The Old Merchants of New York City

These webpages contain the full book The Old Merchants of New York City by Joseph Alfred Scoville and was written in 1864.

The book is an extensive history of the merchants of New York City from the early 19th century. It contains information and anecdotes of many of the most prominent merchants of the time. The author knew many of the merchants personally. This allowed him to provide a unique insight into their lives and businesses.

What makes this book particularly interesting is the view it gives into the world of the 1800s. There were booms and busts in the economy. There were problems with the British. Napoleon was confiscating American ships. And there was fear about an upcoming war with the South. The book describes the merchants who were able to navigate these challenges and those who were not.