Stone Family Papers, 1703-1899, undated
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Not requestable
Scope and Content Note
The Stone Family Papers contain the business and legal papers of Robert Stone (circa 1785-1860), Benjamin W. Stone (1809-1891), Robert Stone (1812-1896), Dr. Henry Osgood Stone (1821-1888), Dr. John Osgood Stone (1813-1876), and miscellaneous family members. This collection does not include the records of Benjamin W. Stone, Joseph W. Stone and William Stone's partnerships in Stone, Silsbee, and Pickman or Benjamin W. Stone and Brothers. This collection has been divided into six series.
Series I. Robert Stone (circa 1785 to 1860) Papers includes records of his shipping and chandlery businesses, legal, and estate papers. Of interest in Subseries A. Business Papers are the schooner Salem's papers documenting Robert's claim to the French government for the captured vessel he owned with this father, Robert (1744-1817) Stone and Joseph White. The ledger, stock book, invoices, and account of sales found in this subseries reflect Robert's exportation of candles from his chandlery business (Robert Stone Jr. and Company) with Hugh Irwin. Contained in the miscellaneous papers are correspondence and account of land purchased in Michigan by Stone, Whittier and Abbot; and in New Hampshire by Stone and Hodge. Subseries B. Legal and Estate Papers contains legal and estate papers, including land deeds, Robert's estate papers, and administrative papers for the estates of Benjamin Barstow, Abigail Gibaut, and James Dunlap. Although Robert was not the executor of Dunlap's estate, he did serve as attorney for the estate's executor, Joseph White. The Barstow estate papers contain ships' accounts for vessels that Barstow owned at the time of his death. Within the James Dunlap estate papers is John Gibaut's account book as the Gloucester Custom House Collector.
Series II. Benjamin W. Stone (1809-1891) Papers reflects his business transactions independent of the firms Stone, Silsbee, and Pickman, and Benjamin W. Stone and Brothers. Subseries A. Business Papers and Correspondence contains letters from Benjamin's brother William, prior to 1860 (see MSS 64 for later correspondence). These letters discuss family concerns and business affairs. The business papers include correspondence, accounts receipts, and shipping papers for his father's distillery, and importation and exportation of cargo. Documents acquired by Benjamin as proxy for his family's shares in the New Market Manufacturing Company include a list of stockholders and accounts of profits and losses. Subseries B. Michigan Land Papers contains papers relating to the accounts, deeds, and correspondence for the Monroe County, Michigan lands. Covering the years 1836 to 1801, the papers span the ownership of the land by Robert Stone (circa 1785 to 1860), Nathaniel Silsbee, and Dudley Leavitt Pickman, until its transferal to their heirs. In 1882, Benjamin appropriated the financial management of the lands to the heirs.
Series III. Robert Stone (1812-1896) Papers contains papers relating to Robert's business with his brothers, and two day books.
Series IV. Henry Osgood Stone (1821-1888) Papers contains incoming correspondence, estate papers, and an account book from 1882.
Series V. John Osgood Stone (1813-1876) Papers contains estate papers dating from 1879 to 1887, miscellaneous papers, a ledger, journal, and two day books.
Series VI. Other contains miscellaneous papers from 1703 until 1897.
Dates
- Creation: 1703-1899, undated
Creator
- Stone family (Family)
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical Sketches
Robert Stone was born circa 1785 to Robert (1744-1817) and Antiss (Babbidge) Stone (1750-1834). Robert had a shipping and chandlery business. He exported candles from his chandlery business, Robert Stone Jr. and Company with Hugh Irwin. In 1798, an unofficial partnership was formed under the name Stone, Silsbee and Pickman, between Robert Stone, Nathaniel Silsbee, and Dudley Leavitt Pickman for the purpose of purchasing ships and the sale of imported cargo. In the 1840s, additional family members began to associate together for shipping ventures under the firm name. Their ships were involved in East Indian, Australian, Asian, and San Francisco trading. In 1860, with the departure of Robert's sons from the business, the firm was reorganized under the name Silsbee and Pickman.
Robert married Rebecca Osgood (1785-1859), and they had eleven children together. Robert died in 1860.
