The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry
Francis du Pont
5105
Kennett Pike,
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Creator: Stearns family
Title: Papers
Dates: 1792-1854, 1792-1836 (bulk)
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 74x262; 76x94; 77x437.2; 86x60.1-.4; 98x67; 05x53.3-.4
Quantity: 126 items
Location: 34 K 2
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Members of the Stearns family
were merchants working in the
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The collection consists of
account books and loose bills, receipts, and letters. Many of the bills and receipts pertain to the
buying and selling of furs and fur accessories by members of the Stearns family.
Kinds of furs include brown bear, pole cat, black genet, cat, sable, and mock
sable; they were usually made into muffs or tippets; fur gloves are also
mentioned. As well, there are receipts
for the purchase of what may be items for personal use (as opposed to use in
their businesses), such as lumber, cart wheels, cloth (broadcloth,
Most of the bills relate to
Thomas Stearns. He bought skins, at
least some of which came from
As well, the collection includes four account books (86x60.1-.4), three of which pertain to Thomas Stearns & Co., with detailed listings of a wide variety of caps, hats, and gloves made, and of the pay records for 19 women employees. The other sales book, dated 1846, records sales made by Horace Stearns.
ORGANIZATION
First divided into Stearns family papers and Thomas Stearns papers. Then arranged chronologically.
Name index to acc. 76x94 (Stearns family papers) is part of this finding aid.
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Accession 76x94 purchased from William Pennebaker.
Accession 86x60 purchased from Peter Masi.
Accession 98x67 purchased from Carmen D. Valentino.
Accession 05x53.3-.4 purchased from Harold R. Nestler.
REALTED MATERIAL
Baker Library of Harvard
Business School holds papers of
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Stearns, William.
Topics:
Thomas Stearns & Co.
Exports.
Fur garments.
Fur trade -
Lumber.
Commission merchants.
Commercial correspondence.
Business records -
Inventories of decedents’ estates -
Inventories, Retail -
Hat trade.
Hats -
Wages - Hat trade.
Women – Employment.
Trade cards.
Bills.
Receipts (Acknowledgments).
Invoices.
Merchants.
Hatters.
Additional authors:
Stearns, Horace.
Stearns, Jacob.
Stearns, James.
Stearns, Samuel, d.1817.
Stearns, Thomas, d.1836.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 K 2
Folder 1: Stearns family papers, 1792-1812 (acc.
76x94.1-.37)
76x94.1 trade
card for Horace Stearns, Commission Merchant, Hats, Furs, & Trimmings, No.
22 Cornhill,
[see
also Col. 9, Trade Card Collection, for additional examples of Horace Stearns
trade card and for cards for Thomas Stearns & Co., which uses the same
image and almost identical wording]
76x94.2-.37 Summary:
Bills, receipts, correspondence, variously addressed to Samuel, James, Jacob,
or Thomas Stearns; many of these are for furs (kinds of furs mentioned include
brown bear, pole cat, black genet, cat, sable, and mock sable), muffs, or
tippets; bills also mention lumber, cart wheels, textiles, sewing supplies, and
some food items; also an account of land, a list of names (including women), a
letter advising Friend Stearns not to purchase any more furs, a letter ordering
muffs and tippets, and some other items; acc. 76x94.3-.4 refer to trade with
The Netherlands
[note: the items in this folder are indexed in
the name index appended to this finding aid]
.2 receipted
bill, Samuel Stearns paid Amasa Davis, signed by Nathl.
