 In 1810, after his apprenticeship with Whittlesley & Alsop ended, he moved to New York where he hoped to prosper.In 1812, he joined Hull & Griswold, a merchant house, based in New York but established by investors with family ties in Connecticut.He began traveling on company ships as supercargo and soon began trading on a commission basis which enabled him to found his first company, Russell & Company, a commission trader for Hull & Griswold, in his hometown of Middletown.