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This collection contains 32 documents regarding the nautical careers of merchant ship captains Jacob and Edward Taylor of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Sailing orders, bills of lading, wage agreements, and other financial and legal records relate to their voyages to Gibraltar, the Caribbean, and Virginia in the late 18th century.

This collection contains 32 documents regarding the nautical careers of merchant ship captains Jacob and Edward Taylor of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Sailing orders, bills of lading, wage agreements, and other financial and legal records relate to their voyages to Gibraltar, the Caribbean, and Virginia, in the late 18th century. Included are 12 items associated with Jacob Taylor (1759-1786), 17 items about Edward Taylor (1794-1798), and 3 additional documents (1828 and undated).

Personal receipts, accounts, and bills of lading (dated in the mid- to late 18th century) relate to Jacob Taylor's career as captain of several merchant schooners and sloops. Taylor frequently traveled to the Caribbean on ships laden with goods such as sugar, beef, and other foodstuffs. Two documents, a bill of lading and a record for the court of the Vice Admiralty at Halifax, concern the Little Betsey's intended voyage from Boston to Gibraltar in early 1759. The court record attests that the ship became leaky soon after leaving shore, and that an inquest formally acknowledged that the ship was not fit to sail. The document also lists the cargo onboard the ship. Other items include partially printed documents concerning pay for Taylor and other crewmembers on the Plymouth and Polly.

The second group of documents concerns Edward Taylor's career in the 1790s. These records primarily relate to his activities as captain of the Swallow, which traveled to Martinique, Guadalupe, and other Caribbean ports at the behest of Boston merchants William Jackson, Thomas Jackson, Jr., and Barnabas Hedge, Jr. Four sets of orders from the merchants direct Taylor to take command of the Swallow and Caroline, and list the goods he should procure while abroad, such as molasses. These instructions and a signed affidavit from Guadalupe also concern a French embargo against English goods and encourage Taylor to behave in a civil manner toward "belligerent" ships. Payment agreements are also included, as are a small, partially filled account book and an invoice for cod shipped on the Swallow.

The remaining items are a partially printed, signed insurance agreement for Philadelphia Merchant William Dowell (October 19, 1759); a partially printed document dated 1828, showing the value of cargo aboard the Mary and Hero; and an undated page of financial accounts.

• Joseph Taylor
  • Lemuel (Schooner)
  • Little Betsey (Sloop)
  • Mars (Ship)
  • Plymouth (Sloop)
  • Polly (Schooner)
  • Salley (Schooner)
  • Willingmind (Schooner)
• Edward Taylor
  • Betsy (Schooner)
  • Caroline (Schooner)
  • Swallow (Schooner)

This collection is made up of 46 business letters and financial records, which primarily relate to commerce in and between Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the Caribbean, 1795-1801. Early manuscripts primarily relate to fabrics, buttons, and similar materials traded by Philadelphia merchant John Imlay. Later business letters are addressed to his son, John Imlay, who lived in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and also participated in West Indian commerce.

This collection is made up of 46 business letters and financial records, which primarily relate to commerce in and between Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the Caribbean, 1795-1801. Early manuscripts primarily relate to fabrics, buttons, and similar materials traded by Philadelphia merchant John Imlay. Later business letters are addressed to his son, John Imlay, who lived in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and also participated in West Indian commerce.

The Imlay collection includes financial documents, such as receipts and accounts, related to the Imlays' shipping interests and to their involvement in the clothing trade between 1795 and 1796. Among other items, they dealt in ribbon, linen, and buttons. Later business correspondence (1795-1801) comprises the bulk of the collection, and is addressed to the elder John Imlay or to his son. Correspondents from locations such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, Tortola, St. Thomas, and other Caribbean locations discussed the shipments of rum, sugar, and other goods. Some letters relate to the capture of merchant ships by privateers or allude to conflicts with France (May 22, 1799, and January 14, 1800, for example). Though most letters are purely financial in nature, correspondents occasionally provided local news. Some letters are addressed to other merchants operating in similar industries and regions. Post-1801 items include a financial document regarding the estate of Thomas Leavett, settled in 1817, and a 2-page manuscript of one-line notes about planting crops on an unidentified farm between May and October 1824.

This collection contains 4 letters that Boston merchant John Weir wrote to businessman Thomas Savage during a business trip to the Caribbean in 1760. Weir discussed shipments of molasses to Boston and commented on local prices and news in Monte Cristo, Santo Domingo.

This collection contains 4 letters (5 pages) that Boston merchant John Weir wrote to businessman Thomas Savage between March 20, 1760 and May 1, 1760, during a business trip to the Caribbean. The letters concern the shipment of molasses from the Spanish port of "Mounto Christo" (Monte Cristo, Santo Domingo, now the Dominican Republic) to Boston, and include Weir's system for labeling the barrels (March 20, 1760) and his reports on the amount of molasses shipped aboard particular vessels. Weir often reported prices in "pieces of eight" (Spanish dollars). He commented on price differences between Monte Cristo and Boston, as well as on his monetary affairs in Massachusetts, including financial support for his mother (April 28, 1760). Weir frequently mentioned merchant Josiah Newhall; one letter notes that Mrs. Newhall "has arrested Capt. Malcom" on account of undelivered molasses (May 1, 1760).