James Allardyce Ewing papers

The James Allardyce Ewing Papers consist of correspondence and legal and financial papers, which document James Allardyce Ewing's commercial activities and interests in southern Africa. While the earliest item in the papers dates from 1892, the bulk of the material dates from 1909 to 1919.

The papers, which the Yale University Library purchased from Charles Apfelbaum in 1987, are composed of material relating to Ewing's companies in England and South Africa. Included in the papers are correspondence, ledger accounts for J. A. Ewing and Company, legal agreements concerning such issues as the transfer of shares in the South African Mutual Life Assurance Society, partnership arrangements with South African businessmen, and agency arrangements with individuals and outfitters all over South Africa. The materials cover trade in lumber and cattle and reflect the disruptive effects of World War I on commercial activity.

Folders 33 to 37 contain incoming letters from James Allardyce Ewing's nephew, Vincent Ewing, which concern the management of Vincent's Braemar Ranch in Rhodesia. The letters present a detailed account of the development of a homestead and the problems encountered in raising cattle. Vincent's letters include family and local news, as well as discussions of weather and market conditions, outbreaks of disease among the populace and the livestock, water supply problems, and the effects of World War I on the area.

The general correspondence in folders 38 to 51 includes incoming letters to James A. Ewing. Folder 52 contains a letter book with copies of Ewing's outgoing letters from 1912. Among the miscellaneous items at the end of the papers are printed financial records from South Africa and a surface survey map for a mine in German Southwest Africa.