US-RNR-ms570 Guide to the Samuel Brown letter1788 Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Delmage. Funding for processing and cataloging this collection was provided by the van Beuren Charitable Foundation.

Redwood Library and Athenaeum

50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI, 02840 (401) 847-0292 redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

2015-01-16 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2015-01-16 English. Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) 2019 Jul 3 Revised to correct misidentification of "Gray," whose identity remains unknown. Samuel Brown letter RLC.Ms.570 Redwood Library and Athenaeum

50 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: (401) 847-0292 Fax: (401) 841-5680 email: redwood@redwoodlibrary.org

English 2 RLC.Ms.570 0.01 linear feet (1folder) 1788 Letter from Samuel Brown (1753 or 1754-1825), a prominent Boston merchant, to William Vernon (1719-1806), regarding papers received from William Tudor (1750-1819) and a letter from a man called “Gray” about his slaves. English. Brown, Samuel, 1753 or 1754-1825 Brown (Samuel) letter Biographical note

Samuel Brown (1753 or 1754-1825) was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in either 1753 or 1754. He remained in Newport until the British occupation of Newport in 1776, which led him to flee to Boston, Massachusetts. He lived and worked as a merchant in Boston until his death in 1825.

Throughout his career, Brown was involved in privateering and the slave trade in America. He provided investment capital and insurance to other merchants and was a close associate of William Vernon (1719-1806), a Newport merchant also active in the slave trade. Brown was a shareholder in the Columbia and Lady Washington expeditions (1788-1790), a private trade venture which opened the lucrative trade route to China.

Collection information

This collection consists of one letter from Samuel Brown to William Vernon of Newport, Rhode Island, on April 9, 1788. In this letter, Brown refers to enclosed papers that he received from William Tudor (1750-1819), a wealthy lawyer and leading citizen of Boston, although they are not included presently. Brown also informs Vernon that he received a letter dated February 27, 1788, from “Gray,” in which he stated that "he had disposed of all his slaves bur four" and plans to leave an unidentified island in March.

This collection is owned by the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Librarian of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.

Access is open to members and researchers at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum.

Samuel Brown letter, RLC.Ms.570, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.

This collection is arranged in chronological order.

Administrative information

Gift of Marc and Maria Bernier, 2014 Jul 30.

This collection was processed and housed according to current archival standards in 2014.

Additional information

African American History collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan.

Samuel and William Vernon collection, William L. Clements Library, the University of Michigan.

Slavery Collection, MS 569, The New-York Historical Society.

Vernon family records, Col. 165, Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library.

Rawley, James A. The transatlantic slave trade : a history. New York: Norton, 1981. Names Tudor, William, 1750-1819 Vernon, William, 1719-1806 Subjects Newport (R.I.)--History Slave trade--America--History Types of Materials Letters (correspondence) RIAMCO Browsing Term Business Letter to William Vernon 2 1788 Apr 9