.3 receipted
bill signed Pomroy & Leavitt, for fox, otter, etc., March 3, 1804; note at
bottom: “this bill went to
.4 cash
account, Oct. 21, 1804, with note “My part to pay that we sent to
.5 one
side: miscellaneous notes about muffs and tippets, dated 1805-1807;
Other
side: more miscellaneous notes about muffs, tippets, rabbit, and a note about a
settled account, 1806-1807
.6 receipted
bill, Samuel Stearns paid James Simmons, for cart wheels,
.7 “minutes
of receipts from Green,” 1806-1807
.8 “returned
muffs & tippets to Thos. Stearns,” 1809[?], mentions pole cats, sable
throats, black genet
.9 receipted
bill, Mrs. A. Hastings paid Jacob Stearns, signed by James Stearns, for
textiles, buttons, thread, May 17, 1806;
On
back: notes about payments
.10 bill
for mugs and tippets, mentioning sable and pole cat, Nov. 1, 1806[?] (no names)
.11 bill
to S. Stearns & J. Swan, from Benj. W. Lamb,
.12 receipted
bill, Samuel Stearns paid Jacob Stearns, signed by James Stearns, for buttons,
linen, thread, July 21, 1807
.13 “account
of muffs & tippets returned to Th. Stearns,” July 14, 1809, mentioned pole
cat, sable, brown bear, genet
.14 account
of Mrs. J. Mahan with Thos. Stearns,
.15 bill
to Samuel Stearns from Josiah Warren, for shoes and boots, 1810
.16 “James
Stearns in a/c with Thomas Stearns,” 1810-1811, for muffs and tippets
.17 account
of Nathaniel Brown with Thomas Stearns,
.18 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Phineahas B. Hovey for corn, molasses, rum, etc.,
1811
.19 part
of account of Thomas Stearns with James Stearns, 1811, with charges for robe,
thread, bobbins, silks, etc. (bottom of page is torn off)
.20 account
of Mrs. Mahan with Thomas Stearns, for muffs and tippets of elk, pole cat,
sable, Sept. 21, 1811
.21 account
of James Stearns with Thomas Stearns, for muffs and tippets of elk and mock
sable
.22 account
of Mrs. Mahan with James Stearns, for muffs and tippets of black genet, bear,
and sable, Sept. 21, 1811
.23 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Boardman &
.24 one
side: Thomas Stearns,
Other
side: note to Thomas, signed Stearns, Sat., Feb. 20, about purchasing and
dressing sable skins
.25 bill
to Thomas Stearns from Bartlett & Smith, Aug. 28, 1813, for nutgalls, black
lead, etc. [see also 98x67.20]
.26 account
of John Mahan with unknown person, for muffs and tippets of bear, and dressing
bear skins, Oct. 11, 1813
.27 Thomas
Stearns received bear muffs and tippets from James Stearns,
.28 bill
to Thomas Stearns from Samuel Lemist, for handkerchiefs, hose, textiles, lace,
May-August 1820
.29 memo
about meadow, pond, swamp, wood lot, barley field, hog pasture, peach orchard,
garden, etc., no date
.30 memo
list names (including women) and dollar amounts, no date
.31 note
from Joshua Kendall,
.32 letter,
Abijah Chever & Co.,
.33 letter,
James Stearns,
.34 part
of a letter to Thomas Stearns, about selling furs, muffs, tippets; includes
note about Mahan’s account with James Stearns, Dec. 26, 1809
.35 short
business letter from James Stearns,
.36 letter,
James Stearns,
.37 short
letter, James Stearns,
Folder 2: Stearns family
papers, 1809, 1822 (miscellaneous accession numbers)
acc. 74x262 account
of Thomas Stearns with A. Chever & Co., Portland, July 14, 1809, for muffs
and tippets [see also 76x94.32, 98x67.3,
where the name is spelled Cheever, 98x67.11]
acc, 77x437.2 bill,
Samuel Stearns bought shingles and nails from Jeremiah Fowle,
[this is presumed to be the same Samuel Stearns
as is part of this Stearns family papers]
acc. 05x53.3 receipted
bill Mr. Stearns paid Sarah Dunbar for lining and binding bonnets and hats and
doing other work on hats, 1821-1822;
acc. 05x53.4 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Jacob Stearns for textiles, thread, pins, etc.,
Folder 3: Thomas Stearns
papers, 1803-1819 (acc. 98x67.1-.25)
Summary: bills and receipts, many mentioning
skins and furs (also dyes and hardware); also letters of administration issued
to William Stearns of
.1 bill,
James T. Loring,
.2 accounts
with Ambrose Morell, 1804, for a variety of skins (cat, raccoon, fox, sable,
etc.), plus board for David, meals, tallow, lime, brushes, etc. [see also 98x67.32 and .40]
.3 account
of Thomas Stearns with Abijah Cheever and with Chever & Mahan of
.4-5 bills
to Thomas Stearns from Charles Sigourney, 1805, for cats and lining
.6 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Henry Bass & Co.,
.7 bill
to Thomas Stearns, from estate of Charles Sigourney, executor Henry Sigourney,
.8 account
of Thomas Stearns with Cook & Ayers, 1806, for lime, linseed oil, molasses,
rum, nail, etc.
