The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: F.P. Watrous & Co.
(Deep River, Conn.)
Title: Business papers
Dates: 1859-1869, bulk dates: 1860-1862
Call No.: Col. 712
Acc. No.: 03x154
Quantity: 165 items
Location: 18 B 2
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The chief partner in the firm of F.P. Watrous &
Co. was Fred Watrous. Earlier, he had been in partnership with Enos A. Hale,
operating as Hale & Watrous. They seem to have run a general store in Deep
River, Middlesex County, Connecticut.
Frederick Post Watrous was born in 1834, the son of
Adaline Amanda Post and Amos Dickinson Watrous.
In the 1860 census, Fred was listed as a merchant. He married Louisa Matilda Morgan (1833-1862),
the daughter of Hester Doane and Roswell Morgan. Fred Watrous was not located in 1870 or later
censuses, but he died in Middlesex County, Conn., in 1900. It is not know who was in partnership with
him in F.P. Watrous & Co. (In the
1850 census, father Amos Watrous was listed as a Baptist minister, but in 1860,
he was listed as a merchant, living in Lyme, Conn. In 1870, he was again listed as a clergyman
in Deep River. Fred had a brother also
named Amos [1836-1897], and he was also a merchant.)
Enos Austin Hale (1835-1883) was the son of Abigail
Spencer and John Hale. In the 1860
census, he was listed as a merchant, but in 1870 and 1880 censuses, he was
listed as living in New Haven and working as a post office clerk. He married Caroline Brickell Spencer.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
A collection of bills and letters relating to the partnerships
of Hale & Watrous and F.P. Watrous & Co. The bills are for such goods
as textiles, umbrellas, sewing notions (braid, ribbon, buttons, etc.), dress
accessories (combs, muffs, collars and cuffs), alcoholic beverages, nails,
gloves, shirts, stationery, spices, and coffee. Also, there are advertising
circulars for flour, boots and shoes, textiles, kerosene, hats, meat, beans,
butter and cheese, carpets, "housekeeping hardware" (such as
Britannia metal ware, brass candlesticks, gas stoves, sad irons, refrigerators,
lamps, and other goods), and for the Park Hotel in New York City. As well, the
collection includes promissory notes and receipts for payments.
However, letters make up the bulk of the collection.
Most of the letters are from wholesalers requesting payment of their overdue
bills. A few letters are from individuals explaining why they were not in a
position to pay the money they owed to Watrous, usually because of illness. The
hard times and inflation of the war-time economy are mentioned in a few letters
and advertising circulars. A few items have illustrated billheads, mostly
depicting buildings, trains, or ships.
ORGANIZATION
The materials are arranged by type of material
(bills, receipts, letters), and then chronologically.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from Peter L. Masi.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Hale, Enos A. (Enos Austin),
1835-1883.
Watrous,
Fred P. (Frederick Post), 1834-1900.
Topics:
General stores – Connecticut
– Deep River.
Textile fabrics – Prices – 19th century.
Dry-goods – Prices – 19th century.
Food prices – 19th
century.
Hardware –
Prices – 19th century.
Commercial
correspondence – Connecticut.
Merchants –
Connecticut – Deep River.
Hotels – New
York (State) – New York.
Flour.
Billheads.
Receipts.
Invoices.
Price lists.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 18 B 2
All accession numbers begin with 03x154.
Box 1:
Folder 1:
Bills
[note: a few bills are filed with correspondence]
.1 to Hale & Watrous from David S.
Williams, New York, July 18, 1859, for caps, hats, umbrella; with added note
about sizes of hats;
Printed billhead: straw
goods, hats, caps, furs, umbrellas & parasols
.2 to Hale & Watrous from Hastings
& Griswold, Hartford, Conn., July 30, 1859, for elastic braid, stay
binding, buttons, bed lace, child’s hose, suspenders, etc.;
Printed billhead: Yankee
notions, fancy goods, white goods, hosiery and umbrellas, yarns, wool hose and
heavy gloves, jewelry, clocks, watches, etc.
.3 to
Hale & Watrous from David S. Williams, New York, Sept. 9, 1859, for caps,
hats;
Printed
billhead: straw goods, hats, caps, furs, umbrellas & parasols
.4 to
Hale & Watrous from Bee Hive, Hartford, Sept. 16, 1859, for various kinds
of textiles;
Printed
billhead: dry goods, carpets and paper hangings
.5 to Hale & Watrous from J. H.
Brundage & Co., New York, Oct. 24, 1859, for fluid[?];
Printed billhead:
rosins, alcohol, fluid, camphene, oil of tar, bright varnish, spirits
turpentine, tar, pitch & turpentine, shoe & brushmakers pitch, coal tar
and gum thus
.6 to Hale & Watrous from David S.
