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3. Provenance 5. Inventory 6. Subjects |
(part of the Nightingale-Jenckes Papers) Merchant of Providence, R.I. and Chile. Papers, 1817-1825 Size: 1.5 linear feet Catalog number: MSS 588, sg 5 Processed by: Rick Stattler, August 1996 USE MICROFILM E445 .R4, part 2, reels 20-23©Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division |
Historical note:
Edwin T. Jenckes (1797-1847) was the son of Ebenezer Jenckes of Providence (1773-1799) and Mary T. Nightingale, daughter of Samuel II (1741-1814). Ebenezer was a merchant and died in St. Thomas when Edwin was an infant. Mary lived as a widow in the Nightingale family estate on the east side of Providence until her death in 1841. Edwin was the couple's only surviving child. Edwin followed his father to the sea, first shipping out as a clerk aboard the ship Lion for Edward Carrington in 1817. He received early assistance from his uncle Samuel Nightingale III, who for many years afterward managed Jenckes' affairs in Providence. From 1817 to 1825 Jenckes served as supercargo and commercial agent for Edward Carrington & Co., in charge of much of the firm's business in South America and the East Indies. He also engaged in his own ventures during this period, in partnership with Daniel W. Frost. In 1828 he built Waterford Plantation in St. John's County, Florida, near St. Augustine, where he spent the remainder of his life.
Edwin married his first cousin, Hannah Bowers Jenckes (1800-1862). It is unknown whether they had any children. She was the daughter of his father's brother Joseph Jenckes. She had two brothers who are mentioned in the papers: Jerethmel B. Jenckes (1807- ) and Joseph S. Jenckes (1804-1888) of Indiana.
Bibliography:
Browne, William B. Genealogy of the Jenkes Family of America. Rumford Press: Concord, N.H., 1952.
Scope and content:
Virtually all of this collection relates to Jenckes' commercial activities from 1817 to 1825, including correspondence and shipping accounts, mostly from the ports of Santiago and Valparaiso in Chile. Some of the letters are addressed to Jenckes' business partner Daniel W. Frost. Other correspondence of note includes letters from Edward Carrington; and letters from Jenckes' mother Mary dated 4/17/1821, 1/7/1824 and 2/1824. The 1821 letter includes a postscript on R.I. politics by Horatio G. Bowen. One interesting letter from William Rea dated 9/2/1822 contains interesting imformation on deaths, marriages, buildings being constructed and shipping in Providence. Other material relating to Jenckes can be found in subgroup 3, the Samuel Nightingale III Papers, from 1819 onwards, including correspondence written from Florida. See also an extract from a log kept by Jenckes aboard the brig Ospray dated 1821, in the log book collection.
Some papers relating to Hannah Jenckes' Borland and Bowers relatives can be found in subgroup 7, the Borland Family Papers.
Provenance:
This collection was probably donated by George A. Holbrook on May 8, 1900 as part of what became known as the Nightingale-Jenckes Papers. The evidence for this is somewhat circumstantial, and interested parties can consult a lengthy essay on the subject that is available in the collection file at the repository.
Processing note:
These papers were originally interfiled with the rest of the Nightingale-Jenckes Papers. When originally processed, some letters written to Samuel Nightingale III were accidentally filed with Jenckes' papers, and some might still remain there. This subgroup has not been very well organized yet, and no effort has been made to index the papers. Though some of the accounts have been pulled out by ship, many other accounts remain interfiled with the correspondence.
Inventory:
Box 8, folder 1. 1817-1820
Box 8, folder 2. 1821, 1-3
Box 8, folder 3. 1821, 3-8
Box 8, folder 4. 1821, 8-10
Box 8, folder 5. 1821, 10-12
Box 8, folder 6. 1822, 1-5
Box 8, folder 7. 1822, 5-7
Box 8, folder 8. 1822, 7-9
Box 8, folder 9. 1822, 9-10
Box 8, folder 10. 1822, 11-12
Box 8, folder 11. 1822, 12
Box 8, folder 12. 1823, 1-2
Box 8, folder 13. 1823, 2-4
Box 8, folder 14. 1823, 4-12
Box 8, folder 15. 1823, 1-12
Box 8, folder 16. 1824, 1-3
Box 8, folder 17. 1824, 2-7
Box 8, folder 18. 1824, 8-12
Box 8, folder 19. 1825, 1-3
Box 8, folder 20. 1825, 3-9
Box 8, folder 21. 1818-1823, mold damage
Box 8, folder 22. 1824-1825, mold damage
Accounts:
Box 9, folder 1. Account book, 1822-1823
Box 9, folder 2. Account book, Frost, Jenckes & Co., 1822-1824
Box 11, oversized volume 1. Account book, 1822-1823
Box 9, folder 3. Ship George accounts, 1822
Box 9, folder 4. Ship Lion accounts, 1824
Box 9, folder 5. Ship Nautilus accounts, 1818-1823
Box 9, folder 6. Ship Thomas / Mapocho accounts, 1823
Box 9, folder 7. " " " " " "
Box 9, folder 8. " " " " " "
Box 9, folder 9. Ship Viper accounts, 1819-1820
Box 9, folder 10. " " " " "
Box 9, folder 11. Textile samples, 1821
Box 9, folder 12. Undated miscellany
Box 11, oversized folder 1. Accounts of misc. ships:
George, Lion, Maposo/Thomas, Nautilus, Osprey, Viper.
Box 11, oversized volume 2. Memoranda book, brig Mapocho/Thomas, 1821-1824
Subjects:
Carrington, Edward
China - Commerce - United States
Frost, Daniel W.
Frost, Jenckes & Co.
Nightingale, Samuel III (1781-1851)
Providence, R.I. - Description and travel
Rea, William
South America - Commerce - United States
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RIHS1822