.9 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Abr. Bazin, for brads, hinges, pulleys, latches,
etc., payment received Feb. 14, 1807 by B. B. Appleton
.10 account
of Thomas Stearns with Samuel Gore & Son, 1806-1807, for purchases of
colors, brushes, sandpaper, leatherage
.11 receipted,
Chever & Mahan of
.12 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid James Brown for shingles,
.13 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Nathaniel Brown,
.14 account
of James Stearns with Thomas Stearns, Dec. 20, 1809, for muffs and tippets of
bear, pole cat, sable, and mock sable, “the above to sell or return”
.15 “Shubael
Pattison’s bill, August 28th, 1810, for sable skins,” sent to
Stearns & Salan[?]
.16 John
Mahan’s account with Thomas Stearns for muffs and tippets, 1811-1812
.17 bill,
Thomas Stearns bought of Josiah Bryant,
.18-.19 bills, Thomas Stearns bought of
Isaac Parker,
.20 bill,
Thomas Stearns bought of Bartlett & Smith,
.21 account
with James Stearns,
.22 bill,
Samuel Stearns bought of Wheeler & Gay, 1813-1815, barrels and other
cooperage work
.23 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Thomas Thaxter (also spelled Thackster) for cat
skins,
.24 Massachusetts
probate document, appointing William Stearns, yeoman of Paris, Oxford County,
and Thomas Stearns, merchant of Boston, executors of estate of Samuel Stearns,
gentleman of Waltham, May 30, 1817
.25 order for
attachment of goods or estates of Enoch Wiswall of
Folder 4: Thomas Stearns
papers, 1820-1829
(acc. 98x67.26-.56)
Summary: bills and receipts, some of which
mention skins and furs, but others are bills for hats and various household
goods, especially food and textiles
.26 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Jacob Stearns,
.27 account
of Susannah Wright with William Stearns and Thomas Stearns, administrators of
estate of Samuel Stearns, April 12, 1820, for feather bed and 2 pillows
.28 receipted
bill, H. Stearns paid Jno. Jones,
.29-30 receipted
bills, Thomas Stearns paid W. & E. Coverly, for banding, galloon, buckles,
.31 receipted
bill, Mr. Stearns paid Jno. B. Jones for lace and buttons, 1821, payment
received by Jno. Jas. Low; endorsed on back: Baldwin & Jones [see also .28 above]
.32 account
with Ambrose Morell,
.33 short
letter, Charles L. Folsom,
.34 receipted
bill, Messrs. Thomas Stearns & Co. paid Ballard & Wright for
advertisements for hats and “boy wanted,” 1820-1821
.35 Henry
Burnett promises to pay Thomas Stearns, Boston, May 1, 1821, also signed by William
Page
.36 receipted
bill, Mr. Stearns paid Whitney & Haskell,
.37-38 receipted
bills, Messrs. Thomas Stearns & Co. paid W. & E. Coverly for pongee,
galloon, buckles, 1821 [see also .29-.30 above]
.39 “Messrs.
Thomas Stearns &
.40 account
with Ambrose Morell, 1820-1821, for gloves, furs, etc. [see also 98x67.2 and .32]
.41 “Accompt
furs & caps & gloves sold,”
.42 receipt,
Thomas Perkins acknowledges payment from Thomas Stearns,
.43 receipted
bill, Messrs. Thomas Stearns & Co. paid Eli Robbins [also spelled Robins],
.44 “Levi
Warner’s acct. sales rendered him,” 1822, for gloves, “glove shoes”
.45 bill,
Thomas Stearns bought of Payson & Fenno,
.46 bill,
Thomas Stearns bought of Eli Forbes, 1819-1823, for beef, mutton, lard, etc.,
includes purchases for “estate”
.47 letter,
Henry Burnett,
.48 short
letter, Abraham Holland[?], Aug. 23, 1824, to Thomas Stearns,
.49 account
of Horace Stearns with Thos. & A. Buffin, 1822-1823, for hats
.50-.51 receipted
bills, H. Stearns paid John P. Hall, Jr.,
.52 “furs
rec’d. on sales of Eli Robins,” 1824-1825 [see also .43 above; name also
spelled Robbins; see also 86x60.2]
.53 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Cooper Gould & Robbins, 1826, for furs(?)