Williams, New York, Sept. 9, 1859, for caps, hats, furs, muffs, collars, etc.;
Printed billhead: straw
goods, hats, caps, furs, umbrellas & parasols [billhead glued to piece of
blue paper]
.7 to Hale & Watrous from Spencer
& Clark, New Haven, Feb. 10, 1860, for gin, rum, demijohns, cordial;
Printed billhead:
wholesale druggists, burning fluid, camphene, medicines, cream tartar, … hair
dyes, perfumery, toil articles, hair oils, ….
.8 to Hale & Watrous from S.L. Smith
& Co., New Haven, Feb. 10, 1860, for prints, drill, etc. (specific mill
names are given);
Printed billhead: dry
goods, carpetings, oil cloths, and paper hangings, [etc.]
.9 to Hale & Watrous from Hastings
& Griswold, Hartford, Conn., March 19, 1860, for hooks & eyes, hair
pins, nets, linen thread, buttons, gloves, silk, pins, hose, sheeting,
umbrellas, etc.
Printed and illustrated
billhead: fancy goods, white goods, hosiery, yarns, umbrellas, jewelry,
watches, clocks, &c.; illustrated with picture of store building (which was
shared with LeRoy & Co. hardware)
.10 to Hale & Watrous from William
Boardman & Sons, Hartford Conn., Dec. 1859-Arpil[?] 1860, for merchandise;
Printed billhead: tea,
coffee, and spices, cream tartar, … agents for W. Baker & Co.’s chocolate,
cocoa, &c., and Woodworth & Bunnel’s flavoring extracts
.11 to Hale & Watrous from Hastings &
Griswold, Hartford, Conn., April 26, 1860, for crochet braid, suspenders, bound
bone, velvet, etc.
Printed and illustrated
billhead: fancy goods, white goods, hosiery, yarns, umbrellas, jewelry,
watches, clocks, &c.; illustrated with picture of store building (which was
shared with LeRoy & Co. hardware)
.12 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Ellis
Brothers & Co., New York, May 30, 1860, for nails, sent by Hartford boat;
Printed billhead:
hardware, cutlery, guns, &c., &c.
.13 to F.P. Watrous from Hastings &
Griswold, Hartford, Conn., Sept. 26, 1860, for velvet, suspenders, ribbon, tape
measure, gloves, hose, hooks & eyes, brushes, etc.
Printed and illustrated
billhead: fancy goods, white goods, hosiery, yarns, umbrellas, jewelry,
watches, clocks, &c.; illustrated with picture of store building (which was
shared with LeRoy & Co. hardware)
.14 to F.P. Watrous from Clark, Howell &
Rockwell, New York, Oct. 3, 1860, for cheese;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: butter, cheese, lard, beans, peas, dried fruits, &c., pork, beef,
smoked provisions, ground rock salt and fish; illustrated with picture of store
of Conley, Kirk & Co. (Clark, Howell & Rockwell were successors to
Conley & Kirk)
.15 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Hastings
& Griswold, Hartford, Conn., Oct. 31, 1860, for ladies’ vests;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: fancy goods, white goods, hosiery, yarns, umbrellas, jewelry,
watches, clocks, &c.; illustrated with picture of store building (which was
shared with LeRoy & Co. hardware)
.16 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Hastings
& Griswold, Hartford, Conn., Oct. 31, 1860, for hood protectors, hoods,
child’s coats, wool sleeves, white and mix shirts, knit jackets, velvet butts
[buttons], chenille scarf[?], merino gloves;
With short letter:
sending what they ordered through Mr. Barker, had to substitute the hoods;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: fancy goods, white goods, hosiery, yarns, umbrellas, jewelry,
watches, clocks, &c.; illustrated with picture of store building (which was
shared with LeRoy & Co. hardware)
.17 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from J. H. Brundage
& Co., New York, Nov. 2, 1860, for fluid, kerosene;
Printed billhead:
rosins, alcohol, fluid, camphene, oil of tar, bright varnish, spirits
turpentine, tar, pitch & turpentine, shoe & brushmakers pitch, coal tar
and gum thus
.18 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Hastings
& Griswold, Hartford, Conn., Dec. 18, 1860, for skating and other kinds of
hoods, crochet briad, thread, comforters, men’s hose, ties, envelopes, etc.;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: fancy goods, white goods, hosiery, yarns, umbrellas, jewelry,
watches, clocks, &c.; illustrated with picture of store building (which was
shared with LeRoy & Co. hardware)
.19a-b to F.P. Watrous & Co., from William
Boardman & Sons, Hartford Conn., Dec. 1859-Arpil[?] 1860, for merchandise;
Printed billhead: tea,
coffee, and spices, cream tartar, … agents for W. Baker & Co.’s chocolate,
cocoa, &c., and Woodworth & Bunnel’s flavoring extracts;
With envelope
.20 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Clark,
Howell & Rockwell, New York, April 11, 1861, for salt;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: butter, cheese, lard, beans, peas, dried fruits, &c., pork, beef,
smoked provisions, ground rock salt and fish; illustrated with picture of store
of Conley, Kirk & Co. (Clark, Howell & Rockwell were successors to
Conley & Kirk)
.21 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Elihu
Geer, Hartford, May 21, 1861, for envelopes and stationery;
With letter: at
suggestion of his father, am sending some envelopes and stationery – father
finds they sell well;
Printed billhead: dealer
in envelopes, paper, pens, inks, inkstands, pencils, … stationery,
portmonnaies, wallets, pocket books, bankers’ cases, purse, &c., backgammon
boards, chessmen, dominoes, games, grace hoops, &c., &c., blank account
books, memorandums, diaries, law blanks; also steam job, card and fancy
printing
.22a-b to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Ralph R.
