Ropes, William

Person

Dates

Existence: 1784-

Biography

William Ropes (b. 1784) shipped out to Calcutta in 1806 and Canton in 1809, then went into business in Boston with Colonel Benjamin Pickman as Ropes, Pickman & Co., which was dissolved in 1816. He then went into business with Thomas W. Ward until 1825. He married [Martha Reed (d. 1830)?] and had ten children, some of whom were: William Hooper Ropes, Joseph Samuel Ropes, Mary Tyler Ropes, Elizabeth Ropes, Martha Ropes, and Louisa Ropes. In 1830, William Ropes sailed for St. Petersburg with his eldest son to establish an import/export business there. His wife died in April 1830, soon after he arrived in Russia. In 1832, he re-married to Mary Ann Codman. Their children were Catherine Ropes (1833-1835) and John Codman Ropes (1836-1899). In 1833, he formally established William Ropes & Co. in St. Petersburg. He left St. Petersburg in 1837, leaving his four eldest children there permanently. He then established a business in London, before returning to the U.S. in 1842.

Details in the biographical note are from the finding aid, Ropes family papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Ropes family papers

FOUND IN: Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School

Collection Identifier: Mss:766 1789-1875 R785

Overview:

Correspondence, papers, diaries, and financial records kept by the Ropes family members of Salem, Massachusetts, 1785-circa 1960.