1742-1884; bulk: 1861-1867
Guide to the Collection
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| Creator: | Browne, Albert G. (Albert
Gallatin), 1805-1885 |
| Title: | Albert Gallatin Browne
papers |
| Dates: | 1742-1884 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1861-1867 |
| Physical Description: | 11
document boxes, 18 volumes, and 1 oversize container |
| Call Number: | Ms. N-119 |
| Repository: | Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
library@masshist.org |
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Abstract:
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This collection consists of the papers of Albert
Gallatin Browne of Massachusetts, kept while serving as a special supervising
agent of the Treasury Department in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida during
the Civil War.
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Albert Gallatin Browne was born in Salem, Mass., on December 8, 1805, to
James Browne and Lydia Vincent Browne. Before the Civil War, Browne was a
partner in the ship chandler and ropemaker firm of Whiton, Browne, and
Wheelwright of Boston and Salem. During the Civil War, Browne served as the
special supervising agent, 5th Special Agency of the U.S. Treasury Department
in Beaufort, Port Royal, and Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga. He was in
charge of seizing supplies and goods left behind by the Confederate Army for
shipment to the North and supervising trade and commerce in areas of the
Confederacy occupied by U.S. forces. Under certain acts, the agency received
and collected abandoned, captured, and seizable property. Albert G. Browne died
in 1885.
The Albert Gallatin Browne papers contain correspondence with government
officials, the War Department, and others relating to Browne's duties as
special supervising agent; lists of captured and abandoned property;
expenditures; deposits and receipts; printed and manuscript government
regulations pertaining to treasury agents; orders for subsistence stores;
vouchers for seized merchandise; legal documents regarding the ownership of
cotton and other confiscated items; letterbooks; printed material; and account
books. Also included are letters written to Browne by his son Albert G. Browne,
Jr. (1835-1891), who served as military secretary to Massachusetts Governor
John A. Andrew during the Civil War, and miscellaneous letters collected while
in the South.
Gift of Warburton K. VerPlanck, Nov. 1980 and May 1987.
The collection is organized into the following series:
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| I. Professional papers, 1863-1868 |
| | A. Correspondence, 1863-1867 |
| | B. Financial records, 1863-1868 |
| II: Personal papers, 1830-1873 |
| | A. Correspondence, 1852-1873 |
| | B. Papers collected, 1830-1865 |
| III. Printed material, 1742-1884 |
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| Box | Folder | Volume | Contents |
| | | I. Professional papers,
1863-1868 |
| | | | A. Correspondence,
1863-1867 |
| | | | | Loose correspondence
Letters sent by Browne to War Department officials, government officials,
the treasury secretary, local special treasury agents, and businessmen about
the shipment of goods and supplies, cotton, and other subjects relating to his
duties as special supervising agent for the Treasury Department.
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| Box 1 | | | | | | 1863-5 Nov. 1865 |
| Box 2 | | | | | | 7 Nov. 1865-1867 |
| | | | | Bound correspondence
Letterbooks of correspondence sent and received by Browne and records
relating to his duties as special supervising agent in the South. Letters in
Vol. 1 were received by Browne. Vols. 2-4, labeled "department" on the spine,
include letters sent by Browne to local special agents, Customs Commissioner
Nathan Sargent, and Secretaries of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, William P.
Fessenden, and Hugh McCulloch. Vols. 5-6 include correspondence written by
Browne to local special agents, mostly in the 4th Special Agency. Vols. 7-9
include letters written by Browne's secretaries regarding shipments of supplies
and goods, business transactions, and information relating to the acquisition
of seized property. Vol. 10 is a list of reports and communications sent by
Albert G. Browne, Jr.
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| | Vol. 1 | | | | Letterbook,
Oct. 1863-Sep. 1864 |
| | Vol. 2 | | | | Letterbook,
Oct. 1864-Nov. 1865 |
| | Vol. 3 | | | | Letterbook,
Nov. 1865-Jan. 1866 |
| | Vol. 4 | | | | Letterbook,
Dec. 1865-Oct. 1866 |
| | Vol. 5 | | | | Letterbook,
Oct. 1863-Jan. 1864 |
| | Vol. 6 | | | | Letterbook,
Feb. 1864-Feb. 1865 |
| | Vol. 7 | | | | Letterbook,
Feb.-Dec. 1865 |
| | Vol. 8 | | | | Letterbook,
Dec. 1865-Oct. 1866 |
| | Vol. 9 | | | | Letterbook,
1864-1865 |
| | Vol. 10 | | | | Reports and communications of Albert G. Browne, Jr.,
1865 |
| | | | B. Financial records,
1863-1868 |
| | | | | Loose financial records
Material related to the financial aspects of Browne's position as special
supervising agent. Included are receipts for confiscated property,
expenditures, deposits, lists of captured and abandoned property, statistics of
delivered cotton, quartermaster store lists, orders for subsistence stores,
receipts for property captured aboard ships, abstract returns for the 4th and
5th Special Agency, and miscellaneous accounts, vouchers, and receipts.
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| Box 3 | Folder 1-7 | | | | | Receipts,
1864-1866 |
| Box 3 | Folder 8-10 | | | | | Abstract of expenditures,
1864-1866 |
| Box 3 | Folder 11 | | | | | Abstract of deposits,
1863-1865 |
| Box 3 | Folder 12 | | | | | Captured/abandoned property reports,
1865 |
| Box 3 | Folder 13 | | | | | List of quartermaster stores,
1865 |
| Box 3 | Folder 14 | | | | | Cotton delivery papers,
1865-1866 |
| Box 3 | Folder 15 | | | | | Miscellaneous receipts, vouchers, and documents,
1865-1868 |
| Box 3 | Folder 16 | | | | | Accounts and inventory book,
1865 |
| Box 4 | | | | | | Orders for subsistence stores,
1865 |
| Box 5-6 | | | | | | Receipts for property captured aboard ships,
Jan.-Mar. 1865 |
| Box 7 | | | | | | Abstract returns for the 4th and 5th Special Agency,
1864-1866
This box has been removed from the collection due to
mildew and is not available for research until the mildewed materials can be
photocopied.
