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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:761 1843-1863 M849

S. Griffitts Morgan business records

Overview

Ships' papers, correspondence and financial and legal records pertaining to commission merchant S. Griffitts Morgan of New Bedford, Mass., 1841-1865.

Dates

  • Creation: 1841-1865

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Conditions Governing Access

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

Extent

7 linear feet (19 volumes, 10 boxes)

The S. Griffitts Morgan business records consist of financial and legal records, correspondence and ships' papers relating to the business activities Samuel Griffitts Morgan. The financial and legal papers contain bills, receipts, account records, sales, and invoices relating to the purchase, shipment and sale of goods and commodities. The correspondence includes both personal and professional letters sent to and from Morgan. Much of the business correspondence deals with the shipment of goods, economic news and the purchase and sale of goods. The ships' papers contain bills of lading, receipts, account records, invoices and bills for all goods and materials related to specific ships that Morgan was supercargo of.

Also included are a number of personal letters written to Morgan in San Francisco by female family members [in Philadelphia], including his mother, H. G. Morgan, his sisters Rebecca, Helen, and Ann, and his sister-in-law, Heloise. The topics of the letters include family news, financial situations, and family squabbles.

Letters from his mother discuss her feelings about slavery and abolition, as well as their work to support the Union in the Civil War, especially by making socks for the soldiers.

Biographical / Historical

Samuel Griffitts Morgan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1816. He moved to New Bedford where he worked as a clerk in the office of his uncle, Charles Waln Morgan. He later was partner in the firm Pope & Morgan a commission business based out of New Bedford. In 1849 he was sent by commission merchant Thomas Hathaway on the ship John Jay to San Francisco as supercargo. In San Francisco he established the firm Morgan & Hathaway. Grinnell, Minturn & Co. of New York were the largest consignors of Morgan and Hathaway. Morgan conducted business with Nye, Perkins & Company of Canton, China and firms in Valparaiso, Chile for whale oil, turpentine and other commodities. Morgan returned to New Bedford and died in 1893.

Series Outline

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  1. Series I. Financial and legal records, 1841-1861
  2. Series II. Correspondence, 1849-1865
  3. Series III. Ships' papers, 1849-1854

Physical Location

MANU

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. R. H. Morgan, 1928.

Author
Baker Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng
EAD ID
bak00231

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:
Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
Soldiers Field Road
Boston MA 01263 USA
(617) 495-6411