Overview: Israel Thorndike was a shipping merchant in Beverly and Boston, Massachusetts, who engaged in trade in the West Indies, the East Indies, Europe, and Mediterranean ports. The Israel Thorndike business records, dated 1740-1899, consist of correspondence, invoices, accounts, legal papers, and spoliation claims related to Thorndike's shipping ventures and partnerships, as well as family correspondence and household accounts. The collection also includes records of the Boston Sugar Refinery,...

Scope and Contents:

The collection materials document voyages undertaken by the Ship Marmion from Boston, Massachusetts to various destinations including Manilla, Philippines, India, Canton (Guangzhou), Siam (Thailand), Cochin-China (present day South Vietnam), and Europe. Materials include legal documents, letters from Thorndike detailing the ship’s destinations and its cargo, customhouse papers, crew lists, 2 small memo books and a receipt book, and the personal papers of John Brown after he had retired.