Scope and Content Note
The papers of the family of Robert Garrett (1783-1857) span the years 1778-1925, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1830-1863. The collection documents the business policies of Robert Garrett & Sons in connection with its mercantile trade, banking house founded in 1839, and ventures in transportation and communication that won for it the position of the leading firm in Baltimore for the period. Reflected are the competition and contributions made by the company in the development of its wholesale grocery, produce, forwarding, and commission business in Baltimore. Robert Garrett's vision to channel the western trade of farmers through the port of Baltimore is richly documented. The papers provide glimpses of the establishment of wagon trains moving over the turnpikes across the Allegheny Mountains connecting with Pennsylvania canals and rivers, as well as the penetration of the area by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, chartered in 1827. To meet rapidly developing demands made on trade by the increasing population of the Ohio Valley, Robert Garrett established commercial communications with New Orleans, San Francisco, South America, and Europe. Robert Garrett & Sons not only promoted improved overland transportation, but helped to establish shipping lines from Baltimore to other ports. The entrance of Robert Garrett's sons, John W. and Henry S. Garrett, into his business brought added vigor to the organization; they pursued the policies formulated by their father. To facilitate business operations, they established their own banking house and became the American correspondent of George Peabody and Company of London and of other well-known firms. These operations gradually overshadowed their mercantile and shipping interests.
Documented in the collection are the major changes that resulted in the administration of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with the election of John W. Garrett as president in 1858. During the Civil War, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was a large factor in the movement of Union troops and supplies. Under John W. Garrett's administration, summer resorts were established at Deer Park and Oakland in Garrett County, Maryland. By 1871, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had entered the Pittsburgh area and three years later established through service between Baltimore and Chicago. Under the administration of Robert Garrett as president from 1884 to 1887, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad experienced greater expansion and activities.
Before the Civil War, John W. Garrett emerged as a national figure, and in 1872 he was prominently mentioned as a candidate for president. His correspondence with Robert Benson and Company, George Peabody, J. Pierpont Morgan, James McHenry (1817-1891), Sir S. Morton Peto, and others relates to the financing of the Civil War and the construction afterward of railroads. There is material on the establishment of cable and telegraph lines. Among the correspondents connected with railroads were Philip E. Thomas, Wm. G. Harrison, William Parker, J. J. Atkinson, and John H. B. Latrobe.
Other business correspondence relates to the financial panics of 1837 and 1857, subtreasury measures, stay laws, and the Mexican War. Civil War topics include John W. Garrett's support of Lincoln and interaction with cabinet members, as well as his influence in procuring the release of citizens of Maryland who were under military arrest. Correspondence with Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis, documents his role in her efforts to free the Confederate president from Fortress Monroe after his capture.
The papers also contain data on the education of members of the family, including at Mt. Holyoke and Lafayette colleges, Princeton and Johns Hopkins universities, and other institutions. Among the philanthropic interests represented are the Baltimore and Ohio Employes Relief Association, the YMCA, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Peabody Institute, art galleries, and other local charities.