Inventory of the British-American Tobacco Company Records, 1842-1929
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleBritish-American Tobacco Company Records,
1842-1929
Creator
British-American Tobacco Company.
Extent
372 Items
Repository
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library
Language
English.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal
Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in
Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour
delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare
Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in the British-American Tobacco Company
Records have not been transferred to Duke University. For further information
consult the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare
Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], British-American Tobacco Company Records,
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The British-American Tobacco Company Records were purchased by Duke
University in 1945.
Processing Information
Processed by: William R. Erwin, Jr.
Encoded by Stephen Douglas Miller
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
[top]
Collection Overview
The British-American Tobacco Company, Ltd., was established in 1902 by
an agreement between the Imperial Tobacco Co. of Great Britain and its rivals,
the American Tobacco Co. and its associates. These firms divided the world's
market for manufactured tobacco products, and British-American took over trade
with those territories not reserved to Imperial and American, that is, the
export business everywhere outside Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man,
Cuba, and the U. S. and its overseas dependencies. Ownership of
British-American was divided between its parent companies, American holding
substantially two-thirds of the stock. The headquarters was located in London,
England, and the office at 111 5th Ave. in New York City handled the purchase
of leaf and manufacturing in the U. S.
This collection concerns British-American's business at Petersburg,
Virginia, which included the branch under its own name and also the operations
of its subsidiaries and predecessors. In 1903 the company acquired the formerly
independent export businesses of the T. C. Williams Co., David Dunlop, and the
Cameron family who were then the largest exporters of manufactured tobacco.
They also had sales within the United States, so some domestic business is
represented. British-American owned all of the stock of T. C. Williams and
two-thirds of Dunlop's, both of these subsidiaries continuing to function under
their own names, chiefly as producers of plug tobacco. However, the
manufacturing of their brands was concentrated in a single bonded warehouse at
Petersburg, a situation reflected in many account books that combine records of
Dunlop, Williams, and British-American. There are also several volumes from the
Bland Tobacco Co. of Petersburg and the Export Leaf Tobacco Co., the latter a
subsidiary of British-American that functioned as its buying agency in the U.
S. Further information about these companies is given below where their records
are listed. A useful source for the early history of British-American is the U.
S. Bureau of Corporations, Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on the
Tobacco Industry (Washington, 1909). A folder of information about the
companies and their owners is filed with the Guide in a box at the beginning of
the collection. The Tobacco Collection includes examples of advertising.
This set of 367 account books represents the operations of
British-American at Petersburg primarily during its first twenty years,
1903-1923, of which the first ten years have the more abundant records. The
accounts of one subsidiary, David Dunlop, begin in 1842, continue into the
1920's, and constitute the most substantial group within the collection.
Records of T. C. Williams are confined almost entirely to the period after 1903
when it was British-American's subsidiary, although the firm originated in the
1850's. Cameron & Cameron also began in the 1850's, but its records are
limited to the last twelve years of its existence, 1892-1904. There are also a
few volumes for the Export Leaf Tobacco Co., the Bland Tobacco Co., and William
Cameron & Brother.
The account books are extensive and include significant records, but
they are quite incomplete. Only David Dunlop has a considerable series of
ledgers and journals. There are no minutes from meetings of directors or
stockholders. The strength of the collection before 1903 is in the Dunlop
records with the addition after 1892 of some from Cameron & Cameron,
principally letterpress books. After 1903 there are elaborate cost, production,
sales, and stock records for British-American, Dunlop, and T. C. Williams.
Correspondence is very limited but includes some important material, there
being volumes for David Dunlop in 1842-1846 and 1904-1906, T. C. Williams in
1903-1906, and Cameron & Cameron in 1895-1903.
[top]
Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a
search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will
bring up other related research materials.
- Bland Tobacco Company (Petersburg, Va.).
- British-American Tobacco Company.
- Cameron and Cameron.
- D.B. Tennant and Company.
- David Dunlop (Firm).
- Export Leaf Tobacco Company.
- T.C. Williams Company.
- Petersburg (Va.)--Industries.
- Tobacco industry--United States.
- Virginia--Economic conditions.
Detailed Description of Collection
David Dunlop
The
Dunlop family of
Petersburg, Virginia, engaged in the
manufacture and export of tobacco for more than a century, their interests
dating back at least to
1820 when
James Dunlop built a large factory. His
brothers
Robert and
David also were involved in manufacturing, and
the business of
David Dunlop and his descendants is the one
represented here by an important, although incomplete, set of records. The
proprietorship of the firm varied over the years and is not always clearly
defined in the existing records. The Letter Book,
1842-1846, indicates that
David Dunlop was operating under his own name.
He was also a partner with his brother in the firm of
John A. Dunlop & Co. of
Louisville, Kentucky, with whom he
corresponded. A brother was in the
Petersburg Company of Dunlop & Tennant
(letter of
July 24, 1844). The letters indicate considerable
business with
Great Britain,
Ireland, the
Netherlands, and
Belgium.
After the Civil War the succeeding
David Dunlop
(ca. 1841-1902) was associated with
David B. Tennant in the firm of
D. B. Tennant & Co. that operated until
the latter's death in
1885 , at which time he was reputed to be
Petersburg's wealthiest citizen.