.54 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Simon B. Draper, 1828, for ribbon, wadding, textiles,
etc.
.55 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Aaron Ferris [or Fearrin], for food items, 1829
.56 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid John T. K, Porter, 1827, for razors, tea, pencils,
needles, tea trays, shoe brushes, Lafayette print, comb and brush, etc.
Folder 5: Thomas Stearns
papers, 1830-1836, 1854 (acc. 98x67.57-.77)
Summary: bills and receipts for various
household goods, especially food, but also textiles and other goods; also
letter of administration issued to Sarah Stearns for estate of her late husband
Thomas Stearns (1836); account from sale of Thomas Stearns’ estate (acc.
98x67.75); and a document ordering an attachment on the estate of Joseph H.
Smith of Wayne, Maine, on behalf of a debt owed to Elijah Stearns of Wayne
(1854)
.57 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Abraham H. Bird, 1831, for wood and boards
.58 bill,
Thomas Stearns bought of H. H. Willard, 1831, pins, lace, buttons, textiles,
sewing supplies, hose, etc. [see also .67 below]
.59 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Jonathan Champney, 1832, for a variety of food
items [see also .61-62, .66, below; .69-.70 are from John Champney, Jr.]
.60 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid J. Fogg,
.61-.62 receipted
bills, Thomas Stearns paid Jonathan Champney, 1833, for a variety of food
items [see also .59 above, and notes
there]
.63 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Henry Welsh, 1832 [date on back: 1835], for stove
parts, iron pot, mending lamp, wash kettle, etc.
.64 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid E. Alexander, 1833, for beef, steak, etc.
.65 receipted
bill, Mrs. Stearns paid J. W. Blanchard, for trunk, chairs, bedstead, looking
glass, grate, knives, forks, brass head dogs, shovel and tongs, etc., paid Feb.
20, 1834
.66 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Jonathan Champney, 1834, for a variety of food
items [see also .59 above, and notes
there]
.67 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid H. H. Willard,
1834, for ribbons, textiles, etc. [see also .58 above]
.68 bill,
Thomas Stearns bought of J. H. Bartlett & Co.,
.69-.70 receipted
bills, Thomas Stearns paid John Champney, Jr., 1835-1836, for a variety of food
items [see also .73 below, and .59
above, and notes there]
.71 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid David W. Jones, 1836, for textiles, hose, lace
collars, edging, etc.
.72 Massachusetts
probate document, appointing Sarah Stearns, widow of Boston, executor of estate
of Thomas Stearns, gentleman of Boston, April 11, 1836
.73 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid John Champney, Jr., 1836, for a variety of food
items [see also .59 above, and notes
there]
.74 court
document ordering Sarah Stearns to sell the personal estate of Thomas Stearns,
April 25, 1836
.75 “Estate
of T. Stearns,” account of sales, May 6, 1836, listing items sold, by room
(cellar, shed, yard, dining room, entry, upper entry, 5 chambers, attic, some
sort of parlor (only item sold from there was a field bedstead), kitchen
.76 “Sarah
Stearns cash acct. from [illegible] May, 1836,” including cash paid for
furniture, medicine, what appear to be moving expenses, etc.
.77 bill
to Joseph H. Smith from Elijah Stearns, for labor and use of sleigh, March
1854, affixed to order of attachment issued by State of
Folder 6: Thomas Stearns
papers, no date or date not legible (acc.
98x67.78-.81)
.78 “Thomas
Stearns to William Parry, dr., to the following goods delivered to Horace
[Stearns?] and not returned & paid,” listing skins, paper, hats, etc.
.79 “last
accompt of stock corrected of firm Thos. Stearns &
.80 “memorandum
of stock in store, no. 23 Cornhill, at the end of the first year after the
connection with James,” store inventory: flannel, tippets, muffs, notes, unpaid
accounts, etc.
