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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:201 1822-1880

Stetson family business records

Overview

The Stetson family of Bangor, Maine, were general merchants, shippers, dealers in lumber, agents for timber land, and bankers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1822-1895

Conditions Governing Access

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

Extent

18 linear feet (174 volumes)

Chiefly account books and ledgers reflecting the family's varied business interests. Included are records for Simeon Stetson; George Stetson; Brown and Stetson; Emery and Stetson; Emery, Stetson and Company; Stetson and Company. Also included are records of such "outside" interests as Bruce Mills, Kenduskeag Log Driving Company, Central Market House Company, Market Bank. There are records of a few non-family stores, such as Otis Briggs, Jr. and Company, Newport, Maine; John A. Rice and Company, Rufus Davenport, and Market Mutual, all of Bangor. The family accounting series are unusually complete; there are letter books, but few incoming letters.

Historical Note:

The Stetson family of Bangor, Maine were general merchants, shippers, lumber wholesalers, agents for timber lands and bankers. George Stetson moved to Maine and formed a partnership with Albert Brown in Brown & Stetson, general merchants. He later formed a partnership with Cyrus Emery and his brother Isaiah, Emery, Stetson & Co. The firm was a wholesale marketer and dealt in the lumber trade. George Stetson was later president of the Market Bank.

Arrangement:

The volumes are arranged in family and/or businessunits, starting with the earliest date, 1822. Fortwo units (Emery, Stetson & Co., 1835-50, and Stetson&: Co., 1850-94) the numbering of ledgers, journals,and daybooks is consecutive, and these have been kepttogether. Following the family business combinationscome records of "outside" enterprises in which the family wereinterested. These are grouped by date, except that general stores are placed together, as are banking enterprises.Folder's are in a box at the end. There are gaps within the numbering scheme of this collection. These materials are now at the Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department, University of Maine.

Physical Location

MANU

Provenance:

Gift of Irving G. Stetson, January 1966

Related Material:

Material after 1880 has gone to the Maine State Museum, Augusta. Later donated to the Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department, University of Maine.

Title
Stetson Family. Stetson Family Business Records, 1822-1895: A Finding Aid
Author
Baker Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00241

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