Deliveries of American Tobacco lettersheet from James Dunlop to J. and D.K. Stewart

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection has been minimally processed and is open for research.

Terms of access:

The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16938, Deliveries of American Tobacco lettersheet from James Dunlop to J. and D.K. Stewart, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Summary

Extent:
0.03 Cubic Feet One letter-sized file folder
Creator:
Dunlop, James, 1782–1844
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16938, Deliveries of American Tobacco lettersheet from James Dunlop to J. and D.K. Stewart, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains a single-leaf document, printed on the front and back, titled "Deliveries of American Tobacco from 1st January to 31st January 1837." The printed document recorded the prices and quantities of many different tobaccos imported into England in 1837, as well as outlining tobacco deliveries for 1836, stocks remaining in the "King's Warehouse," specifics on market fluctuations of tobacco varieties, a "Recapitulation of Exports in 1836" to various markets, measured in "hogheads," and tobacco stores "under bond." However, it was repurposed as a letter sheet, dated 6th January 1837, sent by James Dunlop (1782–1844) to J.and D.K Stewart (John Stewart (1806-1885) and Daniel Kerr Stewart (1809-1889) of Richmond, Virginia. The letter mentions insurance for a recent shipment from Virginia to England, recent sales, damage to stock, and their regret at not yet finding a buyer for a parcel of tobacco from New York.

Biographical / historical:

James Dunlop (1782–1844) was a London tobacco merchant and insurance broker of Scottish descent whose American wife, Nancy Gilliam Duncan, had ties to Virginia.

Further Reading "Mr. and Mrs. James Dunlop." Worcester Art Museum, https://worcester.emuseum.com/objects/12073/mr-and-mrs-james-dunlop. Accessed January 23, 2026.

Legacies of Enslavement Committee. "Girton Reflects Series: College, Women and Heiress." Girton College, University of Cambridge, April 2023, https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/about-girton/girton-reflects/1-college-women-and-heiress.

John Stewart (1806-1885) and Daniel Kerr Stewart (1809-1889) were born on the Isle of Bute in Scotland and later emigrated to Richmond, Virginia where they set up as tobacco planters. The brothers formed a partnership before the Civil War and then invested in railroads and municipal bonds. They prospered as traders.

Further Reading

Virginia Museum of History and Culture. "Biographical Note." Guide to the Stewart Family Papers, 1802-1938, Call Number Mss1 St495 a FA2." Virginia Museum of History and Culture,Richmond, VA. https://virginiahistory.org/research/research-resources/finding-aids/stewart-family Accessed 28 January 2026.

"The Stewarts." Brook Hill: Family, History,Community, https://brook-hill.net/stewart.Accessed 28 January. 2026

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased from Maggs Bros by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on November 21, 2025.
Physical description:
Good. It is a single sheet with folds from mailing and a hole near the right margin from a wax seal that once secured the letter.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard