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The Williams Brothers, Merchants and Shippers, 1825–1850

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2012

Anita Shafer
Anita Shafer
Affiliation:
Cornell University
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Extract

When the Williams brothers migrated from Connecticut to New York State in 1825 they established themselves as country merchants, yet their activities bore a distinct resemblance to those of the seaboard merchants of the late eighteenth century. Although divorced from international trade, the Williamses exhibited the same dependence on country produce, the same need to exchange produce for specie and specie for manufactured goods as did the House of Hancock.

Type
Research Article
Information
Business History Review , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , June 1952 , pp. 73 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © The President and Fellows of Harvard College 1952

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References

1 Baxter, W. T., The House of Hancock (Cambridge, 1945), passim.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

2 Smith, H. P., History of Broome County (Syracuse, 1885), p. 72Google Scholar; Selkreg, J., Landmarks of Tompkins County (Syracuse, 1894), p. 101Google Scholar; McNall, N. A., An Agricultural History of the Genesee Valley 1790–1860 (Univ. of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 1952), pp. 206–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

3 Murray, L. W., A History of Old Tioga Point and Early Athens, Pennsylvania (Athens, Penna., 1908), p. 521.Google Scholar

4 Clark, Victor S., History of Manufactures in the United States (New York, 1929), p. 467.Google Scholar

5 Poole, M. E., Williams Genealogy (Ithaca, 1910), p. 3.Google Scholar

6 Henry Shaler Williams Collection, Regional History, Cornell University, Sage and Russell to T. S. Williams, October 12, 1827.

7 Selkreg, op. cit., p. 352.

8 Josiah B. Williams Collection, Regional History, Cornell University, T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, December 19, 1832.

9 Selkreg, op. cit., p. 126.

10 Poole, op. cit., p. 6.

11 J. B. Williams Collection, T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, December 19, 1832.

12 Ibid., April 8, 1843—“We agree to enter into the storage transportation, commission and lumber and produce business as follows: T. S. Williams to take charge at Ithaca—C. P. Williams at Albany and H. W. Sage at New York—The firm at Ithaca to be T. S. Williams—in Albany C. P. Williams & Co. and in New York, H. W. Sage & Co. H. W. Sage and C. P. Williams to put in what lumber and shingles they have at Ithaca—their boating stock and houses to be used in the business, and are to be allowed out of the business a reasonable compensation for what they have in use in the business in proportion, more than the said Williams—… The profits or losses of the business to be equally divided after paying expenses, rents, etc. in doing the business—to commence on the opening of the canal—”

13 Idem.

14 Henry Shaler Williams Collection, Contract, Ithaca, February 16, 1847.

15 Idem.

16 J. B. Williams Collection, T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, November 1, 1832.

17 Henry Shaler Williams Collection, Contract, October 20, 1833.

18 J. B. Williams Collection, Contract, January 1, 1838.

19 Idem.

20 Ibid., passim—e.g., bill of James Nichols for 1837, 1838.

21 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, March 28, 1839.

22 Ibid., Will of Man well Williams, May 16, 1840, mentions loan to H. W. Sage of $1,000.

23 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, August 21, 1839.

24 Ibid., Memorandum, February 1, 1842.

25 Selkreg, op. cit., p. 176.

26 J. B. Williams Collection, 1854.

27 Ibid., October 18, 1852.

28 Ibid., Isaac Woolley to J. B. Williams, September 19, 1832.

29 Ibid., T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, June 18, 1832.

30 Ibid., 1843.

31 Ibid., “Rec'd of T. S. Williams Eight-Hundred Dollars in advance on Potashes, now in Store at Albany with C. P. Williams & Co. Said money to be on interest until realized from Sales of Said Ashes—Justus Slater,” November 8, 1843.

32 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, May 7, 1839.

33 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, June 1, 1839.

34 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, August 21, 1839.

35 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, September 26, 1839.

36 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, October 16, 1839.

37 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, October 24, 1839.

38 Lightner, O. C., The History of Business Depressions (New York, 1922), p. 137.Google Scholar

39 J. B. Williams Collection, C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, October 24, 1839.

40 Idem.

41 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, November 14, 1839.

42 Ibid., C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, November 22, 1839.

43 Ibid., Inventory, 1843.

44 Dewey, D. R., Financial History of the United States (New York, 1903), p. 233.Google Scholar

45 Williams Collection, C. P. Williams to Williams Brothers, May 7, 1842.

46 Ibid., C. P. Willams to Williams Brothers, November 12, 1842.

47 Idem.

48 Williams Collection, passim, 1841.

49 Ibid., December 23 1841.

50 Ibid., John Johnson's Son to Williams and Co., January 28, 1842.

51 Idem.

52 Ibid., February 1, 1843.

53 Ibid., April 13, 1848.

54 Ibid., April 1, 1849.

55 Idem.

56 Ibid., C. P. Williams to J. B. Williams, May 9, 1839.

57 Defebaugh, , History of the Lumber Industry of America (Chicago, 1907), vol. ii, p. 326.Google Scholar

58 J. B. Williams Collection, Receipt of S. Besteder to T. S. Williams, September 15, 1842.

59 Ibid., Henry Salsbury to J. B. Williams, January 24, 1832.

60 Ibid., Abbey and Freeman to Williams and Co., September 14, 1842.

61 Ibid., T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, July 16, 1832.

62 Ibid., July 20, 1832.

63 Ibid., March 27, 1839.

64 Ibid., (?) to J. B. Williams, October 6, 1842.

65 Ibid., M. Sturus and Co. to J. B. Williams, October 26, 1835.

66 Ibid., M. Sturus and Co. to J. B. Williams, October 17, 1835.

67 Ibid., T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, July 7, 1832.

68 Ibid., T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, undated.

69 Ibid., December 5, 1832.

70 Ibid., T. S. Williams to J. B. Williams, July 29, 1847.

71 Ibid., J. B. Williams to M. Williams, undated but approximately 1830.

72 Ibid., J. B. Williams to Williams Brothers, April 23, 1836.

73 Ibid., March 18, 1839.

74 Poole, op. cit., p. 4.

75 J. B. Williams Collection, March 18, 1839

76 Ibid., Folder No. 193C.

77 Gras, N. S. B., Business and Capitalism (New York, 1946), p. 162.Google Scholar