David Dunlop continued the business under his
own name and was at the time of his death one of the largest exporters of
manufactured tobacco in the
U. S. His products were principally plug and
twist, according to
Connorton's Tobacco Brand Directory of the
United States in
1887 and
1899. His son
David Dunlop sold the business to
British-American in
1903 when it was registered in
New Jersey as
David Dunlop (Incorporated). He was president of
the new firm and both he and
R. L. Dunlop were directors. The corporation
continued into the
1920s and possibly later. Information about the company
can be found in:
David Dunlop's obituary in
Tobacco, 33, No. 26
(Oct. 31, 1902), p. 2; Joseph Clarke Robert,
The Tobacco Kingdom (Durham, N. C.,
1938), pp. 186-187 (which also includes an illustration
of an advertising poster); and in the
Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on
the Tobacco Industry (Washington,
1909). The first entry in
D. B. Tennant & Co.'s Journal,
1867-1880 , and those of
Jan. 1, 1886 and
Jan. 2, 1889, in the Journal,
1880-1890, as well as other entries, document
Dunlop's association with
Mr. Tennant.
The Tobacco Collection includes one or more examples of
Dunlop's advertisements.
The records of
David Dunlop extend for almost ninety years,
and, although incomplete, they constitute the most substantial group within the
collection - and the only one that dates well back into the nineteenth century.
A ledger and journal of
1847-1856 and a letter book of
1842-1846 (including an invoice book,
1842-1847) are important volumes from the antebellum
period. The letter book records the difficulties of businessmen during the war
scare over the
Oregon Question in
1845-1846 and
Dunlop's reaction to that issue and to
President Polk. This volume is also valuable
for comment about crop conditions, marketing, etc. After the war
D. B. Tennant & Co. is represented notably
by its journals of
1867-1890, bills of exchange of
1870-1887, and payroll records of
1878-1879 and
1883-1886. The accounts for
David Dunlop during
1885-1903 are the best preserved set. The important
ledgers and journals are complete for this period, and the payroll books are
almost complete. There are also broken runs of invoice and shipping books,
bills of exchange, and others. The strength of the records for the two decades
after
1903 is in the elaborate cost, production, and sales
records in the cost sheets, details of cost, and general statements. The Leaf
Department also has ledgers, journals, and books for statements, insurance, and
warehouse storage.
The volume of General Statements,
1904-1905 , includes an inventory of
Dunlop for
Dec. 31, 1904 . This inventory is published in
Nannie M. Tilley,
The Bright-Tobacco Industry,
1860-1929, (Chapel Hill,
1948), pp. 690-696.
A folder of miscellaneous papers,
1902-1922 , includes a few accounts from
Dunlop. The folder is filed in the first box
of the collection.
David Dunlop
Ledger,
1847-1856
Volume
2
Journal,
1847, Jan.-Jan., 1856
(Available on microfilm only. Original in Virginia Historical
Society at Richmond.)
Volume
3
Letter Book,
1842 Nov.-1846 May, &
Invoice Book,
1842 Jan.-1847 Jan.
(Available on microfilm only. Original in Virginia Historical
Society at Richmond.)
D. B. Tennant & Co.
Journal,
1867 Feb.-1880 Apr.
Volume
5
Journal,
1880 May-1890 Dec.
Volume
6
Invoice Book,
1882 Sept.-1885 Dec.
Volume
7
Time Book,
1878 Jan.-1879 Sept.
(Including Tobacco Accounts, Factory No. 2,
1878-1886)
Volume
8
Payroll Book,
1883 Sept.-1886 Jan.
Volume
9
Bills of Exchange,
1870 Jan.-1872 June
Volume
10
Bills of Exchange,
1874 July-1876 July
Volume
11
Bills of Exchange,
1878 Feb.-1880 Mar.
Volume
12
Bills of Exchange,
1886 Jan.-1887 June
Volume
13
Drafts,
1877 Jan.-1880 Dec.
Volume
14
Checkbook,
1868 Sept.-1870 May
Volume
15
Checkbook,
1875 July-1876 July
Volume
16
Checkbook,
1876 July-1877 June
Volume
17
Checkbook,
1877 June-1878 June
Volume
18
Checkbook,
1879 June-1880 Sept.
Volume
19
Checkbook,
1882 Apr.-Oct.
Volume
20
Checkbook,
1883 Oct.-1884 Sept.
Volume
21
Checkbook,
1884 Sept.-1885 June
David Dunlop
Ledger,
1885-1904
Volume
23
Personal Ledger,
1902-1904
Volume
24
Ledger for Estate of
David Dunlop,
1902-1903
(Also available on microfilm)
Volume
25
Journal,
1885 Dec.-1891 Nov.
(Available on microfilm only. Original in Virginia Historical
Society at Richmond.)
Volume
26
Journal,
1891 Nov.-1896 July
Volume
27
Journal,
1896 July-1899 June
(Available on microfilm only. Original in Virginia Historical
Society at Richmond.)
Volume
28
Journal,
1899 June-1904 May
Volume
29
Personal Journal,
1902 Nov.-1904 May
Volume
30
Journal for Estate of
David Dunlop,
1902 Nov.-1903 Nov.
(Also available on microfilm)
Volume
31
Cashbook,
1899 June-1902 Nov.
Volume
32
Payroll Book,
1886 Jan.-1887 Mar.
Volume
33
Payroll Book,
1887 Mar.-Sept.
Volume
34
Payroll Book
1889 Jan.-Oct.
Volume
35
Payroll Book,
1889 Oct.-1890 Dec.
Volume
36
Payroll Book,
1891
Volume
37
Payroll Book,
1892
Volume
38
Payroll Book,
1893 Jan.-1894 Jan.
Volume
39
Payroll Book,
1894 Jan.-Dec.
Volume
40
Payroll Book,
1895
Volume
41
Payroll Book,
1897
Volume
42
Payroll Book,
1898
Volume
43
Payroll Book,
1899
Volume
44
Payroll Book,
1900
Volume
45
Payroll Book,
1901 Jan.-1902 Jan.
Volume
46
Payroll Book,
1902 Jan.-Nov.
Volume
314
Payroll Book,
1902 Nov.-1904 Dec.
Volume
47
Time Book,
1901 Oct.-1905
Oct.
