COLLECTION GUIDES

1732-1931

Guide to the Microfilm Edition


Collection Summary

Abstract

This collection consists of the correspondence and other papers of the Forbes family of Milton, Mass., mostly Robert Bennet Forbes (1804-1889), Francis Blackwell Forbes (1839-1908), and James Murray Forbes (1845-1937).

Biographical Sketch

The first member of the Forbes family to come to the United States was the Rev. John Forbes (1740-1783), a member of a distinguished Scottish family. Appointed minister at St. Augustine's in 1763, Forbes emigrated to East Florida the following year. From the beginning, the position was difficult and unrewarding, and the climate injurious to Forbes's health. In 1769, he traveled to Boston, where he married Dorothy Murray (1745-1837), a member of another well-known Scottish family and the daughter of loyalist James Murray. The couple spent some time in Florida in the early years of their marriage, but Dorothy Murray Forbes eventually returned to Boston with the children. From 1763 to 1783, John Forbes served in a variety of governmental positions; he was a member of the Governor's Council and held various judgeships, including the position of chief justice. When the Revolution came, John Forbes and East Florida remained loyal to the crown until, in 1783, the area was ceded to Spain in the Treaty of Paris. Forbes returned to England and died later that same year.

John Forbes and Dorothy Murray Forbes had three sons: James Grant Forbes (1769-1825), John Murray Forbes (1771-1831), and Ralph Bennet Forbes (1773-1824). The eldest, James Grant Forbes, moved to England with his father in 1783. The second son, John Murray Forbes, born in East Florida and brought up in Milton, Mass., was a Harvard classmate and friend of John Quincy Adams. After practicing law for a short time in Boston, he moved to Europe in the late 1790s. From 1801 to 1819, he served as consul for the United States, first in Copenhagen and then in Hamburg, paying particular attention to commercial issues. When he returned to the United States, he was asked by newly appointed Secretary of State John Quincy Adams to represent the U.S. in Argentina, where he served with distinction until his death in 1831.

Ralph Bennet Forbes, the third son of John Forbes and Dorothy Murray Forbes, became a merchant. In 1799, he married Margaret Perkins, the sister of well-known Boston merchants James and Thomas Handasyd Perkins. In the early 1800s, he engaged in some unsuccessful commercial ventures in Europe. Ralph Bennet Forbes and Margaret Perkins Forbes had three sons: Thomas Tunno Forbes (1802-1829), Robert Bennet Forbes (1804-1889), and John Murray Forbes (1813-1898). One significant incident in the Forbes family occurred in 1811, when Margaret Perkins Forbes and her two older sons, sailing on the Midas to meet Forbes at Marseilles, were captured by British patrols and, after some difficulty, finally returned to the United States.

Thomas Tunno Forbes was the first in the Forbes family to take an active part in the China trade. As a young man, he was sent to the Far East by his uncles James and Thomas Handasyd Perkins to represent their commercial interests in China. Thomas Tunno Forbes and fellow agent John P. Cushing were just getting established when Forbes was drowned in a typhoon in 1829. After his death, the Perkinses, having already established close connections with the powerful Hong merchant Houqua, joined forces with the firm of Russell & Co., which went on to dominate American commerce in the Far East throughout the 19th century.

Ralph Bennet Forbes's second son, Robert Bennet Forbes, attended Milton Academy for 3 years, but due to his father's financial difficulties, had to leave school and go to work. After a short stint as clerk for his Perkins uncles, he sailed to China at the age of 13 and eventually became a sea captain and China trader associated with Russell & Co. Receiving his first command at the age of 20, he was prosperous enough at 28 to return to Boston and set up shop as a merchant. In 1834, he married Rose Greene Smith (1802-1885), and the couple moved to Milton, Mass., where Forbes had built a house the previous year. Unfortunately, Forbes was hit hard by the Panic of 1837 and was forced to return to China to rebuild his fortune. He lived in the Far East from 1837 to 1840 and again from 1849 to 1851; during that time, he became the head of Russell & Co., played a prominent role in the outbreak of the Opium War, and served as United States vice-consul. In 1847, distressed at accounts of the famine in Ireland, he convinced the federal government to make the U.S.S. Jamestown available for relief purposes, and he himself took command of the mission. In 1851, he returned to Boston and became a ship-owner and ship-builder, later using his expertise to assist the Northern cause during the Civil War by acting as a consultant in the construction of gunboats and building warships for the Union Navy.

After the war, Captain Robert Bennet Forbes retired from business and embarked on a new career as a philanthropist and writer. He wrote several pamphlets on methods and devices for improving the safety of ocean travel. He was one of the first to propose East-West sea lanes in the Atlantic to prevent mid-ocean collisions, and he supported Lieutenant Matthew F. Maury's efforts to create wind and sea charts, assisting Maury for many years in collecting statistical information. Forbes maintained an interest in ship construction and rigging and developed a rig for sailing vessels that bore his name. He also helped to establish a home for retired sailors in Massachusetts and was an active supporter of the Massachusetts Humane Society, serving on its board of directors for many years. Between 1868 and 1869, Forbes and his wife spent a year in Pau, France, and he later made several excursions to the American West.

Ralph Bennet Forbes's third son, John Murray Forbes, like his two older brothers, went to China at an early age and soon acquired a great fortune. Unlike them, he then transferred his business interests to projects within the United States, especially railroads. He was the driving force behind the construction of the Michigan Central and the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroads, serving as president of the latter in the 1880s. During the Civil War, he aided the Northern cause in many ways: he acted as consultant to the Navy, traveled to England to prevent the Laird "rams" from falling into Confederate hands, and urged Lincoln to allow the enlistment of more African American troops. John Murray Forbes and his wife Sarah Hathaway Forbes had a daughter named Mary Hathaway Forbes. Their son William Hathaway Forbes (1840-1897) married Edith Emerson in 1865 and became the first president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

Robert Bennet Forbes and Rose Smith Forbes had three children: Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr. (1837-1891), Edith Forbes (1843-1925), and James Murray Forbes (1845-1937). The eldest, Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., proved a disappointment to his father for his spendthrift ways. He never married and died only two years after his father. Edith Forbes was a devoted daughter and a correspondent of her father's. In 1864, she married Charles Elliott Perkins, and they moved to Burlington, Iowa, where Perkins became president of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. James Murray Forbes followed in his father's footsteps and became a prosperous China merchant. After attending school in Concord, Mass., he went to the Far East in 1863 at the age of 18 and spent most of the next 10 years there. Starting as a clerk with Russell & Co., he advanced rapidly in the firm and, in 1871, returned to the United States a wealthy man. That same year, he married Alice Bowditch, granddaughter of navigator Nathaniel Bowditch, and the couple settled permanently in Boston and Milton.

Francis "Frank" Blackwell Forbes (1839-1908) was the son of clergyman John Murray Forbes (1807-1885), the grandson of James Grant Forbes, and the great-grandson of Rev. John Forbes. He had a brother named John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921) and a sister named Adelaide Forbes Carmichael. In 1857, after a secondary-school education at the Columbia College Grammar School in New York, Francis Blackwell Forbes went to China, where he became a partner in Russell & Co. He was also active in the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company, which operated a fleet of flat-bottomed steamers up and down the Yangtze River. In 1867, he married Isabel Clarke, and they had three sons: Francis Murray Forbes (1874-1961), who lived with James Murray Forbes while he was in school and starting off in business; Charles Stuart Forbes (1877-1949); and James Grant Forbes (1879-1955). Their daughter Isobel Forbes married Albert de Mimont.

While in the Far East, Francis Blackwell Forbes developed an interest in Chinese botany and became a leading specialist in the subject. He also took part in promoting what became the Shanghai Country Club, served as consul in Shanghai for Norway and Sweden, and wrote some papers on the Burlingame Mission. In the early 1880s, Forbes moved from China to Europe, spending most of the next 20 years in England and France. He became managing director of the Serrell Automatic Silk Reeling Company and was hit hard by the company's failure in 1894, as well as the earlier failure of Russell & Co. in 1891. During the later years of his life, he became interested in bimetallism and corresponded widely with silverites in Europe and the United States.

Francis Blackwell Forbes's uncle, Paul Siemen Forbes (1808-1886), also lived in China during the same period. He had three sons: William Howell Forbes (1837-1896), Henry De Courcy Forbes (1849-1920), and Paul Revere Forbes (1860-1936).

For a genealogical chart of the members of the Forbes family that appear in this collection, see the Appendix: Condensed Genealogy of the Forbes Family.

Collection Description

The Forbes family papers consist of the correspondence and other papers of the Forbes family of Milton, Mass. mostly Robert Bennet Forbes (1804-1889), Francis Blackwell Forbes (1839-1908), and James Murray Forbes (1845-1937). The collection primarily documents the commercial activities of various members of the family engaged in the China trade and other business interests during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Other subjects include: the ships Macedonian and Jamestown and their voyages to relieve the Irish famine; the ships Niantic, Coquette, Canton Packet, and Alert; sea-faring life; botany in China; the Massachusetts Humane Society; bimetallism; the Opium War; descriptions of Canton, China; and the history of Shanghai. Among the many correspondents are the merchant firms T. H. Perkins & Sons, Baring Bros., and Russell & Co., as well as the Hong merchant Houqua, Robert C. Winthrop, National Bowditch and other Bowditch family members, Benjamin F. Butler, George Bancroft, Theodore Lyman, Alfred Richardson, and others.

The collection also contains scrapbooks and diaries, including the diaries of John Cunningham (1839), James Murray Forbes (1857-1858, 1874-1875, 1884-1930), Mary Hathaway Forbes (1859-1861), and Alice Bowditch Forbes (1871). Other diaries describe a voyage to Greenland in the schooner Nautilus by an unknown author (1860), a trip to China by James Murray Forbes (1870-1871), and a trip to Germany and Spain by Paul Revere Forbes (1883).

For a list of select individuals, organizations, places, events, ships, and subjects of significance that appear in the collection, see the Select Index below.

Arrangement

This collection has been broken down into 6 series, each of which is subdivided into numbers. The 6 series are as follows: I. Robert Bennet Forbes letterbooks, consisting of 38 numbers (Reel 1-10); II. Robert Bennet Forbes papers, consisting of 17 numbers (Reel 11-20); III. Francis Blackwell Forbes letterbooks, consisting of 11 numbers (Reel 21-24); IV. Francis Blackwell Forbes papers, consisting of 20 numbers (Reel 25-37); V. James Murray Forbes papers, consisting of 21 numbers (Reel 38-41); and VI. Forbes miscellany, consisting of 12 numbers (Reel 42-47). Many of the numbers have been further subdivided into individual folders. A single number may contain anywhere from 3 or 4 documents to 15 or 20 folders.

Omitted from the microfilm edition of this collection are papers dated after World War I--for example, some letters of Allan Forbes written in the 1930s and 1940s--and papers of distant relatives of wives of Forbes family members, such as material on the Civil War activities of a member of the Amory family. With these two exceptions, everything in the Forbes family collection has been microfilmed.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the China Trade Museum, Milton, Mass., 1984.

Other Formats

Digital facsimiles of most of the Forbes family papers are available on China, America and the Pacific, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.

Digital facsimiles of the logs of the ship Alert and schooner Nautilus are available on Life at Sea, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.

Papers of Forbes family members have been published in:

Forbes, John Murray. Letters and Recollections of John Murray Forbes. Ed. Sarah Forbes Hughes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1899.

Forbes, John Murray. Reminiscences of John Murray Forbes. Ed. Sarah Forbes Hughes. Boston: George H. Ellis, 1902.

Forbes, John Murray. Letters (Supplementary) of John Murray Forbes. Ed. Sarah Forbes Hughes. Boston: George H. Ellis, 1905.

Forbes, Robert Bennet. Personal Reminiscences. Boston: Little Brown, 1892.

Forbes, Robert Bennet. Letters from China: The Canton-Boston Correspondence of Robert Bennet Forbes, 1838-1840. Ed. Phyllis Forbes Kerr. Mystic, Conn.: Mystic Seaport Museum, 1996.

Perkins, Charles Elliott, and Edith Forbes Perkins. Family Letters, 1861-1869. Ed. Edith Perkins Cunningham. Boston: Privately printed, 1949.

Perkins, Edith Forbes. Letters and Journals of Edith Forbes Perkins, 1908-1925. Ed. Edith Perkins Cunningham. [Cambridge, Mass.]: Printed at the Riverside Press for private distribution, 1931.

