Historical information

Joseph Henry Abbott arrived in Australia from Birmingham England in 1852 aged 22 hoping to make his fortune on the goldfields. In 1853 he opened a store in Bendigo, Abbott and Co and from there began a lengthy career as a business man supplying the local community with goods and services including owning and operating the New Times Boot Market & Factory in Pall Mall, Sandhurst, run by his wife, Anne (nee Deague). J H Abbott’s main ambitions were to serve on the local and state councils. He was elected Chairman of the Sandhurst Borough Council in 1860, Mayor of the City of Bendigo in 1891 and was gazetted a Justice of the Peace in 1864. Over his lifetime J H Abbott was closely linked to nearly all the leading institutions in Bendigo and worked for the benefit of local charities. He was trustee of the Bendigo Art Gallery and a Freemason and was said to be the first person in Bendigo to have a telephone installed in1882 between his residence and his business in Pall Mall. After JH Abbott died in 1904 he passed on his businesses to his son JH Abbott Jnr and adopted son RHS Abbott. These businesses continued to trade under the name JH Abbott & Co and today still operates under the name Abbott Supply although the last of the family interests ceased in 1986.
Richard Hartley Smith Abbott was the step son of Joseph Henry Abbott and continued on in the family tradition of entering into business, becoming a successful business man. He also held asperations to serve on local council and was elected a representative in the Mandurang riding in the Shire of Strathfieldsaye in 1887, served as Mayor of the City of Bendigo from 1917 - 1918 and was Secretary of the Bendigo Art Gallery for over 20 years. Like this father he continued to build local industries with a particular interest in tanning selling products locally and exporting to London. The Tannery (in Tannery Lane, Mandurang) was one of the largest in the state.

Physical description

Large general correspondence book used by J H Abbott Co to issue reminders for accounts overdue and to place orders with suppliers. Book is bound with marbled front and back cover. Each page is perforated with the right side being printed with J H Abbott & Co Merchants and designed to be issued to receiver. Designed to use be used with carbon paper placed between two pages to create multiple copies of paperwork. Dated 1916 - 1917.