(Gap in records:
1904 Aug.-1905 June; records of
1903-1904 are from
Old St,
Wythe St., and
West Hill factories)
Volume
48
Purchase Book,
1886 Jan.-1895 May
Volume
49
Tobacco Received,
1897 Oct.-1902 Oct.
Volume
50
Invoice Book,
1886 Jan.-1890 Aug.
Volume
51
Invoice Book,
1890 Aug.-1894 July
(Available on microfilm only. Original in Virginia Historical
Society at Richmond.)
Volume
52
Invoice Book,
1897 May-1901 June
Volume
53
Prizing Record Book,
1899-1903
Volume
54
Shipping Book,
1887
Volume
55
Shipping Book,
1894
Volume
56
Shipping Book,
1897
Volume
57
Shipping Book,
1900
Volume
58
Shipping Book,
1902 Nov.-1903 Dec.
Volume
59
Shipments to C. R. Somervail & Co.,
1901
(Including also Free Materials,
1902-1907, and Insurance
Charges,
1907-1908)
Volume
60
Bills of Exchange,
1890 July-1891 Nov.
Volume
61
Bills of Exchange,
1891 Nov.-1894 Nov.
Volume
62
Bills of Exchange,
1902 Feb.-1903 Sept.
Volume
63
Drafts,
1886 Jan.-1892 Dec.
Volume
64
Checkbook,
1886 Dec.-1887 Nov.
Volume
65
Checkbook,
1887 Nov.-1888 July
Volume
66
Checkbook,
1888 Oct.-1891 Mar.
Volume
67
Checkbook,
1892 Aug.-1893 May
Volume
68
Checkbook,
1894 Feb.-Oct.
Volume
69
Checkbook,
1895 June-1896 Jan.
Volume
70
Checkbook,
1896 Aug.-1897 Apr.
Volume
71
Checkbook,
1898 June-1899 Jan.
Volume
72
Checkbook,
1899 Sept.-1900 Apr.
Volume
73
Checkbook,
1900 Apr.-Aug.
Volume
74
Checkbook,
1902 Sept.-1911 Dec.
Remarks on the Companies and Their Accounts After 1903
The structure and records of the companies after
1903 are complicated by the fact that
British-American concentrated the manufacture
of the brands of Dunlop, Cameron, Williams, and its other acquisitions in a
single bonded warehouse at
Petersburg
(Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on the Tobacco Industry (Washington, 1909) , p. 361
; also noted in Williams' Letterpress Book, June- Sept., 1903, p. 695). This situation is reflected in the account books. For some types of records there are separate volumes for Dunlop, Williams, and British-American. In other cases their accounts are combined, sometimes clearly labeled and sometimes not. Dunlop's Cost Sheets and Details of Cost include some figures for the brands of Williams and British-American, but the volumes are labeled as belonging to Dunlop. Some volumes clearly contain statistics for all three companies. So there are lists below of account books for Dunlop, Williams, British-American, and combinations of them, as well as for lesser groups such as the Export Leaf Tobacco Co. and the Bland Tobacco Co.The situation is further complicated by divisions within
Dunlop. Several series of accounts belonged to
its
Leaf Department, and they are segregated
accordingly. However, the volumes were not always carefully labeled, and some
books not listed for the
Leaf Department may actually relate to it. It
is not the purpose of this inventory to determine the exact operational
structure of the businesses, especially since their records are so
incomplete.
It is always possible that some unlabeled volumes have been
incorrectly placed in this inventory, and the researcher should apply
appropriate caution in using them. Further, titles of account books varied,
sometimes in the same series, or were incomplete or absent altogether, so some
titles supplied here may not technically be entirely accurate.
David Dunlop (Incorporated)
Letterpress Books
Letterpress Book,
1904 Aug.-Oct.
(Includes
T. C. Williams,
1905 Jan.-Feb.)
Volume
76
Letterpress Book,
1906 Jan.-July
(Includes a few letters of
T. C. Williams and
Cameron & Cameron)
Volume
77
Letterpress Book,
1905 Sept.-1906 June
(Addressed to
David Dunlop,
New York)
Volume
286
Letterpress Book,
1906 July-Sept.
(Included in Invoice Book,
1907-1908, of
Dunlop,
Williams, and
British-American)
Cost Sheets
The Cost Sheets contain a variety of reports, often monthly, of
costs, trial balances, expenses, sales, invoices, insurance in force, etc.
Brands of
T. C. Williams and
British-American are included.
Volume
78
Cost Sheets,
1906 Apr.-1907 Sept.
Volume
79
Cost Sheets,
1907 Oct.-1908 Nov.
(Additional reports of
1907 Oct. are in the combined Invoice Book,
1908 Jan.-Feb. of
Dunlop,
Williams, and
British-American)
Volume
80
Cost Sheets,
1908 Dec.-1910 Feb.
Volume
81
Cost Sheets,
1910 Feb.-1911 Apr.
Volume
82
Cost Sheets,
1911 Apr.-1912 July
Volume
83
Cost Sheets,
1912 July-1913 Aug.
Details of Cost
Usually labeled
"David Dunlop"
and
"Blue Details,"
these records provide
monthly cost figures by brands including the amounts manufactured and shipped
and the inventories at the first and the last of the month. The brands of
T. C. Williams and
British-American are included.