Detailed Description of the Collection

I. Robert Bennet Forbes letterbooks, 1825-1889

Reel 1Number 1
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in China, South America, Europe, and the United States to T. H. Perkins & Sons, Baring Bros., Russell & Co., John P. Cushing, Thomas T. Forbes, William Sturgis, and others, including a long account of Robert Bennet Forbes's troubles getting out of the River Plata in 1827, 1825-1832
Reel 1Number 2
Notes on the remission of funds to the Far East, packing goods for the China trade, and specific goods, including cloth, birds' nests, shark fins, ginseng, fish, coral, and opium, 1828-1829 [?]
Reel 1Number 3
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes about the voyage to China, daily life in Canton, and business dealings with Russell & Co., 1838-1839
Reel 1Number 4
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes about daily life in Canton, 1838
Reel 1Number 5
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes about life in Canton, Macao, Hong Kong, and aboard the bark Trenton, written in the form of a journal, 1839
Reel 1Number 6
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes about life in Canton and aboard various vessels in local waters, written in the form of a journal, and letters to Margaret Perkins Forbes, 1839-1840
Reel 1Number 7
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes and Margaret Perkins Forbes about life in Canton and his plans to return home because of the Opium War, 1840
Reel 1Number 8
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes about his voyage from Macao to New York on the ship Niantic, written in the form of a journal, 1840
Reel 1Number 8
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Samuel Mather and George S. Paine, 1840
Reel 1Number 9
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes about a trip to Europe, 1841
Reel 1Number 9
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Thomas G. Cary, Margaret P. Forbes, and F. H. Delano, 1841-1845
Reel 1Number 10
Report by Robert Bennet Forbes on the expedition of the ship Jamestown to relieve Irish famine, letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to President Polk, David Henshaw, Josiah Quincy, Jr., William Rathbone in Liverpool, and various firms in China, letters to Lieutenant Matthew F. Maury and ship captains about navigational matters, and letters to Boston associates about local concerns, 1847-1848
Reel 2Number 11
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to ship captains, Lieutenant M. F. Maury, Robert C. Winthrop, Cary & Co. in New York, and other firms in England and the United States, with index, 1848
Reel 2Number 12
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Baring Bros. and Forbes Forbes & Co. in London, William Rathbone in Liverpool, James Scott & Co. in Ireland, and others, with index, 1848
Reel 2Number 13
Mostly letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes, Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., and John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) about his voyage to Canton via Europe and Egypt, 1849
Reel 2Number 14
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes and Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., about life in Canton and Hong Kong, 1849-1850
Reel 2Number 15
Letters from Rose Smith Forbes and Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., to Robert Bennet Forbes in China about Forbes family life in Milton during his absence, 1849-1851
Reel 3Number 16
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to Joseph Lyman, T. H. Perkins, W. W. Swann, and Margaret P. Forbes, with index, 1849-1850
Reel 3Number 17
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to Rose Smith Forbes about life in Canton, written in the form of a journal, and letters to Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., and others, 1850
Reel 3Number 18
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to various ship captains, partners in Russell & Co., F. T. Bush in Hong Kong, Henry and James Sturgis in Hong Kong and Macao, Edward Cunningham, and Paul Siemen Forbes, with index, 1850-1851
Reel 3Number 19
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston and Milton to Russell & Co., the Sturgises in Canton, Edward Cunningham in Shanghai, D. N. Spooner and Warren Delano in Canton, Rathbone Bros. in Liverpool, Baring Bros. in London, Lieutenant M. F. Maury in Washington, W. H. Seward, Charles Sumner, various ship captains and shipbuilders, and some family members, 1851-1852
Reel 3Number 20
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to J. P. Cushing and Edward and James Cunningham in China, Paul Siemen Forbes in Paris and China, Russell Sturgis in London, Warren Delano, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Daniel Webster, Charles Francis Adams, W. H. Seward, Lewis Cass, N. P. Banks, and various ship captains, with index, 1851-1861
Reel 4Number 21
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to Baring Bros., Bates & Co. of Boston, W. R. Bush, Cary & Co. of New York, Nelson Curtis, Gustavus V. Fox, Commodore F. H. Gregory, Admiral S. P. Lee, S. M. Pook, Russell & Co., Gideon Welles, and various ship captains, with index, 1862-1863
Reel 4Number 22
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston and Milton to Gustavus V. Fox, Admiral S. P. Lee, Admiral F. H. Gregory, Admiral L. M. Goldsborough, John and Edward Cunningham, Warren Delano, various members of the Forbes family in China, Charles Sumner, R. C. Winthrop, Russell Sturgis in London, and various ship captains, including letters about Civil War matters and Robert Bennet Forbes's part in them, with index, 1863-1865
Reel 5Number 23
Mostly letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston and Milton to James Murray Forbes in China, 1865-1866
Reel 5Number 24
Mostly letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Pau, France, to James Murray Forbes and Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., including loose documents from the volume, 1868-1869
Reel 5Number 25
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to Rose Smith Forbes, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Charles E. Perkins, Benjamin F. Butler, and various officials in the Navy Department, 1877-1878
Reel 5Number 26
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to John P. Bayley, Edward Cunningham, Warren Delano, H. W. Hubbell, S. I. Kimball, Richard Lewis, A. A. Low, Commodore F. A. Parker, and Russell Sturgis, letters from John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) and Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., to Robert Bennet Forbes, and a history of Russell & Co. by Robert Bennet Forbes, with index, 1878-1879
Reel 6Number 27
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., James Murray Forbes, Charles E. Perkins, A. H. Clark, John P. Cushing, John Ericsson, J. S. Paine, L. R. Hamersley & Co. in Philadelphia, B. S. Osborn, Admiral J. R. Ward in London, and various naval officers, with index, 1879-1880
Reel 6Number 28
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., James Murray Forbes, William Hathaway Forbes, Warren Delano, John Ericsson, Hannibal Hamlin, George B. Hanover, W. C. Hunter in Paris, Senator George F. Hoar, S. I. Kimball, A. A. Low, Richard Lewis, Admiral John Rodgers, Russell Sturgis in London, H. A. Whitney, and various naval officers, with index, 1880-1881
Reel 7Number 29
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., James Murray Forbes, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Charles E. Perkins, Sir Thomas Brassy in England, Admiral George H. Preble, General M. B. Hazen, Lieutenant-Commander F. E. Chadwick, Senator George F. Hoar, and Philip K. Dumaresq, with index, 1881-1883
Reel 7Number 30
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Rose Smith Forbes, Admiral D. D. Porter, Admiral J. R. Ward, Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, and Admiral C. P. R. Rogers, Commodore R. W. Shufeldt, John Ericsson, David W. Low, S. H. Pook, and various Scottish mercantile houses, with index, 1883
Reel 7Number 31
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to E. Bell in London, H. and D. C. Babson in Gloucester, Mass., B. W. Crowninshield, Captain G. W. Creasy, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), William Hathaway Forbes, W. C. Hunter, S. I. Kimball, J. D. Long, H. A. Pierce, Captain Pryce Protheroe, H. E. Scudder, and E. S. Tobey, with index, 1883-1885
Reel 8Number 32
Family letters and memoranda from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to Rose Smith Forbes, Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., and James Murray Forbes about Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr.'s financial irresponsibilities and other subjects, with index, 1883-1886
Reel 8Number 33
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to D. J. Dixwell, W. Delano, Sir Roderic Cameron, General J. A. Cunningham, John Ericsson, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), James Murray Forbes, George H. Folger, E. E. Hale, W. C. Hunter, S. I. Kimball, Inspector D. M. C. Long, D. McLean, A. A. Low, Richard Olney, Charles and Edith Forbes Perkins, H. S. Russell, Moorfield Storey, Roland Worthington, and various government officials and naval officers, 1885-1886
Reel 9Number 34
Business letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton and Boston to W. S. Barrett, J. W. Collins, Arthur H. Clark, James Murray Forbes, Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., Captain A. W. Greely, W. C. Hunter, S. I. Kimball, A. A. Low, Charles and Edith Forbes Perkins, Admiral D. D. Porter, Peck & Snyder, J. C. Rogers, Commodore W. S. Schley, Moorfield Storey, Russell Sturgis, E. A. Tonzalien, George L. Vose, and other business associates, 1886-1889
Reel 9Number 35
Letters and memoranda from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton, mostly about famous voyages, shipwrecks, and rescues, including accounts of the voyages of the Jamestown and Macedonian to relieve the Irish famine and a few family letters, with index, 1889
Reel 9Number 36
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Milton to various newspaper editors about safety at sea, with index, 1889
Reel 10Number 37-38
Two drafts of Robert Bennet Forbes's "Autobiography" (later published as Personal Reminiscences), 1870s

