Series IV. John Barton (1774-1818) Papers contains merchant correspondence, ships’ papers and personal papers from 1787 to 1836. They reflect the prosperous trade which John conducted with Europe, South America, India, the East and the West Indies as a ship owner, shipmaster, and merchant. The ships’ papers, arranged alphabetically by vessel, document the voyages of a number of ships belonging to John’s brothers-in-law, John and Samuel G. Derby. These papers also contain letters from John to his mother while he was a master at sea. Of interest in the ships’ papers are the insurance settlement of the brig Liberty, lost at sea, and papers relating to the sale of the rigging of the bark Moses, stranded off the coast of Cape Cod in 1812. John’s extensive personal accounts reflect the activities of a well-to-do young shipmaster setting up house and raising a large family. For a list of ships owned, mastered, or chartered by Samuel Barton, see Appendix III.