Foster, Hartford, Nov. 20, 1861, for pepper, mustard, cloves, cream of tartar,
coffee, cassia;
Printed billhead:
coffees, teas, spices, cream tartar, nugmegs, mace, etc.;
With envelope
.23 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Clark,
Howell & Rockwell, New York, Dec. 2, 1861, for sacks of Ashtons salt;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: butter, cheese, lard, beans, peas, dried fruits, &c., pork, beef,
smoked provisions, ground rock salt and fish; illustrated with picture of store
[the name of Conley, Kirk & Co. has now been removed from the store
building)
.24 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Ralph R.
Foster, Hartford, Dec. 12, 1861, for merchandise
.25 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Cunningham,
Frost & Throckmortons, New York, May 29, 1862, for sheeting (Ocean, Agawam,
Amoskeag, and another kind);
With request: please
sign and return note;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: foreign and American dry goods; with picture of store building on
Worth Street
.26 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from
Cunningham, Frost & Throckmortons, New York, May 29, 1862, for various
kinds of fabrics: cambric, prints, dress goods, challis, jean, tweed,
cassimere, denim, muslin, etc.; also table spreads, bosoms, hoop skirts;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: foreign and American dry goods; with picture of store building on
Worth Street
.27 to F.P. Watrous, from Stout & Bishop,
New Haven, June 2, 1862, for merchandise;
Printed and illustrated
billhead: grocers and commission merchants; illustrated with a sailing ship and
a steamship
Folder 2: advertising circulars and price lists
.28 Union Mills, Middletown, Conn., July 1,
1859:
price list for flour, bolted
meal, corn and oats, rye, oil meal, wheat feed, wheat, corn, oats, rye,
buckwheat, etc.
.29 Wm. Smith Brown & Co., manufacturers
and wholesale dealers in boots and shoes: printed letter and circular, New
York, July 25, 1859:
printed letter is about quality of company’s
wares; the printed circular mentions rise in prices for materials and labor;
also mentions machine pegging vs. hand pegging, a machine for sewing shoes, and
metallic tips for toes of boots and shoes
.30 Croton
Mills, Hecker & Brother, New York, July 25, 1859, no. 49;
Price list for flours and
meals, buckwheat, farina, wheaten grits, hominy; with p.s. on back giving
further information about source of wheat;
Illustrated
with picture of mill building
.31 S.B. Chittenden & Co., importers of
dress goods, hosiery & carpet, New York, Aug. 17, 1859;
Price list of sheetings;
with note that “foreign dry goods … are very much depressed, and our prices now
approach very closely to those of the panic year, 1857.”
.32 Umbrella
and Parasol Warehouse, New York, Sept. 1, 1859:
Price
list of umbrellas, with various kinds of covers, finishes, frames, handles
.33 L. and A. Underhill, New York, Sept. 22,
1959, printed letter: calling attention to their range of goods, including
bonnet ribbons and silks, English crapes, tarlatans, ruches, edgings, cape lace,
crown linings, bonnet wire, pins, French flowers, straw bonnets, and ostrich
and fancy feathers
.34 Croton
Mills, Hecker & Brother, New York, Sept. 29, 1859, no. 52;
Price list for flours
and meals, buckwheat, farina, wheaten grits, hominy;
Illustrated
with picture of mill building
.35 J.H. Brundage & Co., distillers of camphene, alcohol and burning
fuild, and delaers in rosins and naval stores, New York, Oct. 24, 1859:
Notice that company
sells products of Portland and Boston Kerosene Oil Companies;
.36 Benedict & Smith, New York, Jan. 1,
1860:
Printed notice of
dissolution of copartnership of Benedict, Smith & Co., and formation of
copartnership of Benedict & Smith, wholesale produce and provisions,
including butter, cheese, flour and fish
.37a-b letter to Hale & Watrous, from Bensel
& Co., no place, [month illegible] 26, 1859:
Gives prices for flour;
With envelope [see also .74a-b]
.38 Ives, Clarke & Co., New York, Jan.
