Ammidon was one of the original founders Russell & Company with Samuel Wadsworth Russell in Canton, China, in 1824. Ammidon was one of the founding fathers of one of the most powerful illegal drug trafficking cartels in history.

Russell Company First Opium Buyer

Samuel Russell and Phillip Ammidon came to Canton in 1824, Russell having first been there in 1818 as a business representative for a merchant house out of Providence R.I. Ammidon went on to India to serve as the firm's opium buyer. In "a series of accidents and coincidental decisions" Russell & Company acquired a "virtual" monopoly on the American portion of the trade in the 1830's.

While the Wilcocks brothers controlled a large segment of the profitable American opium trade in China, there were countless other merchants involved as well. Among these men was Philip Ammidon, who began speculating in the drug in the days before the war just like the Wilcocks family. In the coming years, Ammidon would reap rewards far greater than the losses he suffered 

powerful family alliances

The Ammidons

In 1794, Jonathan Russell married Otis Ammidon's sister Sylvia, who died at age 38. (Died. The Rhode Island American and General Advertiser, Jul. 12, 1811). His second wife was Lydia Smith, the daughter of Barney Smith, Esq. (Columbian Centinel, Apr. 7, 1817; Deaths. Christian Inquirer, Dec. 31, 1859.)

Otis Ammidon was married to Jonathan Russell's sister Abigail. The Ammidons were the children of Col. Philip Ammidon of Mendon, Mass. (Classified Ad [Otis and Stephen Ammidon sell the late Col. Ammidon's farm at Mendon.] The Providence Phenix, Jan. 21, 1804.)

Otis Ammidon was president and a director of the Providence Insurance Company (Classified Ads. The Providence Gazette, Dec. 26, 1807; The Rhode Island American, Jan. 5, 1810; Jan. 8, 1811); cashier of the Providence Bank (The Providence Gazette, Apr. 6, 1811); a partner of Gilman & Ammidon of Philadelphia, with Benjamin Ives Gilman, who were affiliated with Brown & Ives of Providence (Providence Patriot & Columbian Phenix, Mar. 12, 1814); and of Coffin & Ammidon of Philadelphia, with Hector Coffin, who were associated with B. & T.C. Hoppin (Classified Ad. Rhode Island American, Dec. 21, 1824.) Jonathan Russell's brother-in-law, Philip Ammidon, advertised his services prior to "embarking for Canton, with the intention of residing there," and cited as references Samuel G. Perkins & Co. of Boston; Brown & Ives of Providence; Le Roy, Bayard & M'Evers of New York, and Gilman & Ammidon of Philadelphia (Classified Ad. Boston Gazette, May 19, 1814; Boston Daily Advertiser, Jun. 3, 1814); and "The subscriber, embarking for Canton, (in China) where he will reside for a considerable time, offers his services to the public for the transaction of the usual business of that place," with references to Israel Thorndike and Richard D. Tucker & Co. of Boston; Brown & Ives of Providence; Le Roy, Bayard & Co. and Lebbeus Loomis, Esq. of New York; Gilman & Ammidon of Philadelphia; and Henry Payson & Co., Baltimore. (Classified Ads. Commercial Advertiser, Jul. 8, 1818; Boston Daily Advertiser, Jul. 15, 1818.)

Jonathan Russell, the Ammidons, and Russell & Co. - the Mendon connection 

ammidon co-founds russell & co.

"Evidently Ammidon made some successful deals with the Parsi opium growers in India, for the partnership was renewed for another four years in November 1826, well in advance of the starting date, January 1, 1828, to allow Russell to return home.... Unable to return in 1828, Ammidon provided Russell with William H. Low, a very capable replacement with business connections in Philadelphia and Salem. In 1830, when Arnmidon was still unable to return to Canton, another replacement Augustine Heard of Boston, was recommended. Both Low and Russell accepted Heard and Arnmidon was terminated from the partnership." (Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, US National Park Service.) Low was the uncle of Abiel Abbot Low of the New York Guaranty & Indemnity Company.

Generation Six Part Five John Wing's Line (Sylvia Ammidon & Jonathan Russell and descendants) / pionear504
Fifth Generation John Wing's Line (Otis, Philip, Stephen and Sylvia Ammidon, and Abigail Russell / pionear504
Col. Philip Ammidon, Old Cemetery, Mendon, Mass. / M.W. Haynes
Samuel Wadsworth Russell House / US National Park Service (pdf, 25pp)

Henry Sturgis Russell, The Sons of the Puritans / Google Books

IT'S WHO YOU KNOW 

The Business and Family Networks & Alliances that Established Russell and Co.

Samuel Wadsworth Russell (1789-1862), co-founder of Russell & Co. with Philip Ammidon, was the uncle of William Huntington Russell, a co-founder of the Russell Trust (Skull & Bones) in 1833. Samuel Wadsworth Russell joined the firm of Hull & Griswold in New York in 1810. John Griswold and Samuel Wetmore (who was the guardian of his younger siblings) were his partners in the first Russell & Co. of Middletown, Conn. When his contract with Hull & Griswold ended, Wetmore got him a position as supercargo on a ship owned by Hoppins & Co. and Edward Carrington & Co., and eventually he went to Canton in 1819 "under arrangements made by Edward Carrington and several leading merchants of Providence." He operated under their instructions for the first five years. He made friends with John Perkins Cushing, a cousin of James and Thomas H. Perkins, who was left in charge of their Canton office at age 16 after Ephraim Bumstead died. "As early as 1818 Cushing began to turn over the company's commission business to other Canton associates that included James P. Sturgis & Company, the Wilcocks representatives, and Russell & Company. This included Cushing's opium shipments. In 1820 Cushing brought on his cousin Thomas Tunno Forbes to train for the business. Forbes, however, died in 1827 before assuming control of the firm. Cushing, eager for retirement and lacking another suitable heir, made arrangements to dissolve the firm. Honoring a sealed letter left by Forbes requesting that Russell take over all the business and with the knowledge that his cousin and Russell had had a successful dealings in the past, Perkins & Company was absorbed by Russell & Company. With the concurrence of the Perkins management, Russell, who had expected to leave China in 1830 delayed his departure to set up the management structure of the combined companies, still under the name of Russell & Company."

Ammidon was replaced by Augustine Heard, who represented the Perkins interests; 

​Robert Bennet Forbes was given charge of the Russell & Company storeship business on the Lintin station and John Murray Forbes was placed with the firm as an assistant in line for partnership. Russell retired from the company in 1836. (Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, US National Park Service.)