Volume
84
Details of Cost,
1908 Jan.-1909 Aug.
Volume
85
Details of Cost,
1909 Sept.-1910 June
Volume
86
Details of Cost,
1910 July-1911 Mar.
Volume
87
Details of Cost,
1911 Apr.-1912 Jan.
Volume
88
Details of Cost,
1912 Jan.-Sept.
Volume
89
Details of Cost,
1912 Oct.-1913 Mar.;
1913 Dec.;
1915 Apr.
Volume
90
Details of Cost,
1913 Apr.-Nov.
General Statements
A considerable variety of reports, some monthly and many weekly,
are included, such as: inventories of leaf; insurance in force; strips used for
each brand; reports to
Traffic Dept. on shipments, supplies, and
leaf received; brands in use and not in use; tags in use; purchases; and
various transactions.
Volume
91
General Statements,
1904 July-1905 Sept.
Volume
92
General Statements,
1905 Aug.-1906 July
Volume
93
General Statements,
1910 Feb.-1911 Oct.
Volume
94
General Statements,
1911 Oct.-1913 May
*
A folder of miscellaneous papers,
1902-1922, includes a few accounts from
Dunlop. The folder is filed in the first
box of the collection.
Voucher Record, No. 1,
1903 Aug.-1905 Apr.
Volume
96
Voucher Record, No. 8,
1923 Jan.-1929 Apr.
Volume
97
Receiving Book,
1903 July-1905 June
Volume
98
Customers Order Book,
1903-1904
Volume
99
Order Book,
1909 Nov.-1910 Oct.
Volume
100
Order Book with
Amsterdam Supply Co. of
New York City,
1910 May-1911 Oct.
Volume
101
Checkbook,
1903 Aug.-1904 Apr.
Volume
102
Checkbook,
1904 Apr.-1905 Mar.
Volume
103
Checkbook,
1905 Mar.-1906 May
Volume
104
Checkbook,
1906 May-1907 Nov.
Volume
105
Checkbook,
1909 May-1910 Nov.
Volume
106
Checkbook,
1912 July-1915 Feb.
Volume
107
Checkbook,
1919 Jan.-1921 Jan.
Volume
108
Personal Checkbook,
1917 July-1919 Feb.
Volume
109
Personal Checkbook,
1919 Feb.-1920 Mar.
Volume
110
Brands Stock Book,
1904-1905
Volume
111
Brands Stock Book,
1905-1906
Volume
112
Brands Stock Book,
1906-1907
Volume
113
Brands Stock Book,
1907-1908
Volume
114
Brands Stock Book,
1908-1909
Volume
115
Brands Stock Book,
1910
Volume
116
Brands Stock Book,
1911
Volume
117
Brands Stock Book,
1912
Volume
118
Stock of Redried Leaf,
1903-1905
Volume
119
Stock of Redried Leaf,
1904-1905
Volume
120
Stock of Redried Leaf,
1904-1905
Leaf Department
Volumes listed here are only those specifically labeled
"Leaf Department"
or those belonging to a
series in which one or more books are so labeled. Accounts from the
Leaf Department are incorporated in other
account books not listed in this group.
Volume
121
Ledger,
1903 Aug.-1904 Dec.
Volume
122
Ledger,
1905 May-1907 Mar.
Volume
123
Ledger,
1907 Apr.-1908 Dec.
Volume
124
Ledger,
1909 Jan.-1911 Jan.
Volume
125
Ledger,
1917-1923
Volume
126
Journal,
1903 Aug.-1905 May
Volume
127
Journal,
1907 May-1910 Feb.
Volume
128
Journal,
1910 Mar.-1911 Jan.
Volume
129
Journal,
1916 Dec.-1923 June
Statements
One of these volumes is labeled
"Invoices,"
but
"Statements"
seems a better designation, because
they, like
Dunlop's cost sheets and general statements,
include a variety of weekly and monthly reports as well as invoices and records
of transactions for a particular day. The reports include trial balances,
inventories, invoices, purchases, expenses, insurance in force, costs, and
other data.
Volume
130
Statements,
1911 Feb.-Nov.
Volume
131
Statements,
1912 July-1913 May
Volume
132
Statements,
1913 Apr.-Dec.
Volume
133
Statements,
1913 Dec.-1914 Aug.
Volume
134
Receiving Book,
1911-1914
Volume
135
Receiving Book,
1914-1918
Volume
136
Voucher Record for Leaf Tobacco Received, No. 1,
1911 Feb.-1915 July
Volume
137
Voucher Record for Leaf Tobacco Received, No. 2,
1915 Aug.-1919 Oct.
Volume
138
Pickings Book,
1910-1912
Volume
139
Pickings Book,
1914-1919
Volume
140
Machinery and Fixtures Inventory,
1911-1914
Volume
141
Payroll Book,
1915 Sept. 29
Volume
142
Insurance Record Book,
1905-1907
Volume
143
Insurance Record Book,
1906-1911
Volume
144
Insurance Record Book,
1912-1916
Volume
145
Insurance Values,
1911-1913
Volume
146
Insurance Values,
1914-1916
Volume
59
Memorandum of Insurance Changes,
1907-1908, and Free Materials Received and
Permits,
1902-1907
(Included in
Dunlop's Shipments to
C. R. Somervail & Co., 1901
Volume
147
Order Book Upon Supply Dept. of
British-American Tobacco Co.,
1912-1923
Volume
148
Stock Book,
1913-1914
Volume
149
Wrapper Stock Book,
1913
Volume
150
Wrapper Stock Book,
1913-1915
Volume
151
Old Street Stemmery Stock Book,
1909-1912
Volume
152
Old Street Stemmery Picking Room Stock
Book,
1911
Warehouse Storage Books
The indices and contents of the Storage Books for Warehouses,
1907-1911, and of the Insurance Record Books are
useful in identifying the various warehouses represented by the Storage Books.
