- Title
- Elias Smith letter book, 1799-1841 (inclusive), 1799-1800 (bulk)
- Smith, Elias, 1736-1820, creator
Smith, David, 1765-, correspondent. - Canada
- Letter book containing copies of correspondence of merchant Elias Smith of Montréal, Québec, dated 1799-1800. The volume includes letters to his eldest son and business partner, David Smith, in New York City, as well as merchants in Liverpool and London, England, concerning shipment of cargo and prices current. Elias Smith exported fish and imported rum, crockery, Irish linen, Russian sheeting, German scythes, and looking glasses. Other topics include a condemned American ship he possessed, the Catharine, and ensuring she was not reclaimed by her owners, and his gristmill at Hope Mills (now Port Hope), Ontario, where he manufactured flour that he sold in Canada. Elias Smith also referred to an English law that had been passed restricting the slave trade; and a citizens' petition he co-signed in April 1800 to the Assembly of Lower Canada requesting clarification of masters' rights after one of his slaves escaped. The volume contains some correspondence and copies of public notices from the 1830s and 1840s written by James Fox, the husband of Elias Smith's granddaughter, Catharine. Tipped in to the front of the book is a letter to Baker Library from the donor, E.A.S. Clarke, a descendant of Elias Smith.
- .25 linear feet (1 volume).
- English
- Letter books.
- Books and documents
- Fox, James
Smith, Elias
Commerce--North America--History--18th century
Export marketing
Flour industry
Gristmills--Lower Canada
Imports
Shipping--Lower Canada
Slavery--Law and legislation--Canada
Fugitive slaves--Lower Canada
United Empire loyalists
Montréal (Québec)--History--18th century
Montréal (Québec)--History--19th century
Port Hope (Ont.) - is available on microfilm (1 reel, 35 mm.) for use in the Historical Collections Reading Room, Baker Library. Order no. 79-4751.
Collections and items have been digitized with the generous support of The Polonsky Foundation.
See also: Manuscripts in Baker Library (4th ed., 1978), Entry 898.
Electronic finding aid available: https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/bak01359/catalog - Elias Smith (1769-1846) was a Loyalist merchant in New York City. He moved to Montréal, Québec, when British forces evacuated New York at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, but returned to the United States for about a decade, before moving back to Montréal in approximately 1793. He exported fish to Jamaica and the West Indies and imported crockery and linen from England. His business partner was his son, David Smith, who remained in New York City. Elias Smith acquired lands from the Crown at Hope Mills (now Port Hope), Ontario, and built a gristmill there for the manufacture of flour. He also was one of the citizens of Montréal who petitioned the Assembly of Lower Canada for clarification of his rights as a master after one of his slaves escaped.
- Elias Smith Letter Book. Baker Library, Harvard Business School.
- Colonial North American Project at Harvard University
- Baker Library, Harvard Business School, Harvard University
- 990147030610203941
- Title
- Elias Smith letter book, 1799-1841 (inclusive), 1799-1800 (bulk)
- Creator / Contributor
- Smith, Elias, 1736-1820, creator
Smith, David, 1765-, correspondent. - Place of Origin
- Canada
- Description
- Letter book containing copies of correspondence of merchant Elias Smith of Montréal, Québec, dated 1799-1800. The volume includes letters to his eldest son and business partner, David Smith, in New York City, as well as merchants in Liverpool and London, England, concerning shipment of cargo and prices current. Elias Smith exported fish and imported rum, crockery, Irish linen, Russian sheeting, German scythes, and looking glasses. Other topics include a condemned American ship he possessed, the Catharine, and ensuring she was not reclaimed by her owners, and his gristmill at Hope Mills (now Port Hope), Ontario, where he manufactured flour that he sold in Canada. Elias Smith also referred to an English law that had been passed restricting the slave trade; and a citizens' petition he co-signed in April 1800 to the Assembly of Lower Canada requesting clarification of masters' rights after one of his slaves escaped. The volume contains some correspondence and copies of public notices from the 1830s and 1840s written by James Fox, the husband of Elias Smith's granddaughter, Catharine. Tipped in to the front of the book is a letter to Baker Library from the donor, E.A.S. Clarke, a descendant of Elias Smith.
- Extent
- .25 linear feet (1 volume).
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Letter books.
- Digital Format
- Books and documents
- Subjects
- Fox, James
Smith, Elias
Commerce--North America--History--18th century
Export marketing
Flour industry
Gristmills--Lower Canada
Imports
Shipping--Lower Canada
Slavery--Law and legislation--Canada
Fugitive slaves--Lower Canada
United Empire loyalists
Montréal (Québec)--History--18th century
Montréal (Québec)--History--19th century
Port Hope (Ont.) - Notes
- is available on microfilm (1 reel, 35 mm.) for use in the Historical Collections Reading Room, Baker Library. Order no. 79-4751.
Collections and items have been digitized with the generous support of The Polonsky Foundation.
See also: Manuscripts in Baker Library (4th ed., 1978), Entry 898.
Electronic finding aid available: https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/bak01359/catalog - Biographical / Historical Note
- Elias Smith (1769-1846) was a Loyalist merchant in New York City. He moved to Montréal, Québec, when British forces evacuated New York at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, but returned to the United States for about a decade, before moving back to Montréal in approximately 1793. He exported fish to Jamaica and the West Indies and imported crockery and linen from England. His business partner was his son, David Smith, who remained in New York City. Elias Smith acquired lands from the Crown at Hope Mills (now Port Hope), Ontario, and built a gristmill there for the manufacture of flour. He also was one of the citizens of Montréal who petitioned the Assembly of Lower Canada for clarification of his rights as a master after one of his slaves escaped.
- Cite As
- Elias Smith Letter Book. Baker Library, Harvard Business School.
- Series
- Colonial North American Project at Harvard University
- Repository
- Baker Library, Harvard Business School, Harvard University
- Record ID
- 990147030610203941
Tools & Related Links
Please select a page sequence range between 1-230 pages.
From seq to seq
Please enter your email, we will send you a download link once your pages are ready to download:
The email you entered was not valid.
This download is a PDF. Reach out to the contacts listed on this page for a high resolution image.
- More item details
- HOLLIS Record