1783-1892
Guide to the Microfilm Edition
Abstract
This collection consists of the personal papers and business records of Thomas H. Perkins (1764-1854), including correspondence, diaries, invoices, account books, ledgers, and other papers.
Biographical Sketch
Thomas Handasyd Perkins was born in Boston on 15 December 1764, the son of James and Elizabeth (Peck) Perkins. In the 1780s, with a bequest from his grandfather Thomas Handasyd Peck, he set up as a merchant with his brothers James and Samuel in Haiti, then a French colony known as Saint-Domingue. The Perkinses trafficked enslaved people in Haiti--in addition to trading cotton, sugar, coffee, and rum--until the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804.
Beginning in the late 1780s, Thomas H. Perkins was active in the China trade, dealing in tea, spices, and other products, as well as skins and furs from the northwest coast of the United States. He also smuggled opium, which was prohibited by the Chinese government. As a merchant, he traveled extensively, including to France during the French Revolution. After the death of his brother James in 1822, he largely retired from active business, having amassed a great fortune.
Thomas H. Perkins was a member of the Federalist Party and served various terms as a Massachusetts state legislator between 1805 and 1817. He also invested in many commercial businesses, including railroads, mines, canals, hotels, and textile mills, and supported organizations such as the Boston Athenaeum, Massachusetts General Hospital, and McLean Hospital. He was instrumental in the founding of the Perkins School for the Blind, which operated for a few years out of his mansion in South Boston and was named in his honor.
Thomas H. Perkins married Sarah Eliot (or Elliot) in 1788, and the couple had eleven children. After his appointment as lieutenant colonel of an honor guard battalion to guard and escort the Massachusetts governor at public events, he was generally known as "Col. Perkins." He died on 11 January 1854 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Sources
Arnott, Jennifer. "Thomas Handasyd Perkins." Perkins Archives Blog. Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown MA. 2022. https://www.perkins.org/thomas-h-perkins/. Accessed 9 March 2026.
Cary, Thomas G. Memoir of Thomas Handasyd Perkins; Containing Extracts From His Diaries and Letters. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1856.
Hidden Jamaica Plain. "James Perkins: Slave Trader, Enslaver and Opium Smuggler." Jamaica Plain Historical Society. https://www.jphs.org/colonial-era/2022/perkinsslavetraders#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 9 March 2026.
Collection Description
The Thomas Handasyd Perkins papers consist of the personal papers of Thomas Handasyd Perkins and the records of various Perkins trading firms, including correspondence, invoices, and other business papers related to late 18th-century and early 19th-century mercantile trade. Subjects include the Boston Tea Party, 18th-century uprisings of enslaved people in Haiti, and trade during the War of 1812. Among the significant correspondents are John Jacob Astor, Robert Bennet Forbes, and Georges Washington Motier de Lafayette. The bound volumes include diaries of Thomas H. Perkins; a letterbook of his grandson Thomas H. Perkins III (1823-1900); and account books, blotters, journals, ledgers, letterbooks, and waste books of the firms E. Bumstead & Co., J. & T. H. Perkins, J. & T. H. Perkins & Sons, and Perkins & Co.
The collection is divided into three series: I. Loose papers; II. Oversize papers; and III. Bound volumes. This guide also contains an Select Index of correspondents in Series I (Loose papers), names mentioned in Series II (Oversize papers), authors and owners of the volumes in Series III (Bound volumes), and select individuals and subjects of historical significance found in the collection.
Acquisition Information
Gift of George Edward Cabot, 1922.
Other Formats
Digital facsimiles of parts of the Thomas Handasyd Perkins papers are available on China, America and the Pacific, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Loose papers, 1789-1853
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains correspondence, invoices, bills of lading, and other papers related to late 18th-century and early 19th-century mercantile trade. Significant subjects include the perils of trading during the French Revolution and the War of 1812, the 18th-century uprisings of enslaved people in Haiti, and the sometimes violent encounters between traders and Native Americans on the northwest coast of America. Among the notable correspondents represented in this series are John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Fisher Ames, John Jacob Astor, Edward Everett, John Murray Forbes, Robert Bennet Forbes, Georges Washington Motier de Lafayette, and Jonathan Mason.
For a list of the correspondents in this series, see the Select Index.