These volumes were kept by years of storage, but crop years were also
recorded.
Volume
153
Storage Book for Warehouses,
1907-1911
Volume
154
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 1,
1910-1913
Volume
155
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 1,
1912-1914
Volume
156
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 1,
1912-1914
Volume
157
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 2 ,
1910-1914
Volume
158
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 2,
1912-1914
Volume
159
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 3,
1909-1914
Volume
160
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 3,
1910-1914
Volume
161
Storage Book for Arrington, Sect. 3,
1912-1914
Volume
162
Storage Book for Brown St., Northern Sect.,
1908-1911
Volume
163
Storage Book for Brown St., Southern Sect.
1908-1911
Volume
164
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 1,
1910-1913
Volume
165
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 2,
1912-1914
Volume
166
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 3,
1912-1913
Volume
167
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 4,
1913-1914
Volume
168
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 5,
1913-1914
Volume
169
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 6,
1912-1913
Volume
170
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 7,
1912-1913
Volume
171
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 8,
1912-1913
Volume
172
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 9,
1913
Volume
173
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 11,
1913
Volume
174
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 15,
1913-1914
Volume
175
Storage Book for Cockade City Shed, No. 16,
1913-1914
Volume
176
Storage Book for Oaks,
1913
Volume
177
Storage Book for Oaks and Virginia,
1909-1913
Volume
178
Storage Book for Old St., No. 1,
1911
Volume
179
Storage Book for Old St., No. 1,
1912-1913
Volume
180
Storage Book for Old St., No. 2,
1911-1912
Volume
181
Storage Book for Old St., No. 2,
1912
Volume
182
Storage Book for Old St., No. 3,
1912-1913
Volume
183
Storage Book for Old St., No. 5,
1913-1914
Volume
184
Storage Book for Old St., No. 6,
1913-1915
Volume
185
Storage Book for Old St.,
1913
Volume
186
Storage Book for Old St., Richmond Stemmery, No. 2,
1913-1914
Volume
187
Storage Book for Old St., Richmond Stemmery, No. 3,
1913-1915
Volume
188
Storage Book for Picking Room,
1911-1913
Volume
189
Storage Book for Stemmery,
1911-1912
Volume
190
Storage Book for Stemmery,
1912-1913
Volume
191
Storage Book for Stemming Room,
1913-1914
Volume
192
Storage Book for Out of Town, No. 1 ,
1910-1914
Volume
193
Storage Book for Virginia, No. 2 ,
1912-1913
Volume
194
Storage Book,
1913-1914
The Camerons
The
Camerons, like the
Dunlops, were Scots, and the two families were
once connected by marriage as well as being associated in tobacco
manufacturing. The
Camerons came to
Petersburg in the
1840s. There were three brothers
(Alexander,
George, and
William) and two sisters, one of whom married
Robert Dunlop. The brothers obtained positions
with
David Dunlop, and
Alexander Cameron advanced to a partnership.
In
1858 they founded the firm of
William Cameron & Brother at
Petersburg that continued in independent
existence until
1903. Their activities expanded to
Richmond where they established
Alexander Cameron Co. in
1865 and
Cameron & Cameron in
1889. These businesses likewise continued to
1903 when all the
Cameron companies were absorbed by
British-American. A significant part of the
Cameron enterprises were the firms that they began establishing in
Australia in the
1870s, there eventually being plants at
Melbourne,
Sydney,
Adelaide, and
Brisbane. Their trade was strong in
Australia,
New Zealand,
India,
South Africa, and other British dependencies.
Until the creation of the
American Tobacco Co., the combined Cameron
properties were probably the largest tobacco manufacturing enterprises operated
by Americans. Information about them is in: biographies of
Alexander Cameron
(1834-1915) in:
The National Cyclopaedia of American
Biography, VII, 321-322; the
Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography,
IV, 259-260 (and of
George Cameron in the same work, IV, 154-155);
and in the
New York Times, Feb. 4,
1915, p. 9. See also Joseph Clarke Robert,
The Story of Tobacco in America (New
York,
1949), p. 131. The Tobacco Collection includes one or
more items from the Cameron companies.
Cameron & Cameron
Cameron & Cameron of
Richmond manufactured cigars, cigarettes,
and smoking tobacco. Seventeen volumes,
1892-1904, are only a small part of the company's
set of records, but they include several valuable letterpress books from the
last years of its existence. The Letterpress Book,
1897-1900, has correspondence with
Alfred I. Hart of
Baltimore who went to the Far East and
represented the firm in the markets of
Hong Kong,
China, and
Japan, and trade with the Japanese was
especially discussed. Foreign Letterpress Books,
1895-1901, concern the export business, and the
Agents' Letterpress Books of
1901 and
1903 record dealings with salesmen throughout the
U. S. There are no ledgers, but the Trial Balances of
1902 and
1903 are a partial substitute in those two
years.
In
Dunlop's General Statements,
1904-1905, are inventories at the end of
1904 for
Cameron & Cameron,
Alexander Cameron & Co., and
William Cameron & Brother. The
Letterpress Book,
1904-1905, for
Dunlop and
T. C. Williams includes a reference to the
sending of
Cameron & Cameron's books to
British-American's office in
New York City (p. 14).
