Abram Newman

Abram Newman (1736–1799) (aka Abraham Newman) was a partner in one of the leading grocers in 18th century London that imported a wide range of produce including tea, coffee, sugar and spices.

Abram was born at Mount Bures in Essex in 1736, the son of Thomas Newman of Mount Hall in the same parish and his wife, Anne, the daughter of Hugh Constable of Bures St Mary. Through his mother, Abram was the first cousin of Golding Constable of East Bergholt in Suffolk, the father of the artist, John Constable. His father, Thomas, was a descendant of Colonel Richard Newman who assisted King Charles II in his flight from the Battle of Worcester.

Abram went to London and entered the business world as a grocer. On 12 June 1759, he married Mary (1720–1783), the sister of Monkhouse Davison, a partner in the firm of Rawlinson and Davison "dealers in coffee, tea, chocolate, snuff, etc" of Creechurch Lane in the City. Two years later, he was made a freeman of the Grocer's Company and, in 1764, he joined his brother-in-law's company as a third partner.

Five years later, the senior partner, Thomas Rawlinson (not to be confused with his great uncle Sir Thomas Rawlinson who was Lord Mayor in 1706) died and the company became known as Davison, Newman and Co., the name under which it still operates today. In 1774, chests of tea from Newman's company were amongst those thrown into Boston Harbour during the Boston Tea Party which started the American Revolution. The company sought compensation from George III for £480 for the loss of the tea.

...
Wikipedia