1797-1839
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of records of the Boston Marine Insurance Company, including correspondence, accounts, and 65 volumes of financial, legal, investment, and policy records, as well as letters by company presidents.
Collection Description
This collection consists of records of the Boston Marine Insurance Company documenting its business insuring ships' cargoes for both foreign and domestic trading voyages. The collection contains 14 boxes of loose manuscripts, primarily correspondence and accounts with Boston and London merchants and ship owners, including P. C. Brooks, Samuel Williams, Belcher & Phelps, and Gibbs & Channing (of Newport). The 65 volumes include two receipt books (1799-1839), promissory notes (1801), stock share records (1830-1839) and transfers (1800-1839), 14 volumes of insurance proposals (1797-1838), two cash books (1813-1839), a ledger (1805-1839), 33 volumes of policy records (1801-1838), and others. A letterbook contains copies of letters primarily by company presidents Thomas Davis (to 1804), Samuel Cabot (1805-1808), George Cabot (1808-1822), and Daniel Sargent (1823-1838).
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. James G. Freeman, March 1914. Some items were removed from the Worthington C. Ford papers in May 1991.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Loose papers, 1797-1839
1797-Oct. 1800
Nov. 1800-Sep. 1801
Oct. 1801-Oct. 1802
Nov. 1802-1803
1804-Apr. 1805
May 1805-1806
1807-1809
1810-1811
1812-June 1816
July 1816-June 1822
July 1822-1827
1828-May 1833
June 1833-1839
Undated manuscripts, insurance protests, and blank insurance forms
II. Volumes, 1797-1839
Receipt book, 26 June 1799-31 May 1816
Receipt book, 12 June 1816-5 Mar. 1839
Promissory notes, 11-28 Feb. 1801
Share book (stocks), 7 Jan. 1820-11 Feb. 1828
Share book (stocks), 17 Jan. 1833-25 Jan. 1839
Oriental Bank book, 1834-1837
Ship losses and disputes, 1797-1815
"No. 2," memoranda, opinions, etc., 1828-[?]
Proposals for insurance on cargoes
No. 1, 1797-[1799]
No. 2, Nov. 1799-Feb. 1801
No. 3, Feb. 1801-Mar. 1802
No. 4, Mar. 1802-Nov. 1803
No. 5, Nov. 1803-Feb. 1805
No. 6, Feb. 1805-Sep. 1806
No. 7, Oct. 1806-Dec. 1809
No. 8, Jan. 1810-Aug. 1812
No. 9, Sep. 1812-Jan. 1817
No. 10, Jan. 1817-July 1820
No. 11, Aug. 1820-Oct. 1824
No. 12, Nov. 1824-Mar. 1827
No. 13, Mar. 1827-July 1831
No. 14, July 1831-Jan. 1838
Cash book, June 1813-Dec. 1831
Cash book, Jan. 1832-Mar. 1839
Transfers (stocks), Apr. 1800-Dec. 1824
Transfers (stocks), Jan. 1825-Feb. 1839
Vessels in foreign clearances from Boston, Jan. 1803-[?]
Arranged alphabetically.
United States Bank checkbook, stubs dated Apr. 1799-July 1803
Massachusetts Bank checkbook, stubs dated Apr. 1799-June 1803
Policy records (includes an alphabetical index of ships' names at the beginning of each volume)
#1458-1710, Aug. 1801-Jan. 1802
#1711-1961, Feb.-Sep. 1802
#1962-2200, Sep. 1802-Mar. 1803
#2201-2447, Mar.-Dec. 1803
#2448-2685, Dec. 1803-July 1804
#2686-2930, July 1804-Mar. 1805
#2931-3185, Mar.-Nov. 1805
#3186-3440, Nov. 1805-Oct. 1806
#3441-3695, Oct. 1806-May 1809
#3696-3940, May 1809-Jan. 1810
#3941-4191, Feb.-Oct. 1810
#4192-4439, Oct. 1810-Oct. 1811
#4440-4686, Oct. 1811-Oct. 1812
#4687-4934, Oct. 1812-May 1815
#4935-5179, May 1815-Apr. 1816
#5180-5413, Apr. 1816-Apr. 1817
#5414-5648, Apr. 1817-Mar. 1818
#5649-5882, Mar. 1818-May 1819
#5883-6117, June 1819-May 1820
#6118-6364, May 1820-June 1821
#6365-6609, June 1821-Aug. 1822
#6610-6781, Aug. 1822-Aug. 1823
#6782-7028, Sep. 1823-Jan. 1825
#7029-7275, Jan.-Dec. 1825
#7276-7532, Dec. 1825-Nov. 1826
#7533-7783, Nov. 1826-Oct. 1827
#7784-8029, Oct. 1827-July 1828
#8030-8274, Aug. 1828-Oct. 1829
#8275-8524, Oct. 1829-Apr. 1831
#8525-8774, Apr. 1831-Oct. 1832
#8775-9029, Oct. 1832-Dec. 1834
#9030-9279, Jan. 1835-Dec. 1837
#9280-9293, Dec. 1837-Jan. 1838
Oriental Bank book, Dec. 1834-Oct. 1837
Letterbook, 1799-1838
Ledger B, 1805-1839 (includes an index at the beginning of the volume)
Preferred Citation
Boston Marine Insurance Company records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
A Peter Chardon Brooks waste book was removed from the collection and added to the Peter Chardon Brooks papers in June 1991.