Volume
195
Trial Balances,
1902
Volume
196
Trial Balances,
1903
Volume
197
Foreign Letterpress Book,
1895 Mar.-1898 Oct.
Volume
198
Foreign Letterpress Book,
1898 Oct.-1901 Dec.
Volume
199
Agents' Letterpress Book,
1901 Feb.-Nov.
Volume
200
Agents' Letterpress Book,
1903 Mar.-Nov.
Volume
201
Letterpress Book for
Alfred I. Hart,
1897 Oct.-1900 Nov.
Volume
202
Letterpress Book,
1896 Nov.-1898 Feb.
Volume
203
Sales Book,
1901 Mar.-1903 Jan.
Volume
204
Sales Summary,
1903
Volume
205
Credit Notes,
1903 May-1904 June
Volume
206
Inventory Book,
1892-1896
Volume
207
Inventory Book,
1903 July-1904 Jan.
Volume
208
Checkbook,
1894 Feb.-Dec.
Volume
209
Checkbook,
1902 Mar.-Oct.
Volume
210
Checkbook,
1904 Jan.-May
Volume
211
Cashbook,
1901 Jan.-1904 May
William Cameron & Brother
This single volume is identified with the company by checking
the brand names in the book in
Connorton's Tobacco Brand Directory of the
United States 1899.
Volume
212
Lump Book,
1904
T. C. Williams Co.
The
T. C. Williams Co. of
Richmond, Va., dates back to the
1850s when it first appears in the city directories
as a tobacco manufacturer. It was incorporated in
1889. By
1903 it had become one of the largest tobacco
exporters in the
U. S., sending abroad nearly five million
pounds of chewing tobacco a year and a small amount of smoking tobacco.
Williams was a formidable rival of the British
in
Australia,
South Africa, and elsewhere. This rivalry
ended in
1903 when
British-American bought the export business,
which thereafter operated as a subsidiary at
Petersburg under the name of
T. C. Williams Co. The
Continental Tobacco Co. purchased the domestic
business that was taken into the
American Tobacco Co. in the merger of
1904 . Information about the firm is in: the
New York Times, April 11,
1903, p. 1, and May 8,
1903, p. 3; the
Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on
the Tobacco Industry (Washington,
1909); and Joseph Clarke Robert,
The Story of Tobacco in America (New
York,
1949), p. 130.
The Tobacco Collection includes one or more advertising items for
this company.
The thirty volumes,
1903-1913, record operations of the firm during its
first decade as a subsidiary of
British-American. The set of books is very
incomplete. Three important volumes are the Cost Sheets for
1903-1904 and
1905-1912 that contain a variety of reports, often
monthly, such as trial balances, costs, inventories, transactions, etc. Stock
records are numerous, especially those for brands. An inventory of Dec. 31,
1904, is included in
Dunlop's General Statements of
1904-1905.
The company's business records may have been sent to the office in
New York; see the reference in
Dunlop's Letterpress Book of
Jan.- July, 1906 (p. 890).
Volumes
Letterpress Book,
1903 June-Sept.
(The principal formulas for domestic brands that were turned
over to the
Continental Tobacco Co. are given on pages
1005-1031)
Volume
75
Letterpress Book,
1905 Jan.-Feb.
(Included in
Dunlop's Letterpress Book, 1904 Aug.-Oct.
Several
Williams' letters are in
Dunlop's Letterpress Book, 1906
Jan.-July
Volume
214
Cost Sheets,
1903 Apr.-1904 Aug.
(Statements of shipments to foreign countries are at end of
this volume)
Volume
215
Cost Sheets,
1905 Aug.-1908 Dec.
Volume
216
Cost Sheets,
1908 Dec.-1912 July
Volume
217
Invoice Book,
1903 Apr.-1904 Sept.
Volume
218
Invoice Book,
1904 Sept.-Oct.
Volume
219
Materials Purchase Register,
1904 Jan.-Aug.
(1 p. of
1903 Nov. included)
Volume
220
Checkbook,
1904 Aug.-1905 Jan.
Volume
221
Press Room Order Book,
1897 Sept.-1900 May
(Some tobacco labels are fastened into this book)
Volume
222
Stock of Redried Leaf,
1903-1904
Volume
223
Leaf Stock Book,
1908-1910
Volume
224
Stock Book for Cigar Tobacco,
1903-1907
Volume
225
Brands Stock Book,
1904
Volume
226
Brands Stock Book,
1904-1905
Volume
227
Brands Stock Book,
1905-1906
Volume
228
Brands Stock Book, No. 2,
1905-1906
Volume
229
Brands Stock Book (A-N),
1906-1907
Volume
230
Brands Stock Book (O-W),
1906-1907
Volume
231
Brands Stock Book (A-N),
1907-1908
Volume
232
Brands Stock Book (O-Z),
1907-1908
Volume
233
Brands Stock Book (A-N),
1908-1909
Volume
234
Brands Stock Book (O-Z),
1908-1909
Volume
235
Brands Stock Book (A-N),
1910
Volume
236
Brands Stock Book (O-Z),
1910
Volume
237
Brands Stock Book (A-L),
1911
Volume
238
Brands Stock Book (M-Z),
1911
Volume
239
Brands Stock Book (A-M),
1912
Volume
240
Brands Stock Book (N-Z),
1912
Volume
241
Brands Stock Book,
1913
British-American Tobacco Company (Petersburg Branch)