16, 1860;
Printed letter: have
opened this new business selling hats, caps, straw & millinery goods,
ribbons, ruches & flowers, umbrellas, parasols, carpet bags, etc., [also
furs]
.39 Haight & Emens, commission merchants,
New York:
New York Price Current,
Feb. 1, 1860, with prices for flour, butter, cheese, smoked meats, pork, beef,
beans, dried fruits, eggs
.40 Cunningham, Frost & Throckmortons,
New York, autumn trade 1861;
List of various kinds of
textile fabrics carried, also white goods, Yankee notions, hosiery, &c.
.41 J.
Conkling, carpets, oil cloths, &c., New York, Feb. 1, 1862;
Printed letter: prices
are going up because of “unsettled state of the country,” so am not sending a
price list, but does have a stock of English tapestry, Scotch hemps, American
wools anc cotton chains, oil cloths, rugs, shades, etc.
.42 Halsted & Stiles, New York, February
1862;
Advertisement for
cottonades and cassimeres (prices of these are rising), and cloths, vestings,
and other goods for men’s wear
.43 Goodrich & Dix, hart, cap, fur and
straw-goods warehouse, Hartford, 186-;
Printed letter: able to
sell for as low as New York and Boston merchants; also sell umbrellas
.44 Windle & Co., New Yorki, no date;
“new goods for spring
trade at wholesale to dealers in housekeeping hardware, with long list of goods
offered, but no prices; good include ice cream freezers, bathing apparatus,
silver soap, crimping and goffering machines, picnic baskets, gas tapers and
holders, table mats, mess chests for army use, English earthen preserve jars,
etc., etc.
.45 Park Hotel, P. Wight, proprietor, New
York, no date;
Printed and illustrated
circular: hotel recently renovated and has reopened; “The Servants (colored)
are orderly and attentive, ….”
Illustrated
with view of hotel, at corner of Nassau and Beekman Streets
Folder 3: receipts,
promissory notes, envelopes
.46 receipt: John Hale & Son, Deep River,
June 5, 1858, received liniment, heave cure, green ointment, and condition
powders from A.C. Grant & Co., of Albany, N.Y.;
Printed form of Grant
& Co.
.47 receipt: Hale & Watrous, Deep River,
Aug. 3, 1859, received box of Pocahontas
Cigars from Lee & Dean, dealers in cigars, tobacco and snuff, Hartford;
Printed form of Lee
& Deane
.48 receipt: Hale & Watrous, Deep River,
Oct. 1, 1859, received box of chewing
tobacco from J.W. Loomis, dealer in cigars and, tobacco, Suffield, Conn.;
Printed form of Loomis
.49 receipt: Hale & Watrous, Deep River,
Oct. 22, 1859, paid the publishers of the N.Y. Times for a three month
subscription;
Printed form of the New York Times
.50 sight draft: between Spencer & Clark,
New Haven, March 13, 1860, and Hale and Watrous; with endorsements on back;
Printed and illustrated
form; illustrated with two blacksmiths hammering something on an anvil
.51 receipt: Hale & Watrous paid Stone,
Starr & Co., New York, March 30, 1860;
Printed form of Stone,
Starr & Co.
.52 receipt: Hale & Watrous, Deep River,
April 4, 1860, received Andersons
tobacco from Lee & Dean, dealers in cigars, tobacco and snuff, Hartford;
Printed form of Lee
& Deane
.53 promissory note: F.P. Watrous & Co.,
April 10, 1860, Hartford, promised to pay I. Hills & Sons, at the Deep
River Bank;
Printed form,
illustrated with a sailing ship
.54 check, payable to cashier of Deep River
Bank, sent to Hale & Watrous by D.S. Milliand[?], New York, June 20, 1860;
Printed form,
illustrated with two women harvesting wheat and a pineapple
.55 receipt: Hale & Watrous, Deep River,
July 23, 1860, paid the publishers of the N.Y. Times for a year’s subscription;
Printed form of the New York Times
.56 promissory note: not signed, Deep River,
Sept. 27, 1860, promised to pay M.E.[?] Bushnell Co.;
Printed form,
illustrated with men herding cattle, with hay wagon and covered wagon beyond
them
.57 receipt: F.P. Watrous & Co., Deep
River, Dec. 6, 1860, received Byrons cigars from Lee & Dean, dealers in
cigars, tobacco and snuff, Hartford;
Printed form of Lee
& Deane
.58 promissory note: not signed, New York,
June 1, 1861, promised to pay Lewis, Chatterton & Co., at the Deep River
Bank,
Printed form,
illustrated with an eagle and other decoration