1789-1805
1806-1853
II. Oversize papers, 1795-1851
This series consists mainly of newspaper clippings and legal documents pertaining to the sea trade.
For a list of the names mentioned in this series, see the Select Index.
III. Bound volumes, 1783-1892
For a list of the authors or owners of the volumes in this series, see the Select Index.
A. Personal journals, 1789-1892
This subseries contains the diaries and personal journals of Thomas H. Perkins, including one letterbook (Vol. 32) of his grandson Thomas H. Perkins III (1823-1900). Most of the journals describe the travels of the Perkins family in Europe and the United States.
13 July 1789
Voyage on ship Charlotte to Bordeaux, 14 December 1794-2 February 1795
At Paris, France, 12 March-21 May 1795
France to Holland and back, 10 May-6 June 1795
Paris to Amsterdam, 6 June-24 July 1795
Europe and England, 1 July-29 September 1795
At Saratoga Springs, New York, 3-12 September 1800
On a voyage to Bristol, England, 27 August-30 September 1811
At Cherbourg, 14 May 1812, 1 June 1812
London to Boston, 11 June 1820, 10 July 1823
Liverpool, England, 11 May-5 July 1823
London to Holland, July 1823
Voyage on ship Milo, 14 April-31 July 1826
Trip to England, 4 May 1826
Voyage on Margaret Forbes to London, 13 July-5 August 1829, and Dover to Boston, 20 September-22 October 1829
In England, August-September 1829
Account books, 30 November 1834-2 January 1835, and at London, 22 March 1835
London to Paris, 4-19 April 1835
In Europe, 19 April-5 May 1835
In Europe, 9 May-9 June 1835
In Europe, 12-29 June 1835
In Europe, 9-13 July 1835
St. Louis to Canada up Mississippi River, 8-29 July 1837
Voyage on Patrick Henry, Liverpool to New York, 27 April-30 May 1841
Voyage on Massachusetts, New York to Liverpool and return, 15 September-13 November 1845
Saratoga Springs, New York, 18 July 1846
At Saratoga Springs, 17 July-1 August 1847
At Saratoga Springs, 3-22 July 1854
Inventory of Perkins property in Temple Place and Brookline houses, [1854?]
Journal of reminiscences of England and Wales, 1 July 1812
Memorandum book, 1824-1828
Thomas H. Perkins III letterbook, 1888-1892
B. Business papers, 1783-1857
This subseries contains account books, blotters, journals, ledgers, letterbooks, waste books, and other records of the various firms with which Thomas H. Perkins was associated, including E. Bumstead & Co.; J. & T. H. Perkins; J. & T. H. Perkins & Sons; and Perkins and Co. Subjects include trade practices in Haiti, China, and Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
E. Bumstead & Co. papers
Blotter, 25 January 1803-20 October 1805
Journal, 6 February 1804-20 October 1805
Cabot papers
Handasyd Cabot account book, 1834-1835
Extracts of J. & T. H. Perkins letterbooks, compiled by James Elliot Cabot, 1786-1838
Typescript of extracts of J & T. H. Perkins letterbooks, compiled by James Elliot Cabot, 1786-1838
Note: This volume is a duplicate of Vol. 36, so it has not been microfilmed.
Photocopy of extracts of J & T. H. Perkins letterbooks, compiled by James Elliot Cabot, 1786-1838
Note: This volume is a duplicate of Vol. 36, so it has not been microfilmed.