Journal, No. 8,
1913 June-1915 Sept.
Volume
243
Payroll Book for Lump Room,
1903 Sept.-1904 Sept.
Volume
244
Payroll Book for Lump Room,
1904 Sept.-1905 Aug.
Volume
245
Payroll Book for Stemming Room,
1904 Oct.-Dec.
Volume
246
Brands Stock Book,
1904-1905
Volume
247
Brands Stock Book,
1905-1906
Volume
248
Brands Stock Book (A-L),
1906-1907
Volume
249
Brands Stock Book (M-W),
1906-1907
Volume
250
Brands Stock Book (A-I),
1907-1908
Volume
251
Brands Stock Book (M-W),
1907-1908
Volume
252
Brands Stock Book (A-L),
1908-1909
Volume
253
Brands Stock Book (M-Z),
1908-1909
Volume
254
Brands Stock Book (A-L),
1910
Volume
255
Brands Stock Book (M-Z),
1910
Volume
256
Brands Stock Book (A-L),
1911
Volume
257
Brands Stock Book (M-Z),
1911
Volume
258
Brands Stock Book (M-Z),
1912
Volume
259
Brands Manufactured and Shipped,
1913
Volumes Combining Accounts of British-American, T. C. Williams, and David Dunlop Including Some Volumes Not Specifically Labeled.
Cost Sheets
Cost Sheets,
1904 July-1905 July
Volume
261
Cost Sheets,
1912 July-1915 Aug.
Volume
262
Cost Sheets (Copies received at office in
New York City),
1903 Aug.-1908 Dec.
Details of Cost
These volumes provide cost and inventory figures for the various
brands, but not in the detail of the earlier books of
David Dunlop.
Volume
263
Details of Cost,
1915
Volume
264
Details of Cost,
1917
Volume
265
Details of Cost,
1919
Daily Sales
Daily sales of the brands of each company with cumulative
figures for the month.
Volume
266
Daily Sales,
1904 June-Dec.
Volume
267
Daily Sales,
1905 Sept.-Mar.
Volume
1906 Vol.
268 Daily Sales,
1906 Mar.-Sept.
Volume
269
Daily Sales,
1907 Apr.-Sept.
Volume
270
Daily Sales,
1908 Feb.-July
Volume
271
Daily Sales,
1910 Apr.-June, and
1912 July-Aug.
Volume
272
Daily Sales,
1913 Jan.-May
Volume
273
Daily Sales,
1913 May-Sept.
Volume
274
Daily Sales,
1914 June-Oct.
Volume
275
Daily Sales,
1914 Oct.-1915 Feb.
Volume
276
Daily Sales,
1915 Feb.-July
Volume
277
Daily Sales,
1915 July-Dec.
Volume
278
Daily Sales,
1915 Dec.-1916 June
Volume
279
Daily Sales,
1916 June-Sept.
Volume
280
Daily Sales,
1916 Sept.-1917 Feb.
Volume
281
Daily Sales,
1917 Feb.-June
Volume
282
Daily Sales,
1917 June-Oct.
Volume
283
Daily Sales,
1917 Oct.-1918 May
Volume
284
Daily Sales,
1918 May-Oct.
Volume
285
Invoice Book,
1905 June-Dec.
Volume
286
Invoice Book,
1907 Jan.-1908 Jan.
(Includes
Dunlop letters of
1906 July-Sept.)
Volume
287
Invoice Book,
1908 Jan.-Feb.
(Including some
Dunlop cost records of 1907 Oct.)
Volume
288
Invoice Book,
1909 Nov.-1910 Mar.
Volume
289
Factory Order Sheets,
1915 July-Dec.
Volume
58
Shipping Book,
1902 Nov-1903 Dec.
Volume
290
Shipping Book,
1904 Jan.-Nov.
Volume
291
Shipping Book,
1905 Sept.-1906 Jan.
Volume
292
Shipping Book,
1906 June-Oct.
Volume
293
Shipping Book,
1906 Oct.-1907 Feb.
Volume
294
Shipping Book,
1907 Feb.-June
Volume
295
Shipping Book,
1907 June-Sept.
Volume
296
Shipping Book,
1907 Sept.-Dec.
Volume
297
Shipping Book,
1907 Dec.-1908 Mar.
Volume
298
Shipping Book,
1908 Mar.-June
Volume
299
Shipping Book,
1908 Nov.-1909 Feb.
Volume
300
Shipping Book,
1913 Jan.-1914 Nov.
Volume
301
Petersburg Sales,
1913-1915
Volume
302
Wrapping Material Stock Book,
1904-1906
Volume
303
Wrapping Material Stock Book,
1906-1910
Volume
304
Wrapping Material Stock Book,
1910
Volume
305
Wrapping Material Stock Book,
1911
Volume
306
Wrapping Material Stock Book,
1912
Volume
307
Wrapping Material Stock Book,
1913
Payroll and Time Books
These books of wages and hours presumably belonged to the
factory at Petersburg that manufactured all the brands of
British-American and its subsidiaries. Brand
names of the different firms occasionally appear in the volumes. The Time Books
have three different formats - apparently for different parts of the operations
- and like volumes are listed together. The tables of contents of the two
Payroll Ledgers of
1918 list the
Leaf Department and
Factories No. 1 and No. 2, and the workers
in the factories are divided into various categories, some of which are
divisions within the plants.
