Rhode Island Stampless Covers & Letters
1848 Stampless Folded Letter from L. Robinson - Providence, RI
To Samuel Slater & Sons - Webster, Massachusetts
(Scroll Down for Background Information, History and Text of Letter)

Mr. L. Robinson, (The Robinson's were a prominent family in the Webster area) who is possibly an agent for Samuel Slater & Sons relates in the letter; the difficulty of obtaining rail transportation for 310 bales of cotton to be shipped to the Green Mill, (Webster, Massachusetts). The letter has been penned by an E. W. Fletcher for Mr. Robinson. 

Mr. L. Robinson, (The Robinson's were a prominent family in the Webster area) who is possibly an agent for Samuel Slater & Sons relates in the letter; the difficulty of obtaining rail transportation for 310 bales of cotton to be shipped to the Green Mill, (Webster, Massachusetts). The letter has been penned by an E. W. Fletcher for Mr. Robinson. 

Samuel Slater, after building his original mill in Pawtucket under the auspices of Almy and Brown, continued to expand his business, constructing additional mills in Providence, Slatersville and Smithfield, Rhode Island and in Oxford and Wilkinsonville, Massachusetts in partnership with his father-in-law Oziel Wilkinson, William Wilkinson and Timothy Green. In 1812 Slater in partnership with Bela Tiffany, (Born September 28, 1799 - Barkhamsted, CT) purchased land in the area of what was to become the town of Webster, Massachusetts and began construction of the Old Green Mill. The mill began spinning cotton into yarn in January 1813 and by the end of the year a dye works had also been constructed on the site. Slater continued to expand his business in Webster under the name of Samuel Slater & Sons until his death in 1835.

After Samuel's death, his sons; John, George and Horatio Nelson Slater continued to run the business. John died in 1837 and George died in 1843. Horatio continued to run the business until his death in 1888. Horatio Nelson Slater Jr. took over the company in 1888 and continued to run the company until he died in 1899. Eventually the company was sold in 1936 to the Cranston Print Works, which still owns and operates the company today.

Horatio Nelson Slater was the son of Samuel Slater and Hannah Wilkinson. He was born on March 5, 1808 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and died in 1888 in Webster, Massachusetts. He married Sarah Tiffany in 1838 and they had 5 children; Esther P., John Francis, Sarah Jane, Horatio Nelson Jr., and Mary. Horatio, Jr. took over the management of the family business after his father's death in 1888. At the time this letter was written, Horatio Nelson Slater, Sr. was in charge of the company.

Samuel Slater was the son of William Slater of Derbyshire, England who died in 1782. He was born on June 9, 1768. He learned the textile business while apprenticed  to Jedediah Strutt and Richard Arkwright in England and emigrated to the United States in 1789.

In 1848 the Phenix Mills were being run by the Lonsdale Company, which was a part the merchant firm of Brown and Ives and accounts for the tie-in to Slater.

SEE: Rhode Island Bicentennial FDC - Slater Mill History
SEE ALSO: SFL to George Dana - Horn Print Works for further background and history of the Textile Industry)