Overview
Brothers Albert Smith (1763-1823) and Thomas Smith (born 1775) were merchants and shipmasters in Hanover, Massachusetts. The Albert and Thomas Smith papers, dated 1773-1814, consist of shipping records, legal documents, mainly related to Albert Smith's service as a justice of the peace, and personal and professional correspondence.
Dates
- 1773-1823
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
.42 linear feet (2 boxes)The Albert and Thomas Smith papers, dated 1773-1814, consist of shipping records, legal documents, mainly related to Albert Smith's service as a justice of the peace, and personal and professional correspondence.
Records include a logbook for the voyages of the brigantine Apollo, captained by Albert Thomas, in 1792-1793. The vessel sailed to Falmouth, England, Cádiz, Spain, and St. Petersburg, Russia with cargo that included salt and tin. Albert Smith also kept a letter book with copies of correspondence he sent aboard the Apollo to merchants including Thomas Handasyd Perkins (1764-1864) and Stephen Gorham (1747-1826). There are also ship's papers and correspondence related to the voyages of the ship Argo to Virginia, Falmouth, Lisbon, Portugal, and St. Petersburg, carrying flour and other commodities, dated 1796-1798, and for the brigantine Baltimore, which sailed to Maryland carrying rum in 1786-1787. There are additionally documents concerning the voyage of the brigantine Mars, captained by Thomas Smith, which carried forty barrels of coffee to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1784. The collection further includes assorted invoices, cargo lists, insurance documents, and bills, receipts, and promissory notes, dated from 1773 to 1823.
Additionally, there are letters from Josiah Smith to his sons, and to Albert Smith from his wife, Anne. Professional correspondence contains letters about settling accounts, and several letters from Massachusetts Representative Richard Cutts (1771-1845; Harvard AB 1790) in Washington, D.C., regarding a government appointment Albert Smith was apparently seeking.
Biographical Note:
Brothers Albert Smith (1763-1823) and Thomas Smith (born 1775) were merchants and shipmasters in Hanover, Massachusetts. Albert Smith also operated a general store, and served as a justice of the peace, in Hanover. Thomas Smith, with his brothers Millar and Josiah, owned a shipyard in Hanover, and built a number of vessels including the brigantine Apollo, captained by Albert Smith in 1792 and 1793.
Physical Location
MANU
Provenance:
Gift of Charles H. Taylor.
Digitization Funding
Collections and items have been digitized with the generous support of The Polonsky Foundation.
Processing Information
Processed: May 2016
By: Brooke McManus
Preservation and description was supported in part by the Arcadia-funded Colonial North American Project at Harvard University.
- Title
- Smith, Albert, 1763-1823, and Thomas Smith. Albert and Thomas Smith papers, 1773-1823 (inclusive): A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00280
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School, Harvard University Repository
Baker Library Special Collections 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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