Collection Summary
R. Hoe & Company
Records
1831-1948
(bulk 1855-1870)
1831-1948
(bulk 1855-1870)
MSS26195
R. Hoe &
Company
5,600
items
23 containers
8.4 linear feet
17 microfilm reels
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Printing press and saw
manufacturers in New York. Business and family correspondence, letterbooks,
subject files, financial records, advertising material, and legal records
relating to R. Hoe & Company.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Hoe family.
Hoe, Peter Smith, 1821-1902. Peter Smith Hoe papers.
Hoe, Richard March, 1812-1886. Richard March Hoe papers.
Hoe, Robert, 1815-1884. Robert Hoe papers.
Hoe, Robert, 1839-1909. Robert Hoe papers.
Organizations
House of Refuge (New York, N.Y.)
Magnetic Telegraph Company.
R. Hoe & Company.
Subjects
Hardware industry--New York (State)--New York.
Printing presses--Patents.
Printing presses.
Saws.
Places
Europe--Description and travel.
Provenance
The records of R. Hoe & Company, printing press and saw
manufacturers in New York, were given to the Library of Congress by Caroline
Phelps Hoe Wilcox and her brother and sisters in 1957. Additional items were
received by gift and purchase, 1963-1981.
Processing History
The records of R. Hoe & Company were arranged and described in
1979. The finding aid was revised in 2006.
Transfers
Photographs have been transferred to the Library's Prints and
Photographs Division where they are identified as part of the R. Hoe &
Company Records.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of R. Hoe &
Company is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The records of R. Hoe & Company are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Microfilm
A microfilm edition of part of these records is available on seventeen
reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning
availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the
originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as
available.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container or reel number, R. Hoe & Company Records,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The records of R. Hoe & Company span the years 1831-1948 and
include Hoe family papers as well as corporate records. The bulk of the
material spans the period 1855-1870.
R. Hoe & Company was founded as Smith, Hoe & Company in New
York City in 1805 by Matthew Smith II (d. 1820), Peter Smith (d. 1823), and
Robert Hoe (1784-1833), who had emigrated from England in 1803. Following the
death of the Smith brothers, Robert Hoe, who had married their sister, Rachel,
continued and expanded the business under the name R. Hoe & Company. In
1830 the company passed into the hands of Hoe's oldest son, Richard March Hoe
(1812-1886), and nephew, Matthew Smith III. Richard M. Hoe's brothers, Robert
Hoe (1815-1884) and Peter Smith Hoe (1821-1902), also became active in the
family business. During the years under Richard M. Hoe's direction the firm
greatly expanded and prospered. When he died in 1886, control of the firm
passed to his nephew, Robert Hoe (1839-1909), who was in turn succeeded by
other family members.
The
[
Family
Correspondence
](famcorresp) consists chiefly of letters between Richard M. and his
brothers Robert and Peter Smith Hoe during various European travels conducting
business for R Hoe & Company overseas. The largest group of these letters,
1856-1859, documents the period of expansion leading to the establishment of a
manufacturing plant in London and the purchase of the Isaac Adams Press Works
in Boston. Schedules of orders and account sheets accompany the letters. The
correspondence also includes travel descriptions of mid-nineteenth-century
Europe, as well as itemizations of the art objects and luxury items purchased
by them and sent back to the United States. Correspondence from 1860 to 1870
includes references to the efforts of brothers Richard M. Hoe and Robert Hoe to
obtain from the U.S. Congress extension of patent rights to their printing
press inventions.
The
[
Business
Correspondence
](buscorresp) contains few letters prior to 1850, due in part to several
fires in the Hoe establishment. Some of the earliest letters are from Sereno
Newton, an early associate in the firm. Despite the limited number of business
letters, the file documents some of the day-to-day business transactions
between customers, trade suppliers, and branch offices in Boston, Chicago, San
Francisco, and London.
