History of Washington Insurance Company in Providence
One of the first of two insurance companies of Providence, Rhode Island, the Washington Insurance Company in Providence was founded primarily to provide insurance for merchant vessels. Founded in 1800, the company competed with the well established Providence Insurance Company and declared its first dividend on January 2, 1801.
The company operated successfully until September 18, 1813 when the directors voted to suspend operations due to risks associated with the war with Great Britain.
Opening again for business on March 4, 1815, immediately after the signing of the peace treaty, the company also began proceedings culminating in a merger with the Providence Insurance Company. In March of 1820 the final incorporation of the Providence Washington Insurance Company was obtained.
Source: “One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Providence Washington Insurance Company; 1799-1949”, Roelker, William Greene and Collins, Clarkson A. , Providence Washington Insurance Company, 1949.
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.
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:
United States–Commerce–West Indies
West Indies–Commerce–United States
Subjects:
Coastwise shipping
Insurance, Marine–Policies–Rhode Island–Providence
International trade
Merchant ships
Ships–Cargo
Document Types:
Insurance policies
Administrative Information
Coll. 21, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Detailed Description of the Records
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Marine Insurance Policies; 1802-1808 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Policies: AGENT (Ship) Havana, Cuba; REBECCA (Schooner), Martinique & St. Croix; CHARLOTTE (Brig), Surinam & Turks Islands; PATTY (Schooner), West Indies; FAME (Ship), Gibraltar; LYDIA (Brig), St. Vincent & Granada 1802 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Policies: AMELIA (Schooner), Portland , Fishers Island & Bath; JUNO (Brig), Gibralter; FLOWER (Schooner), Guadaloupe 1803-1804 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Policies: MARY (Schooner), Lisbon; MARIA (Ship), Amsterdam & Cape Verde Islands; ADVENTURE (Brig), Trinidad, Liverpool (in convoy) 1805 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Policies: JOHN JAY (Ship), Batavia; HOPE (Ship), Savannah & Europe; MARY (Brig), New York & St. Croix; SALLY (Sloop), Virginia; ORION (Schooner), Stonington & Bahamas; LYDIA (Sloop), U.S. Coast; ISIS (Ship), Lisbon to Canton to Providence; GEORGE WASHINGTON (Brig), Virginia; ANN ELIZA (Schooner), Amsterdam-in case of blockade at Texel, any other port in that vicinity; TYREE (Ship), Carog-Cuba [photocopy] 1806 Jan-Feb | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Policies: LIBERTY (Sloop), Coastal fishing [photocopy]; HUNTRESS (Schooner), U.S. Coast & Bahamas; REBECCA (Ship), Surinam & Berbice, Guiana; SALLY (Sloop), Bermuda & Bahamas; HUNTER (Brig), Surinam & New York; CHARLOTTE (Ship), North Carolina & Amsterdam; PLANTER (Brig), St. Croix & St. Bartholomew; HOPE (Ship), Savannah & Amsterdam; PERCEVERANCE (Brig), Martinico & Turks Island 1806 Mar | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Policies: CHARLOTTE (Brig), St. Thomas; SALLY (Schooner), West Indies; MORNING STAR (Schooner), North Carolina; PARAGON (Schooner), New London, Caribbean; DELIGHT (Brig), Virginia & Bordeaux, France ; SAMUEL ELAM (Ship), Batavia to New York; MINERVA (Schooner), Philadelphia & New York ; NEPTUNE (Ship), Copenhagen & St. Petersburg 1806 Apr | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Policies: BETSEY (Sloop), U.S. Coast; JOHN (Ship) Antwerp, Copenhagen, & St. Petersburg; ARGUS (Brig), St. Bartholomew or St. Thomas; PROVIDENCE (Brig), Surinam & West Indies; ELIZA (Brig) unspecified; ELIZA GREEN (Brig), New London to Guadaloupe; ISIS (Ship), Cape of Good Hope; JOHN (Ship), Antwerp, Denmark, Sweden and Russia; ALONZO (Sloop), U.S. Coast; GEORGE (Sloop) Norfolk, Virginia; ANN (Ship), Montevideo; SALLY (Sloop), North Carolina & Turks Island; RUBY (Sloop), U.S. Coast; DELIGHT (Brig), Virginia & Bordeaux, France; HUNTRESS (Schooner), West Indies ports not blockaded; FAME (Brig), Europe (ports not named) 1806 May | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Policies: PROJECTION (Ship), Canton, China; ARGUS (Brig), St. Croix & Denmark, Sweden and Russia; PERSEVERANCE (Brig), Lisbon; SWIFT (Ship), New York & Cape of Good Hope; ABENOA (Brig), West Indies; PATTERSON (Ship), Batavia & Cape of Good Hope; HAZARD (Ship), Cape of Good