1827-1904; bulk: 1827-1859
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection contains the business records of Boston shipping merchant Edward Austin, who in partnership with J. Ingersoll Bowditch and brothers William and Samuel Austin, Jr. imported goods from Kolkata and Manila (1858-1866). The collection contains ledgers, waste books, letterbooks, a diary, and a book of bills and invoices, as well as loose papers concerning information about family trusts and receipts for Samuel Austin, Jr.'s house renovations.
Biographical Sketch
Edward Austin was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 17 January 1802, to Samuel Austin (1761-1848) and Abigail Winslow Lewis Austin (1768-1812). He had two brothers, Samuel, Jr. (26 November 1793-15 September 1858) and William (27 November 1799-2 October 1865), and two sisters, Abigail L. Austin (2 October 1797-19 September 1800) and Emmeline Austin Wadsworth (27 November 1808-21 March 1885).
Between 1826 and 1862, Austin, with his two brothers and Jonathan Ingersoll Bowditch, traded mostly in Kolkata, West Bengal, India; Manila, Philippines; Jakarta, Indonesia (as Batavia); and Shanghai, China. During the 1850s, Austin began to diversify his investments towards railroads and manufacturing, and he served in trusteeships for members of his family and on various boards of directors and businesses.
Edward Austin never married. He died on 16 November 1898. William Austin married Rachel A. Chase (1822-17 September 1896), and they had four children: Charles Lewis Austin (1847-1916); Dr. William Austin (1848-1872); Franklin Austin (1853-1869); and Judge Henry Austin (1858-1918). Emmeline Austin married William Wolcott Wadsworth (1847-1852) in 1846, and they had three children: William Austin Wadsworth (1847-1918); Livingston Wadsworth (1849-1865); and Herbert Wadsworth (1851-1927).
Collection Description
This collection is primarily composed of ledgers, waste books, and letterbooks mostly belonging to Edward Austin, although there is one estate ledger for Samuel Austin and one estate ledger for William Austin. Also included is a notebook kept at Hong Kong from 1834 listing exports, imports, and other commercial information, as well as a diary kept by Edward Austin in 1845 capturing his travel experiences sailing through the Mediterranean to Egypt. The collection also contains a wide variety of receipts, largely concerning remodeling work done on Samuel Austin, Jr.'s house at 45 Beacon Street in Boston and the day-to-day life of Edward Austin in his last years. Rounding out the collection are papers related to Samuel Austin, Jr.’s dealings with the purchase of the Caleb Clark estate in Brookline, Massachusetts; several documents and an account book documenting trust funds for Daniel and Hannah Joy Austin; trust papers and letters referring to Ann Lewis and Mary W. Lewis; and ledgers of the Union Club House accounts and T Wharf in Boston. A very small amount of material in the collection concerns Henry Austin, Herbert Wadsworth, and Emmeline Austin Wadsworth.
Arrangement Note
This collection consists primarily of volumes, most of which are stored in boxes. Receipts for Samuel Austin, Jr.'s home renovations were originally in a binder and have been removed.
Processing Information
This collection has been iteratively processed. Further processing may occur at a later date.
Acquisition Information
Donated by the China Trade Museum, Milton, Massachusetts.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Volumes, 1827-1897
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains ledgers, wastebooks, letterbooks, a diary, and other volumes illustrating the business and personal interests of Edward, Samuel, Jr., and William Austin. Also included are ledgers related to the T Wharf in Boston.
Ledger, 1827-1833
Ledger, 1827-1833
Notebook kept at Hong Kong with exports and imports, 1834
Ledger, 1834-1843
Ledger, 1843-1847
Ledger, 1845
Estate ledger for William Austin, 1845-1876
Diary of Edward Austin, 1845-1846
Waste book, 1848-1850
Ledger, 1848-1851
Waste book, 1851-1854
Ledger, 1851-1854
Letterbook, 1855-1856
Ledger, 1855-1859
Waste book, 1855-1861
Letterbook, 1856-1857
Letterbook, 1857-1859
Letterbook, 1858-1859
Estate ledger for Samuel Austin, 1858-1859
Ledger of bills and invoices, 1858-1866
Letterbook, 1860-1873
Waste book, 1861-1869
Ledger, 1861-1870
Ledger for T Wharf, 1861-1872
Ledger for Union Club estate, 1864-1868
Dockings ledger for T Wharf, 1867-1875
Ledger for T Wharf, 1868-1871
Ledger, 1870-1873
Waste book, 1870-1875
Ledger, 1871-1884
Ledger for T Wharf, 1874-1875
Account book, 1876-1884
Waste book, 1884-1887
Ledger, 1884-1888
Waste book, 1888-1897
Ledger, 1888-1895
II. Estate and trust papers, 1850-1876
Trust for Anne Lewis, 1850
Trust for Daniel and Hannah Joy Austin, 1854-1858
Estate of Samuel Austin, 1858
Estate of Samuel Austin, Jr., 1858-1859
Estate of William Austin, 1866-1873
Trust of Mary W. Lewis, 1875-1876
III. Financial papers, 1844-1904
Brookline lands of Caleb Clarke, purchased by Samuel Austin, 1844-1853
Receipts for 45 Beacon Street renovation, belonging to Samuel Austin, Jr., 1853-1854
One folder of oversize Edward Austin material is stored in a box with other folders of oversize China Trade materials (Ms. N-49.1-63).
Receipts for 45 Beacon Street renovation, belonging to Samuel Austin, Jr., 1853-1904
Receipts and correspondence of Samuel Austin, Jr., 1853-1859
Receipts of Edward Austin, 1846-1898
Estate of William Austin, 1866-1873
Returned checks and checking account book of Edward Austin, 1897
Receipts of Henry Austin, 1897
Receipts of Herbert Wadsworth, 1897
IV. Personal papers, 1836-1896
Correspondence, 1836-1896
Photocopy of Edward Austin's letterbook, 1860-1878
Newsclippings, undated
Metal plate with embossed Edward Austin signature, undated
Preferred Citation
Edward Austin 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.