Overview
Records of Lowell, Mass. cotton manufacture Tremont & Suffolk Mills.
Dates
- Creation: 1831-1936
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored offsite; access requires advance notice. Contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
12 linear feet (106 volumes, 8 boxes)These are incomplete records of two early Lowell cotton mills, started in 1831, joined in 1871, and finally absorbed by the Nashua Manufacturing Company in 1926. The collection is fairly strong for the early period, and there are several series of letters. The papers relating to sales in China (1905-1910) and to relations with the Locks and Canals Company (1878-1886) are of particular interest. Includes treasurers' letters of Henry Hall, Henry V. Ward, Walter Hastings, William A. Burke, J. C. Ayer, J. C. Birdseye, A. S. Covel, and Charles F. Young, and agents' letters of Israel Whitney, John Aiken, Charles L. Tilden, Charles F. Battles, John Wright, Thomas S. Shaw, E. W. Thomas, and J. J. Connell.
Historical Note:
The Tremont Mills and Suffolk Manufacturing Co., originally separate entities, were both founded in 1831. In 1871 businessman and industrialist Federick Ayer, with is brother James C. Ayer, purchased a controlling interest in the Tremont Mills and the Suffolk Manufacturing Co. of Lowell, Mass. The Ayer brothers consolidated the companies to form the Tremont and Suffolk Mills. The company manufactured jeans, cotton flannels, shirtings and print cloth. Tremont and Suffolk Mills was absorbed by the Nashua Manufacturing Company in the early 20th century.
Series Outline
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series I. Administrative, 1831-1936
- Series II. Cash, 1831-1881
- Series III. Production and supplies, 1835-1926
- Series IV. Sales, 1890-1921
- Series V. Letters, 1832-1911
- Series VI. Unbound letters, 1832-1918
- Series VII. Miscellaneous, 1890-1920
Physical Location
MANU
Provenance:
Gift of Nashua Manufacturing Company, 1947.
Subject
- Tilden, Charles L. (Person)
- Whitney, Israel (Person)
- Tremont and Suffolk Mills (Organization)
- Tremont Mills (Organization)
- Nashua Manufacturing Company (Organization)
- Proprietors of Locks and Canals on Merrimack River (Organization)
- Title
- Tremont and Suffolk Mills Records, 1831-1936: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00170
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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