II. Robert Bennet Forbes papers, 1768-1889

Reel 11Number 1
Bound volume of family letters, mostly from Ralph Bennet Forbes to Dorothy Murray Forbes, James Grant Forbes (1769-1825), and John Murray Forbes (1771-1831), with a few Murray letters, 1768-1813
Reel 11Number 2
Account by Ralph Bennet Forbes of the capture of the schooner Coquette and associated documents, 1807-1811
Reel 11Number 3Folder 1
Letter to Robert Bennet Forbes from his aunt Mary Abbot, 1821
Reel 11Number 3Folder 2
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes in Rotterdam to Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1822
Reel 11Number 3Folder 3
Letter from Houqua in Canton, 1838
Reel 11Number 3Folder 4
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to Russell & Co., 1838
Reel 11Number 3Folder 5
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in China and Boston to James P. Sturgis, 1840-1842
Reel 11Number 3Folder 6
Letters from various ship captains to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1838-1839
Reel 11Number 3Folder 7
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to John C. Green in New York, 1849
Reel 11Number 3Folder 8
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to Warren Delano, Forbes Forbes & Co. in London, and the British consul in Canton, 1850
Reel 11Number 3Folder 9
Mostly letters of instruction from Thomas Tunno Forbes and Thomas H. Perkins & Sons to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1823-1829
Reel 11Number 3Folder 10
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Paul Siemen Forbes, 1850-1868
Reel 11Number 3Folder 11
Documents concerning Russell, Sturgis & Co. and Russell & Co., 1818-1849
Reel 11Number 3Folder 12
Account of expenses of the ship Canton Packet, 1817-1818
Reel 11Number 3Folder 13
"An Account of Failed Paper," written by Robert Bennet Forbes during the Panic of 1837, 1837
Reel 11Number 3Folder 14
Extracts of letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton and Macao, 1840
Reel 11Number 3Folder 15
Accounts of Robert Bennet Forbes with Russell & Co., 1824-1839
Reel 11Number 3Folder 16
Bills of exchange drawn from China, 1838
Reel 11Number 3Folder 17
Drafts of letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to officials in the State Department, 1857
Reel 11Number 3Folder 17
Report of a committee on Chinese affairs, 1857
Reel 11Number 3Folder 18
Report by Robert Bennet Forbes to the Boston Board of Trade, 1857
Reel 11Number 3Folder 19
Drafts of letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to the Secretary of State on the opium situation in China, 1857
Reel 11Number 3Folder 20
Letters from William B. Reed in Philadelphia and Washington to Robert Bennet Forbes on a Chinese trade mission, 1857
Reel 11Number 3Folder 21
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes to Secretary of State William L. Marcy on the Chinese situation, 1854
Reel 11Number 3Folder 22
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes to Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1871
Reel 11Number 3Folder 23
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to James Murray Forbes, draft of a report by Robert Bennet Forbes to the Secretary of the Navy, and letters from Edward Cunningham, John Griswold, Warren Delano, and A. A. Low to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1849-1879
Reel 11Number 3Folder 24
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes to J. G. Palfrey, letter from Palfrey to Forbes, letter from Charles Bradford to Forbes, and undated expense accounts and newspaper clippings, 1846-1879
Reel 11Number 3Folder 25
Correspondence between Robert Bennet Forbes and A. A. Low, Edward Cunningham, Russell & Co., Russell Sturgis, T. J. Coolidge, Charles P. Bradford, E. Carrington, S. Wells Williams, Paul Siemen Forbes, Warren Delano, W. C. Hunter, and others, 1879
Reel 12Number 4Folder 1
Letter from Ralph Bennet Forbes and Margaret Perkins Forbes to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1819
Reel 12Number 4Folder 2
Letter from Thomas Tunno Forbes in Canton to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1822
Reel 12Number 4Folder 3
Letter from Samuel Russell in Canton to John P. Cushing, 1829
Reel 12Number 4Folder 3
Letter from Samuel Russell in New York to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1836
Reel 12Number 4Folder 4
Letters from Lewis Cass, Admiral S. I. Du Pont, Charles E. Perkins, and others to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1838-1873
Reel 12Number 4Folder 5
Two linguists' reports on cargoes exported from China, 1838
Reel 12Number 4Folder 5
Printed table of tea prices, 1838
Reel 12Number 4Folder 6
Letter from E. Emery in Chile to Robert Bennet Forbes with bill of lading, 1838
Reel 12Number 4Folder 7
Mostly letters to Robert Bennet Forbes from Major W. B. Scott, Thomas Appleton, R. C. Winthrop, George Ashmon, David Henshaw, Marcus Morton, John W. Davis, British consul in China, George B. Loring, Professor A. D. Bache, Lewis Cass, William B. Reed, Isaac Toucey, R. C. Schenk, John G. Palfrey, Charles F. Adams, Joshua Bates, Charles G. Loring, Josiah Quincy, William W. Wood, Vice President Henry Wilson, George S. Boutwell, Zachariah Chandler, Anson Burlingame, and other government officials, 1846-1879
Reel 12Number 4Folder 8
Mostly letters from Captain Louis M. Goldsborough to Robert Bennet Forbes about ships Forbes was having built, 1851-1879
Reel 12Number 4Folder 9
Letter from Dr. Peter Parker in Canton to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1851
Reel 12Number 4Folder 10
Report on China written by Robert Bennet Forbes for Secretary of State William L. Marcy, 1854
Reel 12Number 4Folder 11
Report of a committee of Boston merchants on Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan, undated
Reel 12Number 4Folder 12
Letter from John T. Moore to Robert Bennet Forbes covering an account entitled "Operation in Rye," 1856
Reel 12Number 4Folder 13
Mostly letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to James Murray Forbes, 1858-1861
Reel 12Number 4Folder 14
Mostly letters from Rose Smith Forbes to James Murray Forbes, 1858-1868 [?]
Reel 12Number 4Folder 15
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes and Rose Smith Forbes from a nephew named Smith in Chile, 1865-1867
Reel 12Number 4Folder 16
Account of a cargo of tea imported by Robert Bennet Forbes, 1867
Reel 12Number 4Folder 17
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes in Geneva, Switzerland, to Edward Cunningham, 1868
Reel 12Number 4Folder 18
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to James Murray Forbes in China, 1870
Reel 12Number 4Folder 19
Letters of condolence to members of the Forbes family on the death of Rose Smith Forbes, 1885
Reel 12Number 5
Memorandum on Canton affairs by John P. Cushing and two letters from Cushing to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1828-1852
Reel 13Number 6Folder 1
Account of a portrait of Robert Bennet Forbes painted by George Chinnery at Canton in 1832, 1838
Reel 13Number 6Folder 2
Mostly letters from Rose Smith Forbes in Boston to Robert Bennet Forbes in China, 1838-1839
Reel 13Number 6Folder 3
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to Rose Smith Forbes, 1838
Reel 13Number 6Folder 4
Two accounts of Robert Bennet Forbes's ship Canton Packet, 1838
Reel 13Number 6Folder 4
Linguist's report, 1838
Reel 13Number 6Folder 4
Letters from Russell & Co. and Baring Bros. to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1838
Reel 13Number 6Folder 5
Letters from Rose Smith Forbes in Boston to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1839-1841
Reel 13Number 6Folder 6-7
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in China to Rose Smith Forbes, 1839-1840
Reel 13Number 6Folder 8
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in China and Boston to Russell & Co., Warren Delano, Baring Bros., and other merchants in England, France, and India, 1843-1864
Reel 13Number 6Folder 9
Letters from Warren Delano in Hong Kong and George Tyson in Shanghai to Robert Bennet Forbes and a letter from S. K. Lothrop to James Murray Forbes, 1863-1867
Reel 14Number 7Folder 1
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) in Canton to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1834
Reel 14Number 7Folder 2
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) in Canton and Manila to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1835
Reel 14Number 7Folder 3
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) in Canton to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1836
Reel 14Number 7Folder 4
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in England and en route to China to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1849
Reel 14Number 7Folder 5-6
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Canton to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1850-1851
Reel 14Number 7Folder 7
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Boston to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1852
Reel 14Number 7Folder 8
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in England, Holland, and Boston to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1853
Reel 14Number 7Folder 9
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1850s
Reel 15Number 8Folder 1
Letters from various naval officers to Robert Bennet Forbes about safety at sea, 1836-1881
Reel 15Number 8Folder 2
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes from Samuel H. Pook and other naval officers about ship construction, 1854-1881
Reel 15Number 8Folder 3
Letters from Lieutenant Matthew F. Maury to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1848-1857
Reel 15Number 8Folder 4
Report by Captain Charles Breck, U.S. Navy, of an expedition to explore the River Plata in Argentina, 1858
Reel 15Number 8Folder 5
Letters from John Ericsson to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1875-1876
Reel 15Number 8Folder 6
Documents on the subject of a new lifeboat, 1876
Reel 15Number 8Folder 7
Letters related to the U.S.S. Guerriere, 1870-1871
Reel 15Number 8Folder 8
Resolution of the Boston Marine Society on Robert Bennet Forbes's 60th anniversary as a member, 1887
Reel 15Number 8Folder 9-10
Personal letters from family and friends to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1889
Reel 16Number 9
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in either Boston or China to Paul Siemen Forbes about the family's business ventures in China and other subjects, 1838-1866
Reel 17Number 10Folder 1
Letters from Commander Joseph Smith and others about the China trade and other subjects, pamphlet of reminiscences of Ralph Bennet Forbes, and pamphlet by Robert Bennet Forbes entitled "Personal Memoranda," 1828-1881
Reel 17Number 10Folder 2
Memorandum of agreement between Robert Bennet Forbes and Samuel Hall to build the bark Coquette, 1844
Reel 17Number 10Folder 3
Miscellaneous letters about the Macedonian, Irish famine relief, and other subjects, 1847-1888
Reel 17Number 10Folder 4
Arthur H. Clark's copy of Robert Bennet Forbes's pamphlet entitled "The Forbes Rig," 1862
Reel 17Number 10Folder 5
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) and memoranda on Robert Bennet Forbes's Milton property, 1872-1881
Reel 17Number 10Folder 6
Pencil drawing by Robert Bennet Forbes of the warship Meteor, 1876
Reel 17Number 10Folder 7
Personal letters from family and friends to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1889
Reel 17Number 10Folder 8
Typewritten copy of Robert Bennet Forbes's article "How to Construct a Model Yacht," undated
Reel 17Number 10Folder 9
Typewritten copies of material from the Forbes papers, including 121 pages of letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to Rose Smith Forbes in 1838 and 1839, 1838-1889
Reel 17Number 11Folder 1
Mostly letters from George Bancroft, Isaac Toucey, and other officials in the Navy Department to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1843-1880
Reel 17Number 11Folder 2
Letters from Commander Charles S. Morris to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1845-1855
Reel 17Number 11Folder 3
Letters from Lieutenant John A. Dahlgren, U.S. Navy, later chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1855-1862
Reel 17Number 11Folder 4
Letters from D. N. Ingraham, chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1856-1859
Reel 17Number 11Folder 5
Mostly letters from Commander S. B. Luce to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1864-1881
Reel 17Number 11Folder 6
Letters from Lieutenant F. E. Chadwick to Robert Bennet Forbes and a printed report of the superintendent of the Naval Academy, 1881-1882
Reel 18Number 12Folder 1
Business letters to Robert Bennet Forbes from various customs collectors, Treasury Department officials, and political leaders, including Howell Cobb, Salmon P. Chase, John B. Floyd, A. D. Bache, Abbot Lawrence, and R. C. Winthrop, 1846-1869
Reel 18Number 12Folder 2
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes in Europe to Edith Forbes Perkins and others, 1868-1869
Reel 18Number 12Folder 3
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes from various federal officials, including W. Hunter, Admiral George Preble, and Benjamin F. Butler, about safety at sea, 1870-1880
Reel 18Number 12Folder 4
Letters from Admiral David Porter to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1871-1878
Reel 18Number 12Folder 5
Personal letters from family and friends to Robert Bennet Forbes about his 85th birthday and other subjects, 1889
Reel 18Number 13Folder 1
Letters to Robert Bennet Forbes about safety at sea, 1845-1880
Reel 18Number 13Folder 2
Correspondence between Robert Bennet Forbes and A. T. Perkins and other documents related to Forbes's association with the Massachusetts Humane Society, 1847-1878
Reel 18Number 13Folder 3
Letters from Commander Daniel Ammen to Robert Bennet Forbes about proposed regulations to prevent collisions at sea, 1857-1880
Reel 19Number 14
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to James Murray Forbes in China, Warren Delano, and Russell & Co., 1862-1871
Reel 19Number 15
Correspondence between Robert Bennet Forbes and S. K. Lothrop, 1873-1877
Reel 20Number 16Folder 1
Letters from various admirals and commodores to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1839-1880
Reel 20Number 16Folder 2
Letters from various naval officers to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1842-1881
Reel 20Number 16Folder 3
Letters from officials in the Treasury Department to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1844-1880
Reel 20Number 16Folder 4
Miscellaneous letters and documents, including letters from Robert Bennet Forbes to family members and Josiah Quincy and a printed list of the partners of Russell & Co., 1838-1889
Reel 20Number 17Folder 1
Letter from William Sturgis to John P. Cushing mentioning Robert Bennet Forbes, 1819
Reel 20Number 17Folder 2
Letters from John P. Cushing, mostly from Watertown, Mass., to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1829-1857
Reel 20Number 17Folder 3
Letter from John P. Cushing in London to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1830
Reel 20Number 17Folder 4
Papers related to Margaret Perkins Forbes, 1834-1848
Reel 20Number 17Folder 5
Letters from Caleb Cushing to Robert Bennet Forbes and Senator Holmes and a letter from Conway Whittle to Cushing, 1843-1859
Reel 20Number 17Folder 6
Letters from Samuel A. Brimblecom to family members while on a voyage to the Far East onboard Robert Bennet Forbes's brig Antelope, 1843-1844

Note: These documents are photocopies of the originals in the possession of Philip Jones of Shelton, Connecticut, and may not be quoted in print without his permission.

III. Francis Blackwell Forbes letterbooks, 1869-1895

Reel 21Number 1
Francis Blackwell Forbes's notebook on botany in China, including memoranda about Chinese forest trees and shrubs, Shanghai flora, the origins of cultivated plants, botanical nomenclature, and other subjects, 1869-1880s
Reel 21Number 2
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in China to J. B. Cunningham, De Courcy Forbes, William Howell Forbes, John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921), William Pethick, J. B. Manson, J. S. Wheaton, Major-General Pakenham, General Starring, W. Harwood, John L. Cadwalader, S. W. Pomeroy, W. V. Drummond, and others, 1881-1882
Reel 21Number 3
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes to H. F. Hance in England, R. Franchot in France, C. J. Maximowicz in Russia, Professor Carnel in Florence, W. Carruthers at the British Museum, N. Rondot in Paris, and others about Chinese botany, with index, 1882-1885
Reel 22Number 4
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in London to E. L. Godkin, William Howell Forbes, G. H. Wheeler, the Rev. John Watt, Russell & Co., and others, with index, 1885-1886
Reel 22Number 5
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris to E. W. Serrell, Alfred Bie and Charles Guerin in Lyons, W. Harwood in London, William Keswick, W. H. Tottie, Thomas Wardle, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Cornelius Roosevelt, John Munroe & Co., Russell & Co., and others about the Serrell Silk Reeling Co., 1887-1888
Reel 22Number 6
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris to E. W. Serrell, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Cornelius Roosevelt, Charles Guerin, the English law firm of Harwood & Stephenson, S. W. Pomeroy, W. H. Tottie, Mrs. George Walker, William Keswick, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and others about the Serrell Co., with index, 1888-1889
Reel 23Number 7
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris to E. W. Serrell, William Keswick, B. W. Frazier, Russell & Co., Harwood & Stephenson, W. H. Tottie, James Murray Forbes, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), R. Blackwell, Cornelius Roosevelt, John Munroe & Co., F. D. Hitch (Francis Blackwell Forbes's trustee), Endicott Peabody of Groton, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Edward Luckemeyer, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and others about the Serrell Co., 1888-1890
Reel 23Number 8
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris, St. Moritz, Venice, Florence, and Milan to E. W. Serrell, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Chabrieres, Cornelius Roosevelt, William Keswick, W. H. Tottie, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and others about the Serrell Co., 1890-1891
Reel 24Number 9
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris to E. W. Serrell, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Morel & Co. in Lyons, W. H. Tottie, James G. King & Sons, W. Harwood, F. D. Hitch, Ewen Cameron of the Hong Kong Bank in London, Russell & Co., S. W. Pomeroy, Edward Luckemeyer, F. O. Ritz, Endicott Peabody, Cornelius Roosevelt, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and others on business matters, including the affairs of the Serrell Co. and the failure of Russell & Co., 1891-1892
Reel 24Number 10
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris to E. W. Serrell, J. G. King & Sons, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), William Howell Forbes, Baring Bros., A. C. Hunter in Shanghai, W. Harwood, S. W. Pomeroy, W. H. Tottie, Walter de H. Scott in London, Professor H. S. Foxwell in Cambridge, England, Professor F. J. Edgeworth in Oxford, Sir William Houldsworth, G. H. Wheeler in Shanghai, Charles E. Perkins, B. W. Frazier, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and others, including some material on the use of silver as currency, 1892-1894
Reel 24Number 11
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Paris to Professor F. J. Edgeworth of Oxford, Sir William Houldsworth, J. G. King & Sons, Ewen Cameron, William Howell Forbes, John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Murray Forbes, W. H. Tottie, W. Harwood, Charles E. Perkins, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China, and others, 1894-1895

