Scope and Contents
Ledger kept by Boston merchant John Gregory from 1788 to 1796, recording shipping, wholesale and retail trade, and consignment of commodities like dry goods, flour, salt, rum, molasses, iron, tobacco, furs, spermaceti candles, whale oil, and pot and pearl ashes. The volume contains barter accounts with shoemakers, hatters, and other tradespeople. There is also a company account with Boston merchant Mark Pickard, with whom Gregory founded the business partnership Gregory & Pickard in 1796, and an account with merchant James Scobie, a partner in voyages of the schooner Sally, ship Hope, and brig Aurora. Other names in the volume include Elizabeth Hinckley of Marblehead, Massachusetts; Priscilla Adams of Salem; Joanna Winslow of Plymouth; Margaret Coffin, a teacher, and her husband Captain Joseph Wyer of Nantucket; merchants John & Thomas Amory, Stephen Higginson (1743-1828), Ebenezer Parsons (1746-1819), and James & Thomas Lamb, bookseller Ebenezer Larkin, store owner Dolly Carnes, and shop owner Abigail Gendell of Boston; insurance agent William Morland (1728-1818) and Sarah Tappan of Newburyport; Dewhurst & Co. of New York; Hewes & Anthony of Philadelphia; and Isaac Polock of Savannah, Georgia. There are additionally accounts related to shipping ventures to England, Europe, and India, as well as an account of impost paid on vessels like the schooner Dolphin, and ships Minerva, Charlotte, and Little Cherub. Boston rope-maker William Tyler was paid in hemp and other goods for rigging the ship Hope in 1793; and Mary Hoffman of Boston bought unspecified goods for cash and hops she provided. The account of Captain William Tant for an India voyage notes that he died during the trip and the ship and cargo were lost. Also includes a lists of debts owed by Gregory and debts outstanding to him. The volume contains a number of loose accounts and correspondence with Paris merchants Homberg & Homberg & Frères regarding an order of fabrics including velvet, lustrings, and drabs. Includes an index of names.
Dates
- Creation: 1788-1796
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
.25 linear feet (1 volume)Biographical / Historical
Merchant active in Boston from the 1780s to the 1790s. John Gregory engaged in shipping ventures and imported dry goods for retail and wholesale marketing. Gregory entered a partnership with Boston merchant Mark Pickard, doing business as Gregory & Pickard, in 1796. Gregory also traded molasses, pot and pearl ashes, and whale oil, and sold goods on consignment.
Physical Location
MANU
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Proprietors of Locks & Canals, Lowell, Mass., 1961.
Processing Information
Processed: February 2019 By: Brooke McManus
- Title
- Gregory, John. John Gregory Ledger, 1788-1796 (inclusive): A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00788
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.
Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
Soldiers Field Road
Boston MA 01263 USA
(617) 495-6411
specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu