Abraham Warrington letter to Thomas Rotch, Salem, 1 Mo 15th 1814

              B-204-4
  
  Belov'd friend/Thomas French and myself was nam'd
  to endeavour to get information of thee to inable the Neighbourhood
  of Salem to build a Factory which might be the msot advantageous
  on a Capital of about three thousand dollars and to enlarge
  if subscriptions increas'd , many are attach'd to a woolen factory
  others think wool will be difficult to procure and a Cotton 
  Factory will answer better, some query if both on a small
  scale to work with horses would not do and one be all the 
  year in operation, others suppose it may be best to erect
  one and a small store wherein meterials for the factory and
  retale cloathing which might be convenient for the workmen
  might be early provided and save cash and enable
  the company to retale the Cloth when made, but tho many
  of us know how to girdle a beach tree we are very ignorant
  of Merchant and Factory business and I fear shall
  proceed as a Blacksmith making coats or as a Taylor
  shewing Horses, and therefore wish we may stand open
  to counsel and endeavour to understand the nature 
  of it before we go to work, which made me willing to
  write notwithstanding T. French expects to see thee on
  the subject hoping thou might write or give my Children
  some information in the matter which would be a sa-
  tisfaction to me as to the circumstance of our family
  and Neighbourhood I need not write as thou may'st
  be verbally inform'd ~ I conclude with love and affection
  to thee, thine and fds at Kendal. Abm Warrington
         Salem 1 mo 15th 1814
  NB If thou hast any account of fds to the
      Eastward communicate as much of it to my
      Children as is consistant with thy freedom
      that I may have a little of it.
  Samuel Davis since I wrote the above inform'd me he had leveled
  the stream above Robert French's mill to R Focetts and find ti can
  be thrown over an 18 feet wheel and wishes thee to inform if we shall
  need more water than a small overshot grist mill and we wish thy plan
  on paper if thee pleases of the whole.