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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:768 1895-1929 P317

Alfred Patterson business records

Overview

Records of real estate dealer, of Arlington, Massachusettes.

Dates

  • Creation: 1895-1929

Conditions Governing Access

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

Extent

2.25 linear feet (11 volumes)

Alfred Patterson was a real estate broker and insurance agent in Arlington, Massachusetts, at the turn of the twentieth century when Arlington was becoming a rapidly expanding "streetcar suburb" of Boston. His ledgers and cash books record real estate purchases, rent payments, tax and utility payments, and payments for insurance policies by numerous women in the years 1895 to 1920. Patterson's son Francis Alfred Patterson worked for him.

Patterson's appointment books for the years 1897 to 1929 show that, although men were the principals in a majority of transactions, a substantial number of women were involved in real estate transactions. Up to 25 percent of his daily appointments involved women.

Biographical / Historical

Francis Alfred Patterson was a real estate dealer in Arlington, Massachusetts. He was born in 1875 in Saco, Maine. He was married to Alice Maysie Simpson. They had two children, Francis Alfred Jr. and Sarah.

Physical Location

MANU

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of F. Alfred Patterson, Jr. and Sarah Frances Campbell, 1961.

Processing Information

Processed: May 2018 By: Baker Library Special Collections Staff

Author
Baker Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00484

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:
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