S. Cabot waste book, 1829-1857
J & T. H. Perkins papers
Account book, 20 July 1819-30 November 1827
Blotter, 18 January 1797-3 August 1798
Blotter, 5 December 1805-23 September 1807
Blotter, 24 September 1807-20 July 1810
Blotter, 30 April 1818-12 October 1820
Blotter, 17 October 1820-30 November 1827
Invoice book, 10 September 1803-26 December 1811
Invoice book, 5 August 1819-3 May 1823
Journal, 25 February 1798-25 February 1800
Journal, 26 February 1800-30 December 1801
Journal, 1 May 1804-15 May 1806
Journal, 16 January 1821-30 November 1827
Ledger, 1818-1824
Letterbook, 3 April 1807-5 January 1815
Sales book, 29 March 1817-10 March 1823
Trial balance book, 20 January 1820-24 February 1825
J & T. H. Perkins & Sons papers
Account book, 5 January 1821-July 1835
Invoice book, 20 December 1820-7 November 1832
Invoice book, 28 October 1826-24 September 1832
Journal, 12 February 1825-7 June 1827
Journal, 7 June 1827-November 1835
Ledger, August 1822-November 1835
Sales book, 24 April 1821-9 December 1837
Trial balance book, 2 January 1832-27 May 1836
Waste book, 23 October 1824-3 July 1826
Waste book, 5 July 1826-31 December 1827
Perkins & Co. papers
Invoice book, 10-15 November 1805
Journal, 1 October 1828-11 July 1829
Ledger, 31 January 1832-December 1844
Waste book, 20 February 1828-30 November 1830
Prince and Cabot papers
Account book, 10 December 1783-19 June 1785
Select Index
Listed below are the correspondents in Series I (Loose papers), the names mentioned in Series II (Oversize papers), the authors or owners of the volumes in Series III (Bound volumes), and select individuals and subjects of historical significance found in the collection. The numbers following each item indicate the box(es) and folder(s) where information about that individual or subject is located. For example, information about Mrs. M. Abbot can be found in Box 2, Folder 6.
| Abbot, Mrs. M., 2.6 |
| Adams, John, 1.2, 2.6, Box OS |
| Adams, John Quincy, 2.7, Box OS |
| Adams, Samuel, 1.2, Box OS |
| Aligator (ship), 1.3 |
| Allen, Andrew, Jr., 2.2 |
| Ames, Fisher, 1.7 |
| Amory, Thomas C., 1.6 |
| Anubis (ship), 1.6 |
| Armstrong, Francis, 1.6 |
| Astor, John Jacob, 2.1 |
| Astrea (ship), 1.2 |
| Atalante (brig), 1.6 |
| Augusta (ship), 2.6 |
| Bangs, Edward, Box OS |
| Bartlett, Moses, 2.1 |
| Bates, Joshua, 2.8 |
| Bayard, Sam, 1.9 |
| Beau, Madam, 2.2 |
| Bellerire, Barry de, 1.4, 1.7, 1.8, 1.10 |
| Bienaime, Luigi, 2.10 |
| Blagge, Sam, 1.2, Box OS |
| Bolton, W. C., 2.10 |
| Boston Female Asylum, 2.1 |
| Boston Tea Party (1773), 2.4 |
| Boutarel, 1.9 |
| Bradbury, Francis, 2.1 |
| Bradford, Alden, Box OS |
| Bradford, Samuel, 1.1 |
| Brooks, J., Box OS |
| Bryant & Sturgis, 2.4, Box OS |
| Buchanan, William, 1.2 |
| Bulls, Fred, 1.2 |
| Bumstead, Ephraim, 1.10, Vols. 33-34 |
| Bumstead, E. & Co., Vols. 33-34 |
| Bumstead, John, 2.1 |
| Burling, Thomas, 1.6 |
| Burling, Walter, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 2.1 |
| Cabot, Eliza, 2.5, 2.9, 2.10 |
| Cabot, James Elliot, Vols. 36, 37, 38 |
| Cabot, Richard C., 2.9 |
| Cabot, S., Vol. 39 |
