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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:252 1858-1879 H864

Matthew Howland letter book

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of one letter book containing copies of letters sent to Matthew's brother, George, Captain Philip Howland, Captain Paul Greene, Captain G. P. Pomeroy, Captain Valentine Lewis, Captain Robert Jones, P. S. Wilcox, Captain Joseph Green, Grafton Hillman, Captain James Stewart, Captain Edward B. Phinney, Charles F. Winslow, Crisanto Medina, Esq. [Secretary of United States and Ecuador Joint Commission on Claims], Gideon and Company, Samuel Leonard and Son, Thomas G. Hunt, George F. Bartlett, Mrs. John Dexter, Captain Edmund Kelly, Captain S. F. Davis, Madam Julia de Grandchamps, Young Stanburgh, Mrs. D. A. Cushman, H. M. Knowlton, George G. Massey, Sutton and Company, Freeman Smith and Company and others. The bulk of the letters concern sperm whaling in the Arctic; vessels mentioned include George and Susan, Joseph S. Spinney, Clara Bell, Lottie Beard and P. R. Hazeltine. A small number of the letters document personal concerns such as the death of family members, the Society of Friends or purchases of clothing.

Dates

  • Creation: 1858-1879

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials stored offsite; access requires advance notice. Contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information on access procedures and reproduction services.

Extent

.25 linear feet (1 volume)

Biographical / Historical

Matthew, son of George and Susan Howland, was born August 27, 1814 in New Bedford and died there on September 29, 1884. He was active in whale fishery for most of his life with his father and his brother, George. Matthew Howland, a life-long member of the Society of Friends, was an elder and clerk of the New Bedford Monthly Meeting for about thirty years. In addition to his whaling interests, he was director of the National Bank of Commerce and its predecessor, the Bedford Commercial Bank. Howland married Rachel Collins Smith of Philadelphia in 1842. Rachel Howland, a member of the Society of Friends, was a minister in that faith for fifty-five years. The couple had four children.

Physical Location

MANU

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Charles H. Taylor.

Existence and Location of Copies

This item is available on microfilm (1 reel, 35mm.) for use in the Baker Library Special Collections Reading Room, Baker Library. Order no. 88-2529.

Processing Information

Processed: March 2021 By: Baker Library Special Collections Staff

Processing Information

To enhance discoverability, this collection was removed from an artificial collection of account books and other material relating to the whaling industry chiefly from New Bedford and Nantucket, Mass. in March 2021.

Creator

Subject

Author
Baker Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak01385

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.

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