Tillinghast Family Business Records (Ms. Tillinghast)

Joseph Tillinghast (1734-1816) was a sea captain and merchant born in East Greenwich, R.I. He was based in Providence, R.I. for his entire career, and was engaged principally in trade with St. Croix in the present U.S. Virgin Islands, shipping food and supplies to the island and bringing rum and molasses back to Rhode Island. In 1795, he began a formal partnership with his son, William Earle Tillinghast (1777-1817), and Benjamin E. Gorton (1765-1822). The records encompass the maritime career of Joseph Tillinghast, but the bulk of the collection concerns the accounts of William E. Tillinghast. Materials extend beyond the death of William E. Tillinghast to include scattered records of his descendants and related families—including the Mawneys, Davises, and Potters—into the late 19th century.