Benjamin W. Stone was born in 1809 to Robert (circa 1785-1860) and Rebecca (Osgood) Stone. He was a merchant, and in 1860 Benjamin W. Stone and his brother, William Stone, withdrew from the shipping firm of Stone, Silsbee and Pickman. Benjamin and William joined with their brother, Joseph W., and they established their own business, Benjamin W. Stone and Brothers. The brothers retained ownership of the ships Malay, Sumatra, and Shirley. Although a Salem, Massachusetts-based firm, their ships were involved in San Francisco and East India trade and sailed in and out of New York. Gradually, the focus of their business interests shifted from shipping ventures to investments in banking and railroad stocks. In 1886 the Highlander, their last ship, carried her final cargo. From that point on, until the deaths of the principals, the interest of the firm revolved around their investments, and those of family members. Benjamin died in 1891.
Robert Stone was born in 1812 to Robert (circa 1785-1860) and Rebecca (Osgood) Stone. He died in April 1896.
John Osgood Stone was born on February 1, 1813, to Robert (circa 1785-1860) and Rebecca (Osgood) Stone. He was a doctor. John married Catherine Cabot Jackson in 1848. He died in 1876.
Henry Osgood Stone was born on July 5, 1821 to Robert (circa 1785-1860) and Rebecca (Osgood) Stone. He was a doctor. Henry died August 23, 1888.
William Stone was born around 1817 to Robert (circa 1785-1860) and Rebecca (Osgood) Stone. In 1860 he joined his brothers Benjamin W. and Joseph W. in creating their own shipping firm, Benjamin W. Stone and Brothers.
Extent
3.75 linear feet (7 boxes; 1 volume)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Stone Family Papers contain the business and legal papers of Robert Stone (circa 1785-1860), Benjamin W. Stone (1809-1891), Robert Stone (1812-1896), Dr. Henry Osgood Stone (1821-1888), Dr. John Osgood Stone (1813-1876), and miscellaneous family members.
Series List
SERIES I. Robert Stone (circa 1785 to 1860) Papers
- A. Business Papers
- B. Legal and Estate Papers
- A. Business Papers and Correspondence
- B. Michigan Land Papers
SERIES IV. Henry Osgood Stone (1821-1888) Papers
SERIES V. John Osgood Stone (1813-1876) Papers
SERIES VI. Other
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks
Provenance
This collection is an integration and reorganization of eight boxes, four volumes, and miscellaneous manuscripts. While the majority of the collection comes from an unknown source, one folder was a 1943 gift of Mr. Van Wagner, and Robert Stone's (1744-1817) court case was a 1951 gift of Christina Lantz. Four boxes of the Michigan land correspondence were integrated into the collection from Benjamin W. Stone and Brothers, MSS 64. A number of Benjamin W. Stone estate and business papers (prior to 1860), including papers regarding a lawsuit involving the ship Barreda Brothers, were a gift of Edward Van Wagner in 1944, accession #11,264, originally part of MH 212, and correspondence to William Stone, also from MH 212 have been integrated into this collection.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Prudence Backman and Nancy Barthelemy, August 1982. Updated by: Hilary Streifer, October 2014.
Subject
- Barstow, Benjamin, 1795?-1823 (Person)
- Dunlap, James, d. 1800 (Person)
- Gibaux, Abigail, 1744-1818 (Person)
- Gibaux, John, 1767-1805 (Person)
- Pickman, Dudley Leavitt, 1779-1846 (Person)
- Pickman, William Dudley, 1819-1890 (Person)
- Silsbee, Benjamin Hodges, 1811-1880 (Person)
- Silsbee, Nathaniel, 1748-1791 (Person)
- Stone, Anstiss Babbidge, 1750-1834 (Person)
- Stone, Benjamin W., 1809-1891 (Person)
- Stone, Hannah (Person)
- Stone, Henry Osgood, 1821-1888 (Person)
- Stone, John Osgood, 1813-1876 (Person)
- Stone, Joseph W. (Person)
- Stone, Robert, 1744-1817 (Person)
- Stone, Robert, d. 1860 (Person)
- Stone, Robert, b. ca. 1813 (Person)
- Stone, William, 1820-1898 (Person)
- White, Joseph (Person)
- Wellcomb, J. W. (Person)
- Benjamin W. Stone & Brothers (Organization)
- Robert Stone, Jr. & Co. (Salem, Mass.) (Organization)
- Stone Whittier & Abbott (Organization)
- Stone, Silsbee, and Pickman (Organization)
- New Market Manufacturing Co. (Newmarket, N.H.) (Organization)
- Albert (Brig) (Organization)
- Title
- STONE FAMILY PAPERS, 1703-1899
- Author
- Processed by: Prudence Backman and Nancy Barthelemy; Updated by: Hilary Streifer; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Processing for this collection was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository