History of the Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co
Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co. was a shipping and mercantile business in New York City. Established by Samuel Thompson (1795-1855) in 1825, the business carried his name for 20 years. It was then changed to Samuel Thompson & Nephew, which later became Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co. in 1870. A partner in the company was John W. Mason (1820-1903) who also established a wire rope and cordage business in association with Samuel Thompson & Nephew in 1866. The firm functioned as agents for numerous vessels and was involved in the immigrant trade in 1840’s and 1850’s. It also managed affairs for the Black Star line of Liverpool packets. Samuel Thompson was also related to Jeremiah Thompson (1782-1855) who was instrumental in the creation of the famous Black Ball line in 1817.
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.
Persons:
Mason, John W., 1820-1903
Mason, William P.
Thompson, Jeremiah, 1782-1855
Thompson, Samuel, 1795-1855
Corporate Bodies (Including Vessels):
Argo (Ship)
Black Ball Line (Firm)
Black Starliner, Inc.
Caleb Grimshaw (Ship)
Charles H. Marshall (Ship)
City of New York (Ship)
Excelsior (Ship)
Joseph Walker (Ship)
Lady Franklin (Ship)
Lucy Thompson (Ship)
Orient (Ship)
Sardinia (Ship)
Star of the West (Ship)
Twilight I (Ship)
Subjects:
Cordage
International trade
Packets–England–Liverpool
Packets–New York (State)–New York
Rope trade
Shipping–New York (State)–New York
Voyages and travels
Wire-rope industry
Document Types:
Cashbooks
Insurance policies
Journals (accounts)
Ledgers
Occupations:
Businessmen–New York (State)–New York
Merchants–New York (State)–New York
Shipowners–New York (State)–New York
Administrative Information
Coll. 60, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Indexes
Detailed Description of the Records
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Ship’s papers; 1846-1883 | |||||||||||||
Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
1 | 1 | Ship ARGO; portage bills; 1851-1852 | |||||||||||
2 | Ship CALEB GRIMSHAW; portage bills, notes, crew lists, etc.; 1848-1850 | ||||||||||||
3 | Ship CHARLES H. MARSHALL; Insurance policies, bills, etc.; 1878 | ||||||||||||
4 | Ship CITY OF NEW YORK; portage bills, accounts, documents, etc.; 1864-1883 | ||||||||||||
5 | Ship (Elevator) EXCELSIOR; portage bills, bills of sale, accounts, etc.; 1852-1872 | ||||||||||||
6 | Ship JEREMIAH THOMPSON; portage bills, bills of lading, accounts, etc.; 1854-1860 | ||||||||||||
7 | Ship JEREMIAH THOMPSON; portage bills, bills of lading, insurance policies, accounts, etc.; 1861-1874 | ||||||||||||
8 | Ship JEREMIAH THOMPSON; insurance policies, bills of sale, general average statements, accounts, etc.; 1875-1878 and undated | ||||||||||||
9 | Ship JOSEPH WALKER; portage bills, accounts, etc.; 1851-1853 | ||||||||||||
Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
2 | 1 | Ship LADY FRANKLIN; portage bills, accounts, documents, etc.; 1850-1855 | |||||||||||
2 | Ship LUCY THOMPSON; portage bills, accounts, bills, etc.; 1853-1863 | ||||||||||||
3 | Ship ORIENT; bills of sale, insurance policies, accounts, etc.; 1874 | ||||||||||||
4 | Ship ORIENT; charter party, insurance policies, accounts, etc.; 1875-1876 | ||||||||||||
5 | Ship ORIENT, portage bills, insurance policies, etc.; 1877-1878 | ||||||||||||
6 | Ship SARDINIA; portage bills, accounts, etc.; 1846-1861 | ||||||||||||
7 | Ship STAR OF THE WEST; portage bills, accounts, etc.; 1852-1863 | ||||||||||||
8 | Ship TWILIGHT; insurance policies; 1877 | ||||||||||||
Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co., business papers; 1855-1924 | |||||||||||||
Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
3 | 1 | General business papers; 1855-1865 | |||||||||||
2 | General business papers; 1866-1869 | ||||||||||||
3 | General business papers; 1870 | ||||||||||||
4 | General business papers; 1871 | ||||||||||||
5 | General business papers; 1872 | ||||||||||||
6 | General business papers; 1873-1875 | ||||||||||||
7 | General business papers; 1876-1877 | ||||||||||||
8 | General business papers; 1878-1880 | ||||||||||||
9 | General business papers; 1881-1885 | ||||||||||||
10 | General business papers; 1886-1895 | ||||||||||||
11 | General business papers; 1896-1906 | ||||||||||||
12 | General business papers; 1907-1924 | ||||||||||||
13 | General business papers, blank stationery, bills of lading, confirmation of sale, etc. | ||||||||||||
