Glimpses of the Past: History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784Raymond, W. O. (William Odber)
History
Glimpses of the Past: History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784
Raymond, W. O. (William Odber)
New Brunswick -- History; Saint John River Valley (Me. and N.B.)
In addition to the Leavitts and the masters of some of the other
vessels, who were intelligent men, nearly all at St. John were
ordinary laborers: however, the company from time to time employed
some capable young fellows to assist in the Store at the Point. One of
these was Samuel Webster, whose mother was a half-sister of James
Simonds. He remained nearly four years at St. John, during which time
he lived in the family of Simonds and White. While he was at St. John
goods were shipped to Newburyport and the West Indies by the Company
in considerable quantities. There were he says at times a very
considerable number of workmen and laborers employed, and at other
times a smaller number, according to the time of year, and as the
nature of the employment required. The laborers were fed, supported
and paid out of the store, and lived in a house only a few rods from
Mr. Simonds' house. Emerson spent most of his time in the store,
buying and selling and delivering small articles. He generally made
the entries in the Day Book.
Another lad, Samuel Emerson, of Bakerstown, Massachusetts, came to St.
John with James Simonds in April, 1767, as a clerk or assistant in the
store, and remained nearly four years in the Company's service.
At the expiration of the first year several changes occurred in the
Company. Richard Simonds had died on the 20th January, 1765. Robert
Peaslie seems not to have come to St. John, although it was stipulated
in the contract that he should do so, and early in 1765 he withdrew
from the Company. In the autumn of 1764, Leonard Jarvis, a young man
of twenty-two years of age, became associated with William Hazen as
co-partner in his business in Newburyport and became by common consent
a sharer in the business at St. John. So far as we can judge from his
letters, Mr. Jarvis was a man of excellent business ability. The
accounts kept at Newburyport in connection with the Company's business
are in his handwriting and he attended to most of the correspondence
with the St. John partners.
The writer of this history has among his historic documents and papers
a number of account books in a very fair state of preservation,
containing in part the transactions of the company during the years
they were in business at St. John. One of these, a book of nearly 100
pages, ordinary foolscap size with stout paper cover, is of special
interest for it contains the record of the initial transactions of the
first business firm established at St. John a hundred and forty years
ago. At the top of the first page are the words
Day Book No. 1.
1764. St. Johns River.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account