IV. Francis Blackwell Forbes papers, 1839-1931

Reel 25Number 1
Letters from family members to Francis Blackwell Forbes at school and reports on him from the Columbia College Grammar School, New York, 1850-1857
Reel 25Number 2
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes en route to China and in China to family members, 1857-1863
Reel 25Number 3Folder 1
Letters and reports from Francis Blackwell Forbes in China, including letters to his family and material related to the Burlingame Mission, silk consumption, the Shanghai Country Club, and the liquidation of the Shanghai Silk Filature Co., 1858-1902
Reel 25Number 3Folder 2
Business letters from Edward Cunningham in Boston and Milton to Francis Blackwell Forbes in China, 1868-1886
Reel 25Number 3Folder 3
Newspaper clippings from Shanghai newspapers about the Tientsin Massacre of 1870, 1870
Reel 25Number 3Folder 4
Deed and power of attorney signed by Edward Cunningham, 1871-1872
Reel 25Number 3Folder 5
Letters from Edward Cunningham and Thomas Wheelock to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) and letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes to Cunningham, 1875-1902
Reel 25Number 3Folder 6
Letters from Edward Cunningham in Shanghai to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1875
Reel 25Number 3Folder 7
Letters from Edward Cunningham to Russell & Co., 1877-1880
Reel 25Number 3Folder 8
Correspondence and reports from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Shanghai and Tientsin to William Pethick, Li Ching-fong, O. N. Denny, and others, including memoranda by Forbes about loans to China, 1879-1882
Reel 25Number 3Folder 9
Correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes with Harwood & Stephenson and the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China about the liquidation of Russell & Co. and other subjects, 1891-1896
Reel 25Number 3Folder 10
Correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes with John Barrett, William Keswick, Everett Frazier, William Harwood, R. Gundry, Ewen Cameron, and others, 1899-1901
Reel 26Number 4Folder 1
Papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's service as Swedish-Norwegian consul in China, including correspondence, passports, certificates, and other documents, 1857-1894
Reel 26Number 4Folder 2
Letter of introduction for Francis Blackwell Forbes written in Latin by Archbishop John Hughes, an exchange of letters between Sir Rustomjee Jamsetjee[?] and Houqua, and an undated petition supporting the nomination of Theodore Lyman for Congress, 1857-1859
Reel 26Number 4Folder 3
Four Confederate bonds, 1861-1865
Reel 26Number 4Folder 4-5
Personal correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes about family and household matters, 1863-1907
Reel 26Number 4Folder 6
Correspondence between Francis Blackwell Forbes and R. S. Gundry of London about the "Goodnow Fiasco" in Shanghai, ca. 1900
Reel 27Number 5Folder 1
Mostly letters from Paul Siemen Forbes to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1859-1906
Reel 27Number 5Folder 2
Mostly letters from J. M. Forbes & Co. to Francis Blackwell Forbes about money matters, 1862-1896
Reel 27Number 5Folder 3
Papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's children, including birth certificates and children's letters, 1865-1902
Reel 27Number 5Folder 4
Papers related to Isabel Clarke Forbes, including family letters, legal papers, and financial memoranda, 1867-1908
Reel 27Number 5Folder 5
Letters to Isabel Clarke Forbes from her sister Alice Frazier and others, 1867-1872
Reel 27Number 5Folder 6
Papers and newspaper clippings related to the last years of Rev. John Murray Forbes (1807-1885) and the settlement of his estate, 1880s
Reel 27Number 5Folder 7
Business letters from John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921) in Boston, New York, and China, 1879-1906
Reel 28Number 5Folder 8
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes, John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921), and Paul Siemen Forbes to Francis Blackwell Forbes , 1883-1889
Reel 28Number 5Folder 9
Mostly letters from James Murray Forbes to Francis Blackwell Forbes about Francis Murray Forbes, 1885-1902
Reel 28Number 5Folder 10
Documents related to a legacy given by George Dent to Ethel Forbes, 1885-1893
Reel 28Number 5Folder 11
Letters and reports related to the education of Francis Murray Forbes at Albion House in England, at Groton, and at Harvard, 1885-1900
Reel 28Number 5Folder 12
Letters and reports related to the education of Charles Stuart Forbes at Albion House and Uppingham in England, 1887-1900
Reel 28Number 5Folder 13
Letters and reports related to the education of James Grant Forbes (1879-1955) at Albion House and Uppingham, 1889-1897
Reel 28Number 5Folder 14
Documents related to the marriage settlement of Isobel Forbes de Mimont and Albert de Mimont, 1905
Reel 28Number 5Folder 15
Letters from R. G. Harper Plympton in Baltimore, Gery Cullom in England and Florence, and an unidentified correspondent to Charles Stuart Forbes in Paris about World War I and other subjects, 1912-1920
Reel 29Number 6Folder 1
Mostly financial statements from Russell & Co. to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1861-1891
Reel 29Number 6Folder 2
Letters to Francis Blackwell Forbes from Russell & Co. officials, including G. H. Wheeler, William Pethick, F. D. Hitch, and F. D. Bush, about the failure of Russell & Co. and other subjects, 1861-1892
Reel 29Number 6Folder 3
Mostly papers related to property owned by Francis Blackwell Forbes in Shanghai, 1862-1872
Reel 29Number 6Folder 4
Francis Blackwell Forbes's accounts with Russell & Co., 1863-1877
Reel 29Number 6Folder 5
Financial statements from Baring Bros., Jardine & Matheson, and other banks to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1865-1894
Reel 29Number 6Folder 6
Papers related to "The Lawn" (later the Country Club), Chefoo, China, 1872-1882
Reel 29Number 6Folder 7
Financial statements from the French banking houses Munroe & Co. and Hottinguer & Co. to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1875-1901
Reel 29Number 6Folder 8
Documents related to the claim of W. Scott Fitz against Russell & Co., 1877-1886
Reel 30Number 6Folder 9
Letters from Henry De Courcy Forbes in Paris and China to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1878-1882
Reel 30Number 6Folder 10
Letters from William Howell Forbes in China and the United States to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1880-1896
Reel 30Number 6Folder 11
Papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's business affairs with the Keechong Filature Association and Russell & Co., 1882-1891
Reel 30Number 6Folder 12
Letters and legal and financial documents from London lawyers Harwood & Stephenson and the firm of Jardine & Matheson to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1880-1890
Reel 30Number 6Folder 13
Documents related to the Alabama claims of the partners of Russell & Co., 1886-1891
Reel 30Number 6Folder 14
Letters and financial statements from the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1886-1901
Reel 30Number 6Folder 15
Letters and legal documents related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's trust properties, 1899-1904
Reel 31Number 7
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes at sea and in China to Isabel Clarke, 1866-1867
Reel 31Number 8
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in Shanghai to Isabel Clarke Forbes, 1868-1869
Reel 32Number 9Folder 1
Letters from Francis Blackwell Forbes in China to Isabel Clarke Forbes, 1870-1875
Reel 32Number 9Folder 2
Letters from Isabel Clarke Forbes in New York, China, and Europe to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1866-1896
Reel 33Number 10Folder 1
Papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's interest in Chinese botany, including correspondence with C. J. Maximowicz, W. T. Thistleton Dyer, and W. B. Hansley, 1875-1893
Reel 33Number 10Folder 2
Letters and memoranda related to a passport question, 1901-1902
Reel 33Number 10Folder 3
Bills and other financial papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's life in Europe, 1871-1904
Reel 33Number 10Folder 4
Papers related to the leasing of houses in England and France by Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1882-1900
Reel 34Number 11Folder 1
Accounts of Isabel Clarke Forbes with Russell & Co., 1873-1890
Reel 34Number 11Folder 2
Business papers of Isabel Clarke Forbes, mostly accounts from James G. King & Sons in New York and her brother-in-law B. W. Frazier in England, 1881-1898
Reel 34Number 12
Business papers of Isabel Clarke Forbes, mostly accounts from James G. King & Sons in New York, 1883-1906
Reel 34Number 13
Personal letters to Francis Blackwell Forbes from family and friends, including Adelaide Forbes Carmichael, B. W. and Alice Frazier, Edith Forbes Perkins, F. D. Hitch, Mrs. Howard Kennedy (Aunt Fanny), J. H. Campbell, and S. H. Pakenham, 1877-1908
Reel 35Number 14Folder 1
Papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's life insurance policies, 1867-1893
Reel 35Number 14Folder 2
Papers related to the Yangtze Insurance Association, including printed reports, 1881-1900
Reel 35Number 14Folder 3
Notes and accounts related to the Serrell Automatic Silk Reeling Co., 1885-1886
Reel 35Number 14Folder 4
Papers related to bimetallism, including letters to Francis Blackwell Forbes from Arnold Hepburn and Henry McNeil of the London Bimetallic League, Sir William Houldsworth, Edward Tuck, F. W. Taussig, President E. B. Andrews of Brown University, John Macdonald, and others, 1886-1903
Reel 35Number 14Folder 5
Business correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes with E. W. Serrell, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Cornelius Roosevelt, and William Harwood about the Serrell Silk Reeling Co., 1886-1887
Reel 36Number 14Folder 6
Business correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes with E. W. Serrell, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, William Harwood, F. O. Ritz, and Cornelius Roosevelt about the Serrell Silk Reeling Co., 1888
Reel 36Number 14Folder 7
Business correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes with E. W. Serrell, Colonel Harrison Ritchie, Cornelius Roosevelt, and F. O. Ritz about the Serrell Silk Reeling Co., 1889-1893
Reel 36Number 14Folder 8
Business correspondence of Francis Blackwell Forbes with E. W. Serrell, F. O. Ritz, and others about the Serrell Silk Reeling Co., 1894-1902
Reel 36Number 14Folder 9
Letters and postcards from Dana Horton and R. S. Gundry to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1894-1902
Reel 36Number 14Folder 10
Papers related to the Ernest Seyd slander and the "Crime of '73," including correspondence with Sir William Houldsworth, 1894-1896
Reel 36Number 14Folder 11
Letters and papers related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's connection with the Associated Charities of Boston and other charitable organizations, 1898-1908
Reel 36Number 14Folder 12
Documents related to the Stone Telephone and Telegraph Co., 1904-1907
Reel 37Number 15
Letters from Mrs. Howard Kennedy (Aunt Fanny), Adelaide Forbes Carmichael, Ellen M. Griswold, and other relatives to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1891-1901
Reel 37Number 16
Letter from W. Cameron Forbes to Francis Murray Forbes about Harvard clubs and a letter from Francis Murray Forbes to Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1893-1896
Reel 37Number 17Folder 1
Correspondence with John Hay, John Bassett Moore, Whitelaw Reid, Sir Andrew Clarke, Everett Frazier, and others related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's interest in the Far East, especially the Philippines, 1889-1902
Reel 37Number 17Folder 2
Correspondence with Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Senator H. M. Teller, A. M. Townsend, Sir Ewen Cameron, Secretary of the Treasury Lyman Gage, J. Howard Gwyther, Nelson Aldrich, William B. Allison, Thomas S. Hopkins, Edward Brush, W. W. Rockhill, Edward G. Gardiner, and others related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's interest in the Far East, especially the currency problem in the Philippines, 1900-1903
Reel 37Number 18Folder 1-3
Accounts and other documents between Francis Blackwell Forbes and Russell & Co., 1868-1886
Reel 37Number 18Folder 4
Accounts of the trustees of the property of Isabel Clarke Forbes, 1874-1886
Reel 37Number 18Folder 5
Documents related to the estates of William M. and Isabella Clarke, the parents of Isabel Clarke Forbes, 1874-1885
Reel 37Number 18Folder 6
Miscellaneous business papers, 1874-1911
Reel 37Number 18Folder 7
Documents related to the settlement of the estate of Isabel Clarke Forbes's father William M. Clarke, 1878-1883
Reel 37Number 18Folder 8
Accounts and other documents between Francis Blackwell Forbes and Russell & Co., 1879-1884
Reel 37Number 18Folder 9
Miscellaneous personal papers related to Chinese botany and other subjects, with photographs of Chinese scenes, 1886-1906
Reel 37Number 18Folder 10
Accounts and other documents between Francis Blackwell Forbes and Munroe & Co., 1887-1896
Reel 37Number 18Folder 11
Documents related to the property of Isabel Clarke Forbes, 1891
Reel 37Number 18Folder 12
Documents related to the New Jersey Zinc Co., 1897-1901
Reel 37Number 19Folder 1
Family papers, including baptismal certificates, trust agreements, and other documents, 1839-1907
Reel 37Number 19Folder 2
Documents related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's North Bank estate in Shanghai, 1861-1881
Reel 37Number 19Folder 3
Documents related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's first name (he was christened "Francis" and married as "Frank"), 1867-1896
Reel 37Number 19Folder 4
Indentures related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's North Bank estate in Shanghai, 1872-1881
Reel 37Number 19Folder 5
Wills, estate papers, and other documents related to Isabel Clarke Forbes, 1874-1931
Reel 37Number 19Folder 6
Documents related to the leasing of property by Francis Blackwell Forbes, 1882-1900
Reel 37Number 19Folder 7
Indentures related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's property on 9th Avenue in New York City, 1899
Reel 37Number 19Folder 8
Papers related to Charles F. Dunbar's 1899 article about the gold standard, 1899
Reel 37Number 19Folder 9
"The Chivalrous French--Journalists of Paris and the Queen," copies of French newspaper articles about Queen Victoria and other subjects, 1899
Reel 37Number 19Folder 10
Documents related to Francis Blackwell Forbes's will, 1903-1906
Reel 37Number 20Folder 1
Inventory of personal effects brought by Francis Blackwell Forbes from Shanghai, 1880s
Reel 37Number 20Folder 2
Manuscript of Francis Blackwell Forbes's article entitled "The Reverend John Forbes in East Florida, 1764-1783," 1885
Reel 37Number 20Folder 3
Printed articles, mostly about the currency question, 1886-1902