.81 receipted
bill, Thomas Stearns paid Robinson & Wiggin,
Folder 7: AT Stearns:
account book, 1820-1825 (acc. 86x60.1a-b)
Day book: detailed financial records of this hat
making company, noting sales of hats, gloves, umbrellas, trimmings, mittens; uses
both red and black ink, presumably to separate debits and credits; also records
other expenses in running the business, such as purchase of coal and setting of
window glass; the transactions are rather detailed
laid inside the front cover is a small notebook,
written in pencil, with memoranda about notes and shares, dated 1823; mentions Perry, Bartlett, James, a woolen factory
Stenciled on front cover: Memorandum – AT
Stearns
Folder 8: Thomas Stearns
& Co.: day book, 1820-1821, and account of caps and work and cash and
merchandise with E. Robbins, 1828-1840 (acc. 86x60.2)
Two volumes which have been sewn together; the
1820-1821 account book lists the sales of goods, including hats, bonnets, socks
and textiles; the transactions do not record much detail (for example: “to 12
hats,” but no details about the kind of hats sold)
Although the second volume, the accounts of caps
and work, lists the name E. [Eli] Robbins on the cover, in fact the volume also
records the names of others who made and mended caps for the company. Separate accounts are listed for several
women, including Nancy Chandler, Maria Magoun, Sophia Magoun, Frances Hawkes,
Mrs. D. B. Newman, Mehitabel Hunnewell, Mrs. Sophia M. Stearns [probably Sophia
Magoun], Lucy A. Freeman, and Sarah Hawkes.
These accounts are dated 1827-1829.
The last 2 leaves of this volume are dated 1840,
Folder 9: Thomas Stearns
& Co.: manufacturing book, 1833-1838 (acc. 86x60.3)
A record of the goods produced by employees,
listed under the employees’ names. Many
of the employees are listed by first initial only and surname, but they are
apparently the same as the women mentioned in acc. 86x60.2 (see above). Additional names appear in this volume. Various styles of hats and caps are mentioned,
such as duke, jockey, skull, flat tops, or foraging, plus some that are
mentioned as being fur or cloth caps.
Also mentions muffs.
Stenciled on front cover: T. Stearns. Written in pencil inside front cover: This
book accts. of all work, caps after I left E. Robbins.
Folder 10: Horace
Stearns: sales record, 1846, and list of insurance policies (acc. 86x60.4)
Loose pages listing sales (muffs, gloves, caps,
neck ties, etc.) for the year 1846, and a list of insurance policies for shop,
house, and furniture. The sales were
conducted at
Index to acc. 76x94.1-.37, part of
Ball,
Naham .30
Bartlett
& Smith .25
Boardman
& Farwell .23
Bowen,
A. .1
Bowman,
Francis .24
Brown,
Nathaniel .17
Chever,
Abijah, & Co. .32
Cheever,
Mr. .4
Clark,
Thomas .31
Davis,
Amasa .2
Davis,
C. .30
Davis,
Nath. .2
Dix,
H.B. .35
Everett,
C. .23
Farwell
(of Boardman & Farwell) .23
Fay,
S. P. .30
Green .7
H.,
Samuel .37 [i.e.
Harrick,
Mary .30
Harrington,
Mr. .2
Hastings,
Mrs. A. .9
Hastings,
E. .35
Hastings,
Samuel .9, .36
Hovey,
Phinehas B. .18
Joshua .4
Kendall,
Joshua .31
L
& A .4
Lamb,
Benj. W. .11
[
[
Lawrence,
G. .30
Lawrence,
J. .30
Lawrence,
James .30
Lawrence,
Jonas .30
Lawrence,
P. .30
[
Lemist.,
Samuel .28
Lucy .36
Mahan
.20, .34, .35
Mahan,
J. .14, .22
Mahan,
John .26
Maynard,
Jonathan .9
Morrell .4
Nancy .5
Perkins,
Mrs. .14
Perry,
Mrs. .22
Phinehas .15
Pierce,
Pierce,
S.(?) .30
Pomroy
& Leavitt .3
Sanderson,
Isaac .30
Sanderson,
Samuel .20
Sigourney,
Mr. .4
Simmons,
James .6
Smith
(of Bartlett & Smith) .25
Stearns .24, .32
Stearns,
Horace .1
Stearns,
Jacob .9, .12
Stearns,
James .9, .12, .16, .19, .21, .22, .27,
.33-37
Stearns,
S. .11, .30
Stearns,
Samuel .2, .6, .12, .15
Stearns,
Sam. (jr.) .31
Stearns,
Thomas .8, .13-14, .16-21, .23-25, .27-28, .31,
.33-37
Swan.,
J. .11
Tobin,
James .4
W.,
Mr. .36
Warren,
J. .30
Warren,
Josiah .15
Whitney,
J.(?) .30