Papers; ca. 1830-1900 | |||||||||||||
Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
4 | 1 | Birth certificates for Elizabeth Grimshaw (1825), George Grimshaw (1827), Edward Grimshaw (1828), Charles Thompson Grimshaw (1830), and Ann Thompson Grimshaw (1831) | |||||||||||
2 | Co-partnership agreements between Samuel Thompson & John Mason, and Caleb Grimshaw Estate (2 copies); 1853 Jun 23 | ||||||||||||
3 | Notice of Co-partnership between John W. Mason & Co, and Samuel Thompson’s Nephew, dated New York; 1866 Feb 1 | ||||||||||||
4 | Documents regarding war-risk insurance premiums paid by Samuel Thompson’s Nephew to cover their vessels; 1864-1880 | ||||||||||||
5 | Letter of introduction for William P. Mason; 1880 | ||||||||||||
6 | Passengers track chart for a voyage from England to Australia by vessels of the Orient Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.; 1880 | ||||||||||||
7 | Marine Protest, Steamer ANCHORIA; 1900 | ||||||||||||
8 | Bills, letters, documents, etc., regarding William P. Mason’s property at Saranac Lake, N.Y.; 1872-1885 | ||||||||||||
9 | Papers re. Saranac Lake property; 1890-1895 | ||||||||||||
10 | Papers re. Saranac Lake property; 1896-1900 | ||||||||||||
11 | Papers re. Saranac Lake property; 1900-1909 | ||||||||||||
12 | New York newspapers covering President Lincoln’s assassination; 1865 Apr | ||||||||||||
13 | Unidentified material; undated | ||||||||||||
Additional material | |||||||||||||
Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
5 | 1 | Information regarding the history of the Black Ball and Black Star Lines, and a chronology of the development of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co. | |||||||||||
2 | Biographical information for Capt. Edward Abeel (1825-1918), and Capt. Charles H. Marshall (1792-1865) | ||||||||||||
3 | Genealogical information relative to the Mason family | ||||||||||||
4 | Paper, “The American Sailing Ship,” by Theodore F. Humphrey; and a paper, “The Packet Ship Era” by H. Hobart Holly; 1921 Mar; 1850 Feb | ||||||||||||
5 | William P. Mason and material relative to the Rangeley Motor Boat Club; ca. 1910-1920 | ||||||||||||
6 | Miscellaneous newspaper clippings relative to the collection | ||||||||||||
7 | Miscellaneous material including brochures, notes, programs, etc. | ||||||||||||
8 | Correspondence of Mrs. Wendell P. Colton to the history of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; ca. 1948 | ||||||||||||
Volume; 1806-1935 | |||||||||||||
Volume | |||||||||||||
1 | Letter copybook of Jeremiah Thompson; 1817 Apr 29-1818 Jun 10 | ||||||||||||
2 | Ledger of Jeremiah Thompson; 1806-1815 | ||||||||||||
3 | Ledger of Jeremiah Thompson; 1815-1827 | ||||||||||||
4 | Ledger of Jeremiah Thompson, records of goods received by various vessels; 1815-1827 | ||||||||||||
5 | Ledger of Jeremiah Thompson; 1817-1826 | ||||||||||||
6 | Cashbook of Samuel Thompson; 1837 May 15-1839 Jul 3 | ||||||||||||
7 | Cashbook of Samuel Thompson; 1841 Mar 9-1842 Jul 30 | ||||||||||||
8 | Personal account book of John W. Mason; 1853-1865 | ||||||||||||
9 | Personal account book of John W. Mason; 1855-1868 | ||||||||||||
10 | Journal kept on board the ship LUCY THOMPSON of New York, N.Y., Charles G. Crocker, master, for a Trans-Atlantic trading & passenger voyage. Captain Crocker washed overboard during a hurricane and mentions shipwreck; 1863 Feb 28-1864 Feb 23 | ||||||||||||
11 | Personal account book of H. Maria Mason; 1865-1871 | ||||||||||||
12 | Personal memorandum book of John W. Mason; 1868 | ||||||||||||
13 | Personal memorandum book of John W. Mason; 1868-1869 | ||||||||||||
14 | Ledger of Canterbury Woolen Mills, Charles A. Hilbert, agent; 1870 May 14-Oct 31 | ||||||||||||
15 | Receipt book from Lord Brothers to Stonington Steamboat Company, freight agent; 1872 Nov 15-1873 Mar 21 | ||||||||||||
16 | Letter copybook of John W. Mason to Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1876 Feb 20-Apr 7 | ||||||||||||
17 | Personal memorandum book of John W. Mason; 1882-1886 | ||||||||||||
18 | Personal memorandum book of John W. Mason; 1883 | ||||||||||||
19 | Personal memorandum book of John W. Mason; 1884 | ||||||||||||
20 | Personal memorandum book of John W. Mason; 1890 | ||||||||||||
21 | Account book for stamps & envelopes of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1890-1897 | ||||||||||||
22 | Account book for postage of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1892 Jul 22-1895 Dec 31 | ||||||||||||
