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Title Correspondence of Russell and Mary G Sturgis, May 1835 - November 1836
Reference L556, box 2
Library Boston Athenaeum
Collection Correspondence of Russell and Mary G Sturgis
Date 03 May 1835 - 18 Nov 1836
Description Intimate correspondence between Russell Sturgis, American merchant at Canton, with his (second) wife Mary Greene (Hubbard) Sturgis at Macao. They discuss their own health and the health of their children, life in the foreign community in Macao and the pleasant but restricted life of the merchants in Canton. Some of the correspondence details the goods, particularly cloth and porcelain, that Russell was sending by boat to Macao. There is little insight into Chinese culture or the interaction between the local and the foreign communities; tensions leading up to the outbreak of the Opium War are barely alluded to.
Document Type Correspondence, Manuscript
Theme(s) Social Life
Keywords news, family, friends, society, household, domestic, travel, children, health, business, merchant, silk, textiles, ship, prices, factory, sea, voyage, trade, weather, death, comprador, chinoiserie, school, education, coolie, hong
Countries China; USA; Philippines; Indonesia
Places Huangpu
Ports Guangzhou, China; Macau, China; Salem, USA; Manila, Philippines; Jakarta, Indonesia
Ships Beta, Sylph, Duxbury, Omega, Levant
People John Murray Forbes; James Perkins Sturgis; Thomas Tunno Forbes; George Sturgis
Additional Information

Nathaniel Russell Sturgis (born in 1805 in Boston) practised law in the early years of his career, and journeyed to Canton in 1833 to join the family firm of Russell, Sturgis and Co. He retired from the business in 1844, travelling home to Boston, but soon decided to go back to China. While waiting in London for a passage, he was persuaded to join the bank of Baring Brothers, where he remained for the rest of his life.

He was married three times. Firstly to Lucy Lyman Paine, who died four months into the marriage. Secondly, to Mary Greene Hubbard, who died in Manila in 1837; they had four children - Russell, Lucy, John Hubbard, and Mary (who died soon after her mother). Thirdly, to Julia Overing Boit, with whom he had four more children - Julian Russell, Henry, Mary Greene, and Howard Overing.

Please note that some of the metadata for this document has been drawn from the Boston Athenaeum catalogue.

Copyright Boston Athenaeum