Volume
308
Time Book,
1903 Sept.-1904 Sept.
Volume
309
Time Book,
1905 June-1907 Jan.
Volume
310
Time Book,
1908 Dec.-1910 Oct.
Volume
47
Time Book,
1901 Oct.-1905 Oct.
(Gap in records:
1904 Aug.-1905 June; records of
1903-1904 are from
Old St.,
Wythe St., and
West Hill factories)
Volume
311
Time Book,
1906 Apr.-1908 Feb.
Volume
312
Time Book,
1908 Feb.-1909 Dec.
Volume
313
Time Book,
1909 Dec.-1911 July
Volume
314
Payroll Book,
1902 Nov.-1904 Dec.
Volume
315
Payroll Book,
1918 Sept.-Nov.
Volume
316
Payroll Book,
1918 Dec.
Volume
317
Payroll Ledger Factory No. 1,
1918
Volume
318
Payroll Ledger Factory No. 2,
1918
Volume
319
Work Sheet Stock Book,
1905-1906
Volume
320
Work Sheet Stock Book for Fillers, Wrappers, and
Casings,
1908-1913
Volume
321
Leaf Stock Book for Factory, No. 2,
1906-1907
Volume
322
Leaf Stock Book for Factory, No. 4,
1908-1909
Volume
323
Leaf Stock Book for Factory, No. 5,
1910
Volume
324
Leaf Stock Book for Factory, No. 6,
1911
Volume
325
Leaf Stock Book for Factory, No. 7,
1912
Volume
326
Leaf Stock Book for Factory, No. 8,
1913
Volume
327
Leaf Stock Bock for Daily Factory Reports, No. 1,
1905-1906
Volume
328
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 2,
1906-1907
Volume
329
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 3,
1907-1908
Volume
330
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 4,
1909
Volume
331
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 5,
1910
Volume
332
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 6,
1911
Volume
333
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 7,
1912
Volume
334
Leaf Stock Book for Daily Factory Reports, No. 8,
1913
Volume
335
Stock Book,
1903
Volume
336
Stock Book,
1904-1905
Volume
337
Stock Book,
1916 (Including some
entries of
1915 Dec.)
Volume
338
Stock Book,
1917 (Including some
records from
1915-1916)
Volume
339
Brands Stock Book,
1903
Volume
340
Brands Stock Book, No. 1,
1904
Volume
341
Brands Stock Book, No. 2,
1904
Volume
342
Casing Stock Book,
1909
Volume
343
Casing Stock Book,
1910
Volume
344
Casing Stock Book,
1911
Volume
345
Casing Stock Book,
1912
Volume
346
Casing Stock Book,
1913
Volume
347
Casing Cost and Distribution Stock Book,
1913
Volume
348
Record of Tobacco Prized,
1903-1904
Volume
349
Record of Tobacco Prized,
1905-1908
Volume
350
Record of Tobacco Prized,
1905-1910
Volume
351
Record of Tobacco Prized,
1906-1911
Volume
352
Record of Tobacco Prized,
1908-1910
Volume
353
Record of Hogsheads of Leaf Sent to Warehouses,
1911-1912
Volume
354
Old St. and Wythe St. Leaf Accounts,
1904-1905
Volume
355
Record of Dutiable and Taxable Materials Received in
and Exported from the Bonded Manufacturing Warehouse,
1906-1909
Volume
356
Record of Drawback Entries for Granulated Sugar and
Nulomoline,
1912-1913
Export Leaf Tobacco Company
The Export Leaf Tobacco Co. was listed in
1918 and
1924 as a substantial subsidiary of
British-American that operated as the latter's
tobacco buying agency. It was still listed in
1967 in
Moody's Manual of Investments where it
was described as a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. that was in
turn owned entirely by
British-American. Information about
Export Leaf Tobacco Co. can be found in: the
city directories of
Petersburg and
Richmond; Reavis Cox,
Competition in the American Tobacco
Industry,
1911-1932 (New York,
1933 ); and in Nannie May Tilley,
The Bright-Tobacco Industry,
1860-1929 (Chapel Hill,
1948).
Less than a dozen volumes represent the operations of
Export Leaf, and it is not always certain what
functions the accounts were meant to record or to which department and city
they belonged. In
1919 there was a department at
Richmond, according to the city directory, and
several volumes are labeled
"Richmond
Stemmery"
,
"Richmond Storage,"
and
"R. S."
In the
Petersburg directory for
1915-1916 the company was referred to as a tobacco
stemmer and repriser, and several volumes are labeled
"Petersburg Dept."
In any case, these books
relate more to storage, inventory, and processing than to the firm's activity
as a buying agent for
British-American.
There is a large collection of papers of the
Export Leaf Tobacco Company at East Carolina
University.
Petersburg Department
Receiving Book,
1914-1915
Volume
358
Transfer Book, No. 4,
1913 Oct.-Nov.
Volume
359
Wrapper Dept., Picking Results,
1912-1914 (Mostly
1913-1914)
Richmond Stemmery
Leaf Used in the Stemming Room,
1913
Volume
361
Leaf Used in the Stemming Room,
1913-1915
Volume
362
Leaf Used in the Stemming Room,
1915-1916
Volume
363
Leaf Used in the Stemming Room,
1916
Volume
364
Storage Book,
1913
Volume
365
Storage Book,
1913-1914
Bland Tobacco Company
The
Bland Tobacco Co. of
Petersburg, a manufacturer of plug tobacco,
appeared in the city directories in the later
1890s. It was dissolved after the
American Tobacco Co. purchased its entire
capital stock in
1904. Bland was a small factory For its trial balance
of early
1905 listed capital stock of only $50,000. The
company is noted in the
Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on
the Tobacco Industry (Washington,
1909), p. 185.
There are only two volumes for this company, but one of them
includes significant information about it.
Volume
366
Statements,
1904 Sept.-1905 Jan.
(Includes trial balances Monthly cost details, closing entries,
sales, expenses, etc.)
Volume
367
Checkbook,
1904 June-Dec.
