Rockefeller Library - Pre Revolution

Whilst we are on the uncle theme, also came across an original Robert Donald letter today - Robert Donald was Alexander Donald's uncle and brother to James Donald, my great x 5 etc - so I suppose my great x 5 uncle on the other side from John Yuille.
The letter was from 1774 - a couple of years before Robert was Lord Provost of Glasgow.  Not the most interesting of letters I grant you - but it does illustrate one of Glasgow's great advantages in the transatlantic trade - the good ship Donald only took 29 days to get from Virginia to Glasgow. Now that is going some. Think how much longer it would take to get to London - you have to go all the way down the channel, around Kent and then down the Thames. Glasgow smiles better. Always has.

We know from Robert Donald's letter to Washington - complete with the same signature as above and the fancy underlining that he always used - that he was in American from 1740 or so until 1758 and two collections I looked through today were a treasure trove of early Robert Donald in America. These were two account books for companies that Robert dealt with for trade. From the Jerdone account:

Good references to the rum and sugar account and also for Robert to buy his Gloster Cheese - you may have to click on the picture for it to come up so you can read it. I presume Gloucester Cheese - and Gloucester from Virginia. I love the second from last thing Robert bought - a box of chocolate. Hot chocolate was still just fashionable in the 1750s when this invoice was written.
Loads of other references to Robert - he also seems to have been a bit of a butter king - 8 firkins of butter to be sold:

 But here are the details of the "sundry persons" the butter was sold to. Not sure why it has gone onto its side - but Mr Ephraim Goosely was ripped off. He paid 75 for his firkin - but Mrs Nelson Senior only paid 57.

Ok - last one, I have pages of these but appreciate the inner workings of an 18th century merchant may not be to everyone's taste. And this one especially not - from what I can tell, this is Thomas Knox buying slaves using credit - or bills of exchange - from Patrick and William Bogle and Colin Dunlop of Glasgow. That right? There are loads of them throughout the book, including Thomas Yuille, Murdochs, Cochranes etc - I know Scotland goes on and on about how it had no part in the slave trade from early doors - but surely by financially supporting it, that is just as involved? Sure this is something to return to - and something I shall refer to my much more knowledgeable and author of "It Wisnae Us!" associate Stephen Mullen. Buy a copy here - only five left. Have a look at the cover - quite telling!
Colin Dunlop was founder of the Ship Bank and married a Bogle - Martha - and was of course, my great x 5 grandfather on the other side.