Inventory
Series I.
Contains letters sent and received by James Brown from family and friends. There are descriptions of places James Brown visited, people he dined with, clothes people wore, and family gossip with his sisters. There is an interesting letter from his brother-in-law, John Francis, describing Congress, which was in session in Philadelphia in 1790. Several letters in 1791 describe the death of his uncle, Nicholas Brown, and family responses to the death. There is a letter written by James while on business for his father where he describes the City of Baltimore in good detail. There is also a business letter concerning the rebuilding of the Washington Bridge written in 1807. The following list is an index of all the correspondents.
- Bethune, Nathaniel - Letter 26
- Brown, Avis - Letter 10
- Brown, Benjamin (1763-1773) - Letter 1
- Dickerson, Charles - Letter 31
- Dickins, E. - Letter 25
- Francis, Abigail (Brown) (1766-1821) - Letter 7, 22, 28, 36a
- Francis, John (1763-1796) - Letter 8, 9, 14, 21
- Francis, Thomas - Letter 23
- Francis, Thomas W. - Letter 27, 29
- Herreshoff, Charles F. (1763-1819) - Letter 42
- Herreshoff, Julia L. (1811-1901) - Letter 38
- Herreshoff, Sarah B. (1773-1846) - Letter 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 18, 30, 40
- Herreshoff, John B. (1805-1861) - Letter 34a
- Malbone, Francis (1759-1809) - Letter 24
- Mason, Amasa - Letter 39
- Mason, Daniel - Letter 15
- Otis, Harrison G. (1765-1848) - Letter 17
- St. Cecilia Society - Letter 20
- Washington Bridge - Letter 36
- Watson, Elkanah - Letter 36c
- Willing, Thomas M. - Letter 16
Series II. Diaries
Consists of James Brown’s diaries which often describe his travels while on business for his father, John. Of note in his diary of 1801 is a detailed description of the fire which burned much of Providence that year.
Series III. ACCOUNTING RECORDS
The account records in this Series document James Brown’s personal expenditures. The Cash Account Book from 1823-1830 has an additional ten pages of genealogical information (mainly birth and death dates) for the ancestors of Chad Brown. There are also several books recording thermometer readings and other meteorological information.