The Wholesale Boot and Shoe Trade
Founded By A Late Citizen of Bangor, Maine
by J. W. Porter
Two Weymouth (Mass.) boys — Harvey Reed, born Nov. 12, 1791, and Quincy Reed, born Nov. 11, 1793 — one 18 and the other 16, sons of Capt. Ezra Reed, of Weymouth (South Parish) — went to Boston in 1809, and hired of Uriah Cotting store No. 133 Broad Street, and opened therein the first wholesale boot and shoe store in Boston, and probably in the United States. They were without doubt the founders of the business in this country. They had but little capital other than a good name, and the assurance of their father “that the boys were all right, and would pay their debts.” They had no copartnership other than to take the firm name of H. & Q. Reed, and an understanding that if they did well they should pay their father something for their time. When Harvey became of age he paid his father one thousand dollars. When Quincy was twenty-one he paid three thousand dollars. At this time they took account of stock, and had on hand stock valued at ten thousand dollars. The business grew, and was large for the times. Sales were made in all the cities in the United States between Boston and New Orleans. Branch houses were established in Richmond and New Orleans, where the business up the Mississippi River was immense. They also sold largely of certain kinds of goods to the West Indies; and in return made large importations of sugar and molasses. Quincy Reed was drafted into the war of 1812, as a citizen of Boston, and served out his time. In 1821 they bought a house in Hamilton Street, where some of their children were born. The firm continued until 1833, when it was dissolved.
Mr. Harvey Reed, the senior partner, was a man of remarkable ability. He had the care of the outside business of the firm, attending to its large interests in the south and elsewhere. I think he was one of the original promoters of the Union Bank of Weymouth and Braintree, Mass., and of the Weymouth Savings Bank. He took large contracts of the government. Having become largely interested in Maine lands, he removed to Bangor, Me., in 1833, where he carried on for twenty-five years a large lumbering business, until his death, Feb. 8, 1859.
Quincy Reed, the junior partner, on the dissolution of the firm, returned to Weymouth, where he now resides, hale and hearty, at the ripe old age of ninety-one years. He has in his possession all the papers of the old firm of H. & Q. Reed, carefully assorted and filed a year or two since by his son, Quincy L. Reed, esquire.
It may be proper to add that the family were to the manor born in the shoe business. John Reed, born in Weymouth, Dec. 30, 1679, was a cordwainer, and according to an old account book of his now extant, bought and sold and tanned hides, and was also town surveyor of leather. John Reed Jr., his son, born June 22, 1728, was a cordwainer, and town inspector of leather. His son, Capt. Ezra Reed, the father of the firm, was a cordwainer.
Source
Perham, David. “Early History of Orrington and Brewer.” The Bangor Historical Magazine, vol. 1, no. 2, Aug. 1885, pp. 33–38. Published by Joseph W. Porter, Benjamin A. Burr, Printer.