V. James Murray Forbes papers, 1813-1930

Reel 38Number 1Folder 1
Mostly letters from Nathaniel Bowditch to Elizabeth Clarke and his son Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, 1813-1831
Reel 38Number 1Folder 2
Letters from Nathaniel I. Bowditch and Nathaniel Bowditch and one printed poem, 1838-1847
Reel 38Number 1Folder 3
Papers related to N. I. Bowditch's interest in establishing a scholarship at Harvard, 1841-1865
Reel 38Number 1Folder 4
Mostly letters from N. I. Bowditch to his brother Dr. Henry Bowditch, 1832-1861
Reel 38Number 1Folder 5
Miscellaneous Bowditch family letters, 1832-1860
Reel 38Number 1Folder 6
Letters from N. I. Bowditch to his niece Bessie Mason, 1859-1860
Reel 38Number 1Folder 7
Letters from Elizabeth Bowditch to her daughter Alice Bowditch, 1858 and undated
Reel 38Number 1Folder 8
Letters from William Bowditch, several written from Madeira, to his sister Alice Bowditch Forbes and James Murray Forbes, undated
Reel 38Number 2
Journal kept by James Murray Forbes at school in Concord, Mass., 1857
Reel 38Number 3
Letters from Rose Smith Forbes to James Murray Forbes at school in Concord, Mass., 1857-1858
Reel 38Number 4Folder 1
Letters from various correspondents to James Murray Forbes at school, 1857-1861
Reel 38Number 4Folder 2
Letters from James Murray Forbes to his parents at school, 1857-1858
Reel 38Number 4Folder 3
Letters from Philip K. Dumaresq to James Murray Forbes and others, 1858-1859
Reel 38Number 4Folder 4
Letters from S. Kirkland Lothrop to James Murray Forbes, 1859-1860
Reel 38Number 5
Letters to Rose Smith Forbes from James Murray Forbes at school and en route to Hong Kong, with one unidentified letter, 1853-1863
Reel 39Number 6Folder 1
Letters from Edith Forbes, Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., and Philip K. Dumaresq to James Murray Forbes, 1855-1860
Reel 39Number 6Folder 2
Letters from James Murray Forbes en route to China to Rose Smith Forbes, 1863
Reel 39Number 6Folder 3
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Hong Kong and Shanghai to Rose Smith Forbes, 1864
Reel 39Number 6Folder 4-5
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Shanghai to Rose Smith Forbes, 1865-1866
Reel 39Number 6Folder 6
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Shanghai, Canton, and other parts of the Far East to Rose Smith Forbes, 1867
Reel 39Number 6Folder 7
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Canton and Shanghai to Rose Smith Forbes, 1868
Reel 39Number 6Folder 8
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Hong Kong and Alexandria, Egypt, to Rose Smith Forbes, 1870
Reel 39Number 6Folder 9
Letters from James Murray Forbes en route to China to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1863
Reel 39Number 6Folder 10
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Hong Kong and Shanghai to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1864
Reel 39Number 6Folder 11-12
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Shanghai to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1865-1866
Reel 39Number 6Folder 13
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Canton, Shanghai, and other Chinese ports to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1867
Reel 39Number 6Folder 14
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Canton, Hong Kong, and Paris to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1868
Reel 39Number 6Folder 15
Letters from James Murray Forbes in Canton and at sea to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1870
Reel 39Number 6Folder 16
Letters from James Murray Forbes to Alice Bowditch and Edith Forbes, 1869-1909
Reel 39Number 6Folder 17
Letters from James Murray Forbes to Robert Bennet Forbes, 1877
Reel 39Number 6Folder 18
Letters from James Murray Forbes in China to family and friends, 1865-1866
Reel 39Number 6Folder 19
Letters from James Murray Forbes in China to Edith Forbes, 1864
Reel 39Number 6Folder 20
List of wedding presents received by James Murray Forbes and Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1871
Reel 40Number 7
Journal kept by James Murray Forbes, 1858
Reel 40Number 8
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), Edward Cunningham, George Tyson, and Paul Siemen Forbes to James Murray Forbes, 1865-1869
Reel 40Number 9
Journal kept by James Murray Forbes on his second voyage to China, 1870-1871, including miscellaneous letters and memoranda from the back of the volume, 1849-1921
Reel 40Number 10
Diary of Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1871
Reel 40Number 11
Letters from S. Kirkland Lothrop to James Murray Forbes and Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1872-1887
Reel 40Number 12
Letters from various relatives and friends to Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1861-1900
Reel 40Number 13
Journal kept by James Murray Forbes (in French), 1874-1875
Reel 40Number 14
Journal kept very intermittently by James Murray Forbes about his travels in Europe and other subjects, including loose papers from the back of the volume, 1884-1930
Reel 41Number 15
Letters from Allan Forbes to Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1880s
Reel 41Number 16
Letters to Alice Bowditch Forbes from her daughters Mary and Dorothy, 1891 and undated
Reel 41Number 17
Bound volume of letters to Edith Forbes Perkins and others from James Murray Forbes, Alice Bowditch Forbes, and their children while traveling in Europe, 1892-1893
Reel 41Number 18
Scrapbook of menus, programs, and other mementoes of the Forbes family trip to Europe, 1892-1893
Reel 41Number 19
Typewritten account of a Forbes family trip to the west coast and Mexico illustrated with family photographs, 1903
Reel 41Number 20
Notebook of typewritten reminiscences by James Murray Forbes entitled "The Rice Field, 1905," with photographs of Forbes family life, 1905-1908
Reel 41Number 21
Notebook of typewritten reminiscences by James Murray Forbes, 1905-1929

VI. Forbes miscellany, 1732-1930

Reel 42Number 1Folder 1
Typed copies of letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to family members, 1783-1797

Note: Originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 42Number 1Folder 2
Typed copies of letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1788-1802

Note: Originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 42Number 1Folder 3
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1788-1802
Reel 42Number 1Folder 4
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to various friends, 1789-1801
Reel 42Number 1Folder 5
Bills paid by John Murray Forbes (1771-1831), 1785-1792
Reel 42Number 1Folder 6
Typed copies of letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to John Clark Nightingale, 1792

Note: Originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 42Number 1Folder 7
Legal document signed by John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) as attorney, 1792
Reel 42Number 1Folder 8-9
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1800-1819
Reel 42Number 1Folder 10
Typed copies of letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) in Copenhagen and Hamburg to Robert Smith, John Quincy Adams in Russia, General John Armstrong in Paris, Jonathan Russell, Henry Clay, William Jones, James Madison, J. J. Astor, and other European correspondents, 1809-1815

Note: Originals not located.

Reel 42Number 1Folder 11
Copies of letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to European business correspondents, 1813-1815
Reel 42Number 1Folder 12
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to his aunt Elizabeth Robbins, 1814-1816
Reel 42Number 1Folder 13
Letter from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to Thomas C. Amory & Co, 1817
Reel 42Number 1Folder 14
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) and photocopies of Forbes business documents, 1804-1829

Note: Originals of the latter at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 42Number 1Folder 15
Typed copies of letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to Paul Siemen Forbes, 1828-1831

Note: Originals not located.

Reel 42Number 1Folder 16
Letters from John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) to William Tudor, 1829
Reel 42Number 1Folder 17
Letterbook of John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) containing correspondence with Martin Van Buren, John D. Mendenhall, the Lawrence brothers, Joshua Bates, and others, with index, 1829-1831
Reel 43Number 2Folder 1
Forbes family correspondence, mostly letters to Ralph Bennet Forbes and John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) from John Adams, James Monroe, Robert Mackay, family members, and others, 1808-1816
Reel 43Number 2Folder 2
Mostly letters to John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) and John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) from John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Daniel Brent, John G. Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, William C. Bryant, Daniel Webster, W. H. Seward, Gideon Welles, Charles Sumner, and others, 1817-1862
Reel 43Number 2Folder 3
Mostly letters to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) from Edwin M. Stanton, Salmon P. Chase, Charles Sumner, Charles Francis Adams, U. S. Grant, W. T. Sherman, Richard Cobden, John G. Whittier, and others, 1863-1890
Reel 43Number 2Folder 4
Papers related to the Forbes family, including letters to John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), a copy of Professor Henry Jones Ford's 1913 report on the Philippines, and a covering letter from W. Cameron Forbes, 1891-1928
Reel 43Number 3Folder 1
Letters from John P. Cushing in Canton to family members, 1810-1822
Reel 43Number 3Folder 2
Letter from Thomas T. Forbes in Canton to James M. Robbins, 1823
Reel 43Number 3Folder 3
Correspondence of John P. Cushing with Perkins & Co., Russell & Co., and others, 1823-1829
Reel 43Number 3Folder 4
Letterbook containing letters from Thomas T. Forbes in Manila to Perkins & Co. in Canton and others, 1825
Reel 43Number 3Folder 5
Account book containing memoranda on China trade matters, presumably kept by John P. Cushing in China, ca. 1830
Reel 43Number 3Folder 6
Photocopies of documents related to the China trade, 1830-1842

Note: Originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 43Number 3Folder 7
Log of the ship Alert kept by John Murray Forbes (1813-1898) on his return from China to Boston, 1833

Digital facsimiles of the log of the ship Alert are available on Life at Sea, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.

Reel 43Number 3Folder 8
Miscellaneous documents related to the China trade, 1838-1906

Note: Four originals and three photocopies of originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 43Number 3Folder 9
Journal kept by John Cunningham at Penang and Singapore, 1839
Reel 43Number 3Folder 10
Letter from John P. Cushing to Houqua, 1839
Reel 43Number 3Folder 11
Article by Edward Cunningham entitled "Our Commercial and Political Relations with China by an American Resident in China," 1855
Reel 43Number 3Folder 12
Article on Russell & Co. published in the Boston Globe, 1908
Reel 44Number 4Folder 1
Typed copies of Murray and Forbes family letters, mostly those of James Murray, 1732-1837

Note: Originals at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Reel 44Number 4Folder 2
Letter from Dr. Earle[?] Barker to Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1778
Reel 44Number 4Folder 3
Letter from James Murray to his daughters, 1781
Reel 44Number 4Folder 4
Letter from Catherine Goldthwait to Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1783
Reel 44Number 4Folder 5
Mostly typed copies of letters from James Grant Forbes (1769-1825) to Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1783-1810

Note: Originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 44Number 4Folder 6
Bills paid by Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1785
Reel 44Number 4Folder 7
Lease of land between Dorothy Murray Forbes and Andrew Spooner, 1789
Reel 44Number 4Folder 8
Letter to Dorothy Murray Forbes[?] from W. Wilkins[?], 1800
Reel 44Number 5Folder 1
Letters from Ralph Bennet Forbes to Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1789-1804
Reel 44Number 5Folder 2
Invoice of cargo of brandy and wine shipped from Bordeaux for Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1795
Reel 44Number 5Folder 3
Business letters from various correspondents to Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1800-1810
Reel 44Number 5Folder 4
Document attesting the birth date of Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1804
Reel 44Number 5Folder 5
Business correspondence of Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1808
Reel 44Number 5Folder 6
Papers related to the bark Coquette, 1808-1809
Reel 44Number 5Folder 7
Business letters from various correspondents to Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1809
Reel 44Number 5Folder 8
Business letters from Thomas Amory, Henry Higginson, C. R. Codman, G. Darby, and others to Ralph Bennet Forbes , 1809
Reel 44Number 5Folder 9-10
Business letters from Thomas Amory and others to Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1809
Reel 44Number 5Folder 11
Letters from James Grant Forbes (1769-1825) to Ralph Bennet Forbes, 1810-1819
Reel 44Number 5Folder 12
Letter from Stephen Cathalan to Jonathan Russell about Dorothy Murray Forbes, 1811
Reel 44Number 5Folder 13
Letters from Margaret Perkins Forbes to Ralph Bennet Forbes, ca. 1815
Reel 44Number 6Folder 1
Deed of land in Milton to Nathaniel Robbins, 1768
Reel 44Number 6Folder 2
Miscellaneous bills paid by Murray family members, 1771-1809
Reel 44Number 6Folder 3
Conveyance of land to John Forbes under the will of Elizabeth Inman, 1794
Reel 44Number 6Folder 4
Typed copies of miscellaneous Forbes family letters, including letters from James Grant Forbes (1769-1825) and Paul Siemen Forbes, 1797-1845

Note: Originals not located.

Reel 44Number 6Folder 5
Deed to land in Boston mentioning Edward H. Robbins, 1796
Reel 44Number 6Folder 6
Bill signed by E. H. Robbins, 1802
Reel 44Number 6Folder 7
Letters from James H. Robbins in Russia to his father E. H. Robbins, 1819
Reel 44Number 6Folder 8
Letter from James Grant Forbes (1769-1825) to Thomas Tunno Forbes, 1823
Reel 44Number 6Folder 9
Letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Elizabeth B. Francis (later the mother of Alice Bowditch), 1825
Reel 44Number 6Folder 10
Letter from H. Pratt McKean to Joseph Cabot, 1838
Reel 44Number 6Folder 11
Letter from Charles C. Perkins to Emma Perkins Forbes, 1843
Reel 44Number 6Folder 12
Correspondence of Isaac Sweetser about insurance business, 1867-1878
Reel 44Number 6Folder 13
Letters from John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921) in China to Alice Bowditch Forbes, 1873
Reel 44Number 6Folder 14
Printed copy of the will of John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1896
Reel 44Number 6Folder 15
Typed copies of letters about the relationship between Rev. John Murray Forbes (1807-1885) and the Catholic Church, with a covering letter from Paul Revere Forbes, 1857-1930

Note: Originals not located.

Reel 45Number 7Folder 1
Photocopies of Murray letters, 1769-1776

Note: Originals at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Reel 45Number 7Folder 2
Notebook used by Dorothy Murray Forbes in the 1770s, a drawing by Thomas Tunno Forbes in 1813, and a pocket diary used by various Forbes family members, 1770-1830
Reel 45Number 7Folder 3
Miscellaneous family papers, including Paul Siemen Forbes's customs receipts and a printed program of an 1894 Forbes family theatrical, 1776-1894
Reel 45Number 7Folder 4
Documents related to James Grant Forbes (1769-1825), 1784-1807
Reel 45Number 7Folder 5
Printed ship's log with details of voyages, 1807-1834
Reel 45Number 7Folder 6
Letters and a notebook of clippings related to Nathaniel I. Bowditch and Mrs. Revere's undated account of Brush Hill in Milton, 1834-1865
Reel 45Number 7Folder 7
Typewritten copies of three journals of a trip to Europe taken by Paul Siemen Forbes and his family, 1836

Note: Originals not located.

