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SERIES Identifier: Mss:77 1754-1890 B126

Series III. Correspondence and other papers, 1773-1892

Scope and Contents

This series consists mainly of letters regarding the business and shipping pursuits of Dudley Woodbridge, Rufus & James Backus, James Backus, and William Woodbridge Backus, as well as family correspondence and notes and letters related to genealogical research of William Woodbridge Backus, spanning the years 1773 to 1892. Included is a small amount of Elijah Backus correspondence regarding to his iron works and commodities manufactured and sold such as anchors and clothiers' shears.

Dudley Woodbridge corresponded with merchants in New York and New England, including Ebenezer Storer, Samuel Allyne Otis, and John Proctor of Boston, the Norwich shipping firm of Howland & Coit, and shipmasters he employed to voyage to the West Indies, regarding trade of rum, molasses, flaxseed, and other commodities; market demand and conditions; scarcity of cash; and insuring cargo. Some of his letters relate to his work as an attorney, including a lawsuit he helped bring against Ebenezer Backus by Susan Faircloth over allegations of nonpayment for goods she delivered to him.

The correspondence of Rufus & James Backus concern terms of agreements to purchase or consign assorted goods with merchants in New York and New England, including pig iron, beef and pork, pot and pearl ashes, butter, molasses, sugar, rum, and salt. Other topics are the Backus iron works and its output, demand for specific goods and prices current, means of payment, and updates on shipping voyages and vessels. There are some references to the Boston smallpox outbreak of 1792, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the American embargo on Great Britain in 1794. Correspondents include Andrew Adgate & Co. and John D. Blanchard of Philadelphia; Jabez Bowen of Providence, Rhode Island; Gilbert Saltonstall, George Bowne & Sons, and White & Wardell of New York; and William Little of Boston. Occasionally there are letters from merchants in Maryland and Virginia, as well as shipmasters Robert Niles, Nathaniel P. Peabody, and Stephen Colver. After 1796 when their partnership dissolved, James Backus continued as sole proprietor of his family’s businesses and maintained relationships and correspondence with merchants in other American port cities.

William Woodbridge’s letters concern research for his family memoir and his varied investments in rail road, bank, and insurance stocks. There are also some letters of the Backus family and their extended relations.

Dates

  • Creation: 1773-1892

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information regarding access procedures.

Extent

6 linear feet (21 boxes, 6 volumes)

Physical Location

MANU

Repository Details

Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository

Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.

Contact:
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