Virginia Merchants: Alexander Smith and Son; His Letter Book of 1803-1822.
Charles and Virginia Hamrick. 2004.
Here is an exact transcription of a letter book for Alexander Smith & Son, who operated a store at Alexandria, Virginia. This work elucidates the workings of the merchant and business class in Virginia during the period of the enormous growth of the new nation following the Revolution. It also explains the difficulties faced by merchants in a period of economic disruption just prior to the War of 1812. Eventually, Smith was forced to close his business enterprise in 1811 and he became one of the entrepreneurial victims of the times.
107-VMAS
