Barreda (F.) and Brother records, 1851-1863

Summary

Title:

F. Barreda and Brother records

Dates:

1851-1863

Abstract:

The F. Barreda and Brother records (SAFR 14316, HDC 61) collection consists of ten folders containing various charter agreements, receipts, bills of lading, invoices, and lists of vessels that together comprise the business records of F. Barreda and Brother, a firm that acted as agents of the Government of Peru for the shipment of guano from the Chincha Islands to the United States in the 1850s. Charter agreements were executed in Lima, Valparaiso, Baltimore, and New York City. Most of the other documents were executed in Lima. The dates range from 1851 to 1863. Some of the bills of lading and the invoices are in Spanish. This collection has been processed to the collection level and is open for use without restriction.

Extent:

358 items

Language:

Predominantly in English with some documents in Spanish.

Preferred citation:

[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item Number], HDC0061 (SAFR 14316), F. Barreda and Brother records, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Background

Scope and content:

The F. Barreda and Brother records (SAFR 14316, HDC 61) collection consists of ten folders containing various charter agreements, receipts, bills of lading, invoices, and lists of vessels that together comprise the business records of F. Barreda and Brother, a firm that acted as agents of the Government of Peru for the shipment of guano from the Chincha Islands to the United States in the 1850s. Charter agreements were executed in Lima, Valparaiso, Baltimore, and New York City. Most of the other documents were executed in Lima. The dates range from 1851 to 1863. Some of the bills of lading and the invoices are in Spanish. This collection has been processed to the collection level and is open for use without restriction.

Biographical / historical:

Felipe and Frederico Barreda were awarded the contract to act as consignee for the sale of guano in the United States by the Government of Peru in the 1850s. The export of guano form the Cincha Islands for use as fertilizer was a prime source of income for the Peruvian government between 1840 and 1867. In fact, during those years it was unnecessary to levy any taxes.

Taking advantage of the rapid increase in this business, the Barreda's entered into their first charted agreement in December of 1851. Their first chartered vessels carried shipments to Hampton Roads, Virginia, which was to be the firm's usual distribution point in the United States.

Felipe handled the business in Lima, while Frederico was responsible for developing distribution in North America. Theirs was a successful enterprise, which averaged 60,000 tons shipped annually between 1855 and 1857. It appears that the Barreda brothers no longer acted in the same capacity after 1857 and their rich guano deposits had been largely exhausted by 1867.

Acquisition information:

SAFR-00001

This collection was transferred from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

Processing information:

Note on Description: The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material and subject matter experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors in this guide please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide. P lease cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.

Arrangement:

Collection contents: Charter Agreements, 1851-1852; Receipts, 1852-53, 1856; Bills of Lading, 1853-54, 1856; Bills of Lading (Spanish), 1852-1853; Bills of Lading, 1863; Invoices (Fractura) (Spanish), 1852-54; Invoices (Fractura) (Spanish), 1852-54; Lists of Vessels, 1853-54; Lists of Vessels, 1854-56.

Physical location:

San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department

Rules or conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard .

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Shipping

Places:

Valparaiso (Chile)
New York (N.Y.)

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Processed by: Historic Documents Department Staff (Bailey).

Date Prepared:

2012

Date Encoded:

Machine-readable finding aid derived from ICMS database and converted into xml from a template revised and updated by San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department. 9/11/2012 .

Restrictions:

This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.

Terms of access:

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Preferred citation:

[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item Number], HDC0061 (SAFR 14316), F. Barreda and Brother records, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Location of this collection:

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Building E, Fort Mason

San Francisco, CA 94123, US

Contact:

415-561-7030

Website