Table of Contents

Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Separations List

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the White Family Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Historical Note

The American progenitor of the White family of Freetown and Acushnet, Massachusetts, William White, was a passenger on the Mayflower and an early settler of Rochester, Mass. The Freetown branch of the family, headed by Thomas White (1722-1799), principally consisted of yeomen farmers, although one member, Marchant White (ca. 1795-1880), served as a Massachusetts state legislator in 1856. William White (1721-1817) was the head of the Acushnet branch of the family whose most notable members, William White (1757-1865) and his sons, Phineas White (1785-1877), William White Jr. (b. 1787), and Benjamin White (b. 1798), owned and operated a cotton mill from about 1800-1844 in a part of Fairhaven which later became the town of Acushnet. The mill was built near the site of a sawmill and between 1800-1814, several other buildings were added to the complex including a gristmill, dye house, and dwellings for operatives. Before the company was sold in 1844, it was known as William White Jr. & Company until 1841 and then as Phineas White & Company from 1841-1844.

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Scope and Content Note

Of primary importance among the materials in this collection are the business records of William White Jr. & Company and its successor, Phineas White & Company, cotton manufacturers at Fairhaven, Mass. The records of the former company encompass a ledger, 1815-1845, labor records, 1822-1831, and deeds, 1777-1841. The latter company is represented by financial records, 1841-1845, including a day book, and incoming correspondence, 1842-1844.

Other papers in this collection reflect the activities of members of the Acushnet and Freetown, Mass., branches of the White family from 1746-1916, and include correspondence; deeds, estate records, guardianship papers, and similar legal documents; general and tax receipts, bills, promissory notes, and similar financial records; and personal papers. Family members represented by the largest amount of material are William White, 1780-1829, his son Phineas White, 1828-1907, and his grandson, Augustus White, 1853-1916.

Arrangement of Collection

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Information for Researchers

Access to Collections

Unrestricted. Consult librarian for an appointment.

Preferred Citation

New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library Mss 37, [sub-group, series, sub-series, folder/volume as appropriate], [item]

Copyright Notice

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 United States Code 552a) governs the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include:

If the researcher later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the researcher is personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement and agrees to indemnify the New Bedford Whaling Museum from any legal action as a result of the error. Permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document does not indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from the document without permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded.

Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead, from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g. employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright is not necessarily the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use."

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy law. This institution also places restrictions on the use of cameras, photocopiers, and scanners in the research room.

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Separations List

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Administrative Information

Provenance

Materials in this collection were given to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society by Miss Emma L. White in 1957 and on 21 September 1966.

Processing Information

Processed by: Barbara B. Austen ca. 1982

Encoded by: Robbin Smith, 09 January 2012

Funds for processing this collection were provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Description

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Subject Headings

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