Robert Brookhouse Papers, 1791-1870, undated
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Not requestable
Scope and Content Note
The Robert Brookhouse Papers contain materials related to Brookhouse's mercantile firm, Robert Brookhouse & Company, including ships papers, correspondence, and accounts. The collection also includes personal papers consisting of an 1852 almanac/diary and correspondence from family members.
Series I. Robert Brookhouse & Company Records, 1838-1851, contain materials related to Brookhouse's mercantile firm, Robert Brookhouse & Company. This Salem-based company traded primarily on the west coast of Africa. Brookhouse's partners included William Hunt, J. H. Hanson, Robert Brookhouse Jr. (1823-1882), and Nathan A. Frye. The records for the company contain ships' papers (mostly invoices, accounts of sales, and letters of instructions), correspondence, and accounts generated by their Benguelan agent, Augustus E.B. Govea.
Series II. Family Papers includes Brookhouse's 1852 almanac/diary and correspondence for miscellaneous family members.
Dates
- Creation: 1791-1870, undated
Creator
- Brookhouse, Robert, 1779-1866 (Person)
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical Sketch
Robert Brookhouse was born December 8, 1779 in Salem, Massachusetts. He worked from 1800 to 1819 as a silversmith in Salem from a shop on Essex Street. He sold his business to Edward Farley on March 23, 1819 and became a trader in general goods. He made a fortune in the West Africa cowhide trade in the 1830s and 1840s. He married Martha Farley (1783-1817) on March 16, 1805 in Salem.
Once his fortune had been made, Brookhouse, like many of Salem's wealthy inhabitants, began to use his money in philanthropic efforts, such as his 1840 endowment of the Carpenter Street Home for Orphan Children, one of a number of charitable objectives that he championed. In
March 1854, Brookhouse bought the Crowninshield house on Derby Street in Salem for $5,000, intending for it to be an "Old Sailor's Home." When the plans for a sailor's home fell through, Brookhouse ultimately donated the building and related property to the Association for the Relief of Aged and Destitute Women in Salem. His gift was accepted by the association in June 1861. Robert Brookhouse's son was serving as one of three Vice-Presidents on the association's Board of Government when the Home was opened.
Brookhouse died on June 10, 1866.
Extent
0.5 linear feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Robert Brookhouse Papers contain materials related to Brookhouse's mercantile firm, Robert Brookhouse & Company, including ships papers, correspondence, and accounts.
Series List
SERIES I. Robert Brookhouse & Company Records
SERIES II. Family Papers
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks
Provenance
The bulk of this collection is from an unknown source. However, the almanac/diary was a 1974 gift of Mrs. Barbara H. Carson. Removed from the collection was one folder of letters and accounts of Robert S. Daniels (see account books) and a cargo book/diary kept by John J. Coker (see MSS 224).
Processing Information
Collection processed by Prudence K. Backman, November 1984. Updated by Catherine Robertson, March 2015.
Subject
- Brookhouse, Robert, 1823-1882 (Person)
- Frye, Nathan, 1787-1868 (Person)
- Gallop, John L. (Person)
- Govea, Augustus E. B. (Augustus Edward Bothelho), ca. 1826-1890 (Person)
- Hanson, Joseph H. (Person)
- Harrington, Edward (Person)
- Hunt, William (Person)
- Robert Brookhouse & Co. (Organization)
- William Hunt & Co. (Organization)
- Active (Bark : 1839-1874) (Organization)
- Ann & Mary (Bark) (Organization)
- Catherine (Bark) (Organization)
- Cuba (Bark) (Organization)
- Elizabeth (Brig) (Organization)
- Goldfinch (Bark) (Organization)
- Herald (Bark) (Organization)
- Reaper (Bark) (Organization)
- Sea Mew (Bark) (Organization)
- William H. Shailer (Bark) (Organization)
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- ROBERT BROOKHOUSE PAPERS, 1791-1870, undated
- Author
- Processed by: Prudence K. Backman; Updated by: Catherine Robertson; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository