Moses Brown (1742-1827) Papers

MOSES BROWN (1742-1827) PAPERS, 1790-1816

Series List

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains disbursements, invoices, correspondence, and export sheets relating to the ship, William, of which Moses Brown was the master. A few documents cover the period (1791) when John Newman was captain; however the bulk of the papers cover the period (1792-1801) when William Pickett was the captain. The papers deal with trade in Amsterdam, Charleston, Cronstadt, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, and St. Petersburg. This collection has been divided into three series.

Series I. Ship Papers contains materials from the ship William. These include disbursements, invoices, receipts, and other miscellaneous accounts.

Series II. Correspondence contains correspondence about the ship William.

Series III. Export Sheets contains export and import sheets and price lists about British and American ships.

Biographical Sketch

Moses Brown was born on October 2, 1742 in Newbury, Massachusetts to Abigail (Pearson) and Joseph Brown, Jr. At an early age he apprenticed as a chaise-maker and eventually went into business as a carriage manufacturer. Later on he entered the mercantile business and developed a large foreign and domestic trade, particularly in sugar and molasses with the West Indies. He owned several wharves, warehouses, distilleries and large amounts of real estate in Newburyport. He was an avid philanthropist, contributing to numerous causes in Newburyport and surrounding areas. He was married to Mary Hall from 1772 until her death in 1778. Later, he was married to Mary White from 1786 until her death in 1821. He died on February 9, 1827 in Newburyport, survived by his daughter Mrs. William B. Bannister. His granddaughter, Sarah (Bannister) Hale inherited much of his property and donated property to the Andover Theological Seminary which Moses helped establish.

Index Terms

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Administrative Information

Copyright

Requests for permission to publish material from the collection must be submitted in writing to the Manuscript Librarian in the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Preferred Citation

Moses Brown Papers, MSS 441, Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass.

Provenance

The majority of this material was purchased in 2003 (accession #2003.038). Additional materials were purchased on July 17, 2012 (accession #2012.022).

Processing Information

Collection processed by Erin Ellingham, March 2010. Updated by Hilary Streifer, March 2017.

Related Material

American Council of Learned Societies. Dictionary of American Biography. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929.

Currier, John J. History of Newburyport, Mass: 1764-1905. Vol. 2. Newburyport, Mass: John J. Currier, 1909.

Moses Brown Papers, 1792-1801. Collection number MC 138. University of New Hampshire Library, Milne Special Collections

Moses Brown Papers, 1791-1797. Collection number 04694-Z. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library

Moses Brown Papers, 1777-1815. Collection number D-097. University of California, Davis University Library Special Collections