.59 promissory note: C.[?] Southworth, Deep
River, Aug. 1, 1861, promised to pay F.P. Watrous & Co. at the Saybrook
Bank;
Printed form, with three
illustrations, one of deer in forest, another of two dogs in field, and the
third of a dog running
.60 promissory note: F.P. Watrous & Co.,
Deep River, Aug. 5, 1861, promised to pay Jabez Southworth, at the Metropolitan
Bank of New York;
Printed form, with two
illustrations, one of deer in forest, another of two dogs in field, and the
third of a dog running
.61 receipt: F.P. Watrous & Co., Deep
River, Aug. 8, 1861, received boxes of Le Lognet[?], from Ephraim Potter,
manufacturer and dealer in cigars and cut, chewing and smoking tobacco;
On printed form of
Potter
.62 promissory note: F.P. Watrous, Deep
River, Sept. 2, 1861, promised to pay Jabez Southworth, at the Metropolitan
Bank, N. York;
Printed form, with two
illustrations, one of deer in forest, another of two dogs in field, and the third
of a dog running
.63 receipt: F.P. Watrous & Co., Deep
River, Oct. 10, 1861, received cigars from Lee & Dean, dealers in cigars,
tobacco and snuff, Hartford;
Printed form of Lee
& Deane
.64 promissory note: F.P. Watrous, Deep
River, Dec. 2, 1861, promised to pay Jabez Southworth, at the Metropolitan
[Bank of] N. York;
Printed form, with two
illustrations, one of deer in forest, another of two dogs in field, and the
third of a dog running
.65 receipt: F.P. Watrous, Deep River, paid
New Haven, New London & Stonington R.R. Co., West Brook, Dec. 25, 1861, for
transportation of boxes of soapl
Printed form of
railroad, illustrated with a small train and decorative borders
.66 receipt: F.P. Watrous paid Elihu Geer,
Hartford, 1861, for two volumes of Hardee’s Tactics; with added note: Geer
sends a Hartford directory;
Printed and illustrated
form: sailor looks through spy glass at sailing ships; above him is a printing
press out in a field
.67 promissory note: F.P. Watrous & Co.,
Deep River, Feb. 17, 1862, promised to pay Jabez Southworth, at the Deep River
Bank;
Printed form, with
illustration of an eagle above an American shield; form printed by Elihu Geer
.68 promissory note: F.P. Watrous & Co.,
Deep River, March 27, 1862, promised to pay Wm. Boardman & Sons, at the
Deep River Bank;
Printed form, with
illustration of an eagle above an American shield; form printed by Elihu Geer
.69 receipt: E.A. Sawyer consigned a parcel
to Adams Express Company, Saybrook, May 10, 1862; package is marked Burnham
& Scott, Boson, Mass.;
Printed form
.70 receipt: F.P. Watrous paid Steamer City
of Hartford, Hartford, July [?], 1862, for freight on tobacco, sent from
Hartford;
Printed form for
Hartford and New York Steamboat Co., illustrated with a steamboat
.71a-m envelopes addressed to F.P. Watrous, Hale &
Watrous, or F.P. Watrous & Co., with postmarks from New York, Hartford, and
New Haven, 1860-1861, most with postage stamps; .71m is embossed with address
of Stone, Starr, & Co., New York
Folder 4: letters, 1859
.72 to E.A. Hale, from D. Ba[illegible],
Sweeny’s Hotel, New York, July 18, 1859: the pin [pen was probably meant]
alluded to in his letter has not been found;
On printed letterhead,
illustrated with picture of the hotel
.73a-b to Hale & Watrous, from N.C. Brakenridge,
per Geo. R. Ransom, Norwich, Oct. 5, 1859: the horse for sale is not heavy
enough for his purpose; with envelope
.74a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Bensel & Co.,
New York, Oct. 5, 1859: check received; gives price for “Model Steam” [flour],
thinks its Genesee flour is superior to Croton Mills; with envelope
.75a-b to Friend Fred [Watrous], Deep River, from
Enos A. H. [Hale], Guilford, Oct. 19, 1859: sorry has not been able to return,
but will be there by noon tomorrow; suggests get Jumel[?] or David to help if
needs it; with envelope
.76a-b to Hale & Watrous, Deep River, from Jerome
& Redfield, Hartford, Oct. 26, 1859: about an account; with envelope
.77a-b to Hale & Watrous, Deep River, from Robt.
B. Blauvelt, of Stone, Starr & Co., New York, Nov. 12, 1859: please call
the next time you are in town – am always receiving new goods; with envelop
.78a-b to Hale & Watrous, Deep River, from C.H.