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| Box OS | | | | | | Abstract returns for the 4th and 5th Special Agency,
1864-1866 |
| | | | | Bound financial records
Records of goods shipments; records of captured and abandoned property;
invoice books; a stamp account book; sales of cargo of the ship
Rebecca Hunt; unsold inventory and appraisal books
for St. Helena, Ladies, and Port Royal Islands; certificate and expense books;
and federal rules and regulations concerning abandoned property.
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| | Vol. 11 | | | | Records of shipments,
1865 |
| | Vol. 12 | | | | Captured and abandoned property,
1864-1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 13 | | | | List of articles remaining unsold on St. Helena, Ladies, and Port
Royal Islands, undated |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 14 | | | | List of bonds, 2nd Local Special Agency, 4th Special Agency, U.S.
Treasury Department, undated |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 15 | | | | Copy of expenses to
1 May 1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 16 | | | | Copy of expenses to
May 1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 17 | | | | Copy of expenses to
Aug. 1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 18 | | | | Cash accounts,
1863-1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 19 | | | | Appraisals, St. Helena Island, undated |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 20 | | | | Appraisals, Port Royal, Ladies, & St. Helena Islands,
Dec. 1863 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 21 | | | | Sales of cargo of the Rebecca Hunt,
Mar. 1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 22 | | | | Stamp account (L. A. Dodge, Savannah, Ga.),
1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 23 | | | | Invoice book of storehouse (H. S. Kimball),
18 Feb. 1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 24 | | | | Invoice book of storehouse (A. G. Browne, Savannah, Ga.),
Feb.-Mar. 1865 |
| Box 8 | | Vol. 25 | | | | Invoice book (L. A. Dodge),
1865 |
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| Box | Folder | Volume | Contents |
| | | II. Personal papers,
1830-1873 |
| | | | A. Correspondence,
1852-1873
This subseries contains personal correspondence sent and received by Browne,
mostly from his son Albert G. Browne, Jr., military secretary to Massachusetts
Governor John A. Andrew. Letters discuss happenings at home in Massachusetts,
thoughts on the war, and family information. Also included in this subseries is
a typed transcription of a diary kept by Browne while in Jacksonville, Fla.,
describing his work environment and transactions, traveling with the army, and
daily activities.
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| Box 9 | Folder 1-9 | | | | Personal correspondence,
1852-1873 |
| Box 9 | Folder 10 | | | | Transcription of diary,
1864 |
| | | | B. Papers collected,
1830-1865
This subseries contains a memorandum book, correspondence, and other papers,
mostly written by people living in South Carolina, confiscated by Browne as
abandoned and captured property while he was stationed in South Carolina. Also
included is a letterbook from the National Alarm Corporation.
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| Box 9 | Folder 11-14 | | | | Miscellaneous confiscated papers,
1830-1865 |
| Box 9 | Folder 15 | | | | Confederate correspondence and memorandum book,
1844-1865 |
| | Vol. 26 | | | National Alarm Corporation letterbook,
1871-1872 |
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| Box | Folder | Volume | Contents |
| | | III. Printed material,
1742-1884
This series contains pamphlets, broadsides, and broadsheets related to the
Treasury Department and local and national politics during the Civil War.
Included are bound volumes of printed Union Army orders and rules and
regulations concerning captured and abandoned property.
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| Box 10 | Folder 1 | | | Government regulations pertaining to special treasury agents,
1862-1865 |
| Box 10 | Folder 2 | | | Printed material,
1860-1870 |
| Box 10 | Folder 3-4 | | | Broadsides and broadsheets,
1862-1875 |
| Box 11 | | | | Miscellaneous pamphlets,
1742-1884 Sermons and prayers; historical and biographical sketches; almanacs; legal
reports and depositions related to the Treasury Department; reports and
regulations of the Treasury Department; House resolutions; political speeches;
articles and legal decisions related to slavery; newspaper clippings; and other
printed material.
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| | Vol. 27-28 | | Union Army orders,
1864-1865 |
| | Vol. 29-31 | | Rules and regulations concerning captured and abandoned property,
1863-1864 |
Albert Gallatin Browne papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
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.
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| Persons: |
| | Browne, Albert Gallatin, 1835-1891. |
| | Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland),
1808-1873. |
| | Fessenden, William Pitt, 1806-1869. |
| | McCulloch, Hugh, 1808-1895. |
| | Sargent, Nathan, 1794-1875. |
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| Organizations: |
| | National Alarm Corporation. |
| | United States. Dept. of the Treasury. Officials
and employees. |
| | United States. War Dept. |
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| Subjects: |
| | Account books--1863-1865. |
| | Cotton--Florida. |
| | Cotton--Georgia. |
| | Cotton--South Carolina. |
| | Diaries--1864. |
| | Real property--Florida. |
| | Real property--Georgia. |
| | Real property--South Carolina. |
| | Reconstruction--Florida. |
| | Reconstruction--Georgia. |
| | Reconstruction--South Carolina. |
| | Soldiers--Diaries. |
| | Southern States--Economic conditions. |
| | United States--History--Civil War,
1861-1865--Economic aspects. |
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo
Archives.
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