Arrangement of the Records
This collection is arranged in five series:
-
[
Family
Correspondence, 1833-1934
](famcorresp)
-
[
Business
Correspondence, 1832-1907
](buscorresp)
-
[
Letterbooks, 1856-1884
](lettbook)
-
[
Subject
File, 1831-1942
](subfile)
-
[
Addition,
1832-1948
](additi)
Container List
Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 18,112
Container
Contents
1-6
1-6
Family
Correspondence,
1833-1934
1833-1934
Letters sent and received, with enclosures.
Arranged alphabetically by name of family member and therein
chronologically.
1
1
Dodd, Moses W. and Rachel Hoe,
1857-1878, undated
1857-1878, undated
1
1
Ely, Giles S.,
1857
1857
1
1
Hoe, Emily A.,
1842-1844
1842-1844
1
1
Hoe, Laura,
1859-1863
1859-1863
1
1
Hoe, Olivia P. James,
1856-1865, 1905-1921, undated
1856-1865, 1905-1921, undated
1
1
Hoe, Peter Smith,
1840-1881
1840-1881
(10
folders)
2
1-2
Hoe, Richard March
2
1-2
1833-1865
1833-1865
(13
folders)
3
2
1866-1883, undated and fragments
1866-1883, undated and fragments
(9
folders)
3
2
Hoe, Robert
(1815-1884)
3
2-3
1834-1858
1834-1858
(7
folders)
4
3-4
1859-1884, undated
1859-1884, undated
(16
folders)
5
4
Hoe, Robert (1839-1909),
1844-1909, undated, and fragments
1844-1909, undated, and fragments
(15
folders)
6
4-5
Kennedy, D. J.,
1878
1878
6
4-5
Mead, Harvey,
1857-1860
1857-1860
6
4-5
Mead, Herbert,
1878
1878
6
4-5
Mead, Theodore H.,
1854-1863
1854-1863
(2
folders)
6
5
Seymour, Ebenezer and Mary J.
Hoe,
1857-1860
1857-1860
6
5
Seymour, Edward,
1859, undated
1859, undated
6
5
Seymour, Henry,
1857-1859
1857-1859
6
6
Smith, Matthew, III,
1835-1839
1835-1839
6
6
Miscellaneous and unidentified,
1838-1934, undated
1838-1934, undated
6
6
Transcripts of
letters
6
6
Hoe, Richard March,
1857-1865
1857-1865
6
6
Hoe, Robert (1815-1884),
1849-1873
1849-1873
7-12
7-11
Business
Correspondence,
1832-1907
1832-1907
Letters sent and received, with enclosures.
Arranged chronologically.
7
7
1832-1849
1832-1849
(7
folders)
8
7
1850, Jan. 3-1859, Feb. 10
1850, Jan. 3-1859, Feb. 10
(7
folders)
9
8
1859, Feb. 11-Aug.
1859, Feb. 11-Aug.
(6
folders)
10
9
1859, Sept.-1867, Nov.
(9
folders)
11
10
1868, Oct.-1869, Nov. 28
1868, Oct.-1869, Nov. 28
(9
folders)
12
11
1869, Nov. 29-1907, undated
1869, Nov. 29-1907, undated
(9
folders)
12
11
Transcripts of letters,
1848-1881
1848-1881
12
11
Indexes to previously bound
letters,
1858-1878
1858-1878
13-15
11-14
Letterbooks,
1856-1884
1856-1884
Letterpress and typed transcripts from letterpress books of
outgoing correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically by name of family member and therein
chronologically.
13
12
Hoe, Richard March,
1859-1870
1859-1870
13
12
Hoe, Richard M., Robert Hoe
(1815-1884), and Peter Smith Hoe,
1864-1874
1864-1874
13
12
Hoe, Robert
(1815-1884)
13
12
1858, July-1859, Mar.
1858, July-1859, Mar.
14
13
1859, Mar.-1864, Mar.
