Letter from Gray Dawes and Company to Henry Shelton Sanford (October 27, 1887)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Gray Dawes and Company to Henry Shelton Sanford (October 27, 1887)
Alternative Title
Letter from Gray Dawes to Sanford (Oct. 27, 1887)
Subject
Investments--Florida
Insurance--Florida
Description
A letter from Gray Dawes and Company to Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) on October 27, 1887. The letter indicates that, "at the request of Mr. William MacKinnon," Gray Dawes and Company had issued Sanford three promissory notes—valued at £2,000, £1,500, and £1,500, respectively—serving to extend Sanford's outstanding debt for an additional three-month period. For the extension, the company requested an amount of £80.11.7. This correspondence demonstrates the ongoing business relationship between Sanford and London-based financial institutions. Sanford, confronted with numerous financial difficulties later in life, relied on generous loans from close business partners, like Sir William MacKinnon (1823-1893).
Gray Dawes and Company was founded in 1865 by business partners Archie Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes (1838-1903). Located at 13 Austin Friars in London, England, the company was focused, at least initially, on maritime insurance. By the mid-1870s, the company had also expanded its operations into shipping, overseeing a fleet of steamships that circulated within a trade network including London, Calcutta, Madras, and elsewhere. The company was closely linked to the Scottish shipping titan, Sir William MacKinnon. Gray was Mackinnon's nephew. Dawes, meanwhile, went on to become a close and trusted business partner to MacKinnon. As such, the firm became a useful means for MacKinnon to reward his friends and business associates. The company availed insurance accounts to these select individuals, accounts that could be used as a source of credit to be paid at a later date. The company became associated with Henry Shelton Sanford thanks to the mutual connection to MacKinnon. In 1880, MacKinnon lent Sanford, who was faced at the time with financial difficulties, some £8,000 to facilitate the founding of a Florida land investment company. The money offered by MacKinnon was in fact loaned to Sanford by Gray Dawes and Company. Additionally, at the behest of MacKinnon, both Gray and Dawes became reluctant subscribers to Sanford’s land investment scheme, the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC).
Gray Dawes and Company was founded in 1865 by business partners Archie Gray and Edwyn Sandys Dawes (1838-1903). Located at 13 Austin Friars in London, England, the company was focused, at least initially, on maritime insurance. By the mid-1870s, the company had also expanded its operations into shipping, overseeing a fleet of steamships that circulated within a trade network including London, Calcutta, Madras, and elsewhere. The company was closely linked to the Scottish shipping titan, Sir William MacKinnon. Gray was Mackinnon's nephew. Dawes, meanwhile, went on to become a close and trusted business partner to MacKinnon. As such, the firm became a useful means for MacKinnon to reward his friends and business associates. The company availed insurance accounts to these select individuals, accounts that could be used as a source of credit to be paid at a later date. The company became associated with Henry Shelton Sanford thanks to the mutual connection to MacKinnon. In 1880, MacKinnon lent Sanford, who was faced at the time with financial difficulties, some £8,000 to facilitate the founding of a Florida land investment company. The money offered by MacKinnon was in fact loaned to Sanford by Gray Dawes and Company. Additionally, at the behest of MacKinnon, both Gray and Dawes became reluctant subscribers to Sanford’s land investment scheme, the Florida Land and Colonization Company (FLCC).
Creator
Gray Dawes and Company
Source
Original letter from Gray Dawes and Company to Henry Shelton Sanford, October 27, 1887: box 53, folder 7, subfolder 53.7.20, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Date Created
1887-10-27
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from Gray Dawes and Company to Henry Shelton Sanford, October 27, 1887.
Is Part Of
Box 53, Folder 7, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Florida Land Colonization Company Collection, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
151 KB
Medium
1-page handwritten letter
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Gray Dawes and Company, London, England, United Kingdom
Chateau de Gingelom, Gingelom, Belgium
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Gray Dawes and Company.
Donated to the Connecticut Historical Society after 1901.
Loaned to the Tennessee State Library and Archives for processing until June 1, 1960.
Acquired by the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in 1960.
Rights Holder
The displayed collection item is housed at the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in Sanford, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from the Sanford Museum to display this item for educational purposes only.
Curator
Fedorka, Drew M.
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Munro, J. Forbes. Maritime Enterprise and Empire: Sir William MacKinnon and His Business Network, 1823-1893. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2003.
Collection
Citation
Gray Dawes and Company, “Letter from Gray Dawes and Company to Henry Shelton Sanford (October 27, 1887),” RICHES, accessed December 22, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4755.