Inventory of the James Hamilton Papers, 1784-1892
Abstract
Merchant and plantation owner of Charleston, S.C., later of Philadelphia, Pa.
Business correspondence, receipts, and accounts, including papers related to several of Hamilton's business partnerships and numerous private transactions. There are also papers from voyages of ships in which he had a major interest. The collection concludes with items related to the settlement of his estate from 1832 to 1870.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Hamilton, James, 1763-1829.
- Title
- James Hamilton Papers, 1784-1892
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 15 Linear Feet, 3666 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
Collection includes business correspondence, receipts, and accounts, including papers related to several of Hamilton's business partnerships and numerous private transactions. There are also papers from voyages of ships in which he had a major interest. The collection concludes with items related to the settlement of his estate from 1832 to 1870.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this 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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Correspondence, 1784-1892
Subject headings found in the correspondence were compiled by a researcher in 2005.
Includes cotton and rice, London market, and shipping.
Includes cotton and rice, London market, shipping, and one letter from niece in London, 1804.
Includes tobacco, steam engine (1805), cotton, financial, panic, France (1806), and politics.
Includes rice and tobacco.
Includes poor crops (1808) and other miscellaneous materials.
Business Papers
Financial Papers
Commerce
Trading Voyages, 1796-1818
Estate Settlement
Miscellaneous
Historical Note
James Hamilton was born in 1763 in Scotland, and came to the colonies as a young adult. He established a business in Charleston, S.C., prior to the Revolutionary War. After the war, he purchased a plantation on St. Simons Island, and later jointly owned (with John Couper) a second plantation property on the Altamaha River, near Darien, Georgia. Hamilton had three children. He died in 1829.
Subject Headings
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], James Hamilton Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The James Hamilton Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchase in May 1976.
Processing Information
Processed by Rubenstein Library Staff/Ruth E. Bryan, May 2005
Encoded by Meghan Lyon, December 2010
Accession from May 28, 1976 is described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