1859, Mar.-1864, Mar.
(3
vols.)
14
14
Transcripts from letterpress
books
14
14
1856-1857
1856-1857
14
14
1858
1858
15
14
1868-1884
1868-1884
15
14
1874-1875
1874-1875
15
14
1875-1876, 1881-1884
1875-1876, 1881-1884
15
14
Hoe, Robert
(1839-1909)
15
14
1857-1860
1857-1860
15
14
1879-1882, “Church of the
Covenant”
1879-1882, “Church of the
Covenant”
16-21
14-17
Subject File,
1831-1942
1831-1942
Hoe family genealogy, printed matter, financial records, patent
reports and transfers, partnership agreements, and other material related to
the Hoe family and R. Hoe & Company.
Arranged alphabetically by name of person, organization, topic,
or type of material.
16
15
Adams, Isaac,
1859
1859
16
15
Advertising cuts, clippings, and
trade catalogs,
1840-1933
1840-1933
(3
folders)
17
15
Advertising cuts, clippings, and
trade catalogs,
1840-1933
1840-1933
(3
folders)
17
15
Crowell, Luther C.,
1877-1902
1877-1902
18
15
Gutenberg 500th anniversary,
1900
1900
18
15
Medallion designs, letters of
acknowledgment, and clippings,
1900-1903
1900-1903
(2
folders)
18
15
Statue by Ralph B. Goddard,
1899-1900
1899-1900
19
15
Financial records,
circa 1840-1910
circa 1840-1910
19
15
Account book of profit and loss
summaries,
1856-1910
1856-1910
19
15
Bank notes
(2
folders)
19
15
Bills and receipts
19
15
Inventory and order
lists
19
15
Mortgage and rental
agreements
19
16
Hoe family genealogy
19
16
Hoe v. Hoe,
1900-1901
1900-1901
20
16
Hoe, Richard March
20
16
Estate settlements,
1884-1903
1884-1903
20
16
Journal of travels in England,
1838
1838
20
16
Third Regiment, New York State
Artillery,
1838-1843
1838-1843
20
16
Hoe, Robert
(1815-1884)
20
16
Account books
20
16
Expense ledger,
1880-1883
1880-1883
20
16
Real estate investments,
1882-1884
1882-1884
20
16
Estate settlements,
1884-1889
1884-1889
20
16
Hoe, Robert
(1839-1909)
20
16
Cemetery monument construction,
1885
1885
20
16
Death certificate,
1909
1909
20
16
Grammar school essays, report
cards, etc.,
1851-1857, undated
1851-1857, undated
21
16
Leander, Mead & Co., New
York, business records,
1831-1838, undated
1831-1838, undated
21
16
Miscellany of business permits,
indentures, and insurance reports,
1841-1881
1841-1881
21
16
Miscellany of family contracts
and letters of credit,
1864-1942
1864-1942
21
16
Partnership agreements, articles
of incorporation, and bankruptcy notices,
1850-1932
1850-1932
21
16
Patents
21
16
Miller, Warren P.,
1866-1892
1866-1892
21
17
Reports and transfers,
1838-1884, undated
1838-1884, undated
21
17
Taylor, W. W., and E. Anthony,
1880-1883
1880-1883
21
17
Printed matter concerning trade
suppliers and products
21
17
Tucker, Stephen D.,
1893-1895
1893-1895
22-23
Addition,
1832-1948
1832-1948
Correspondence, business records, printed matter and
miscellany.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein
chronologically.
22
Business records,
1841-1903
1841-1903
22
Correspondence
22
1832-1844
1832-1844
(5
folders)
23
1845-1948, undated
1845-1948, undated
(9
folders)
23
Miscellany,
1861-1948, undated
1861-1948, undated
23
Printed matter,
1861-1871, 1898, 1924, 1933, 1948,
undated
1861-1871, 1898, 1924, 1933, 1948,
undated