Reel 45Number 7Folder 8
Diary of Mary Hathaway Forbes describing life in Concord, Boston, and Naushon Island, Mass., 1859-1861
Reel 45Number 7Folder 9
Manuscript diary of the 1860 voyage of the schooner Nautilus to Greenland, including additional notes on later voyages, author unknown, 1860-1878

Digital facsimiles of the log of the schooner Nautilus are available on Life at Sea, a digital publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This digital resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS makes this resource available onsite; see a reference librarian for more information.

Reel 45Number 7Folder 10
Scrapbook of letters from Paul Siemen Forbes to Paul Revere Forbes and others, 1868-1881
Reel 45Number 7Folder 11
Miscellaneous family letters from James Murray Forbes in China and others, 1860-1880
Reel 45Number 7Folder 12
Manuscript diary of a trip to Germany and Spain taken by Paul Revere Forbes, 1883
Reel 45Number 7Folder 13
Undated pamphlet entitled "Fossils In Re Free Ships and Reform of Tariff and Civil Service" and speeches of John Murray Forbes (1813-1898), 1890s
Reel 45Number 7Folder 14
Letters from Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr., to his mother and uncle, undated

Pamphlets and other writings, 1849-1891

Reel 46Number 8
"A New Rig for Ships and Other Vessels, Combining Economy, Safety, and Convenience," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1849)
Reel 46Number 8
"A New Rig for Ships and Other Vessels, Combining Economy, Safety, and Convenience," by Robert Bennet Forbes, 3rd ed. (Boston, 1851)
Reel 46Number 8
"Shipwreck by Lightning: Papers Relative to Harris's Lightning Conductors," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1853)
Reel 46Number 8
"An Appeal to Merchants and Ship Owners on the Subject of Seamen, etc.," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1854)
Reel 46Number 8
"Remarks on Ocean Steam Navigation," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1855)
Reel 46Number 8
"Report to Boston Marine Society and a Memorial to Congress on the Subject of Seamen and Marine Disasters," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1855)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Forbes Rig," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1862)
Reel 46Number 8
"Remarks on the Steam-Power Rig, etc. of the United States' Steam Sloops Building 1864-5," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1865)
Reel 46Number 8
"Report on the Sailors' Snug Harbor, with List of Officers, Act of Incorporation, By-Laws, etc.," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1866)
Reel 46Number 8
"Construction of Ships for the Merchant Service," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1866)
Reel 46Number 8
"Reports of the President, Superintendent, and Treasurer of the Sailors' Snug Harbor presented at the Annual Meeting, May 15, 1867," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1867)
Reel 46Number 8
"Means for Making the Highways of the Ocean More Safe," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1867)
Reel 46Number 8
"List of Life-Boats, Mortar Stations, and Huts of Refuge of the Massachusetts Humane Society," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1867)
Reel 46Number 8
"R. B. Forbes' New Rig for Schooners," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1869)
Reel 46Number 8
"R. B. Forbes' New Rig for Square-Rigged Vessels," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1869)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1869)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Case of R. B. Forbes versus the American Mutual Life Insurance Company of New Haven, Conn.," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1861)
Reel 46Number 8
"Remarks on Magnetism and Local Attraction," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1857)
Reel 46Number 8
"History of the Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: with a Selected List of Premiums awarded by the Trustees, from its Commencement to the Present Time, and a List of the Members and Officers," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1876)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Humane Society of Massachusetts," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1871)
Reel 46Number 8
"Extracts from a Circular Issued by the Royal National Life-Boat Institution of England," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1866)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1873)
Reel 46Number 8
"Forbes's System of Sails and their Management," by Robert Bennet Forbes (reprinted from the Nautical Magazine, October 1869) (London, 1869)
Reel 46Number 8
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes describing a buffalo hunt, Burlington, Iowa, 19 Sep. 1871
Reel 46Number 8
Letter from Robert Bennet Forbes "to my Associates on the Committee of the Social Science Association," Milton, 11 July 1874
Reel 46Number 8
"Second Letter of Mr. Forbes," by Robert Bennet Forbes, Milton, 2 Aug. 1874
Reel 46Number 8
"Constructive Damages," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"Rules and Regulations Adopted by the Board, etc.," Treasury Department, U.S. Life-Saving Services (Washington, 1879)
Reel 46Number 8
"Life-Boats and Life-Saving Devices," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"The Tea Trade," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"Notes in Regard to the Voyages of Small Vessels in Which I Have Been Concerned," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"Memorandum in regard to R. B. Forbes' Newest or Latest Rig for Ships," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
Letter from F. C. Sanford, Nantucket, 22 Apr. 1884
Reel 46Number 8
Plate of Forbes's new rig of 1869
Reel 46Number 8
Plate of new rig for schooners, Mar. 1889
Reel 46Number 8
"Life-Boats, Projectiles, and Other Means for Saving Life," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1872)
Reel 46Number 8
"R. B. Forbes' Newest or Latest Rig," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, undated)
Reel 46Number 8
"R. B. Forbes' New Rig for Schooners," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1872)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Rigs of Vessels," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1883)
Reel 46Number 8
"Steam-Lanes across the Atlantic," by unknown author (Washington, 1872)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Ship of the Future for the Inter-Oceanic Route," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1880)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Hammock as a Life Preserver," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1873)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Life Boat and other Life-Saving Inventions," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1880)
Reel 46Number 8
"Losses of Life at Sea and the Means for the Saving of Life," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"Seamen Past and Present: A General Compilation of Opinions of their Condition and the Means for their Improvement," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1878)
Reel 46Number 8
"Reminiscences of Ralph B. Forbes" (Boston, undated)
Reel 46Number 8
"Description of the Contribution of R. B. Forbes to the Marine Department of the M.C.M.A. Exhibition," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1878)
Reel 46Number 8
"Memoranda concerning the Iron Yacht Edith, Iron Steamers Argentina and Alpha, and the Iron Brig Nankin," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1881)
Reel 46Number 8
"New Rig for Steamers about 368 feet over all," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1883)
Reel 46Number 8
"Notes on Navigation," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1884)
Reel 46Number 8
"Loss of the Essex, Destroyed by a Whale: With an Account of the Sufferings of the Crew, who were driven to Extreme Measures to Sustain Life," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Cambridge, 1884)
Reel 46Number 8
"A Discursive Sketch of Yachting Forty and More Years Ago," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1888)
Reel 46Number 8
"Notes on Ships of the Past," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1888)
Reel 46Number 8
Notes on Some Few of the Wrecks and Rescues During the Present Century, by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, 1889)
Reel 46Number 8
"Memoir of Robert Bennet Forbes as prepared by Leverett Saltonstall and recorded with the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, December 1890" (Cambridge, 1891)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Loss of the Oregon," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, undated)
Reel 46Number 8
"Voyage of the Midas, 1811," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, undated)
Reel 46Number 8
"The Isthmus Ship Railway and Canal as Commercial Routes," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"Personal Memoranda," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"A Letter from Hon. R. B. Forbes to Prof. W. A. Rogers," by Robert Bennet Forbes
Reel 46Number 8
"The Governor Ames As She Was and As She Should Be," by Robert Bennet Forbes (Boston, undated)
Reel 47Number 9
Bills, receipts, and other papers related to the business affairs of Theodore Lyman in Boston and Alfred Richardson of the firm of Bacon & Richardson in the Far East, 1817-1829
Reel 47Number 10
Bills, receipts, accounts, letters, and other papers related to the business affairs of Theodore Lyman in Boston and Alfred Richardson of Bacon & Richardson, 1817-1870
Reel 47Number 11
Six scrapbook diaries kept by Edith Forbes Perkins, including newspaper clippings related to the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, 1888-1904
Reel 47Number 12
Copies of inventories of Forbes papers at the Baker Library, Harvard Business School, and in the possession of R. Forbes Perkins of Manchester, Mass.

Select Index

Listed below are the names of select individuals, organizations, places, events, ships, and subjects of significance that appear in the collection. Following each item is the reel, number, and folder where information about that item or correspondence with that individual is located.

Both William Hathaway Forbes and William Howell Forbes appear in the collection as "W. H. Forbes." It is most likely that the "W. H. Forbes" in Series I (a correspondent of Robert Bennet Forbes) is William Hathaway Forbes and the "W. H. Forbes" in Series III and IV (a correspondent of Francis Blackwell Forbes) is William Howell Forbes, so they have been indexed as such.

Abbot, Mary

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 1

"An Account of Failed Paper"

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 13

Adams, Charles Francis

Reel 3, Number 20
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 3

Adams, John

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 1

Adams, John Quincy

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Alabama claims

Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 13

Albion House

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 11-13

Aldrich, Nelson

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Alert (ship)

Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 7

Allison, William B.

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Ammen, Comdr. Daniel

Reel 18, Number 13, Folder 3

Amory, Thomas

Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 8-10

Amory, Thomas C. & Co.

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 13

Andrews, E. B.

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Antelope (brig)

Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 6

Appleton, Thomas

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Armstrong, Gen. John

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10

Ashmon, George

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Associated Charities of Boston

Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 11

Astor, J. J.

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10

Aunt Fanny

See Kennedy, Mrs. Howard

"Autobiography" of Robert Bennet Forbes

Reel 10, Number 37-38

Babson, H. and D. C.

Reel 7, Number 31

Bache, Prof. A. D.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1

Bacon & Richardson

Reel 47, Number 9-10

Bancroft, George

Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 1

Banks, N. P.

Reel 3, Number 20

Baring Bros.

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 2, Number 12
Reel 3, Number 19
Reel 4, Number 21
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 4
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 8
Reel 24, Number 10
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 5

Barker, Dr. Earle[?]

Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 2

Barrett, John

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 10

Barrett, W. S.

Reel 9, Number 34

Bates, Joshua

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Bates & Co.

Reel 4, Number 21

Bayley, John P.

Reel 5, Number 26

Bell, E.

Reel 7, Number 31

Bie, Alfred

Reel 22, Number 5

Blackwell, R.

Reel 23, Number 7

Boston

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 8

Boston Board of Trade

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 18

Boston Globe

Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 12

Boston Marine Society

Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 8

Botany (Chinese)

Reel 21, Number 3
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 9

Botany ("Oriental")

Reel 21, Number 1

Boutwell, George S.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Bowditch, Alice

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 7-8
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 16
See also Forbes, Alice Bowditch

Bowditch, Elizabeth

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 7

Bowditch, Dr. Henry

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 4

Bowditch, Nathaniel

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 1-2

Bowditch, Nathaniel Ingersoll

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 1-4
Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 6
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 6

Bowditch, William

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 8

Bradford, Charles P.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 24-25

Brassy, Sir Thomas

Reel 7, Number 29

Breck, Capt. Charles

Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 4

Brent, Daniel

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Brimblecom, Samuel A.

Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 6

Brush, Edward

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Brush Hill, Milton, Mass.

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 6

Bryant, William C.

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Bureau of Ordnance

Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 3-4

Burlingame, Anson

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Burlingame Mission

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 1

Bush, F. D.

Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 2

Bush, F. T.

Reel 3, Number 18

Bush, W. R.

Reel 4, Number 21

Butler, Benjamin F.

Reel 5, Number 25
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 3

Cabot, Joseph

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 10

Cadwalader, John L.

Reel 21, Number 2

Cameron, Sir Ewen

Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 24, Number 11
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 10
Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Cameron, Sir Roderic

Reel 8, Number 33

Campbell, J. H.

Reel 34, Number 13

Canton, China

Reel 1, Number 3-7
Reel 2, Number 14
Reel 3, Number 17

Canton Packet (ship)

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 12
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 4

Carmichael, Adelaide Forbes

Reel 34, Number 13
Reel 37, Number 15

Carnel, Prof.

Reel 21, Number 3

Carrington, E.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25

Carruthers, W.

Reel 21, Number 3

Cary, Thomas G.

Reel 1, Number 9

Cary & Co.

Reel 2, Number 11
Reel 4, Number 21

Cass, Lewis

Reel 3, Number 20
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 4
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Cathalan, Stephen

Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 12

Catholic Church

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 15

Chabrieres

Reel 23, Number 8

Chadwick, Lt. Comdr. F. E.

Reel 7, Number 29
Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 6

Chandler, Zachariah

Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China

Reel 22, Number 6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9-11
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 9
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 14

Chase, Salmon P.

Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 3

Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad

Reel 47, Number 11

China trade

Reel 1, Number 2
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 1
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 5-6
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 8

Chinese botany

See Botany (Chinese)

Chinnery, George

Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 1

"The Chivalrous French--Journalists of Paris and the Queen"

Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 9

Civil War

Reel 4, Number 22

Clark, Arthur H.

Reel 6, Number 27
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 4

Clarke, Sir Andrew

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 1

Clarke, Elizabeth

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 1

Clarke, Isabel

Reel 31, Number 7
See also Forbes, Isabel Clarke

Clarke, Isabella

Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 5

Clarke, William M.

Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 5
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 7

Clay, Henry

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Cobb, Howell

Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1

Cobden, Richard

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 3

Codman, C. R.

Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 8

Collins, J. W.

