Manuscripts Division
William L. Clements Library
University of Michigan
Finding aid for
Patrick White Letterbook, 1791-1794
Finding aid created by
Rob S. Cox, October 1997
Summary Information
Patrick White letterbook
White, Patrick
1791-1794
1 volume (0.25 linear feet)
Patrick White, a merchant in Petersburg, Va., was in partnership with Conway Whittle of Norfolk from 1791 to 1794, specializing in trading grain and flour. The Patrick White letterbook contains copies of 235 business letters of the Virginia mercantile firm of White, Whittle, & Co., written between August 20, 1791 and July 18, 1794, and 462 letters of Patrick White & Co., July 27, 1794 through August 14, 1797.
Language: The material is in English
William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan909 S. University Ave.
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190
Phone: 734-764-2347
Web Site: www.clements.umich.edu
Access and Use
1970. M-1591.
The collection is open for research.
No copyrgiht restrictions.
Patrick White letterbook, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan.
Biography
Patrick White was a major merchant in Petersburg, Va. From at least August, 1791 through July, 1794, White was in partnership with Conway Whittle of Norfolk, specializing in the trade in grain and flour, but dabbling as well in corn, bread, tobacco, sugar, rum, nails, iron, Irish linen, hemp, and a profusion of other goods that came to hand. In 1794, White, Whittle & Co. dissolved when Whittle established Conway Whittle & Co., in Norfolk. Patrick White continued in trade as Patrick White & Co.
The scope of both of White's operations is impressive, not only in the breadth of goods marketed, but in the numbers of ports with which he traded. Both firms marketed goods not only throughout the state and up and down the eastern seaboard, but in Britain and, to a lesser degree, in other European nations.
Collection Scope and Content Note
The Patrick White letterbook contains copies of 235 business letters of the Virginia mercantile firm of White, Whittle, & Co., written between August 20, 1791 and July 18, 1794, and 462 letters of Patrick White & Co., July 27, 1794 through August 14, 1797. Both firms engaged in the trans-Atlantic trade in staple goods, particularly grain and flour, and the letterbook contains valuable information on prices, the networks of trade, and other aspects of the mercantile culture of late 18th century Virginia.
Subject Terms
- Flour industry--Virginia--18th century.
- Merchants--Virginia--18th century.
- Patrick White & Co.
- White, Whittle, & Co.
Contents List
| Container / Location |
Title |
| Volume 1 |
|
Patrick White letterbook, 1791 August 20-1794 July 18 [series]: |
Additional Descriptive Data
The Swem Library, College of William and Mary, includes the Conway Whittle Papers, 1773-1911 (2,157 items), including his personal, business, and legal correspondence.
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