Smith & Co., Hartford, Dec. 1, 1859: please pay your bill
Folder 5: letters, 1860
.79a-c to Hale & Watrous from J.H. Brundage &
Co., New York, Jan. 2, 1860: printed letter (.79a): statement enclosed; monthly
statement (.79b); and envelope (.79c);
Letter and statement on
old stationery of McCready, Mott & Brundage, with old firm name crossed out
and J.H. Brundage & Co. substituted; envelope printed with J.H. Brundage
& Co., camphene, alcohol, burning fluid, & naval stores
[.80 – number
not used]
.81a-b to Hale & Watrous from Bensel & Co.,
New York, Jan. 9, 1860: please pay bill; with envelope
.82a-b to Hale & Watrous from Bensel & Co.,
New York, Jan. 12, 1860: please pay bill; with envelope
.83a-b to Hale & Watrous from Foster & Co.,
Hartford, Feb. 6, 1860: please pay bill; with envelope
.84a-b to Hale & Watrous from Hastings &
Griswold, Hartford, Feb. 6, 1860: please pay bill; with envelope
.85a-b to Hale & Watrous from Spencer &
Clark, New Haven, Feb. 17, 1860: please pay bill; with envelope
.86a-b to E. A. [Enos] Hale, from Geo. A. Read, New
York, March 3, 1860: encloses payment; with postscript: “Let’s go down to
French’s & roll a game.”; with envelope
.87a-b to Hale & Watrous from Spencer &
Clark, New Haven, March 13, 1860: have drawn on them at sight; am short this
week and need money; with envelope
.88a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Westervelt &
Corwin, New York, March 29, 1860: enclose bill for molasses
.89a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Isaac Hills &
Sons, Hartford, April 5, 1860: please pay bill (for merchandise purchased
Aug.-Dec. 1859) as we have bills to pay; with envelope
.90a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Hastings &
Griswold, Hartford, April 7, 1860: do not pay “any part of your indebtedness to
us, except upon our written order”; with envelope
.91a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Smith, Lesli[?]
& Kine[illegible], New Haven, April 9, 1860: please sent your note to pay
bill; with envelope
.92a-b statement
from Ezra H. Parker, New Haven, Feb.-April 10, 1860, for merchandise;
with envelope blind embossed Ezra H. Parker, jobber of dry goods, commission
merchant, New Haven
.93a-b to Hale & Watrous, from N. S. Lester, New
London, April 11, 1860: plans to visit next week and hopes they will want boots
and shoes
.94a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Colburns &
Fenn, Ansonia, April 14, 1860: please pay for bill of hoop skirts
.95a-b to Hale & Watrous, Deep River, from Jerome
& Redfield, Hartford, April 17, 1860: please pay bill (dated March 17,
1860); with envelope
.96 to Hale & Watrous, from Isaac Hills
& Sons, Hartford, April 17, 1860: please pay bill – need the money
.97 to Hale & Watrous, from David S.
Williams, New York, June 3, 1860: please pay bill;
Printed form letter
.98a-b bill from J. E. Spencer, New Haven, June 10,
1860, to Hale & Watrous: for jewelry; with envelope
.99a-b letter to Watrous from J. Edwin Spencer, New
Haven, Jun 16, 1860: explanation of the bill in .98a; with envelope addressed
to Hale & Watrous
.100 to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Ellis
Brothers & Co., New York, June[?] 20, 1860: check received;
Printed letterhead:
illustrated with an anvil
.101a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Baldwin,
Studwell & Fisher, New York, July 1, 1860; statement of account, with
request that it be paid; with envelope;
Printed form
.102a-b to F.P. Watrous & Co., from A.T.
Stewart & Co., New York, July 13, 1860: have sent goods ordered, with
invoice for them; with envelope;
Printed letterhead
.103a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Burt
Gardner & Co., Hartford, July 19, 1860: please pay bill; send it to Chas.
C. Burt; with envelope;
.104a-b to F.P. Watrous & Co., from Bensel
& Co., New York, July 28, 1860: please pay bill; with envelope, embossed
Bensel & Co., Flour Merchants, New York;
.105a-b to F. P. Watrous, from Enos [A.
Hale], Guilford, July 30, 1860: please take Godey’s Ladys Book to Loomis so he
can mail it; had hoped to come back for it but is not able to; with envelope
.106a-b to Watrous, from Canfield &
Spencer, New Haven, July 31, 1860: please return two of something and pay bill
to close account; with envelope
.107 to Watrous from Robert B. Blauvelt, of
Stone, Starr & Co., New York, Aug. 8, 1860: would like to sell him some
goods; have cheapest black silk in the city
.108a-b to F.P. Watrous & Co., from
Bensel & Co., New York, Aug. 8, 1860: check received, but more about paying
bill; regret that he had trouble with company’s flour; includes some prices for
flour; with envelope;
.109a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Baldwin,
Studwell & Fisher, New York, Aug. 11, 1860; sent draft for collection;
solicits more business: “we sell low in price & good in quality”; with
envelope;
Printed form
.110a-b to E. A. Hale & F. P. Watrous,
from Canfield & Spencer, New Haven, Aug. 22, 1860: payment received; with
envelope addressed to F. P. Watrous
.111a-b to F.P. Watrous & Co., from
Spencer & Clark, New Haven, Aug. 30, 1860: explains differences in
statements; please pay bill; with envelope
.112a-b to Hale & Watrous, from D.
