who wrote from locations across the country. Particularly well represented were firms located in Charleston, South Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Following the Ludlows' departure, the firm represented itself as Beebee & Co, Bullion & Exchange Bankers, after January 1851, but continued to do business with Ludlow & Co. in Philadelphia. The records trace the financial history of the company in its prime and provide insight into the bullion business, and business affairs in general, just prior to the Civil War.

The Joseph Shipley, Jr., collection is made up of business and personal correspondence related to the Shipley and Bringhurst families of Wilmington, Delaware. Most items are letters to Joseph Shipley, Jr., a native of Wilmington who was involved in shipping and banking in Liverpool, England, in the early to mid-19th century.

The Joseph Shipley, Jr., collection (1 linear foot) contains business and personal correspondence related to the Shipley and Bringhurst families of Wilmington, Delaware. The earliest items include letters to Joseph Bringhurst from correspondents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who commented on the cotton trade and finances from 1813-1817. The bulk of the collection is made up of business and personal letters to Joseph Shipley, Jr., from 1819 to the mid-1850s. Shipley, who lived and worked in Liverpool, England, regularly heard from merchants and family in Philadelphia and Wilmington and sometimes in New York and Manchester. The collection also includes some letters that Shipley wrote to his brothers. The Shipley correspondence often pertains to the shipment of cotton and other goods between the United States and Europe, to banking, and to family news from "Brandywine Mills."

Writers sometimes commented on current events or political affairs, such as elections, the advent of the "Native American" (Know Nothing) party and tensions between nativists and Irish Catholics in Philadelphia (May 14, 1844, and July 14, 1844), the "Oregon question," and the Mexican-American War. A letter from August 15, 1832, informs Shipley about the alarm over the cholera epidemic in Philadelphia. Several letters from the early 1840s mention the decline of the Bank of the United States, such as Richard Price's letter of October 30, 1840, which includes financial figures related to the bank. Shipley's later correspondence concerns personal and family matters, and he often received letters from his nieces and nephews in Delaware and Pennsylvania. The last items are letters written among members of the Bringhurst family. In one letter, Edward Bringhurst wrote to his wife Sarah about attending a religious service at the Sistine Chapel, presided over by the Pope (April 9, 1851). The collection also includes bills of lading, receipts, and indentures.

This collection consists of incoming correspondence addressed to Thomas C. Garrett, a jeweler and watchmaker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The letters, from suppliers and merchants, concern the supply of materials used to make jewelry and watches and pertain to Garrett's business finances.

This collection consists of 66 incoming letters addressed to Thomas C. Garrett, a jeweler and watchmaker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1834 and 1854. Garrett corresponded with dealers and merchants around the United States, though most were based in New York City. Many letters reflect the cost of metals, pins, watch glasses, fob chains, and other components of watches and jewelry. In his letter of October 16, 1842, J. B. Cooper of Cincinnati, Ohio, noted the current prices of jewelry, and others provided invoices or price lists. Much of the correspondence concerns Garrett's relationships with other firms. For example, Roger Walter at the House of Berger Walter in New York City, expressed his hope that Garrett would continue doing business with the firm after a change in management (March 21, 1842); Thomas [Alsop] apologized for his inability to pay a debt, laying out his reasons (December 4, 1841); and C. L. Heyde, one of Garrett's former employees, wrote three letters in July 1846 concerning a financial dispute he had with Garrett.