| Abstract: |
Thomas Wilson emigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1854. He began his career in shipping as a ship boy at the age
of sixteen, and by the age of twenty was a captain. He left New York City in 1867 for the Great Lakes, where he invested in
the shipping industry and eventually owned and operated the Wilson Marine Transit Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio. The company
specialized in bulk cargo shipping on the Great Lakes. By the time of Wilson's death in 1900, the company's fleet included
17 steamers, two sailing ships, and a barge. The collection consists of correspondence, publications, and legal documents
relating to Wilson's career in the shipping industry. Included are articles of co-partnership of the Cleveland Block Company,
articles of agreement between Thomas Wilson and his wife Mary (from whom he borrowed money to build his first ship), and a
pamphlet published by the Wilson Marine Transit Company.
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