Table of Contents

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Related Materials

Separations List

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the Howland Family Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Biographical Note

Joseph Howland, the son of Gideon Howland of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, was born in 1762. He engaged in the West Indies trade from Boston and New Bedford, Mass., acting as merchant, managing owner, and captain for such vessels as the Franklin (Sloop) and the Emigrant (Schooner). Two merchant firms were formed by Howland. The first, called Joseph Howland & Company, seems to have included his uncle, Cornelius Grinnell, and was active in New Bedford from about 1798-1802. The second firm, Joseph Howland & Son, in which his son, Francis Howland (1787-1834), was most probably the partner, was also active in New Bedford, from about 1804-1820. Joseph Howland lived and worked for a number of years in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., before returning to Dartmouth, Mass., where he died in 1839. His brother, John Hicks Howland, was born in Dartmouth in 1774. He commanded merchant vessels, many for his brother, Joseph, before starting his own business in 1798. In 1810 he moved to New York City, N.Y., where he became a prominent shipping merchant, residing there until his death in 1849.

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Scope and Content Note

Materials in this collection principally reflect the mercantile and personal activities of Joseph Howland from 1788-1885. Of primary importance is incoming and outgoing business and personal correspondence, 1789-1827, which includes letters from his brother, Gideon Howland Jr. and other members of the Howland and Grinnell families concerning current market values in New York City; from a shipmaster concerning shipping blacks to New Orleans; and from a friend concerning the peace agreement at the close of the War of 1812. This material is supplemented by financial records including accounts current, invoices of goods shipped, and insurance policies on vessels, dating 1788-1825; legal documents, 1792-1838, including apprenticeship indentures, power of attorney certificates, and a copy of his will; French spoliation claims, 1800-1885, consisting of newspaper clippings, notes, and correspondence of Maximilian Eppendorff, Howland's son-in-law; and a travel journal outlining his trip to Michigan in 1825.

The records of Joseph Howland & Company, 1798-1801, consist of insurance policies, a letter to John Howland, and a bill. Joseph Howland & Son is represented by financial records, encompassing a ledger, 1804-1811, for food stuffs and hardware sold to individuals and vessels, and bills and receipts, 1808-1819; incoming correspondence, 1811-1813, concerning the sale of flour and salt; and an insurance policy, 1812.

John Hicks Howland's papers consist of a letter concerning the capture of a vessel in 1814 and a letter to Joseph from John H. Howland & Company, New York City, N.Y., 1822; financial records, 1822; and a holograph copy of his will, 1852. His wife, Sarah Hazard Howland, and his daughter, Sarah Rodman Howland Gillies Osgood, are represented by a copy of a sampler, 1802, and a copy of letter to John Hicks Howland, 1850, respectively. It should be noted that among the papers of each individual and each company are photocopies of original documents, copied before 1980. Printed works which provide additional information on the Howland family are: The Howland Heirs by William M. Emery (1919) and A Brief Genealogical and Biographical History of Arthur, Henry, and John Howland and Their Descendants by Franklyn Howland (1885).

Arrangement of Collection

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Information for Researchers

Access to the Collection

Unrestricted. Consult librarian for an appointment.

Preferred Citation

New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library Mss 63 [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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Related Materials

Related Manuscript Collections

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Separations List

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Administrative Information

Provenance

The bulk of material in this collection was given to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society by Lawrence Osgood on 22 December 1980. A ledger was the gift of Alec DeHart on 12 November 1920.

Processing Information

Processed by: Barbara E. Austen, ca. 1982

Encoded by: Mark Procknik, 19 August 2011

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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Vessel Names

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