Creator: American Fur Company Records. Abstract: Photocopies made from 2 reels of microfilm of company related materials including correspondence (copies), index card, and finding aids (copies) of other, related collections. Extent: .25 cubic feet (in 1 box) Language: English Authors: Collection processed and finding aid created by Z. Finley, Marian Matyn
This is an artificial collection of related materials, pulled together by topic. Included in the records are correspondence to/from Samuel Abbott, who served as the Collector at Michilimackinac (1812-?) and as manager for the Company, 1812-1848 (and longer?). Some of the correspondence is from James Abbott, Samuel’s brother, who was also a manager for the Company in the Detroit, Michigan, area. (There is no further information available on the Abbotts.) Other records include expense accounts for transportation to the Council in the summer of 1825. The Shipping / Receiving book provides good information of prices paid per pelt, for everything from mink to rat skins. There is an Indenture of Mortgage signed by John Jacob Astor, 1827, in the Mortgage Records, and a Capital Stock certificate of the Mackinac, Lake Superior Copper Company, 1845, in the Correspondence. These materials are all photocopies made from 2 reels of microfilm.
Additionally, there are index cards to assist researchers using the records. The related American Fur Company business records of Mackinac Island, Michigan, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1817-1834, are available on microfilm at the Clarke, as are books about the Company.
See also numerous related reels of microfilm on the American Fur Company, the Mackinac Island Collection, and the Abraham Wendell Collection.
On April 13, 2001, the paper collection, which had been on deposit at the Clarke, was returned to Mackinac State Historic Parks as part of the Sault Sainte Marie Collection. The microfilm of this American Fur Company Collection is at the Clarke, Reels 1-2, Microfilm MSS F-52.
The American Fur Company was founded in 1808 by John Jacob Astor (1763-1848). It eventually held a monopoly on fur trade throughout the Great Lakes, with the Company head quarters in Mackinac and a branch in Detroit, Michigan. The Company dealt in trade goods, fining, ore transportation, and other related business interests. Astor sold out his shares in 1834 to Ramsay Crooks. The Company went bankrupt in 1847.
Acquisition Information: Acc# none Arrangement:
The collection is organized alphabetically and chronologically.
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