Papers, 1785-1816.

ArchivalResource

Papers, 1785-1816.

Business letters, chiefly addressed to Charles and John Morrow, Rumsey's brothers-in-law; minutes (1785) of the Potomac Navigation Company (later the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company); papers relating to Rumsey's business operations, steamboats, and steam navigating; and letters concerning the settlement of his estate.

68 items.

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

Potomac Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m659zn (corporateBody)

After the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, George Washington and other politicians in Virginia and Maryland believed that the Potomac River could become an important artery for trade into the western frontier. The Potomac Company was founded in 1785 to build canals and do other work on and along the river to improve its navigability. George Washington was the company's first president, and James Rumsey was appointed to oversee the work. In July 1822, the Potomac Company became part of the ne...

Morrow, John Howard, 1944-....

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hq4t5d (person)

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bw1gx5 (corporateBody)

Now a national park, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was once a major transportation artery that ran parallel to the Potomac River from Cumberland, Maryland, to Georgetown in the District of Columbia. The canal operated from the mid-nineteenth century into the 1930s and was used primarily for the transportation of coal and bulk agricultural products. These products, produced in the inland regions of the developing nation, were vital to the continuing prosperity of Tidewater cities and...

Rumsey, James, 1743?-1792

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6h42f3b (person)

Engineer and inventor. From the description of Papers of James Rumsey, 1784-1802. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71015416 Inventor, of Shepherdstown, Va. (now W. Va.). From the description of Papers, 1785-1816. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 20159048 James Rumsey (1743-1792) invented a steam-powered boat in 1787 and developed an improved steamboiler, grist mill, and sawmill. He secured English and U.S. patents on the boiler and steamboat ...

Morrow, Charles W.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64b4rgd (person)