Skip to main content
COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:871 1770-1906 B365

David J. Beach business records

Overview

David J. Beach (1780-1848) was born into a family of blacksmiths in South Orange, New Jersey, including his father Juniah Beach (1750-1814), a Revolutionary War veteran who provided bayonets to the local militia, and grandfather David Beach (1724-1759), who died of smallpox. The David J. Beach business records consist of ledgers, daybooks, and accounts of the family blacksmith enterprise in South Orange, dated 1770 to 1906. There are also accounts kept by later members of the family: David N. Beach, J. W. Beach, Alden Walkley, and Stephen Walkley.

Dates

  • Creation: 1770-1906

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

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

Extent

6 linear feet (28 volumes, 8 boxes)

The David J. Beach business records consist of ledgers, daybooks, and accounts of a family blacksmith enterprise in South Orange, New Jersey, dated 1770 to 1906. The early volumes contains charges to the local militia for making bayonets and other weapons, as well as for making, mending, and sharpening tools used in farming and mill operations, and shoeing horses. The collection also contains records of Susannah Beach, who ran a school in South Orange in the early 19th century, and other family accounts, including notebooks of Joseph Wickliff Beach (1822-1891) and his son, theologian David Nelson Beach (1848-1926), Alden Walkley, and Stephen Walkley.

Biographical / Historical

David J. Beach (1780-1848) was born into a family of blacksmiths in South Orange, New Jersey, including his father Juniah Beach (1750-1814), a Revolutionary War veteran who provided bayonets to the local militia, and grandfather David Beach (1724-1759), who died of smallpox. Susannah Tichenor Beach, a school teacher, supplemented the family's income by selling wood and canvas and by sewing silk. David J. Beach married Hulda Crowell (1781-1867), and their children included Joseph Wickliff Beach (1822-1891). Joseph married Mary A. Walkley (1824-1897), and their children included David Nelson Beach (1848-1926), who became President and Professor of Sacred Rhetoric at the Bangor Theological Seminary, and Harlan Page Beach (1854-1933), a missionary, educator, and librarian.

Physical Location

MANU

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The David J. Beach business records were received by Baker Library Special Collections as a donation from John T. Beach in 1958.

Processing Information

Processed: August 2018

By: Brooke McManus

Preservation and description of 18th century material in the collection were supported by the Colonial North America at Harvard Library Project.

Title
Beach, David J., 1780-1848. David J. Beach Business Records, 1770-1906
Author
Baker Library
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00656

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