Notes from Roger Chartier:
  David Duff & Son, started in the whale oil business and later expanded into coal and oil transportation.
The advertisement on the left is from the New Bedford Directory in 1887.
In 1936, Mark M. Duff pictured on the right, purchased the mansion currently known as the Rotch-Jones-Duff House at 396 County Street. The family kept a home there until 1981.
At one time the main office was in the New Bedford 5 Cent Savings Bank Building.
In 1887 the Acushnet Coal Company was a competitor and located in New Bedford at Hillman Street near North Water Street.
Hart and Akin at 58 South Water Street also were coal distributors.
At one point in time there were about 10 coal distributors in the city and many closed their business and the numbers dwindled until Duff had the biggest share of the coal business.
(Also See 1937 Duff Coal Co Employee Clambake and Thomas Geary Water Front Pass Duff Coal Co 1918
Below see an ad from the 1892 New Bedford Directory Back Cover.
In 1928 to 1931 on the the coal customers of David Duff & Son,were the owners of the last Whaling Ship that survives today , The Charles W. Morgan. for use aboard the ship. As late as 1962 The David Duff & Son had a coal yard and dilapidated building on Fish Island, New Bedford.
Information from M.L. Baron:
This 1896 calendar (pictured below) is from The David Duff & Son Coal Co of New Bedford was quite elaborate for it's time.
The Duffs allegedly had a monopoly with the city's primary fuel supply..COAL. They were a wealthy and politically powerful family.
The main office was adjacent to the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge.
The proverbial "Saudi Arabia" of SouthCoast in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
Then some" rags to riches" guy (a former baggage handler for the local railroad) from Fairhaven, co-founded Standard Oil and helped put the kabosh to the Duff Empire, or at least knocked them down a few pegs.
Photo and above notes from the MLBaron Historic Collection
(click the picture for a larger image) |