Hope; DELIGHT (Brig), Virginia & France; PATTERSON (Ship), Batavia; INDUSTRY (Brig), Northern Europe; BETSEY (Brig), Barbados & Leeward Islands; “Any American Vessel”, Isle of France ; GEORGE WILLIAM (Bark), Gibraltar; CHARLOTTE (Brig), U.S. Coast; GEORGE & MARY (Ship), From Copenhagen to Newport 1806 Jun | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Policies: 7/2/1806 MARY (Brig) Surinam to Boston 1/9 7/8/1806 ANN ELIZA (Schooner) Amsterdam 1/9 7/8/1806 VESTA (Brig) New Orleans & Cherbourg, Fla. 1/9 7/12/1806 JOHN ADAMS (Brig), Amsterdam & Copenhagen, policy cancelled 1/9 7/12/1806 ASIA (Ship) Europe 1/9 7/14/1806 TRAVELLER (Brig) Lisbon & London 1/9 7/16/1806 MARIA (Ship) Amsterdam if not blockaded 1/9 7/17/1806 LEVANT (Ship) W. Indies except blockaded ports 1/9 7/17/1806 AMERICA (Brig) Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar 1/9 7/22/1806 INDUSTRY (Brig) West Indies except blockaded ports, Labrador, Mediterranean 1/9 7/22/1806 HANNAH (Schooner) Martinico 1/9 7/25/1806 THOMAS (Brig) Europe 1/9 7/26/1806 MARY & ELIZA (Ship) Europe, any ports except Hispanoila and those blockaded 1806 Jul | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Policies: 8/4/1806 ANN & HOPE (Ship) Any ports except Hispanoila and those blockaded. 1/10 8/5/1806 ABBY & SALLY (Ship) Rotterdam 1/10 8/6/1806 HOPE (Ship) St. Petersburg, Russia to U.S. 1/10 8/6/1806 MATILDA (Brig) Antwerp or other port if blockaded 1/10 8/8/1806 IDA (Snow) Surinam, Windward Island ports 1/10 8/16/1806 OTHELLO (Ship) Amesterdam 1/10 8/18/1806 CHARLOTTE (Brig) Guadaloup & Neutral Islands 1/10 8/20/1806 COLUMBIA (Ship) Amsterdam, St. Petersburg 1/10 8/25/1806 UNION (Sloop) Boston to Providence 1/10 8/27/1806 AMERICA (Brig) Spain or Portugal & Gibraltar 1/10 8/30/1806 REBECCA (Ship) Batavia 1/10 1806 Aug | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Policies: 9/9/1806 MOUNT VERNON (Brig) Surinam, Savannah 1/11 9/9/1806 MINERVA (Ship) Isle of France to U.S. 1/11 9/9/1806 JOLLY ROBIN (Brig) British or Neutral West Indies 1/11 9/9/1806 HOPE (Ship) St. Petersburg to Providence 1/11 9/15/1806 MAYFLOWER (Brig) Batavia (cargo-dontaband of war) 1/11 9/19/1806 ARGUS (Brig) all ports except Cuba & Hispanola 1/11 9/19/1806 LITTLE SARAH (Sloop) U.S. Coast 1/11 9/22/1806 CHARLOTTE (Ship) Amsterdam to U.S. 1/11 9/30/1806 FAIR ROSAMOND (?) U.S. Coast 1/11 1806 Sep | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Policies: 10/3/1806 MARY ANN (Brig) West Indies 1/12 10/4/1806 LIBERTY (Sloop) U.S. Coast 1/12 10/4/1806 MATILDA (Brig) Antwerp to Providence 1/12 10/6/1806 SALLY (Sloop) Antiqua & neutral ports 1/12 10/10/1806 ARGUS (Brig) Cronstadt & Copenhagen 1/12 10/10/1806 NANCY (Schooner) U.S. Coast, North Carolina 1/12 10/11/1806 IRIS (Schooner) U.S. Coast, North Carolina 1/12 10/14/1806 ROLLA (Sloop) U.S. Coast, North Carolina 1/12 10/28/1806 JOHN JAY (Ship) Batavia 1/12 1806 Oct | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Policies: 12/27/1806 JUNO (Brig) River Plate 1/13 12/29/1806 GEORGE & MARY (Ship) River Plate 1/13 1806 Nov-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Policies: 3/5/1807 AMERICA (Brig) Spain 1/14 4/7/1807 SALLY (Schooner) St. Bartholomy / St. Thomas 1/14 5/22/1807 ISIS (Ship) Cape of Good Hope & Beyond 1/14 6/23/1807 CHARLES & HARRIOT (Ship) Montevideo 1/14 6/23/1807 SWIFT (Ship) Montevideo 1/14 6/26/1807 ARGUS (Brig) Leghorn 1/14 1807 Jan-Jul | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Policies: 8/2/1807 OCEAN (Schooner) Barbadoes 1/15 8/4/1807 MORNING STAR (Schooner) Bourdeaux 1/15 8/13/1807 MINERVA (Schooner) Salt Islands 1/15 8/17/1807 CONSTELLATION (Brig) Rotterdam 1/15 8/21/1807 POLLY (Ship) Salt Islands 1/15 1807 Aug | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Policies: 9/29/1807 HANCOCK (Sloop) Barbadoes 1/16 10/15/1807 SALLY (Sloop) Virginia 1/16 10/24/1807 MINERVA (Schooner) Turks Islands 1/16 10/28/1807 TRAVELLER (Brig) Barbadoes/Salt Islands 1/16 10/27/1807 HENRY (Sloop) Virginia / Maryland 1/16 1807 Sep-Oct | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Policies: 11/23/1807 ARGUS (Ship) Rottterdam / Cape Verde 1/17 12/5/1807 IDA (Snow) Lisbon 1/17 12/22/1807 MOUNT WALLACETON (Schooner) Turks Islands / Cuba 1/17 1807 Nov-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 18 | Policies: 1/7/1808 VESTA (Brig) Ayamonte 1/18 3/5/1808 RUFUS KING (Ship) New Orleans 1/18 3/11/1808 “any vessel” Charleston, S.C. 1/18 4/12/1808 ABEONA (Brig) Coastwise, U.S. 1/18 3/31/1808 VENUS (Brig) Coastwise, U.S. 1/18 10/4/1808 MERIT (Sloop) Wilmington, N.C. 1/18 1808 | ||||||||||||