Reel 9, Number 34

Columbia College Grammar School

Reel 25, Number 1

Concord, Mass.

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 8

Coolidge, T. J.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25

Coquette (bark)

Reel 11, Number 2
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 2
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 6

Country Club, Shanghai

Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 6

Creasy, Capt. G. W.

Reel 7, Number 31

"Crime of '73"

Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 10

Crowninshield, B. W.

Reel 7, Number 31

Cullom, Gery

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 15

Cunningham, Edward

Reel 3, Number 18-20
Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 23
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 17
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 2
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 4-7
Reel 40, Number 8
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 11

Cunningham, Gen. J. A.

Reel 8, Number 33

Cunningham, J. B.

Reel 21, Number 2

Cunningham, James

Reel 3, Number 20

Cunningham, John

Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 9

Curtis, Nelson

Reel 4, Number 21

Cushing, Caleb

Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 5

Cushing, John P.

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 3, Number 20
Reel 6, Number 27
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 3
Reel 12, Number 5
Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 1-3
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 1
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 3
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 5
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 10

Dahlgren, Lt. John A.

Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 3

Darby, G.

Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 8

Davis, John W.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 8
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Delano, F. H.

Reel 1, Number 9

Delano, Warren

Reel 3, Number 19-20
Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 8
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 23
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 8-9
Reel 19, Number 14

De Maximowicz, C. J.

Reel 21, Number 3
Reel 33, Number 10, Folder 1

De Mimont, Albert

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 14

De Mimont, Isobel Forbes

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 14

Denny, O. N.

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 8

Dent, George

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 10

Dixwell, D. J.

Reel 8, Number 33

Drummond, W. V.

Reel 21, Number 2

Dumaresq, Philip K.

Reel 7, Number 29
Reel 38, Number 4, Folder 3
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 1

Dunbar, Charles F.

Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 8

DuPont, Adm. S. I.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 4

Dyer, W. T. Thistleton

Reel 33, Number 10, Folder 1

Edgeworth, Prof. F. J.

Reel 24, Number 10-11

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 9

Emery, E.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 6

Ericsson, John

Reel 6, Number 27-28
Reel 7, Number 30
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 5

Fitz, W. Scott

Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 8

Floyd, John B.

Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1

Folger, George H.

Reel 8, Number 33

Forbes, Alice Bowditch

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 22
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 20
Reel 40, Number 10-12
Reel 41, Number 15-17
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 13
See also Bowditch, Alice

Forbes, Allan

Reel 41, Number 15
Reel 41, Number 17

Forbes, Charles Stuart

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 12
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 15

Forbes, Dorothy

Reel 41, Number 16-17

Forbes, Dorothy Murray

Reel 11, Number 1
Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 2-3
Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 2
Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 4-8
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 1
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 12
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 2

Forbes, Edith

Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 1
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 16
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 19
See also Perkins, Edith Forbes

Forbes, Emma Perkins

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 11

Forbes, Ethel

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 10

Forbes, Francis Blackwell

Reel 21, Number 1-3
Reel 22, Number 4-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9-11
Reel 25, Number 1-2
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 1-2
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 5-6
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 8-10
Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 1-2
Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 4-6
Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 1-3
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 8-9
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 1-5
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 7
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 9-12
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 14-15
Reel 31, Number 7-8
Reel 32, Number 9, Folder 1-2
Reel 33, Number 10, Folder 1
Reel 33, Number 10, Folder 3-4
Reel 34, Number 13
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 1
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4-5
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6-9
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 11
Reel 37, Number 15-16
Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 1-2
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 1-3
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 8
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 10
Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 2-4
Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 6-7
Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 9-10
Reel 37, Number 20, Folder 1-2

Forbes, Francis Murray

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 9
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 11
Reel 37, Number 16

Forbes, Henry De Courcy

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 9

Forbes, Isabel Clarke

Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 4-5
Reel 31, Number 8
Reel 32, Number 9, Folder 1-2
Reel 34, Number 11, Folder 1-2
Reel 34, Number 12
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 4
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 11
Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 5
See also Clarke, Isabel

Forbes, Isobel

See De Mimont, Isobel Forbes

Forbes, J. M. & Co.

Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 2

Forbes, James Grant (1769-1825)

Reel 11, Number 1
Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 5
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 11
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 4
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 8
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 4

Forbes, James Grant (1879-1955)

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 13

Forbes, James Murray

Reel 5, Number 23-24
Reel 6, Number 27-28
Reel 7, Number 29
Reel 8, Number 32-33
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 23
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 13-14
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 18
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 9
Reel 19, Number 14
Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 9
Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 8
Reel 38, Number 2-3
Reel 38, Number 4, Folder 1-4
Reel 38, Number 5
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 1-20
Reel 40, Number 7-9
Reel 40, Number 11
Reel 40, Number 13-14
Reel 41, Number 17
Reel 41, Number 20-21
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 11

Forbes, John

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 3

Forbes, John Murray (1771-1831)

Reel 11, Number 1
Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 1-17
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 1-2

Forbes, John Murray (1813-1898)

Reel 2, Number 13
Reel 3, Number 20
Reel 5, Number 25-26
Reel 6, Number 27-28
Reel 7, Number 29-31
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 14, Number 7, Folder 1-9
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 5
Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 24, Number 9-11
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 5
Reel 40, Number 8
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2-4
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 7
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 14
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 13

Forbes, Rev. John Murray (1807-1885)

Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 6
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 15

Forbes, John Murray, Jr. (1844-1921)

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 7
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 8
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 13

Forbes, Margaret Perkins

Reel 1, Number 6-7
Reel 1, Number 9
Reel 3, Number 16
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 1
Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 4
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 13

Forbes, Mary

Reel 41, Number 16-17

Forbes, Mary Hathaway

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 8

Forbes, Murray

Reel 24, Number 11

Forbes, Paul Revere

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 15
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 10
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 12

Forbes, Paul Siemen

Reel 3, Number 18
Reel 3, Number 20
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 10
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25
Reel 16, Number 9
Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 1
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 8
Reel 40, Number 8
Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 15
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 4
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 3
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 7
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 10

Forbes, Ralph Bennet

Reel 11, Number 1-2
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 2
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 1
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 1
Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 8-9
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 1
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 1-5
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 7-11
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 13

Forbes, Robert Bennet

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 1, Number 3-10
Reel 2, Number 11-15
Reel 3, Number 16-20
Reel 4, Number 21-22
Reel 5, Number 23-26
Reel 6, Number 27-28
Reel 7, Number 29-31
Reel 8, Number 32-33
Reel 9, Number 34-36
Reel 10, Number 37-38
Reel 11, Number 1-2
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 1-2
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 4-10
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 13-15
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 17-25
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 1-4
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 6-10
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 12-13
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 15-18
Reel 12, Number 5
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 1-9
Reel 14, Number 7, Folder 1-9
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 1-3
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 5
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 8-10
Reel 16, Number 9
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 1-2
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 4-9
Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 1-6
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1-5
Reel 18, Number 13, Folder 1-3
Reel 19, Number 14-15
Reel 20, Number 16, Folder 1-4
Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 1-3
Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 5-6
Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 8
Reel 38, Number 4, Folder 2
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 9-15
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 17
Reel 46, Number 8

Forbes, Robert Bennet, Jr.

Reel 2, Number 13-15
Reel 3, Number 17
Reel 5, Number 24
Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 6, Number 27-28
Reel 7, Number 29-30
Reel 8, Number 32
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 1
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 14

Forbes, Rose Smith

Reel 1, Number 3-9
Reel 2, Number 13-15
Reel 3, Number 17
Reel 5, Number 24-25
Reel 7, Number 30
Reel 8, Number 32
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 14-15
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 19
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 2-3
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 5-7
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 9
Reel 38, Number 3
Reel 38, Number 4, Folder 2
Reel 38, Number 5
Reel 39, Number 6, Folder 2-8
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 14

Forbes, Thomas Tunno

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 9
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 2
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 2
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 4
Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 8
Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 2

Forbes, W. Cameron

Reel 37, Number 16
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 4

Forbes, William Hathaway

Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 7, Number 31

Forbes, William Howell

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 22, Number 4
Reel 24, Number 10-11
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 10

Forbes Forbes & Co.

Reel 2, Number 12
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 8

Forbes papers

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 9
Reel 47, Number 12

The Forbes Rig

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 4

Ford, Prof. Henry Jones

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 4

"Fossils In Re Free Ships and Reform of Tariff and Civil Service," by John Murray Forbes (1813-1898)

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 13

Fox, Gustavus V.

Reel 4, Number 21-22

Foxwell, Prof. H. S.

Reel 24, Number 10

Franchot, R.

Reel 21, Number 3

Francis, Elizabeth B.

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 9

Frazier, Alice

Reel 27, Number 5, Folder 5
Reel 34, Number 13

Frazier, B. W.

Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 24, Number 10
Reel 34, Number 11, Folder 2
Reel 34, Number 13

Frazier, Everett

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 10
Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 1

Gage, Lyman

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Gardiner, Edward G.

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Godkin, E. L.

Reel 22, Number 4

Goldsborough, Adm. Louis M.

Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 8

Goldthwait, Catherine

Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 4

"Goodnow Fiasco"

Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 6

Grammar School, Columbia College

See Columbia College Grammar School

Grant, Ulysses S.

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 3

Greely, Capt. A. W.

Reel 9, Number 34

Green, John C.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 7

Gregory, Adm. F. H.

Reel 4, Number 21-22

Griswold, Ellen M.

Reel 37, Number 15

Griswold, John

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 23

Groton School

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 11

Guerin, Charles

Reel 22, Number 5-6

Guerriere, U.S.S.

Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 7

Gundry, R. S.

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 10
Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 6
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 9

Gwyther, J. Howard

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Hale, E. E.

Reel 8, Number 33

Hall, Samuel

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 2

Hamersley, L. R. & Co.

Reel 6, Number 27

Hamlin, Hannibal

Reel 6, Number 28

Hance, H. F.

Reel 21, Number 3

Hanover, George B.

Reel 6, Number 28

Hansley, W. B.

Reel 33, Number 10, Folder 1

Harvard University

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 11
Reel 37, Number 16
Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 3

Harwood, William

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 22, Number 5
Reel 24, Number 9-11
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 10
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 5
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6

Harwood & Stephenson

Reel 22, Number 6
Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 9
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 12

Hay, John

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 1

Hazen, Gen. M. B.

Reel 7, Number 29

Henshaw, David

Reel 1, Number 10
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Hepburn, Arnold

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Higginson, Henry

Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 8

Hitch, F. D.

Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 2
Reel 34, Number 13

Hoar, Sen. George F.

Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 7, Number 29

Holmes, Oliver Wendell

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Holmes, Sen.

Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 5

Hong Kong

Reel 1, Number 5
Reel 2, Number 14

Hopkins, Thomas S.

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Horton, Dana

Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 9

Hottinguer & Co.

Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 7

Houldsworth, Sir William

Reel 24, Number 10-11
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 10

Houqua (Hong merchant)

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 3
Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 2
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 10

"How to Construct a Model Yacht," by Robert Bennet Forbes

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 8

Hubbell, H. W.

Reel 5, Number 26

Hughes, Archbishop John

Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 2

Hunter, A. C.

Reel 24, Number 10

Hunter, W. C.

Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 7, Number 31
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 3

Ingraham, D. N.

Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 4

Inman, Elizabeth

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 3

Irish famine

Reel 1, Number 10
Reel 9, Number 35
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 3

J. M. Forbes & Co.

See Forbes, J. M. & Co.

James G. King & Sons

See King, James G. & Sons

James Scott & Co.

See Scott, James & Co.

Jamestown (ship)

Reel 1, Number 10
Reel 9, Number 35

Jamsetjee[?], Sir Rustomjee

Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 2

Jardine & Matheson

Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 5
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 12

John Munroe & Co.

See Munroe, John & Co.

Jones, William

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10

Keechong Filature Association

Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 11

Kennedy, Mrs. Howard (Aunt Fanny)

Reel 34, Number 13
Reel 37, Number 15

Keswick, William

Reel 22, Number 5-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 10

Kimball, S. I.

Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 7, Number 31
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 9, Number 34

King, James G. & Sons

Reel 24, Number 9-11
Reel 34, Number 11, Folder 2
Reel 34, Number 12

L. R. Hamersley & Co

See Hamersley, L. R. & Co

"The Lawn"

See Country Club, Shanghai

Lawrence, Abbot

Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1

Lawrence brothers

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 17

Lee, Adm. S. P.

Reel 4, Number 21-22

Lewis, Richard

Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 6, Number 28

Li, Ching-fong

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 8

Lodge, Henry Cabot

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

London Bimetallic League

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Long, Inspector D. M. C.

Reel 8, Number 33

Long, J. D.

Reel 7, Number 31

Loring, Charles G.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Loring, George B.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Lothrop, S. Kirkland

Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 9
Reel 19, Number 15
Reel 38, Number 4, Folder 4
Reel 40, Number 11

Low, A. A.

Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 23
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25

Low, David W.

Reel 7, Number 30

Luce, Comdr. S. B.

Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 5

Luckemeyer, Edward

Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 24, Number 9

Lyman, Joseph

Reel 3, Number 16

Lyman, Theodore

Reel 26, Number 4, Folder 2
Reel 47, Number 9-10

Macao

Reel 1, Number 5

Macdonald, John

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Macedonian (ship)

Reel 9, Number 35
Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 3

Mackay, Robert

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 1

Madison, James

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10

Manson, J. B.

