The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware  19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Hamilton & Hood.                 

Title:               Financial documents

Dates:             1811-1832

Call No.:         Doc. 315

Acc. No.:        [various – see detailed description]

Quantity:        53 items

Location:        31 C 2

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Hamilton & Hood was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, firm of grocers and wine merchants in the early 19th century.  John Hamilton and John Hood were the proprietors.  Their store was located on Market Street.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Consists of bills, receipts, orders, and bank drafts received by Hamilton & Hood or by John Hamilton.  Such items as soap, candles, bed cords, plow lines, sweeping brushes, nails, bottles, snuff, scales, and wood were purchased by Hamilton & Hood from other Philadelphia merchants.  Most of the orders in the collection are from Samuel G. Osborn of Head of Chester, Maryland, for coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, etc.  The merchandise was sent through the Smyrna packet, a regular method of shipment from Philadelphia to Maryland and Delaware.  Two drafts from the Bank of New Castle and a Philadelphia bank are also included.  In addition, there are bills made out to John Hamilton from craftsmen for such work as building a hearth, wallpapering, and laying "entry floor cloth."   John Huneker asked that his bill be settled by receiving credit for chairs.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

Bills and receipts are in folder 1, and letters are in folder 2.  Items are in chronological order within each folder.

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

 

Many of the items were purchased from Earl Moore.

 

 

RELATED MATERIALS

 

The Downs Collection holds other bills send to other Mr. Hamiltons.   Some of those might belong with this small group, but there is not enough evidence to make a definitive decision.  There were a number of Hamiltons, and several John Hamiltons, living in Philadelphia at this time.

 

Special Collections of the University of Delaware Library holds a small collection of Hamilton and Hood papers (collection no. 519).

 

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania holds a collection of Hamilton and Hood papers (no. 1427).

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

People:

            Hamilton, John.

            Osborn, Samuel G. (Samuel Groom), 1778-1837.

            Hood, John.

 

Topics:

            Business records - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

            Wholesale trade - History - 19th century.

            Candles.

            Cordage.

            Beverages.

            Soap.

            Dwellings - Maintenance and repair.

            Grocery trade - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

            Philadelphia (Pa.) - Commerce.

            Bills of sale.

            Orders.

            Receipts.

            Drafts (financial).

            Merchants.

           

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 31 C 2

 

 

Folder 1 of 2: Bills and receipts, in chronological order

 

85x30.29         bill, John Hamilton bought of Taylor & Wright, Feb.-June 1811: brushes.

 

76x475            bill, John Hamilton bought of Harris & Etting, May 24, 1811: tea.

 

85x30.30         bill, John Hamilton bought of Taylor & Wright, June 25, 1811: sweeps [brooms].

 

85x30.31         order to John Hamilton from John Huneker, Philadelphia, June 25, 1812: for wine, sugar, candles.  Asks for credit for chairs and arm chairs.

 

74x380.2         “sales for account Mr. John Hamilton by F. Montmollin & S. Moses, auctioneers, July 29, 1813”: chests of tea. 

 

85x30.33         bill, John Hamilton bought of Wm. Arentrue, July 1, 1814: soap.

 

85x30.32         bill, John Hamilton bought of John Porter & Son, Philadelphia, July 14, 1814: sweeping brushes and handles.

 

76x476            bill, John Hamilton bought of Miller & Van Beuren, Philadelphia, July 21, 1814: Baltimore chocolate.

 

76x477            bill, John Hamilton bought of Samuel Laven & Co., Aug. 23, 1814: tea and soap.

 

85x29.1           bill, John Hamilton bought of E. & J. Dallett, January-August, 1814: candles.

 

85x30.34         bill, John Hamilton bought of E. & J. Dallett, Dec. 1814-March 1815: candles.

 

76x478            bill, John Hamilton bought of Hugh Cooper, Philadelphia, July 25, 1815: Spanish indigo.

 

85x30.35         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Benjamin & David Reeves, Philadelphia, Nov. 27, 1817: nails.

 

85x30.38a       bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of John Barnes, Philadelphia, Feb. 14, 1818: pair of scales.

 

76x472            bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Daniel Smith, Philadelphia, March 5, 1818: coffee.

 

74x387.2         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of T.W. Dyott, Philadelphia, March 25, 1818: window glass.

 

76x473            bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Samuel B. Morris, Philadelphia, May 8, 1818: muscarado sugar.

 

85x30.37         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Wm. Cooke, Philadelphia, May 11, 1818: Scotch snuff.

 

87x145            receipted bill: Hamilton & Hood paid the Union Line for freight on chests of Bohea tea shipped on the schooner Pocahontas, May 22, 1818

 

76x474            bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of John Coulter, Philadelphia, Aug. 7, 1818: brown sugar.

 

85x30.36         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of John W. Rehn, April-Sept. 1818: porter, flour.

 

85x30.2           bill, Mr. Hamilton owes to John Kempton, for bricks, laying hearth, lime, sand, scales, and painting at the store, Oct. 5, 1818.

