Matthew Bartlett–John F. Brooks Papers

Manuscripts Collection 157

Overview of the Collection
Repository: G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport
Creator: Brooks, John F., d. 1914
Title: Matthew Bartlett–John F. Brooks Papers
Dates: 1858-1914
Extent: 111 items
Abstract: The John F. Brooks Records total 111 volumes dated 1858 to 1915. The first 55 volumes are letterbooks, 1869-1915, 9 cashbooks follow, then 8 journals/daybooks dated 1877-1915. Following those are 8 summary journals, 6 trial balance books, 17 invoice books, 2 cargo books, and 3 miscellaneous record books. Volumes with entries prior to 1880 are primarily records of the M. Bartlett shipping business of which John Brooks was a partner. Matthew Bartlett died in May 1880,and thus for all practical purposes entries after that date detail the business activity of the Boston shipping firm known as John F. Brooks. This collection provides an intensive study into the West Africa trade of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Identification: Coll. 157

Biography of John F. Brooks, d. 1914

Sometime during the 1860’s John F. Brooks entered into a partnership with Matthew Bartlett, a shipping agent in Boston who conducted an active trade with numerous West African ports. Mr. Bartlett died in 1880. Brooks assisted Peter Strickland, their agent in Goree, Senegal, in closing the M. Bartlett business while he created his own West African business at 92 State Street under the name John F. Brooks, which operated until his death on December 10, 1914. Records indicate that Mr. John P. Felt continued affairs at least through April, 1915.

Trading at ports like Goree, Elmina, and Freetown, Brooks imported hides, palm oil, peanuts, gum, and other products, while exporting tobacco, rum, lumber, cloth, and sundry manufactured goods from beds to sewing machines. He also traded extensively through Liverpool and Marsailles.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Available for use in the Manuscripts Division

Restrictions on Use

Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.

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Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

 Places:

Africa, West–Commerce–Massachusetts — Boston
Boston (Mass.)–Commerce–Africa, West
Boston (Mass.)–Commerce–England–Liverpool
Boston (Mass.)–Commerce–France–Marseille
Liverpool (England)–Commerce–Massachusetts–Boston
Marseille (France)–Commerce–Massachusetts–Boston

Subjects:

Freight and freightage
Shipping–Massachusetts–Boston
Ships–Cargo

Document Types:

Cashbooks
Daybooks
Invoices
Journals (accounts)
Letter books

Occupations:

Commercial agents–Massachusetts–Boston

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Coll. 157, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

 

