Manuscript account rendered to Aaron Lopez, Newport, Rhode Island, July 16, 1767. Ink on paper. This fascinating mercantile document records the shipment and valuation of twelve boxes of spermaceti candles consigned to prominent Newport merchant Aaron Lopez in the summer of 1767. Addressed to “Messrs. Samuel & William Vernon, by order of Aaron Lopez,” the account meticulously lists the weight of each box, totaling approximately 366¾ pounds, together with pricing calculations that produce a final value of approximately £90 5s. 8d. The document provides a rare glimpse into one of colonial New England’s most important industries. Spermaceti candles were manufactured from waxy oil derived from the head cavity of the sperm whale. Considered the finest candles available in the eighteenth century, they burned brighter, cleaner, and longer than ordinary tallow candles. Their production formed a major component of the maritime economy of Newport and neighboring ports, linking whaling voyages, international trade networks, and colonial manufacturing. The account is dated during the height of Newport’s commercial prosperity. By the 1760s, the town had become one of British North America’s leading seaports, with merchants such as Lopez and the Vernon family operating extensive trading enterprises that connected Rhode Island with the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and other North American colonies. Documents of this kind survive as tangible evidence of the sophisticated bookkeeping and large-scale commerce that characterized the Atlantic mercantile economy before the American Revolution. Particularly notable is the association with Aaron Lopez, widely regarded as the most successful Jewish merchant in colonial America. Born Duarte Lopez in Portugal in 1731 into a family of conversos—Jews compelled to practice Catholicism publicly—he emigrated first to Jamaica and then to Newport, where he openly embraced Judaism. Through remarkable energy and business acumen, Lopez built one of the largest commercial enterprises in British North America. His interests encompassed shipping, whaling, candle manufacturing, insurance, real estate, and international trade. At the peak of his career he owned or controlled dozens of vessels and maintained commercial relationships throughout the Atlantic world. Lopez also played a significant role in Newport’s civic and religious life. A benefactor of the city’s Jewish community and a supporter of the famed Touro Synagogue congregation, he exemplified the opportunities and challenges faced by religious minorities in colonial America. During the Revolutionary era, British occupation of Newport disrupted his commercial empire, though he continued trading from Massachusetts and Rhode Island until his accidental death in 1782. The Vernon family, named in the document, were likewise among Newport’s leading mercantile dynasties, further underscoring the importance of the transaction. Together, Lopez and the Vernons stood at the center of the economic network that made eighteenth-century Newport one of the wealthiest ports in the colonies. As an artifact, this manuscript combines commercial, maritime, and Jewish-American historical significance. It documents the trade in one of colonial America’s most valuable manufactured products while directly linking two of Newport’s most influential merchant families. Such routine business records are often more revealing than formal correspondence, preserving the everyday mechanics of commerce that underpinned the Atlantic economy on the eve of the Revolution. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Messrs. Samuel & Wm Vernon By order of Aaron Lopez Newport July 16th 1767 Twelve Boxes Spermacety Candles & Bills Wt. No. Wt. Tare 1 40 9½ 2 39¾ 9½ 3 43 9½ 4 39¾ 8¾ 5 39½ 9¼ 6 39½ 9½ Total | 241½ | 55¾ No. Wt. Tare 7 40½ 10 8 42¼ 9¾ 9 40½ 9¾ 10 39½ 9¼ 11 40¾ 10¾ 12 40½ 9¾ Total | 243¾ | 60½ 485¼ 119¼ 366 lb. Net @ 48/- ........................ £878.8 [or similar calculation] Boxes & Paper ............ @ 45/- ...... 27.- £905.8