| Cabot, S. & J. & T. H. Perkins, Jrs., 2.4 |
| Cabot, Samuel, 2.4, 2.6, 2.9, 2.10, Box OS, Vols. 56-65, 67-69 |
| Cabot, Thomas Handasyd, Vol. 35 |
| Cape Francis uprisings of enslaved people, 1.2, 1.3 |
| Carter, James, 1.3 |
| Cary, T. G., 2.9 |
| Chalmers, William, 1.2 |
| Comerford, James, 2.7 |
| Corbieres, Madam de, 1.5, 1.6 |
| Corbieres, Henry, 1.6, 1.7 |
| Coublan, Madey de, 1.8, 1.9 |
| Crafts, Thomas, 1.5 |
| Crafts, W. & E., 1.5 |
| Crafts, William, 1.10 |
| Cunningham, Capt. William, 1.9 |
| Curson, Samuel, 2.6 |
| Curtis, Zebina, 1.10 |
| Curwen, Joseph, 2.2, 2.8 |
| Cushing, John P., 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, Vols. 66-69 |
| Cushing, Robert, 1.2 |
| Davis, Eleanor, 2.1 |
| Davis, J. P., 2.1 |
| Dearborn, Henry A. S., Box OS |
| Deblois, Stephen, 1.6 |
| Degen, Purviance & Co., 1.10 |
| Degen & Schwartz, 1.5 |
| Delight (brig), 1.3, Box OS |
| Derby, Charles, 1.6 |
| Derby, Elias Hasket, 1.2 |
| Dobell, Peter, 2.4 |
| Dodge, Unite, 1.5, 1.6 |
| Drew, Nehemiah, 1.6 |
| Dufort, A., 1.3, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10 |
| Dumerisq, P., 2.7 |
| Dutilh, Morin & Co., 1.3 |
| Duxbury (brig), 2.6 |
| Eckley, J., 1.4 |
| Edes, Robert, Box OS |
| Elliot, Simon, 1.3 |
| Emigrant Society, 1.4 |
| Enigheden (brig), 1.5 |
| Erie, Fort, siege (1814), 2.2 |
| Everett, Edward, 2.5, 2.7 |
| Fame (ship), 1.6 |
| Federal George (brig), 1.6 |
| Fitz Patres, Madame, 1.2 |
| Five Sisters (schooner), 1.8 |
| Forbes, J. G., 1.3 |
| Forbes, John M., 1.9, 2.6, 2.9 |
| Forbes, J. & R. B., 1.8, 1.9 |
| Forbes, R. Bennet, 1.4, 1.8, 2.3, 2.6, 2.7, 2.9, 2.10 |
| Forbes, Thomas, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 |
| Frazier, Charles, 1.3 |
| Frestel, 1.5 |
| Frothingham, Eliza, 2.1 |
| Gallet, A., 1.10 |
| Garesche, T. P., 1.9 |
| Ghent, Treaty of (1814), 2.3 |
| Gibbs & Channing, 1.6, 1.8 |
| Glyn, Thomas C., 2.7 |
| Gray, John, 1.4 |
| Gray, William, Jr., 1.6 |
| Greene, John B., 2.3 |
| Hancock, John, 1.2, Box OS |
| Hannah (ship), 1.6 |
| Hanson, A. C., 2.1 |
| Hawker, J. M., 2.3 |
| Hays, M. M., 1.2 |
| Heath, Ebenezer, 2.6 |
| Higginson, H., 2.1 |
| Higginson, [Jno.], 1.4, 1.5 |
| Higginson, Stephen & Co., 1.5 |
| Hill, Samuel, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 |
| [Hinned], Henry, 1.9 |
| Hunt, Jonathan, 2.5 |
| Jamina & Fanny (brig), 1.6 |
| Jane (brig), 1.5 |
| Jay (brig), 1.5 |
| Jay's Treaty (1794), 1.4 |
| Jefferson, Thomas, Box OS |
| Katy (brig), 1.3 |
| Keith, James, 2.4 |
| Kimball, Hazen, 1.7 |
| Kirkland, J. T., 2.9 |
| Lafayette, Georges Washington Motier de, 1.5 |
| Lamb, James & Thomas, 2.1 |
| Lane, John, 1.2 |
| Larroque, P. M., 1.2 |
| Leipzig, Battle of (1813), 2.2 |
| Lewis, Amos, 1.1 |
| Lewis, Mrs., 2.3 |
| Lincoln, Levi, Box OS |
| Lincoln, P., 2.1 |
| Little, George, 1.7 |
| Lowell, John, 2.5 |
| Lucretia (brig), 1.5 |
| Magee, Bernard, 1.9 |
| Magee, James, Jr., 1.9 |
| Mahala Winsor (brig), 1.5 |
| Manner, Henry, 1.8, 1.9 |
| Manoel, P., 1.8, 1.9 |
| Marryat, Samuel, 2.7 |
| Mason, Jonathan, 1.8 |
| Massachusetts (steamship), 2.10 |