Letterbooks; 1871-1915
Volume
1 Letterbook; 1871 Oct 20-1880 Dec 17
2 Letterbook (# 5); 1869 Jul 20-1871 Mar 17
3 Letterbook; 1871 Mar 17-1873 Feb 5
4 Letterbook (# 7); 1873 Feb 8-1874 May 29
5 Letterbook (# 8); 1874 Jun 1-1875 Aug 11
6 Letterbook (# 9); 1875 Aug 12-1876 Oct 7
7 Letterbook; 1876 Oct 10-1877 Jul 17
8 Letterbook (# 11); 1877 Jul 17-1878 May 3
9 Letterbook (# 12); 1878 May 3-1879 Mar 8
10 Letterbook (# 13); 1879 Mar 10-Nov 7
11 Letterbook (# 14); 1879 Nov 8-1880 Nov 23
12 Letterbook (# 15); 1880 Nov 24-1882 Sep 28
13 Letterbook (# 1), J. F. Brooks; 1880 Dec 15-1881 Dec 22
14 Letterbook (# 2), J. F. Brooks; 1881 Dec 13-1883 Mar 6
15 Letterbook (# 3), J. F. Brooks; 1883 Mar 6-1884 Apr 26
16 Letterbook (# 4), J. F. Brooks; 1884 Apr 28-1885 Jun 5
17 Letterbook (# 5), J. F. Brooks; 1885 Jun 8-1886 Sep 20
18 Letterbook (# 6), J. F. Brooks; 1886 Sep 20-1887 Sep 12
19 Letterbook (# 7), J. F. Brooks; 1887 Sep 13-1888 Aug 24
20 Letterbook (# 8), J. F. Brooks; 1888 Aug 24-1889 Jun 22
21 Letterbook (# 9), J. F. Brooks; 1889 Jun 24-1890 May 20
22 Letterbook (# 10), J. F. Brooks; 1890 May 21-1891 Apr 28
23 Letterbook (# 11), J. F. Brooks; 1891 Apr 28-1892 Feb 23
24 Letterbook (# 12), J. F. Brooks; 1892 Feb 23-1893 Mar 11
25 Letterbook (# 13), J. F. Brooks; 1893 Mar 14-1894 Apr 3
26 Letterbook (# 14), J. F. Brooks; 1894 Apr 3-1895 Apr 6
27 Letterbook (# 15), J. F. Brooks; 1895 Apr 5-1896 Feb 21
28 Letterbook (# 16), J. F. Brooks; 1896 Feb 21-1897 Jan 11
29 Letterbook (# 17), J. F. Brooks; 1897 Jan 11-Sep 7
30 Letterbook (# 18), J. F. Brooks; 1897 Sep 7-1998 Jun 9
31 Letterbook (# 19), J. F. Brooks; 1898 Jun 7-1899 Feb 25
32 Letterbook (# 20), J. F. Brooks; 1899 Feb 25-1899 Nov 21
33 Letterbook (# 21), J. F. Brooks; 1899 Nov 21-1900 Oct 23
34 Letterbook (# 22), J. F. Brooks; 1900 Oc 23-1901 Nov 22
35 Letterbook (# 23), J. F. Brooks; 1901 Nov 22-1902 Sep 11
36 Letterbook (# 24), J. F. Brooks; 1902 Sep 11-1903 Jul 10
37 Letterbook (# 25), J. F. Brooks; 1903 Jul 10-1904 Mar 7
38 Letterbook (# 26), J. F. Brooks; 1904 Mar 7-Dec 5
39 Letterbook (# 27), J. F. Brooks; 1904 Dec 5-1905 Sep 8
40 Letterbook (# 28), J. F. Brooks; 1905 Sep 8-1906 Apr 17
41 Letterbook (# 29), J. F. Brooks; 1906 Apr 17-Dec 14
42 Letterbook (# 30), J. F. Brooks; 1906 Dec 14-1907 Jul 8
43 Letterbook (# 31), J. F. Brooks; 1907 Jul 8-1908 Mar 7
44 Letterbook (# 32), J. F. Brooks; 1908 Mar 7-1908 Dec 28
45 Letterbook (# 33), J. F. Brooks; 1908 Dec 29-1909 Aug 18
46 Letterbook (# 34), J. F. Brooks; 1909 Aug 18-1910 Apr 8
47 Letterbook (# 35), J. F. Brooks; 1910 Apr 8-Nov 7
48 Letterbook (# 36), J. F. Brooks; 1910 Nov 8-1911 Jun 9
49 Letterbook (# 37), J. F. Brooks; 1911 Jun 9-1912 Jan 13
50 Letterbook (# 38), J. F. Brooks; 1912 Jan 12-Aug 28
51 Letterbook (# 39), J. F. Brooks; 1912 Aug 29-1913 Apr 17
52 Letterbook (# 40), J. F. Brooks; 1913 Apr 18-Nov 7
53 Letterbook (# 41), J. F. Brooks; 1913 Nov 7-1914 Apr 21
54 Letterbook (# 42), J. F. Brooks; 1914 Apr 21-Oct 20
55 Letterbook (# 43), J. F. Brooks; 1914 Oct 20-1915 Mar 12
Cashbook; 1881-1914
Volume
56 Cashbook; 1881 Mar-1882 Oct
57 Cashbook; 1880 Jul-1882 Nov
58 Cashbook; 1882 Nov-1886 Nov
59 Cashbook (# 3); 1886 Nov-1891 Feb
60 Cashbook (# 4); 1891 Feb-1897 Oct
61 Cashbook (# 5); 1897 Oct-1904 Feb
62 Cashbook (# 6); 1904 Feb-1909 Dec
63 Cashbook (# 7); 1910 Jan-1913 Nov
64 Cashbook (# 8); 1913 Dec-1914 Dec
Journals and Daybooks; 1877-1915
Volume
65 Journal (“A record of exports to and imports from the West Coast of Africa”; 1877-1878 Jan 1
66 Journal; 1880 Aug 31-1882 Nov 1
67 Journal (# 2); 1881 Dec 21-1888 May 19
68 Journal (# 3); 1888 May 29-1893 Jan 27
69 Journal (# 4); 1893 Jan 26-1899 Apr 14
70 Journal (# 5); 1899 Apr 14-1906 May 31
71 Journal (# 6); 1906 Jun 4-1912 Aug 26
72 Journal (# 7); 1912 Sep 3-1915 Jan 5
73 Journal (# 1); 1880 Mar 29-1883 Nov 10
74 Journal (# 2); 1883 Nov 14-1888 Jun 30
75 Journal (# 3); 1888 Jun 30-1893 Jun 24
76 Journal (# 4); 1893 Jun 30-1899 Apr 14
77 Journal (# 5); 1899 Apr 22-1905 Aug 31
78 Journal (# 6); 1905 Sep 5-1910 May 9
79 Journal (# 7); 1910 May 17-1914 Oct 8
80 Journal (# 8); 1914 Oct 21-1915 Jan 5
Ledger; 1880-1915
Volume
81 Ledger; 1880-1886
82 Ledger (# 2); 1886-1907
83 Ledger (# 3); 1907-1915
Trial Balance; 1880-1915
Volume
84 Trial Balance; 1880 Jun-1886 Sep
85 Trial Balance; 1886 Oct-1891 Oct
86 Trial Balance; 1891 Nov-1897 May
87 Trial Balance; 1897 May-1904 Apr
88 Trial Balance; 1904 May-1911 Jun
89 Trial Balance; 1911 Jul-1915 Jan 5
Invoice book; 1863-1915
Volume
90 Invoice book; 1863 Oct-1870 Sep
91 Invoice book; 1871 Feb-1877 Dec
92 Invoice book; 1877 Dec-1882 Sep
93 Invoice book; 1880 Aug-1884 Sep
94 Invoice book (# 2); 1884 Apr-1889 Jul
95 Invoice book (# 3); 1889 Oct-1894 Jul
96 Invoice book (# 4); 1894 Aug-1898 Apr
97 Invoice book (# 5); 1898 Aug-1900 Dec
98 Invoice book (# 6); 1900 Nov-1903 Jul
99 Invoice book (# 7); 1903 Jul-1905 Apr
100 Invoice book (# 8); 1905 Apr-1907 May
101 Invoice book (# 9); 1906 Nov-1908 Feb
102 Invoice book (# 10); 1908 Feb-1909 Aug
103 Invoice book (# 11); 1909 Aug-1910 Jul
104 Invoice book (# 12); 1910 Aug-1912 Jun
105 Invoice book (# 13); 1912 Jul-1914 Mar
106 Invoice book (# 14); 1914 Mar-1915 Apr
Cargo book; 1879-1906
Volume
107 Cargo book; 1879-1886
108 Cargo book; 1884-1906
Account book; 1858-1878
Volume
109 Account book; 1858 Mar-1861 Jan
110 Account book; 1865
111 Misc. accounts, cargo records, etc.; ca. 1868-187

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