Reel 21, Number 2

Marcy, William L.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 21
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 10

Mason, Bessie

Reel 38, Number 1, Folder 6

Massachusetts Humane Society

Reel 18, Number 13, Folder 2

Mather, Samuel

Reel 1, Number 8

Maury, Lt. Matthew F.

Reel 1, Number 10
Reel 2, Number 11
Reel 3, Number 19
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 3

Maximowicz, C. J. de

See De Maximowicz, C. J.

McKean, H. Pratt

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 10

McLean, D.

Reel 8, Number 33

McNeil, Henry

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Mendenhall, John D.

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 17

Meteor (warship)

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 6

Mimont, Albert de

See De Mimont, Albert

Mimont, Isobel de

See De Mimont, Isobel Forbes

Monroe, James

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 1

Moore, John Bassett

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 1

Moore, John T.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 12

Morel & Co.

Reel 24, Number 9

Morris, Comdr. Charles S.

Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 2

Morton, Marcus

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Munroe, John & Co.

Reel 22, Number 5
Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 7
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 10

Murray, James

Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 1
Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 3

Naushon Island, Mass.

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 8

Nautilus (schooner)

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 9

New Jersey Zinc Co.

Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 12

Niantic (ship)

Reel 1, Number 8

Nightingale, John Clark

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 6

North Bank estate, Shanghai

Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 2
Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 4

Olney, Richard

Reel 8, Number 33

"Operation in Rye"

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 12

Opium War

Reel 1, Number 7

"Oriental" botany

See Botany ("Oriental")

Osborn, B. S.

Reel 6, Number 27

"Our Commercial and Political Relations with China by an American Resident in China," by Edward Cunningham

Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 11

Paine, George S.

Reel 1, Number 8

Paine, J. S.

Reel 6, Number 27

Pakenham, Maj.-Gen. S. H.

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 34, Number 13

Palfrey, John G.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 24
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Panic of 1837

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 13

Parker, Comm. F. A.

Reel 5, Number 26

Parker, Dr. Peter

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 9

Peabody, Endicott

Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 24, Number 9

Peck & Snyder

Reel 9, Number 34

Perkins, A. T.

Reel 18, Number 13, Folder 2

Perkins, Charles C.

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 11

Perkins, Charles E.

Reel 5, Number 25
Reel 6, Number 27
Reel 7, Number 29
Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 4
Reel 24, Number 10-11

Perkins, Edith Forbes

Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 2
Reel 34, Number 13
Reel 41, Number 17
Reel 47, Number 11
See also Forbes, Edith

Perkins, T. H.

Reel 3, Number 16

Perkins, T. H. & Sons

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 9

Perkins & Co.

Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 3-4

Perry, Comm. Matthew C.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 11

Personal Memoranda, by Robert Bennet Forbes

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 1

Personal Reminiscences, by Robert Bennet Forbes

Reel 10, Number 37-38

Pethick, William

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 8
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 2

Pierce, H. A.

Reel 7, Number 31

Plata (river)

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 4

Plympton, R. G. Harper

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 15

Polk, Pres. James K.

Reel 1, Number 10

Pomeroy, S. W.

Reel 21, Number 2
Reel 22, Number 6
Reel 24, Number 9-10

Pook, Samuel H.

Reel 7, Number 30
Reel 15, Number 8, Folder 2

Pook, S. M.

Reel 4, Number 21

Porter, Adm. David D.

Reel 7, Number 30
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 4

Preble, Adm. George H.

Reel 7, Number 29
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 3

Protheroe, Capt. Pryce

Reel 7, Number 31

Queen Victoria

Reel 37, Number 19, Folder 9

Quincy, Josiah

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7
Reel 20, Number 16, Folder 4

Quincy, Josiah, Jr.

Reel 1, Number 10

Rathbone, William

Reel 1, Number 10
Reel 2, Number 12

Rathbone Bros.

Reel 3, Number 19

Reed, William B.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 20
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Reid, Whitelaw

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 1

Revere, Mrs.

Reel 45, Number 7, Folder 6

"The Reverend John Forbes in East Florida, 1764-1783," by Francis Blackwell Forbes

Reel 37, Number 20, Folder 2

"The Rice Field, 1905," by James Murray Forbes

Reel 41, Number 20

Richardson, Alfred

Reel 47, Number 9-10

Ritchie, Col. Harrison

Reel 22, Number 5-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 5
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6-7

Ritz, F. O.

Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6-8

River Plata

See Plata (river)

Robbins, Edward H.

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 5-7

Robbins, Elizabeth

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 12

Robbins, James H.

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 7

Robbins, James M.

Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 2

Robbins, Nathaniel

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 1

Rockhill, W. W.

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Rodgers, Adm. John

Reel 6, Number 28

Rogers, Adm. C. P. R.

Reel 7, Number 30

Rogers, J. C.

Reel 9, Number 34

Rondot, N.

Reel 21, Number 3

Roosevelt, Cornelius

Reel 22, Number 5-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 5
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6-7

Russell, H. S.

Reel 8, Number 33

Russell, Jonathan

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10
Reel 44, Number 5, Folder 12

Russell, Samuel

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 3

Russell, Sturgis & Co.

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 11

Russell & Co.

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 1, Number 3
Reel 3, Number 18-19
Reel 4, Number 21
Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 4
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 11
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 15
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 4
Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 8
Reel 19, Number 14
Reel 20, Number 16, Folder 4
Reel 22, Number 4-5
Reel 23, Number 7
Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 7
Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 9
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 1-2
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 4
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 8
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 11
Reel 30, Number 6, Folder 13
Reel 34, Number 11, Folder 1
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 1-3
Reel 37, Number 18, Folder 8
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 3
Reel 43, Number 3, Folder 12

Schenk, R. C.

Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Schley, Comm. W. S.

Reel 9, Number 34

Scott, James & Co.

Reel 2, Number 12

Scott, Maj. W. B.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Scott, Walter de H.

Reel 24, Number 10

Scudder, H. E.

Reel 7, Number 31

Secretary of the Navy

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 23

Secretary of State

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 19

Selfridge, Adm. Thomas O.

Reel 7, Number 30

Serrell, E. W.

Reel 22, Number 5-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9-10
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 5
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6-8

Serrell Automatic Silk Reeling Co.

Reel 22, Number 5-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 3
Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 5
Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 6-8

Seward, W. H.

Reel 3, Number 19-20
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Seyd, Ernest, slander

Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 10

Shanghai Country Club

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 1

Shanghai Silk Filature Co.

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 1

Sherman, W. T.

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 3

Shufeldt, Comm. R. W.

Reel 7, Number 30

Smith

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 15

Smith, Comdr. R. W.

Reel 17, Number 10, Folder 1

Smith, Robert

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 10

Spooner, Andrew

Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 7

Spooner, D. N.

Reel 3, Number 19

Stanton, Edwin M.

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 3

Starring, Gen.

Reel 21, Number 2

Stone Telephone and Telegraph Co.

Reel 36, Number 14, Folder 12

Storey, Moorfield

Reel 8, Number 33
Reel 9, Number 34

Sturgis, Henry

Reel 3, Number 18

Sturgis, James P.

Reel 3, Number 18-19
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 5

Sturgis, Robert

Reel 3, Number 19

Sturgis, Russell

Reel 3, Number 19-20
Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 5, Number 26
Reel 6, Number 28
Reel 9, Number 34
Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25

Sturgis, William

Reel 1, Number 1
Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 1

Sumner, Charles

Reel 3, Number 19
Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2-3

Swann, W. W.

Reel 3, Number 16

Sweetser, Isaac

Reel 44, Number 6, Folder 12

T. H. Perkins & Sons

See Perkins, T. H. & Sons

Taussig, F. W.

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Teller, Sen. H. M.

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Thomas C. Amory & Co.

See Amory, Thomas C. & Co.

Thomas H. Perkins & Sons

See Perkins, Thomas H. & Sons

Tientsin Massacre of 1870

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 3

Tobey, E. S.

Reel 7, Number 31

Tonzalien, E. A.

Reel 9, Number 34

Tottie, W. H.

Reel 22, Number 5-6
Reel 23, Number 7-8
Reel 24, Number 9-11

Toucey, Isaac

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7
Reel 17, Number 11, Folder 1

Townsend, A. M.

Reel 37, Number 17, Folder 2

Trenton (bark)

Reel 1, Number 5

Tuck, Edward

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 4

Tudor, William

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 16

Tyson, George

Reel 13, Number 6, Folder 9
Reel 40, Number 8

Uppingham

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 12-13

Van Buren, Martin

Reel 42, Number 1, Folder 17

Victoria, Queen

See Queen Victoria

Vose, George L.

Reel 9, Number 34

Walker, Mrs. George

Reel 22, Number 6

Ward, Adm. J. R.

Reel 6, Number 27
Reel 7, Number 30

Wardle, Thomas

Reel 22, Number 5

Watt, Rev. John

Reel 22, Number 4

Webster, Daniel

Reel 3, Number 20
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Welles, Gideon

Reel 4, Number 21
Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2

Wheaton, J. S.

Reel 21, Number 2

Wheeler, G. H.

Reel 22, Number 4
Reel 24, Number 10
Reel 29, Number 6, Folder 2

Wheelock, Thomas

Reel 25, Number 3, Folder 5

Whitney, H. A.

Reel 6, Number 28

Whittier, John G.

Reel 43, Number 2, Folder 2-3

Whittle, Conway

Reel 20, Number 17, Folder 5

Wilkins[?], W.

Reel 44, Number 4, Folder 8

Williams, S. Wells

Reel 11, Number 3, Folder 25

Wilson, Vice Pres. Henry

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

Winthrop, Robert C.

Reel 2, Number 11
Reel 4, Number 22
Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7
Reel 18, Number 12, Folder 1

Wood, William W.

Reel 12, Number 4, Folder 7

World War I

Reel 28, Number 5, Folder 15

Worthington, Roland

Reel 8, Number 33

Yangtze Insurance Association

Reel 35, Number 14, Folder 2

Appendix: Condensed Genealogy of the Forbes Family

The genealogy below contains only the names of Forbes family members represented in this collection. Each generation is numbered, so that members of the same generation are preceded by the same number. For example, the brothers James Grant Forbes (1769-1825), John Murray Forbes (1771-1831), and Ralph Bennet Forbes (1773-1824) are all preceded by the number 2. For more detailed biographies of the Forbes family members listed here, see the Biographical Sketch.

1. Rev. John Forbes (1740-1783)

m. Dorothy Murray, 1769

2. James Grant Forbes (1769-1825)

3. Rev. John Murray Forbes (1807-1885)

4. Francis Blackwell Forbes (1839-1908)

m. Isabel Clarke, 1867

5. Francis Murray Forbes (1874-1961)

5. Charles Stuart Forbes (1877-1949)

5. James Grant Forbes (1879-1955)

5. Isobel Forbes

m. Albert de Mimont

4. John Murray Forbes, Jr. (1844-1921)

4. Adelaide Forbes

m. Carmichael

3. Paul Siemen Forbes (1808-1886)

4. William Howell Forbes (1837-1896)

4. Henry De Courcy Forbes (1849-1920)

4. Paul Revere Forbes (1860-1936)

2. John Murray Forbes (1771-1831) (died without issue)

2. Ralph Bennet Forbes (1773-1824)

m. Margaret Perkins, 1799

3. Thomas Tunno Forbes (1802-1829) (died without issue)

3. Robert Bennet Forbes (1804-1889)

m. Rose Greene Smith, 1834

4. Robert Bennet Forbes, Jr. (1837-1891) (died without issue)

4. Edith Forbes (1843-1925)

m. Charles Elliott Perkins, 1864

4. James Murray Forbes (1845-1937)

m. Alice Bowditch, 1871

3. John Murray Forbes (1813-1898)

m. Sarah Hathaway, 1834

4. William Hathaway Forbes (1840-1897)

m. Edith Emerson, 1865

4. Mary Hathaway Forbes

Preferred Citation

Forbes family papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:

Bancroft, George, 1800-1891.
Bowditch family.
Bowditch, Nathaniel, 1773-1838.
Butler, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1893.
Cunningham, John, 1818-1900.
Forbes, Alice Francis Bowditch, 1848-1929.
Forbes, Francis Blackwell, 1839-1908.
Forbes, James Murray, 1845-1937.
Forbes, Mary Hathaway.
Forbes, Paul Revere, 1860-1936.
Forbes, R. B. (Robert Bennet), 1804-1889.
Houqua, 1769-1843.
Lyman, Theodore, 1755-1839.
Richardson, Alfred.
Winthrop, Robert C. (Robert Charles), 1809-1894.

Organizations:

Alert (Ship).
Baring Brothers & Co.
Canton Packet (Ship).
Coquette (Schooner).
Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Jamestown (Ship).
Macedonian (Ship).
Nautilus (Ship).
Niantic (Ship).
Russell & Co.
T. H. Perkins and Sons.

Subjects:

Bimetallism.
Botany--China.
Canton (China)--Description and travel.
China--Commerce--United States.
China--History--Opium War, 1840-1842.
China trade.
Famines--Ireland.
Merchants--China.
Merchants--Massachusetts--Boston.
Scrapbooks.
Seafaring life.
Shanghai (China)--History.
Shipping.
United States--Commerce--China.
Voyages and travels.

Materials Removed from the Collection

Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives. See separate descriptions of the daguerreotypes (Photos. 1.361L, 1.371L, 1.404, and 1.478) and ambrotypes (Photos. 2.3, 2.20, 2.24, 2.44, and 2.116-124), which are stored in the MHS Photo Archives by format.