COLLECTION GUIDES

1792-1962; bulk: 1792-1830

Guide to the Collection


Collection Summary

Abstract

This collection consists primarily of financial records of the shipping firm Gibbs and Channing of Newport, R.I.

Historical Sketch

Gibbs and Channing was a shipping firm owned by brothers-in-law George Gibbs (1735-1803) and Walter Channing (1757-1827) of Newport, R.I. The firm was established in 1792, Gibbs owning three quarters and Channing one quarter. They did business with China, Saint Petersburg, and the Levant, operating at one time several dozen vessels. The firm dissolved after the death of Gibbs in 1803.

Sources

Family Record of James and Sarah Gibbs of Bristol, Mass. Cambridge, Mass.: John Wilson and Son, 1894 (pp. 14-19).

Collection Description

This collection consists primarily of financial records of the shipping firm Gibbs and Channing of Newport, R.I., including accounts with ships and insurance values; statements of assets; and accounts with debtors. Following George Gibbs' death in 1803, the records relate to his estate, including his will and estate inventory, disbursement to his heirs, and their subsequent trusts and accounts with Walter Channing (as executor) and the firm. Among the heirs represented in the collection are Mary and Sarah Gibbs. Other records include papers related to the ship Mary, which was captured in 1805 by Spanish privateers, and subsequent claims for damages.

Acquisition Information

Deposited by the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, May 1991.

Detailed Description of the Collection

I. Financial records, 1792-1962; bulk: 1792-1830

Arranged chronologically.

Box 1Folder 1Vol. 1

Accounts between George Gibbs and Walter Channing, 1792-1825

This volume consists of accounts between George Gibbs and Walter Channing from the beginning of their partnership as the firm Gibbs and Channing on 16 Apr. 1792. The volume contains dividend disbursements and stock abstracts, including agreements between the partners' heirs about the disbursement of the estate.

Box 1Folder 2Vol. 2

Unsettled accounts with Gibbs and Channing, 1792-1809

Arranged alphabetically by debtors' names.

This volume contains a summary statement of unsettled accounts, including names of debtors, amount owed, and comments on prospects for collection of the debt.

Box 1Folder 3

Loose papers removed from Vol. 2

Box 1Folder 4Vol. 3

Accounts with ships, 1803-1807

Included are ships' names, builders, masters, cargoes, cargo values, and insurance.

Box 1Folder 5

Loose papers removed from Vol. 3

Box 1Folder 6Vol. 4

Accounts of the executors of George Gibbs, 1803-1826

This volume contains George Gibbs' will and estate inventory, beneficiaries, and debits against the estate.

Box 1Folder 7Vol. 5

Account of Miss Sarah Gibbs with Gibbs and Channing, 1807-1810

This volume contains the disbursement of George Gibbs' estate to Sarah Gibbs during the period of trust.

Box 1Folder 8Vol. 6

Account of Miss Mary Gibbs with Gibbs and Channing, 1807-1810

This volume contains the disbursement of George Gibbs' estate to Mary Gibbs during the period of trust.

Box 2Folder 1Vol. 7

Trusts under the direction of Walter Channing, 1810-1811

This volume consists of accounts for the disbursement of George Gibbs' estate.

Box 2Folder 2

Power of attorney from Mary Gibbs to Walter Channing, 1810, removed from Vol. 7

Box 2Folder 3Vol. 8

Walter Channing daybook, 1810-1827

This daybook of Walter Channing, kept when concerns of the late firm of Gibbs and Channing were adjusted, includes day-to-day financial transactions of the firm with heirs of George Gibbs.

Box 2Folder 4

Loose papers removed from Vol. 8

Box 2Folder 5Vol. 9

"Impersonal accounts" for Gibbs and Channing, 1811-1826

This business account book lists assets, deposits, holdings, and circumstances for withdrawal.

Box 2Folder 6

Loose papers removed from Vol. 9

Box 2Folder 7Vol. 10

Ledger, 1816-1820

This volume lists heirs of George Gibbs and assets held by Gibbs and Channing.

Box 2Folder 8

Loose papers removed from Vol. 10

Box 2Folder 9Vol. 11

Checkbook, Massachusetts Bank, 1818-1821

Box 3Folder 1Vol. 12

Walter Channing cash book, 1826-1827

This volume contains accounts of cash disbursements.

Box 3Folder 2Vol. 13

Walter Channing cash book, 1828-1830

This volume contains accounts of cash disbursements.

Box 3Folder 3

Miscellaneous papers, 1814-1962

II. Oversize records, 1798-1811

Arranged chronologically.

Box OSFolder 1

Records of insurance on ships, 1798-1799

Records of insurance on ships in the names of Gibbs and Channing include vessel names, masters, voyage, sum insured, rate of insurance, etc.

Box OSFolder 2

Papers related to the ship Mary, 1808

Papers related to the case of the ship Mary, captured by Spanish privateers in 1805, include details of the trial, an appeal made by the ship's Captain Brown, and opinions from the court case of V. Gibbs and J. A. Park.

Box OSFolder 3

Account of Miss Sarah Gibbs with Walter Channing, 1810-1811, removed from Vol. 5

Preferred Citation

Gibbs and Channing 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:

Channing, Walter, 1757-1827.
Gibbs, George, 1735-1803.
Gibbs, Mary.
Gibbs, Sarah.

Organizations:

Mary (Ship).

Subjects:

Account books--1792-1830.
Estates (Law).
Executors and administrators.
Inventories of decedents' estates.
Marine insurance.
Merchants--Rhode Island--Newport.
Privateering.
Shipping--Rhode Island--Newport.
Trusts and trustees.
Wills.