| Massachusetts Militia, Corps of Independent Cadets, 1.1, 1.7, Box OS |
| Meger, W., 1.8 |
| Miller, Alexander, 1.10 |
| Monroe, James, 1.4, Box OS |
| Montnoel, [Lejeune de], 1.1 |
| Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus, Box OS |
| Munro, James, 1.6 |
| Napoleon I, 2.2, 2.3 |
| Nautilus (ship), 2.6 |
| Nichols, Ichabod, 1.2, 1.3 |
| Nile (brig), 2.6, 2.7, Box OS |
| Newell, George, 2.7 |
| Newton, E. A., 2.9 |
| Ophelia (ship), Box OS |
| Otis, H. G., 1.6 |
| Otis, Samuel A., 1.3 |
| Perkins, Elizabeth, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 |
| Perkins, James (1733-1773), 1.1, 2.4 |
| Perkins, James (1761-1822), 2.5, Vols. 33, 34, 36-38, 40-58, 62, 66 |
| Perkins, James, Jr. (1791-1828), 2.6, Vols. 56-62, 64, 65, 66 |
| Perkins, J. & T. H., 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7, Box OS, Vols. 40-55 |
| Perkins, J. & T. H. & Sons, 2.6, Vols. 56-65 |
| Perkins, James H., 2.9 |
| Perkins, Samuel G., 1.3, 2.3, Box OS |
| Perkins, Stephen H., 2.7, Box OS |
| Perkins, Thomas H. (1764-1854), 1.2-10, 2.1-10, Box OS, Vols. 1-31, 33-34, 36-38, 40-69 |
| Perkins, Thomas H., Jr. (1796-1850), 2.4, 2.6, Vols. 56-65 |
| Perkins, Thomas H., III (1823-1900), Vol. 32 |
| Perkins & Co., 2.9, Box OS, Vols. 66-69 |
| Perkins, Burling & Co., 1.2, 1.3 |
| Philips, William, Box OS |
| Pierce, John, 2.10 |
| Pinkham, B., 1.5 |
| Port-au-Prince, Hispaniola, 1.3 |
| Prince & Cabot, Vol. 70 |
| [Puk], W., 1.7 |
| Purkitt, John, Box OS |
| Raimond, S., 1.5 |
| Ramirez, Alexander, 1.6, 1.7 |
| Ranger (brig), 1.2 |
| Raybaud, 1.3 |
| Rebecca (brig), 1.6 |
| Revere, Paul, 1.6 |
| Robinson, John, 2.6 |
| Rush, Richard, Box OS |
| Russell, John, 1.5 |
| Russell, N. P., 2.1 |
| Russell & Co., 2.9 |
| Sandos, Charles, 2.2, 2.3 |
| Santo Domingo, 1.2, 1.3 |
| Sargent, Ignatius, 1.7 |
| Sargent, J. T., 1.10 |
| Sedgwick, Robert, 2.5 |
| Smith, J. Adams, Box OS |
| Smith, Joseph, 2.9 |
| Smith, Timbrell & Co., 2.3 |
| Southgate, Richard, 2.9 |
| Sparks, Jared, 2.10 |
| Stille, John, 1.2 |
| Strong, Caleb, Box OS |
| Sturgis, George W., 2.4 |
| Sturgis, Josiah, 1.8, 1.9 |
| Sturgis, Russell, 1.4 |
| Sullivan, William, 2.5 |
| Swift, Benjamin, 2.1 |
| Thomas (schooner), 1.6 |
| Thomas Russell (brig), 1.6 |
| Thompson, James, 1.8 |
| Thorndike, Israel, 1.3 |
| Thouin, Claude, 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 1.10 |
| Todd, Samuel, 1.5 |
| Triton (schooner), 1.6 |
| Tyndal, N. C., 2.7 |
| United States Naval Benevolent Association, 2.9 |
| Vemond, John F., 1.3 |
| Vernon, William, 2.5 |
| Vila, James, 1.5 |
| Wagner, Jacob, 1.7 |
| Wall, T., 1.2 |
| Washington, George, 1.2, Box OS |
| Waters, Josiah, 1.5 |
| Weller & Williams, 2.4 |
| Whyte, Oliver, 2.6 |
| Williams, C., 2.3 |
| Williams, S., 2.3 |
| Willing, Thomas, 1.6 |
| Wills, Arnold, 1.2 |
| Winship & Davis, 2.4 |
| Winslow, George, 2.6 |
| Winslow, Isaac, 1.10 |
| Wolcott, Oliver, 1.7 |
| Wyman, Simon, 1.5 |
| Yznardi, Joseph M., 1.3 |
Preferred Citation
Thomas Handasyd Perkins papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.