Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the Thomas Knowles & Co. Records, 1835-1855
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
| Repository | Martha's Vineyard Museum,
Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508)627-4441 |
|---|---|
| Call Number | RU 423 |
| Creator | Thomas Knowles & Co. (New Bedford, Mass.) |
| Title | Thomas Knowles & Co. records |
| Date | 1835-1855 |
| Extent | 1 box |
| Language | The materials are in English. |
| Abstract | Collection consists of letters from individuals and businesses on Martha's Vineyard to Thomas Knowles & Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The correspondence pertains to merchandise orders and outstanding bills owed to the company. |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 423, Thomas Knowles & Co. Records.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Ulysses E. Mayhew in 1923. (Accession no. 1923.063)
Publication Information
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Gale Huntington Research Library59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508)627-4441
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared by Joyce Cooper in November 2012 with assistance from Insley Julier. Machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick April 2014.
Processing of this collection and creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the towns of Aquinnah, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury through the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act. Machine-encoding of the finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Index Terms
Genre(s)
- Correspondence
Geographic Name(s)
- Chilmark (Mass.)
- Edgartown (Mass.)
- Homes Hole (Mass.)
- New Bedford (Mass.)
- Tisbury (Mass. : Town)
- West Tisbury (Mass.)
Subject(s)
- Dry-goods--Massachusetts--New Bedford
- Grocery trade--Massachusetts--New Bedford
- Merchants--Massachusetts--New Bedford
Biography/Historical Note
New Bedford, Massachusetts residents Thomas Knowles (1803-1877) and his brother John Pepper Knowles (1805-1896) formed a partnership in 1835 called T. & J. P. Knowles. The business specialized in commissioned piece-work clothing. Cousin Joseph M. Knowles became a partner in 1844, and the firm changed its name to Thomas Knowles & Company. This business sold dry goods, groceries and provisions. They were also agents for numerous whaling vessels. The company was in business through 1894.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection of letters dated 1835 to 1855 are all addressed to the T. & J. P. Knowles Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts. They are from individuals and merchants living in Edgartown, Holmes Hole, Tisbury, West Tisbury, and Chilmark. Most of the letters are orders for grocery items, dry goods and clothing, including rain gear and hats. Several pieces of correspondence pertain to bill collections.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by sender.
Collection Contents
| Box | Folder | |||
Adams, Calvin C., 1848 | 1 | 1 | ||
Adams, Lydia C., 1838-1839 | 1 | 2 | ||
Allen, Bartlett, 1844 | 1 | 3 | ||
Barrows, J. J., 1842-1845 | 1 | 4 | ||
Barrows, Peleg, 1847 | 1 | 5 | ||
Baxter, John, 1842 | 1 | 6 | ||
Beetle, James H., 1835-1849 | 1 | 7 | ||
Bradley, Edmund, 1837-1848 | 1 | 8 | ||
Bradley, H. & C., 1841-1845 | 1 | 9 | ||
Bradley, William, 1848 | 1 | 10 | ||
Butler, Matthew P., 1840 | 1 | 11 | ||
Butler, Samuel, 1837-1838 | 1 | 12 | ||
Coffin, A. & H. A., 1842-1843 | 1 | 13 | ||
Coggeshares, A., 1839 | 1 | 14 | ||
Cottle, Truman, 1844-1846 | 1 | 15 | ||
Daggett, Franklin, 1848 | 1 | 16 | ||
Downs, Charles, 1839 | 1 | 17 | ||
Flanders, Rich, 1855 | 1 | 18 | ||
Gorham, Job, 1843 | 1 | 19 | ||
Harding, Susan, 1841, 1846 | 1 | 20 | ||
Holmes & West, 1839-1842 | 1 | 21 | ||
Holly, Joseph, 1841 | 1 | 22 | ||
Jones, J. A., 1837 | 1 | 23 | ||
Linton, E. D., 1837 | 1 | 24 | ||
Luce, Trisham, 1837-1842 | 1 | 25 | ||
Mayhew, Almira, 1839 | 1 | 26 | ||
Mayhew, E. P., 1838-1839 | 1 | 27 | ||
Mayhew, Edward, 1842 | 1 | 28 | ||
Mayhew, Holmes, 1844 | 1 | 29 | ||
Mayhew, Thomas, 1839-1841 | 1 | 30 | ||
Mayhew, Wm A. & Co., 1842 | 1 | 31 | ||
Monroe & Morse, 1839-1841 | 1 | 32 | ||
Morehouse, John, 1842 | 1 | 33 | ||
Norton, Charles S., 1844, 1852 | 1 | 34 | ||
Pease, E. G., 1836 | 1 | 35 | ||
Pease, Josiah, 1839 | 1 | 36 | ||
Smith, Charles, 1839 | 1 | 37 | ||
Smith, Otis, 1846 | 1 | 38 | ||
Thaxter, Caleb, 1838-1846 | 1 | 39 | ||
Thaxter, Leavitt, 1839, 1840 | 1 | 40 | ||
Winnpenney, Hastey, 1848 | 1 | 41 | ||