23 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1893 | ||||||||||||
24 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1895 May 5-Jul 5 | ||||||||||||
25 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1894 Jul 6-Oct 4 | ||||||||||||
26 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1894 Oct 5-Dec 21 | ||||||||||||
27 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1894 Dec 21-1895 Mar 19 | ||||||||||||
28 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1895 Mar 19-Jun 12 | ||||||||||||
29 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1895 Jun 12-Sep 12 | ||||||||||||
30 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1895 Sep 12-Oct 28 | ||||||||||||
31 | Invoice book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1895 May 21-1912 Dec 22 | ||||||||||||
32 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1896 Mar 20-May 29 | ||||||||||||
33 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1896 May 29-Aug 31 | ||||||||||||
34 | Personal memorandum book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1896 | ||||||||||||
35 | Ledger of William P. Mason, mostly for investments in railroad securities; 1896-1914 | ||||||||||||
36 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1897 Mar 30-1898 Feb 16 | ||||||||||||
37 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1899 Mar 21-Aug 19 | ||||||||||||
38 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1899 Aug 19-Nov 24 | ||||||||||||
39 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1899 Nov 24-1900 Apr 2 | ||||||||||||
40 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1900 Apr 3-Jul 26 | ||||||||||||
41 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1903 Jan 29-Jun 4 | ||||||||||||
42 | Personal memorandum book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1904 | ||||||||||||
43 | Account book for stamps & envelopes of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1905-1912 | ||||||||||||
44 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1909 Mar 31-1910 Aug 17 | ||||||||||||
45 | Account book for postage of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1910-1912 | ||||||||||||
46 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1911 Oct 13-1913 Jul 19 | ||||||||||||
47 | Account book for postage of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1912-1913 | ||||||||||||
48 | Account book for stamps & envelopes of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1912-1924 | ||||||||||||
49 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1913-1915 | ||||||||||||
50 | Invoice book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1914-1917 | ||||||||||||
51 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1915-1916 | ||||||||||||
52 | Account book for stamps & envelopes of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1917-1920 | ||||||||||||
53 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1921-1924 | ||||||||||||
54 | Record of textile shipments of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1922 May 1-1925 Apr 1 | ||||||||||||
55 | Account book for stamps & envelopes of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1922-1927 | ||||||||||||
56 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1924-1928 | ||||||||||||
57 | Account book for stamps & envelopes of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1927-1935 | ||||||||||||
58 | Memorandum book for telephone of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1928 | ||||||||||||
59 | Daily balance record book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1937 Mar 6-1938 Dec 19 | ||||||||||||
60 | Sales book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1937 Nov 1-1939 Sep 30 | ||||||||||||
61 | Address book of textile manufactures; undated | ||||||||||||
62 | Sales and receipts book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1871 Aug 7-1872 Mar 15 | ||||||||||||
63 | Account book with the Thames & Mersey Marine Insurance Co., Ltd; 1882 Jul-Aug | ||||||||||||
64 | Account book with the Phoenix Insurance Co.; 1886 May 14-1887 Apr 19 | ||||||||||||
65 | Ledger records of real estate investment of William P. Mason; 1903-1915 | ||||||||||||
66 | Ledger of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1855-1859 | ||||||||||||
67 | Invoice consignment book of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1872-1875 | ||||||||||||
68 | Ledger of Samuel Thompson’s Nephew & Co.; 1898-1915 |