Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Read Stone Co. Ltd.
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on contents of the fonds.
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
22.95 m of textual records
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Joseph Read first began quarrying grindstones in 1810 when he leased a section of shoreline at Minudie, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia from Amos Seaman, who was also in the business. Joseph Read's son, Joseph, Jr., expanded the business, opening a stoneyard for grading, distributing, and selling grindstones at Boston in 1824. Joseph Read, Sr. entered into partnership with John T. Seaman, and the company expanded its operations to Rockport, Dover, and Beaumont. The Reads' record the founding of their company as 1824, possibly the year that the partnership of Read and Seaman was formed. Minudie remained the company's base of operation throughout the 19th century.
In 1856 the enterprise expanded when another stone quarry was opened at Stonehaven, Gloucester County, New Brunswick. By 1900, the company had moved its base of operations to Sackville, N. B. and was now producing building stone and pulp stone along with grindstones. In 1908 the business was incorporated under the name Read Stone Co. Ltd., at which time the quarries and businesses of Joseph Read, of Stonehaven, and Henry C. Read, of Sackville, were consolidated. The company's business interests extended from New Brunswick to Montréal, West Virginia, and Ohio. H. W. Read closed the quarries at Stonehaven in 1930. Read Stone Co. Ltd. surrendered its letters patent on 10 February 1954.
Custodial history
The bulk of the records was retrieved from the stone lathe and storehouse in Stonehaven, N.B. H. W. Read had moved a number of the bound volumes to Sackville prior to 1978, when the first donation to the Archives was made.
Scope and content
This fonds consists of the business and financial records of the Read Stone Co. Ltd. as well as family correspondence and other personal records. It includes minutes of meetings, correspondence, letterbooks, general ledgers, day books, cash books, accounts receivable and accounts payable ledgers, order books, sales invoices, survey records, bills of lading and other shipping records, invoices, accounts, receipts, bank books, cancelled cheques, draft notes, and time books. Family records include correspondence, diaries, photographs, and material pertaining to the Independent Order of Foresters.
There are also brochures, labels, advertising boards, catalogues of various suppliers, almanacs, grindstone and rock samples. Lastly the fonds includes several annual reports and statements of the Dominion Steel Corp. and British Empire Steel Corporation (1920s), issues of the journals, The Maritime Merchant (1920s) and the Contract Record & Engineering Review (1910s), and a copy of an unpublished thesis entitled, "The Cumberland Basin grindstone industry by James D. Snowden," (1972).
Notes area
Physical condition
A general ledger, 1882-1882, (4/29) and a day book, 1926-1938, (5/28) were contaminated with mould. These items were reexamined in March 2001. Researchers are advised that they must view them in well-ventilated conditions (fume hood) and wear appropriate gloves and masks.
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick by Herbert Read, of Sackville, New Brunswick in 1978, 1994, and 1998.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
No restrictions
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
An inventory is available.
Associated materials
A ledger of the Stonehaven operation of the company, 1913- 1936 is held by Mount Allison University Archives.