To her credit: Information gathering agencies and female business involvement in Saint John, New Brunswick, 1853-1873

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2024-06

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University of New Brunswick

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This thesis examines what information-gathering enterprises, credit reports and directories, focused on curating business information can tell us about the state of female entrepreneurship and business involvement in Saint John, New Brunswick, between 1853 and 1873. Examining the contribution of women found within the Saint John Dun & Co. credit reports for the years 1853-1876, we can best understand how women contributed to credit within the local business economy. The reports expressed their involvement in four ways: as wives, mothers, widows, or business owners. To counterbalance the limitations of female business ownership recorded in credit reports, the McAlpine directories for 1869-1873, which overlapped with the period found in credit entries, were used as an information-gathering source that placed a greater agency on women’s self-identification through their personal listing and advertisements. Together, these sources provided a better picture of women’s entrepreneurial endeavours within Saint John during this period.

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