Morgan & Co., Hartford, Conn., Sept. 12, 1860: please pay bill, for sugar;
with envelope;
Printed letterhead:
grocers and commission merchants
.113a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Spencer
& Clark, New Haven, Sept. 15, 1860: please pay bill – need the money; with
envelope
Folder 6: letters, 1861
– all addressed to F.P. Watrous
& Co., unless otherwise noted
.114 from D.D. Ives of Ives, Clarke & Co.,
New York, Feb. 13, 1861: check received; hope to sell you new goods this year;
Printed letterhead
.115 from Stan[?] Runkett[?] & Co.,
Hartford, March 18, 1861: check received
.116 from Clark & Carrier[?], New Haven,
April 5, 1861: please pay bill – need the money;
.117 from Stone, Starr & Co., New York, May
28, 1861: please pay bill
.118 from Lewis, Chatterton & Co., New York,
May 31, 1861: “during these hard times we must do all we can to help one
another”; about paying account with a note;
.119 from Wm. Boardman & Sons, Hartford,
June 4, 1861: please send note to pay account;
.120a-b From N. S. Lester, New London, June
11, 1861: please send a check, or at least a note, to pay bill – need money;
with envelope
.121a-b promissory note: Watrous & Co.,
Deep River,July 8, 1861, promised to pay S. Bushnell & Co.; [on printed
form, illustrated with dear in a forest and a running dog;
Note attached to
notarized copy of said note, with statement that the payment of the note was
refused, notarized by Gideon Parker, Saybrook, Nov. 11, 1861
.122 to F.P. Watrous, from Canfield and Spencer,
New Haven, July 14, 1861: please pay bill
.123a-b to F.P. Watrous, from Abra Gamble,
Green Point, Sept. 16, 1861: please renew note; with envelope
.124a-b to F.P. Watrous, from Spencer Read,
Whitneyville, [Cpnn.], Dec. 10, 1861: explaining when plans to pay bill, and
hasn’t paid anyone else, either; did buy a pig for his family, but otherwise
has trimmed expenses
.125 from R. R. Foster, Hartford, Dec. 11, 1861:
encloses account and a note to be signed and returned; short of cash
.126a-b from I. Hills & Sons, Hartford,
Dec. 17, 1861: check enclosed: sign and return; with envelope
.127 from U. Sallman[?], New York, Dec. 17,
1861: empty barrel received; “I take back my empty packages delivered on my
walk, the usual custom of the trade”
.128a-b from R. R. Foster, Hartford, Dec.
17, 1861: please sign and return note; with envelope
.129a-b statement from George Bliss &
Co., New York, Dec. 19, 1861: with short message about having drawn on sight;
with envelope embossed: George Bliss & Co., New York;
Printed form
.130a-c from Ives, Clark & Co., New
York, Dec. 20, 1861: Watrous & Co. account is two months overdue; please
return enclosed note; with envelope;
Also statement for
account (printed form);
Printed letterhead
.131a-c from Gideon Parker, notary public,
Deep River, Conn., Dec. 21, 1861: two notices that promissory notes have been
protested for non-payment, one from Abraham Gamble, and the other from James L.
Lord, agent for Lord’s Factory; with envelope
.132a-b from C.Y.[?] Smith & Co., Hartford, Dec. 25, 1861:
about Mr. Lord’s note which has not been paid [see .131b] – please send some
form of payment; with envelope
.133a-b to F.P. Watrous, from Elihu Geer,
Hartford, Dec. 25, 1861: Mrs. Gates owes Geer rent money, and she is to move
out; and her things taken to husband’s parents’ house; with envelope;
Printed letterhead:
Harford Job, Card and Book Printing Establishment; illustrated with view of a
college [possibly Trinity College, Hartford]
.134a-b to F.P. Watrous, from Elihu Geer,
Hartford, Dec. 31, 1861: Mrs. Gates grateful for allowance made her; man in
Hadlyme interested in buying store has withdrawn offer; mentions unsettled
affairs because of imbroglio with England and prostration of business; with
envelope;
Printed letterhead:
Harford Job, Card and Book Printing Establishment; illustrated with view of a
college [possibly Trinity College, Hartford]
Folder 7: letters, 1862, 1869, and no date
– all letters are addressed to F.P. Watrous &
Co., unless otherwise noted
.135a-b from L. L. Bishop, New Haven, Jan.
1, 1862: please send payment; with envelope;
On patriotic stationery:
U.S. flag, and the statement “The Constitution and the Union must and shall be
preserved”
.136a-b from C. Tyler, New York, Jan. 2,
1862: expects a payment soon;
With envelope, embossed:
Christopher Tyler, commission merchant and manufacturer of oils & candles,
N.Y.
