Edward Wigglesworth business records
Overview
Edward Wigglesworth was a commission merchant in partnership with William Blair Townsend in Boston before his appointment as the second Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard College in 1765. The Edward Wigglesworth business records, dated 1758-1773, consist of two daybooks and a ledger containing general store and commission sales and expenses related to the business of Townsend & Wigglesworth.
Dates
- Creation: 1758-1773
Creator
- Wigglesworth, Edward (Person)
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
.5 linear feet (3 volumes)The Edward Wigglesworth business records, dated 1758-1773, consist of two daybooks and a ledger containing general store and commission sales and expenses related to the business of Townsend & Wigglesworth. Wigglesworth stepped away from trade in 1762, leaving Thomas Hill and his son Henry Hill in charge of settling his accounts; later entries in the volumes relate to Thomas Hill's efforts to collect debts and handle legal and land transactions on Wigglesworth's behalf.
Biographical / Historical
Edward Wigglesworth (1732-1794; Harvard AB 1749) was a commission merchant in partnership with William Blair Townsend (1723-1778; Harvard AB 1741) in Boston before his appointment as the second Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard College in 1765.
Townsend & Wigglesworth specialized primarily in retail and commission sales of goods imported from England and the West Indies. The firm dissolved in 1758, and Wigglesworth himself withdrew from business in 1762, turning over collection of his accounts to Deacon Thomas Hill and his son Henry Hill. After the death of his father Edward Wigglesworth (approximately 1693-1765; Harvard AB 1710), the first Hollis professor, Wigglesworth was elected to succeed him. Wigglesworth also was elected to the Harvard Corporation in 1779 and served as acting president of the College in 1780-1781.
Physical Location
MANU
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the estate of George Wigglesworth, 1952, 1953.
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.
Creator
- Wigglesworth, Edward (Person)
- Townsend, William Blair (1723-1778) (Person)
Subject
- Townsend & Wigglesworth (Organization)
- Title
- Wigglesworth, Edward, 1732-1794. Edward Wigglesworth Business Records, 1758-1773: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00654
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.
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