Papers, 1771-1813.

ArchivalResource

White family. Papers, 1771-1813.

Papers, 1771-1813.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/207179717

This collection consists of correspondence and documents, 1771-1813, of William White and William Charles White. There is also a volume containing an unfinished tragedy and several essays written by William Charles White. Two folders and one volume of original correspondence include business letters from merchants and ship's captains concerning the buying and selling of products in France, Spain, England, Portugal, and the Philippines during the 1790s. Among the correspondents writing from European ports were Moses Hazen White and Capt. Peckham Howland (1763- ) of the brig Hazen, which was owned by William White. Howland wrote concerning the grounding of his ship off Huelva, Spain, in 1795 and subsequent financial distress. Moses reported to his father details concerning insurance, shipping problems during the Napoleonic era, and European prices on specific products. There are also letters written by William White in 1797 relative to the suspected introduction of yellow fever into New York by the crew of one of his ships in 1795. Among the documents are the will of William White (1717-1774), a Boston merchant and uncle of William White, as well as several documents concerning a dispute over the executorship of that estate; accounts, lists of prices current, freight, and repair bills; and depositions (several in Spanish) regarding damages to the Hazen. There is also extensive correspondence from relatives in Rutland and friends, such as Rev. Samuel Hopkins (1729-1811) and future Massachusetts Lt. Governor William Gray (1750-1825), concerning family matters. The correspondence of William Charles White includes many letters exchanged with his father concerning the latter's opposition to his son's decision to become an actor. Several friends also wrote to his father in that regard. Other letters detail William Charles' study of the law in Providence, Rhode Island, under Judge David Howell (1747-1824); his visits to New York in 1800 and Philadelphia in 1794, including descriptions of the social scene surrounding the Presidential Mansion; and the publication in 1809 of his book, A Compendium and Digest of the Laws of Massachusetts.

2 folders (126 items).2 v. ; octavo.

American Antiquarian Society