.137a-b to Watrous, from C. Bogart, Chester,
Conn., Jan. 4, 1862: doesn’t have money to pay bill, and trying coercion will
not help; with envelope
.138a-b from L. L. Bishop, New Haven, Jan.
1, 1862: about orders, mentions Mr. Stannard; with envelope;
.139a-b from Edwin I. Butler, New York, Jan.
8, 1862: “we buy goosd of Mr. A.C. Southworth, and his order on us is good …”;
with envelope
.140a-b statement from Bushnell & Co.,
New Haven, Jan. 11, 1862: with request to return note; with envelope
.141a-b to Watrous, from A. Gambel, Green
Point, Jan. 13, 1862: unable to pay note this winter; has been ill; with
envelope
.142a-b from Foster & Co., Hartford,
Jan. 15, 1862: please send check; with envelope
.143a-b from L. Roberts & Co., New York,
Jan. 21, 1862: about an unpaid bill for flour; with envelope;
Printed letterhead:
commission merchants
.144a-b from George Bliss & Co., New
York, Jan. 22, 1862: short message about having drawn on sight; with envelope;
Printed form
.145a-b from S. Denisen S[illegible],
Chester, Conn., Jan. 25, 1862: encloses a note which he wants the company to
get discounted; with envelope
.145c-d to Watrous, from L. L. Bishop, New
Haven, Jan. 28, 1862: about a credit from A. C. Southworth; with envelope
.146a-b from Wm. Boardman, Hartford, Feb. 3,
1862: drawing on the company for a payment; with envelope
.147a-b statement from George Bliss &
Co., New York, Feb. 3, 1862: with short message about having drawn on sight;
with envelope embossed: George Bliss & Co., New York;
Printed form
.148a-b from Foster & Co., Hartford,
Feb. 4, 1862: not satisfied with delay in paying bill; if don’t pay something
soon, will turn account over to an attorney; with envelope
.149a-b from Wm. Boardman & Sons,
Hartford, Feb. 6, 1862: have drawn on the company [gives details]; with
envelope
.150a-b from Albert M. Sizer, Madison,
Conn., Feb. 6, 1862: chastises Watrous for distressing his family over his
unpaid bill; times are hard and is unable to pay; when returns to Chester from
his peddling trip, will either pay him or delivery his goods to him; has been
ill
.151a-b from C. Tyler, New York, Feb. 7,
1862: about Watrous & Co. account;
With envelope, embossed:
Christopher Tyler, commission merchant and manufacturer of oils & candles,
N.Y.
,152a-b from George Bliss & Co., New
York, Feb. 10, 1862: company’s check has been protested; if don’t pay up at
once, will attach its stock;
with envelope
embossed: George Bliss & Co., New York
.153a-b from C. Tyler, New York, Feb. 12,
1862: about Watrous & Co. account and returning barrels;
With envelope, embossed:
Christopher Tyler, commission merchant and manufacturer of oils & candles,
N.Y.
.153c-d to Watrous from George Bliss &
Co., New York, Feb. 17, 1862: received;
with envelope
embossed: George Bliss & Co., New York;
printed form
letter
.154a-b from C.I.[?] Smith & Co.,
Hartford, Feb. 18, 1862: about protested note of Mr. Lord; with envelope
.155a-b from Baldwin, Studwell & Fisher,
New York, May 10, 1862; statement, and short message: please pay bill; with
envelope;
Printed form
.156a-b to Watrous, from Cowles Gridley
& Co., Hartford, May 17, 1862: have received order for soap and candles but
not yet able to fill it – got behind because of flood; with envelope
.157a-b from Foster & Co., Hartford, May
29, 1862: am tired of waiting for payment – do it now; with envelope
.158a-b from John Hale, Guilford, June 12,
1862: how many unsold bottles of [probably patent medicines] remain; if many of
the wild cherry, perhaps those need to be returned to proprietor; with envelope
.159a-b from How & Whitaker, New York,
June 30, 1862: please pay bills, need the money;
with envelope,
stamped or printed with How & Whitaker, wholesale dealers in boots, shoes
& [something else], New York
.160 from E. H. Parker, New Haven, June 15,
1869: note that was sent left out a charge, so sends a corrected note for
company to sign and return
.161 to Watrous from C. S. Gladwin, East Haddam,
Conn., Sept. 24, 1869: about settling accounts with Mrs. Emmons with a note
from Watrous’ father;
Printed letterhead: Law
and Collection Office, J. T. Clarke and C. S. Gladwin, [etc.]
.162a-b to Hale & Watrous, from Bensel
& Co., New York, Nov. 29, [year unclear]: please pay bill; with envelope
.163a-b from Roger[?] & Raymond, New
York, Feb. 18, no year: note against Lor’s factory has not been paid; with
envelope