 

85x30.3           bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Francis Kilpatrick, Oct. 12, 1818: candles.

 

85x30.4           bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of E. & J. Dallets, Dec. 3, 1818: molded candles and a keg of suet.

 

85x30.5-6        bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Alexander Cook, Dec. 4, 1818: molded candles and soap.  [two bills for same purchase]

 

85x30.38b       bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Grants & Stone, Philadelphia, Dec. 21, 1818: a barrel of cam wood

 

85x30.39         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Gavin Hamilton, Philadelphia, Oct. 20, 1820: Scotch snuff.

 

85x30.1           receipt, Joseph He[illegible], Pottsgrove, received money from Mrs. Hood, by hands of Andrew Hemphill, for quarrying stone for her husband in Limerick, Dec. 29, 1821[?].  Joseph signed the receipt with his mark.

 

85x30.7           bill, John M. Hood bought of George D. Wetherill & Co., Philadelphia, Jan. 18, 1822: paint supplies: copal varnish, Spanish brown, white lead.

 

85x30.28, 41   bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Michael Weaver, April-Nov. 1822 and April 26, 1822: bed cords, plow lines, oakum, traces.

 

85x30.11         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Francis Kilpatrick, May 2, 1822: candles and soap.

 

85x30.40         bill, Hamilton & Hood bought of Moody Weyman & Co., Philadelphia, May 10, 1822: castile soap.

 

85x30.8           bill, John Hamilton bought of John Van Meter, April 9, 1823: wallpaper and border, plus charges for hanging them.

 

85x30.9           bill, John Hamilton had George Taylor do work for him, Feb.–Nov. 1824: bottoming boiler, repairs to coffee pot and roaster, sundry repairs.

 

85x30.10         bill, John Hamilton bought of J. Macauley, Philadelphia, May 4, 1825: entry floor cloth and laying it.

 

 

Folder 2 of 2: Letters:

 

85x30.13         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Dec. 3[?], 1817 [postmarked Dec. 4].  Orders molasses and coffee.  Have the feathers been sold?  Mentions several men who have bought his feathers in the past.

                        [Head of Chester was the original name of Millington, Maryland, which is on the Chester River.]

 

85x30.12         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Dec. 17, 1817.  Requests that brown sugar, loaf sugar, coffee, and tea be sent him by the Smyrna Packet.  Is sending them feathers.

 

85x30.17         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, May 7, 1818.  Has sent feathers and orders lump sugar.  Is ordering lawn from James & P. Wilmer, which can be sent with the sugar.

 

85x30.15         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, June 5, 1818.  Coffee has not arrived.  Also orders brass cocks and tea.

 

85x30.19         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, June 17, 1818.  Encloses drafts for payments.  Orders brown sugar (which he hopes will be better than last sent), coffee, molasses, rice, chocolate, pepper, scythe stones, porter, whiskey, sugar, brown soap.

 

85x30.16         letter, Wm. Newman & Co., Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, June 28, 1818.  Encloses a draft from Masden & Bunker and dollars of Smyrna paper.  Orders brown sugar and a box of chocolate.

 

85x30.18         letter, Wm. Newman &Co., Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, June 29, 1818.  Encloses money.

 

85x30.25         letter, Eben. Blackinston, Comml. Bank of Delaware, Smyrna, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, July 9, 1818.  About exchange of money.

 

85x30.14         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1818.  Orders lump sugar and coffee.  Will send feathers next week.

 

58x1                letter, Samuel L. Howell, Fancy Hill, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, May 20, 1819.  Encloses money and a check and needs more time to pay the rest.

 

58x2                letter, Samuel L. Howell, Fancy Hill, [endorsed Fancy Hill Fishery],  to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, May 18, 1820.  About a debt he owes, which is hard to pay because of the poor prices received this fishing season.

                        [The Fancy Hill Fishery was started by Joshua Ladd Howell in 1793 and was located in New Jersey.  After his death in 1818, it was run by his son Dr. Samuel Ladd Howell 1818-1822.  Shad fishing was the chief order of business.]

 

85x30.26         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, May 27, 1820.  Orders sugar and coffee.  Please return empty feather bags as have more to send.

 

85x30.27         letter, Samuel G. Osborn, Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Jan. 7, 1822.  Needs twine.  Please send to Robert Keddy in Wilmington.

 

85x30.24         letter, Ganett Garrettson & Co., Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Jan. 12, 1822.  Orders twine, to be sent by stage.

 

85x30.22         letter, Jackson & Peacock Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Jan. 29, 1822.  Encloses a draft.

 

85x30.23         letter, G. Garrettson & Co., Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, July 6, 1826.  Orders sherry, lemons, oranges, raisins, and almonds[?]. 

 

85x30.21         letter, G. Garrettson & Co., Head of Chester, to Hamilton & Hood, Philadelphia, Aug. 29, 1826.  Has the latest shipment of feathers by the Smyrna packet arrived?

 

85x30.20         letter, John Cummins, Smyrna, to John M. Hood, Philadelphia, Oct. 1, 1832.  Returning timothy seed because it cost too much.