Guide to the Records of Christopher, Johnson & Company (as filmed by the AJCP)
M2714 - M2721
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: 2019
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Johnson, Christopher and Company
- Title
- Records of Christopher, Johnson & Company (as filmed by the AJCP)
- Date Range
- 15 January 1859 - 22 January 1950
- Collection Number
- M2714 - M2721
- Extent
- 15 items
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Australian Joint Copying Project
- Sponsor
- The Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) online portal was created with the assistance of the Australian Public Service Modernisation Fund, 2017-2020. The National Library of Australia gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the other foundation AJCP partners, the State Library of New South Wales and The National Archives of the UK, and all other organisations which supported the work of the AJCP, the world's most extensive collaborative copying project, operating from 1948 to 1997.
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The records comprise letter-books, correspondence and notes. Subjects include: details of Australian orders and shipping procedures; price lists; shipping and insurance of cargoes for Australia and New Zealand; and the state of Australian and New Zealand business.
Recipients of the letters include Paul Rodgers, William Holmshaw, J.W. Bunby, E. Duckett, Thomas Bates, W. & A. Bennetts, Edward Keep and Co., Australian Mortgage Co. Ltd., Bank of New South Wales and Union Bank of Australia.
Conditions Governing Access
Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use
Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
Preferred Citation
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
Archival History
Filmed at the Sheffield Record Office, Sheffield, as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project, 1989. (AJCP reel M2714-2721). Original microfilm digitised as part of the NLA AJCP Online Delivery Project, 2017-2020.
The Sheffield Archives was formerly known as the Sheffield Record Office.
Existence and Location of Originals
Sheffield Archives, 52 Shoreham Street, Sheffield, England.
Collection Reference: MD2366-MD2378. For further information see Sheffield Archives. [https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/libraries-archives/access-archives-local-studies-library]
Existence and Location of Copies
The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn17681] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.
Finding-aid Notes
This finding aid is a revised online version of the original finding aid prepared by the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP), published by the National Library of Australia in 2019. The original AJCP finding aids were unpublished typescripts or photocopies available from libraries that held copies of the original microfilm.
Dates used in this finding aid refer to the date range of the records selected for filming rather than to the date range of the Series or Files.
Subjects
Australia; Australian Mortgage Co Ltd; Bank of New South Wales; Bates, Thomas; Bennetts, W. & A.; Bunby, J.W.; Duckett, E.; Great Britain; Holmshaw, William; Johnson, Christopher & Co; Keep, Edward & Co; Mercantile firms; New Zealand; Rodgers, Paul; Union Bank of Australia
Bibliography
Originally cited in Australian Joint Copying Project Handbook. Part 8: Miscellaneous (M) Series. Third Edition, published 1998. Entry 260, pp.96-97.
Biographical / Historical
Christopher, Johnson & company was founded in 1836. The firm traded extensively with Australia and New Zealand, supplying razors, scissors, tongs and blades. In 1955 the firm was taken over by George Wostenholm & Son Ltd.
Item Descriptions
Series MD2366. Letterbook (222p.), 15 January 1859 - 23 November 1860
Each month the firm wrote to some or all of the Australian customers and agents - Murphy & Co. (Melbourne); E. Jones (Melbourne); E. Duckett; T. Craig; Bishop & Keep (Melbourne); Thomas Bates (St Kilda); John Mactier (Melbourne).
Subjects include deatils of Australian orders and shipping procedures, also includes price lists, and discount list.
Select letters to above correspondents for following months.
15 January 1859; 15 April 1859; 17 August 1859; 15 October 1859; 16 January 1860; 16 March 1860; 17 May 1860; 25 September 1860; 24 November 1860; 17 February 1859; 16 June 1859; 16 August 1859; 16 November 1859; 9 February 1860; 17 March 1860; 18 June 1860; 25 October 1860; 24 December 1860; 16 March 1859; 16 July 1859; 15 September 1859; 15 December 1859; 16 February 1860; 16 April 1860; 23 November 1860
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2714.
Series MD2367. Letterbook, Foreign, 8 January 1875 - 11 September 1879
Firms include: Oliver and Ulph, (Dunedin); Messrs Warde Bros (Brisbane); W & A Bennetts (Melbourne); W.C. Buik & Co., (Adelaide); Messrs Briscoe & Co. (Melbourne); Messrs Alfred Shaw & Co. (Brisbane); Michael Hodgson (Melbourne); Morrow, Bassett & Co. (Christchurch); Edward Keep & Co. (Melbourne); William Dawson (Ballarat).
Subjects include: Shipping details; invoicing; details of goods ordered, (scissors, tongs, etc).
(1000p. and index 44p. Pressed letterbook; some faint pages)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2714.
Series MD2368. Letterbook, Foreign General, 25 September 1879 - 19 October 1883
Firms include: James A. Brown (Sydney); Henry Blackett (Rangiora); James Barclay (Launceston); D & J Benjamin (Brisbane); William Dawson (Ballarat); Richard Hodgson (Melbourne); Edward Keep & Co. (Melbourne); New Zealand Hardware Co. Ltd. (Dunedin); Paul Rodgers (Brisbane). 1881-83. Sandover & Mayhew (Fremantle). (pp 850-1001).
