Historical note:

            Jonathan Adams (1748-1840) was a Providence merchant in the early 1800s. He was married to Sarah (1741-1825) and they had two daughters: Sarah (c.1776-1861) and Sophia (c. 1780-1850). Adams had a partnership, Adams & Lothrop, with his daughter Sarah's husband, Zebadiah Lothrop, from approximately 1803-1814. He then went into a partnership with Adams Foster in the 1820s. They were cotton manufacturers located on South Main Street in Providence. Adams died on March 13, 1840 at the age of 92. He is buried at the North Burial Ground.

Bibliography:

Barnes, Robert and Catharine (indexed by. Genealogies of Rhode Island Families for Rhode Island Periodicals, Vol. II, 454. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1983.

Providence City Directories, 1824-1839. Providence: Brown & Danforth.

Providence Daily Journal. January 11, 1840, p. 4.

Rhode Island Cemetery Database

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Scope and content:

            This collection, ranging in date from 1803-1827, consists of nine account books and two deeds. Six accounts books belong to Jonathan Adams, three daybooks, an invoice book, a journal and a ledger. In addition, the collection includes an invoice book belongs to the partnership of Adams & Foster two receipt books from the partnership of Adams & Lothrop.

The two deeds are from Adams & Lothrop to William Potter, and Adams & Lothrop to James Foster.

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Provenance:

            This collection come from five separate accessions. The two Adams & Lothrop deeds,1807 and 1811, were purchased from Edward J. Craig in 1985. The two Adams & Lothrop receipt books, 1803-1814, were exchanged with R.M. Barrett in 1916. The Adams & Foster invoice book, 1819-1825, and four mill account books, 1819-1827, were part of the "Albert C. and Richard W. Greene Collection." The actual date of the accession for this collection is not known for sure, but the collection was in hand by the late 1940s. Therefore, the date of 1948 was assigned to the collection. There are also two account books, 1809-1827 with unknown accessions.

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Processing note:

            These records were originally part of three separate collections. Two mill account books, 1809-1827 (unknown accessions) and four mill account books, 1819-1827 (part of the "Albert C. and Richard W. Greene Collection") were transferred from Mss 453 (the former Greene Legal Papers). The two Adams & Lothrop deeds, 1807 and 1811 were transferred from Mss 9001-P. The two Adams & Lothrop receipt books, 1803-1814, and one Adams & Foster invoice book, 1819-1825 were transferred from Mss 9001-A. Mss 144 (the Richard W. Greene Papers) still also has loose legal papers of Adams & Foster and Adams & Lothrop.

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Inventory:

Jonathan Adams

Oversized vol. 1. Daybook, 1809-1827

Oversized vol. 2. Daybook, 1821-1826

Oversized vol. 3. Daybook, 1826-1827

Oversized vol. 4. Invoice book, 1825-1827

Oversized vol. 5. Ledger, 1809-1826 (with separate index)

Oversized vol. 6. Ledger, 1819-1827

Adams&Foster

Box 1, folder 1. Invoice book, 1825-1827

Adams&Lothrop

Box 1, folder 2. Deeds, 1807, 1811

Box 1, folder 3. Receipt book, 1803-1806

Box 1, folder 4. Receipt book, 1806-1814

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Subjects:

Adams & Foster

Adams & Lothrop

Foster, Adams

Foster, James

Lothrop, Zebadiah

Potter, William

Providence, R.I. - Commerce

Textile Industry - R.I. - Providence

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RIHS1822