Subseries C. Benjamin Herbert Hathorne (1773-1824) Papers range from 1788 to 1825. They include his dry goods business records, miscellaneous business papers, legal documents, and family papers.

The dry goods business records span the years 1794 to 1825. The records generated from the Salem and Boston stores include correspondence, account books, letterbooks, invoices, inventories, and receipts. They depict the evolution of the business from retailing domestic and India fabrics to English dry goods. Of particular interest is the merchant house correspondence. Filed in alphabetical order by firm name, this correspondence reveals the process of ordering and shipping goods to America. Letters to the distributing houses from Benjamin Herbert with the seasonal order contain sample fabrics. The corresponding letterbook, Volume 19, also includes sample textiles. Correspondence from several distributing firms (particularly Ingham & Smith and Aaron Stone) includes circulars on European market conditions. Correspondence by the distributors also refers to the War of 1812's effect on their ability to transport goods from England to America. Following each letter are the bills of lading, invoices, and shipping charges for the cargo mentioned in that letter. The Invoice and Stock Inventory, 1801-1805 (Volume 25), lists goods exported by Benjamin Herbert to the West Indies, North Carolina, and the Isle of France as well as textiles imported from England. The clothing receipts are arranged by year only and, although they range from 1810 to 1824, there is a three-year gap between 1812 and 1816. A folder of accounts, dividends, and inventory mark the bankruptcy of William's dry goods store and Benjamin's role in settling the debts.

The miscellaneous business papers include records for the construction and leasing of a series of buildings owned by Benjamin and William S. Gray, underwriting for shipping ventures from 1814 to 1823, and bankbooks for the Essex and Salem Banks from 1806 to 1817.

The legal and family papers contain promissory notes, powers of attorney, estate papers, miscellaneous receipts and accounts, and family correspondence. Ranging from 1788 to 1824, the receipts and accounts include pew and state taxes, rent receipts, hotel bills (with the exception of the 1810 visit to England), fines for non-attendance at musters, and domestic purchases.

Benjamin Herbert's family correspondence includes letters to his father and letters from his sisters and brothers-in-law. Worthy of note is the July 1799 letter to his parents announcing his marriage to Rebecca Hall, and the correspondence from Ellen and Adam Bailey that accuses Benjamin of cheating his brother William. Correspondence from his sister Elizabeth Ranney and her husband describes military events in the War of 1812 and the frontier life in Indiana.