1820-1950; bulk: 1820-1890
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Fifty Associates records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection consists of the records of the real estate liquidating trust Fifty Associates in Boston, Massachusetts, between 1820-1950.
Historical Sketch
Fifty Associates was originally incorporated as Museum Hall Corporation by David Sears and Benjamin Rich on 21 February 1820. On 21 June 1823, Museum Hall changed its name to Fifty Associates. Fifty Associates largely operated as a charitable trust, using income from investment funds to aid schools, families, and endow literary or charitable institutions. David Sears was the primary driver of the activities of Fifty Associates.
David Sears was born on 8 October 1787 to David (1752-1816) and Ann (Winthrop) Sears (1756-1789). He attended Harvard University, graduating in 1807. In 1809, he married Miriam Clark Mason (1789-1870); the couple had nine children. Sears was 29 years old when his father died, leaving him one of the wealthiest men in Boston. His philanthropic endeavors included funding for a library, education space, and a charitable fund for St. Paul's Church; the building of Sears Tower at Harvard Observatory; the Massachusetts Historical Society; and the Overseers of the Poor of Boston. He died on 14 January 1871.
Collection Description
This collection consists of the records of the real estate liquidating trust Fifty Associates in Boston, Massachusetts, between 1820-1950. Fifty Associates was established in 1823 as a charitable trust, and early records relate to David Sears and his charitable donations. The collection includes directors' and proprietors' minutes from 1823-1950, which document the names of directors and proprietors, and records the selling and buying of shares, tenancy agreements, sales, the donation fund, and committee assignments. Financial records include ledgers, journals, and dividend accounts from 1823-1920. Also included are stock certificates issued from both Museum Hall and Fifty Associates between 1823-1827. There is a small amount of published material, including by-laws, Articles of Incorporation, and a segment of a report to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. The collection also includes directors' and proprietors' minutes of Museum Hall, the predecessor of Fifty Associates, 1820-1823.
Processing Information
This collection guide supersedes the online inventory prepared by Katherine H. Griffin in June 2003 and encoded by Michael Rush in April 2004.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Fifty Associates, June 2002.
Restrictions on Access
The Fifty Associates records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Fifty Associates records, 1823-1950
This series contains the meeting minutes of Fifty Associates directors and proprietors; financial records, including those related to donations, estates, and stock certificates; and published materials related to the business of Fifty Associates.
A. Directors' and proprietors' minutes, 1823-1950
Arranged chronologically.
Directors' and proprietors' minutes were kept between 1823 and 1950 and document the establishment of Fifty Associates following the dissolution of Museum Hall. Initial directors, aside from David Sears, included Ezra A. Bourne, Amos Cotting, William Sawyer, William Elliot, and William Appleton. Minutes of the directors discuss the selling and buying of shares, tenancy agreements, sales, the donation fund, and committee appointments. Proprietors' minutes were kept between 1823-1914 and document the naming and voting on directors.
Directors' minutes, 1823-1868
Directors' minutes, 1866-1907
Directors' minutes, 1907-1950
Proprietors' minutes, 1823-1914
B. Financial records, 1823-1920
Arranged chronologically.
Financial records of Fifty Associates include donation fund records, stock certificates, leases to business owners, and various ledgers and journals documenting the business of Fifty Associates.
Stock certificates, 1823-1827
Journal, 1823-1831
Ledger, 1823-1840
Dividends ledger, 1823-1844
Fifty Associates estates, 1823-1856
Loose materials removed from financial volumes (labeled within folder), 1823-1868
Donation fund ledger, 1824-1873
Journal, 1831-1840
Donation fund estates, 1834-1856
Ledger, 1840-1850
Journal, 1840-1850
Ledger, 1851-1890
Leases to business owners, 1854
Summary financial, 1859-1870, 1879-1884
Analysis of accounts from 1823-1916, 1920
C. Published material, 1823-1870
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries consists of published materials pertaining to Fifty Associates, including by-laws, Acts of Incorporation, and an annotated segment of a petition from Fifty Associates to the Supreme Judicial Court.
Acts of Incorporation, 1824
By-laws, 1853
Petition to Supreme Judicial Court, ca. 1870
II. Museum Hall records, 1820-1823
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains the meeting minutes of Museum Hall directors and proprietors, as well as stock certificates and a history and timeline compiled in part by Museum Hall clerk, Amos Cotting.
Directors' minutes and proprietors' minutes, 1820-1823
Stock certificate book, 1820-1823
Wrap for old certificates of Museum Hall shares, 1823
Stock certificates, 1820-1823
History and timeline (1820-1858)
Preferred Citation
Fifty Associates records, 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.