Subjects include: orders and shipping details; correspondence with Paul Rodgers, Australian agent, includes discussion on Australian customers and state of business in Australian.
(1001p. Index 42p. Pressed letter book, some faint pages)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2715.
Series MD2369. Letterbook, Foreign General, 15 March 1888 - 17 July 1890
Firms include: Andrew Boys & Co. (Toowoomba); D. Benjamin & Co. (Dunedin); J.B. Blackie (Auckland); Chambers & Seymour (Melbourne); John Duthie & Co. (Melbourne); W.S. Friend & Co (Sydney); Hawker Bros (Geelong); F. Lowe & Co. (Melbourne); Walter Nathan & Co. (Wellington); Robertson Tait & Co. (Brisbane).
Subjects include: invoices and shipping details for goods (razors, files, scissors, etc); financial matters - payments and insurance; supply of bones for cutlery handles; state of Australian business.
(1016p. Index 36p. Pressed letterbook, some faint pages)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2716.
Series MD2370. Letterbook, Export, 6 October 1875 - 6 September 1878
Firms include: Australian Mortgage Co. Ltd.; Bank of NSW; Bank of New Zealand; London Chartered Bank of Australasia; W.A. Sparrow (London); Union Bank of Australia.
Subjects include: shipping and insurance of cargoes for Australia and New Zealand; payment of accounts and credit provision.
(997p. Index 46p. Pressed letter book, some faint pages)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2717.
Series MD2371. Letterbook, Export, 7 September 1878 - 31 December 1880
Firms include: Australian Mortgage Co. Ltd.; Bank of NSW; Bank of New Zealand; London Chartered Bank of Australasia; W.A. Sparrow (London); Union Bank of Australia.
Subjects include: shipping and insurance of cargoes for Australia and New Zealand; payment of accounts and credit provision.
(1002p. Index 43p.)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2718.
Series MD2372. Letterbook, Export, 22 September 1887 - 20 October 1888
Firms include: Australian Mortgage Co. Ltd.; Bank of NSW; Bank of New Zealand; London Chartered Bank of Australasia; W.A. Sparrow (London); Union Bank of Australia.
Subjects include: shipping and insurance of cargoes for Australia and New Zealand; payment of accounts and credit provision.
(1002p. Index 41p.)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2719.
Series MD2374. Letterbook, Australia, 14 December 1883 - 5 September 1890
Comprises: Letters to Australasian agents: Paul Rodgers (1883-1885) (Batavia, Brisbane); William Holmshaw (1885-1886) (Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane), and J.W. Bunby (1886-1890) (Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane).
Subjects include: state of Australian and New Zealand business; remarks on customers; good to be supplied- (knives, cutlery, razers, scissors etc).
(800p. Pressed letter book, some faint pages)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2720.
Series MD2375. Letterbook, Australia, 30 October 1897 - 10 November 1905
Comprises: Letters to Australasian agents J.W. Bunby (1897-1903) (Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide) and L. Longhurst (1904-1905) (Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Christchurch, Auckland, Sydney).
Subjects include: state of Australian and New Zealand business; remarks on customers; good to be supplied- (knives, cutlery, razers, scissors etc). Also includes: price list of Australian samples p 662-692. 12 December 1904.
(810p. Pressed letter book, some faint pages)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2721.
Series MD2376. Pattern and Price List, n.d.
Details of shears, scissors, razors. (Some blank pages) (212p. Watermark 1973; razor cases dated 1880)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2721.
Series MD2377. Letters from Paul Rodgers, 1881 - 1884
3 itemsArchival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2721.
Paul Rodgers (London) to John Marshall (Sheffield), 30 July 1884 (File 2377/1)
Re letter of introduction from Secretary of Bank of New South Wales; preparations for voyage to Australia.
Paul Rodgers (Ismalia) to John Marshall, 13 August 1884 (File 2377/2)
Re voyage through Suez canal, enclosing cutting from Sydney Morning Herald re D & J Benjamin of Brisbane and copy of letter:
29 July 1884 David George (Bank of NSW London) to Australian branches, introducing Paul Rodgers, Australian representative of Christopher Johnson & Co.
Series MD2378. Note re Thomas Johnson, 22 January 1950
Comprises: notes re Christopher Johnson, his brother Thomas Johnson and Thomas' Australian descendents by Alfred Henry Johnson. (2p.)
Archival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2721.
Series. Local History Collection
1 itemArchival History
Originally filmed on AJCP Reel M2721.
Christopher Johnson & Co. Export Cutlery Catalogue (231p.), n.d. (File 688.82 SQ)
At front: MS list of agents and firms to whom catalogues were sent, with address, date of despatch (19 August 1901 - 7 July 1925); discounts, remarks (shipping details). (28p.)
Includes: J. Hardy (Napier); Malan & Co. (Wellington); S. Cohen & Sons (Melbourne); W.S. Friend & Co. (Adelaide); J. Mitchell & Co. (Melbourne); F. & E. Stilwell & Co. (Bendigo); Caro Bros. (Melbourne); H.E. Partridge & Co. (Auckland); Rooney & Co. (Townsville); T.J. Cane & Co. (Hobart); A.M. Brodziak & Co. (Suva); British New Guinea Development (Papua).