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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:761 1841-1878 B592

P.T. Berry and Son records

Scope and Contents

The records of P. T. Berry and Son document the day-to-day financial activities of a wholesale general merchandise business in Georgetown, District of Columbia from 1841 to 1878. Included are letters sent and received, promissory notes, bills, receipts, authorizations, deeds, vouchers, accounts, drafts, freight bills, accounts of sales, bills of lading, statements, orders, bank deposit books, drafts, insurance, telegrams, charter party, day books, journals, ledgers, and a cash book. There is also a folder of bills and receipts for Dr. William H. Berry who had no business dealings with the firm; it is possible he is a relative.

Dates

  • Creation: 1841-1878

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

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

Extent

4 linear feet (18 volumes, 5 boxes)

Biographical / Historical

Philip T. Berry, the founder of the firm of P. T. Berry & Son, as far as the records show, transacted a wholesale business in general merchandise in Georgetown, District of Columbia, trading principally with New York. Other cities represented in these documents include Philadelphia, Boston, Newburyport and Halifax, Nova Scotia. His brothers, Horatio E., Walter W., A. M. and Benjamin Berry all had business dealings with him.

Up until 1844, the business was transacted by P. T. Berry. From 1844-1851, P. T. Berry and Horatio E. Berry operated a shore in Georgetown, where they sold men’s and boy’s hats, shirting, cotton and tweed coats. The firm was known as Berry and Woodward from October 1845 to May 1847. From this date to November 5, 1849, P. T. Berry did business without a partner. At this time, he took into partnership his son, John S. Berry, and thereafter, the firm was known as P. T. Berry and Son.

His brother, Walter W. Berry, sold dry goods, groceries and hardware in Upper Marlborough, Maryland, for account of P. T. and H. E. Berry, who were trustees for his accounts from 1844 to 1847. There is a receipt showing that in 1948, W. W. Berry made out two deeds of trust to P. T. Berry and E. E. Berry. The documents show that W. W. Berry did business with his brother up until 1856.

The firm of P. T. Berry and Son sent commodities, principally corn and flour to merchants in New York, to be sold for their account and risk. Their license gave them permission to trade in “articles generally, including wines and spirituous liquors within the jurisdiction of the Corporation of Georgetown, D.C.” Herring and shad were traded in extensively.

Physical Location

MANU

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, 1932.

Creator

Title
P.T. Berry and Son. P.T. Berry and Son Records, 1841-1878: A Finding Aid
Author
Baker Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00457

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
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Boston MA 01263 USA
(617) 495-6411