The full content of this document is only available to subscribing institutions. More information can be found via www.amdigital.co.uk

Title David Cobb correspondence and accounts
Archival Reference Ms. N-1000
Sub-collection David Cobb Papers  
Author Richards, John  Wilde, Samuel S.  May, Joseph  Sullivan, William  
Date 5 Jul-24 Aug 1820
Document Type Correspondence; Business and financial document
Contents Includes:
Bill from Peters and Pond [Boston] to David Cobb for sundry items, 5 July 1820
Letter from Peters and Pond (Boston) to David Cobb informing him that the items he requested have been forwarded to him, 8 July 1820
Letter from John Richards (Boston) to David Cobb about personal matters and prospects for the settlement of Maine, 9 July 1820
Letter from S[amuel] S. Wilde (Newburyport) to David Cobb about Israel Thorndike's visit to his Maine lands, 11 July 1820
Letter from William Sullivan (Boston) to David Cobb forwarding the salutations of the Saturday Club and informing Cobb of local news, 1 Aug. 1820
Letter from Joseph May (Boston) to David Cobb enclosing an excerpt from the pocket book of Henry Jackson that lists the weights of Revolutionary War officers, 11 Aug. 1820
Receipted bill from Fife and Brown (Boston) to Captain More, 13 Aug. 1820
Receipted bills from Bartlett and Chase (Boston) to David Cobb, enclosed on a single sheet, 14-24 Aug. 1820
Sub-collection Information This collection consists of the papers of David Cobb primarily documenting his position as land agent for William Bingham in Maine, including papers related to the settlement of Maine, logging and the lumber trade, roads, and other subjects. Also included are papers related to his service during the American Revolution and his career as a politician and judge.

David Cobb was a Revolutionary War soldier and aide-de-camp to General George Washington, speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and president of the Senate, physician, judge, member of Congress, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, and a founder of the Society of the Cincinnati and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The collection contains letters to Charles W. Hare, Bingham's Philadelphia agent, and Alexander Baring, the future Lord Ashburton and representative of London's House of Baring. Also included are legal actions, financial accounts, maps, and inventories related to land development, fishing, lumbering, census reports, lotteries, the laying out of streets, and the construction of wharves, warehouses, and sawmills in Gouldsboro, Maine, which Cobb tried to develop as a major commercial port.

The collection also contains eight fragmentary diaries kept by Cobb, 1781-1818; a manuscript notebook with sketches; lists of British ships of the line; instructions for naval officers; letters to various members of the Cobb family; and letters from William Eustis, Henry Knox, Timothy Pickering, and Israel Thorndike concerning foreign relations, state politics, and miscellaneous financial matters related to the firm of Cobb and Richards, in which Cobb was partner.
Region American East  
Subjects Stores and Supplies  Commerce and Trade  Settlers and Settlement  Leisure, Entertainment and Social Life  
Places Boston; Newburyport; Maine; Massachusetts
People Cobb, David (1748-1830)  Cobb, Thomas (1772-1849)  Thorndike, Israel (1755-1832)  Wilde, Samuel S. (fl. 1795-1824)  
Themes Business, Trade & Commerce
Library Massachusetts Historical Society  
Copyright Massachusetts Historical Society