The George Peabody Papers

The collection of George Peabody papers in the Essex Institute of Salem, Massachusetts, illustrates the value of private business correspondence in the study of economic history. Writers on the history of American commerce have complained of the lack of available business records, and students of capital movements have looked for more detailed information. The papers of George Peabody, merchant and financier, include material both on the importation of goods to the United States and on long-term investments during the period from 1830 to 1857.