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Rollins Merrill Papers, 1827-1844

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 1884 +

Scope and Contents

The Rollins Merrill Papers contains business records collected by Rollins W. Merrill, a Salem grocer. Records relate chiefly to the import of goods by ship from 1827 to 1834. Records include: two shipping receipts; correspondence between Merrill and his wife related to a voyage; insurance policies for goods shipped on the schooners Calendonia, First Attempt, and Rising Sun and on the brig Wankinco; and an 1844 fire insurance policy on Merrill's grocery.

Dates

  • Creation: 1827-1844

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical / Historical

Rollins W. Merrill was a Salem, Massachusetts-based grocer. He was born in Salem, New Hampshire in 1790 and married Isabelle Silver in 1815, having seven children with her (Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988). His profession is listed in the 1850 census as a grocer (1850 United States Federal Census). His business was apparently large enough that he had some involvement in domestic maritime imports, importing grocery goods from the southern United States in voyages ranging at least from 1827 to 1834 (Box 1 Folder 2). He died in 1858, after having been declared legally insane in the Essex County Probate Court in 1855 (Wills and Probate Records).

Extent

1.667 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Rollins Merrill Papers contains business records collected by Rollins W. Merrill, a Salem grocer. Records relate chiefly to the import of goods by ship from 1827 to 1834. Records include: two shipping receipts; correspondence between Merrill and his wife related to a voyage; insurance policies for goods shipped on the schooners Calendonia, First Attempt, and Rising Sun and on the brig Wankinco; and an 1844 fire insurance policy on Merrill's grocery.

Physical Location

Phillips Library Stacks

Provenance

Provenance unknown.

Bibliography and Related Collections

Bibliography

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Related Collections

Fabens Family Papers, MH 94

Putnam Familly Papers, MSS 153

Remond Family Papers, MSS 271

Processing Information

This material was placed in acid free folders.

Subject

Title
Rollins Merrill Papers, 1827-1844
Status
Completed
Author
Patrick Doyle
Date
October 2022
Description rules
Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
The processing of this collection was funded by a gift from the Pingree heirs.

Repository Details

Part of the Phillips Library Repository

Contact:
Peabody Essex Museum
306 Newburyport Turnpike
Rowley MA 01969 USA