POWDER & SHOT! February 29, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday February 29, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Powder and Shot

1768 was a leap year. Today, 250 years ago, was the 29th of February. It was a quiet day in the Colden store with only six transactions on three accounts.  Peter Mullendorf [Mulender] purchased one half pound of black powder and one and one half pounds of shot.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

The shot and powder purchased by people in the vicinity of the store was probably for use in muzzle-loading flintlocks. The model copied in many colonial reenactments is known as the Brown Bess.

Brown Bess reproduction of 18th century.  Image courtesy of militaryheritage.com

About 150 grains of black powder were used to prime and load these flintlocks for each firing. [Spearman, J. Morton, The British Gunner, 1828] There are 7000 grains in a pound, so Mullendorf will get about 23 shots from his half pound purchase. The ball size was about an ounce, so one and one half pounds of shot is 24 balls.

Powder and shot (or lead) were often bought together at the store. The normal ratio was 2 to 4 pounds shot per pound of powder.

In the prior six months about 50 pounds of powder were sold in about 75 transactions. That equates to about 2300 shots or only about 13 shots per day. Clearly these people were not using hunting as their main source of subsistance.

About 80 pounds of shot (including swanshot which was a finer irregularly shaped lead) was sold at the store in the prior six months. That equates to 1280 one-ounce balls, or only seven balls per day. This does not match with the quantity of powder purchased as the yeomen may have been making their own shot from lead and shot molds.

Indeed, about 70 pounds of bar lead was sold at the store over the prior six months. You can search on these items yourself in the database by clicking on the link below and entering the item to search for.

Powder was around two shilling per pound, shot was seven pence (7/12ths of a shilling) per pound, and lead was half a shilling per pound. So Peter Mullendorf's purchase, 250 years ago today, gave him 23 shots from his flintlock for about the price of a half-day's labor.

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CLERKS! February 27, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday February 27, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Clerks and Cash

The last day of the week at the Colden Store passed without much excitement. Tomorrow, Sunday, the store would be closed. 1768 was a leap year, so Monday, the 29th, would be the last day of the month.

On Saturday, February 27th, 250 years ago, Colden made 21 transactions on nine different accounts. Three of the accounts were only ledger entries - no account owner was actually in the store. Of the remaining six accounts with transactions, three appeared in person, and the others were represented by a neighbor, a son, and a slave.

The transactions for this day are all on one page. It is a good opportunity to analyze the handwriting of the various store clerks.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

This day's transactions are a good example of how the store facilitated the economy with little cash. (see image above) The store bought cash from Neal McClaughlin and credited it to his account.  Colden then apparently took that same cash and paid half to William Wilkins and half to Archibald McCurdy, debiting both of their accounts. Were these transactions linked in any other way? I am sure they were...and maybe some historian will shed light on that (leave a comment below.) Wilkins and McCurdy have active accounts in the DayBook and Colden is probably in a good position to monitor their debt to him. On the other hand, Neal McClaughlin is not mentioned anywhere else in the DayBook. That seems strange, but maybe McClaughlin owed Colden for some transaction unrelated to the store? It is also interesting that Colden recorded the locations of the transactions: "at Captain Borlands" and "at Nathaniel Owens." These two names are not mentioned anywhere else in the DayBook.

The cash transactions were recorded by Cadwallader Colden II himself. His handwriting is recognizable from his other known journals and it makes sense that he would record these transactions that did not occur at the store. One way I recognize his writing is by his "M"s which look like three vertical slashes: |||. He also finds it inconvenient to cross his "t"s.

But there are entries by at least two other clerks in the store on this day, on the same page. For example, the first entry of the day is by the clerk I fancy as a well-bred son of a Van Cortlandt or Delancey studying at the Coldengham Academy nearby. His writing has flourishes and his spelling is excellent. Notice the flourishes on the "D"s.

This clerk also spells 'Buttons' correctly (a rarity). But also notice that a different clerk enters the "By" part of the transaction (in blue rectangle....it appears to be Colden), which indicates that maybe this clerk is junior and a more seasoned person is handling the inspection and entry of goods purchased by the store.

The second and third entries are by yet another clerk. He consistently uses the spellings: 'Shuger'[Sugar], 'Shulune'[Shalloon], and 'Butugs' [Buttons]. His handwriting is sloppier than Colden's and Flourish-man's and he seldom crosses his "t"s (an example below is Butugs which looks like Bulugs).

There is yet a fourth clerk who writes in very tall and slender script, but he is not present on this day, 250 years ago.

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CHOCOLATE! February 26, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday February 26, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Chocolate

The 18th-century colonists drank "chocolate" as well as the staples of tea and coffee. 250 years ago, on this date, Nehemiah Carpenter (shoemaker?) purchased one half pound of Chocolate.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Webster defined "chocolate" in his dictionary of 1828 as "a paste or cake composed of the kernel of cacao, with other ingredients, usually a little sugar, cinnamon or vanilla. The nut is first ground fine, mixed with the ingredients, and put in a mold." The hot drink made by dissolving this cake in boiling water was also called "Chocolate."

Some processed chocolate may have been imported from England, but by this date, hundreds of tons of the raw cocoa beans were being imported into the colonies from South America and processed into 'cake' in places like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

In the prior six months, Colden had sold over twelve pounds of chocolate in about sixteen transactions. The price was two and a half shillings per pound or about one third the price of tea.

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BED CORD! February 25, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday February 25, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Bed Cord

February 25th, 250 years ago, was a quiet day at the Colden store. Only ten items were purchased on five accounts.  Jonathan Belknap purchased a bed cord for four and a half shillings.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

A 'bed cord' had only been purchased by two other people in the prior six months: Doctor John Hill and Jacob Ostrander. Jonathan Belknap became the third person to purchase a bed cord.  Did he have a new bed or one that needed repair?

Bed cord and tightening key. Image courtesy of Pennsbury Manor

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NAILS! February 24, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday February 24, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Nails and Brads

The Colden store sold 23 items on twelve different accounts on this date 250 years ago. Two of the items were nails. James Ward's daughter picked up 1# of nails and Higens Conkling bought 18# of nails.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Nails were a common item of sale at the store.  In the prior six months, Colden sold over 800 pounds of nails! In most cases the price per pound was 10 pence. Lath nails and 4d nails sold for 16 pence per pound. Lath nails were more slender than regular nails and were used to attach the thin strips of wood called lath.

Brads were also sold. They were usually smaller and more slender as seen in the image below. They were sold by the 100 with the price varying from 3 to 9 pence. Only four sales of brads are recorded in the DayBook totalling 800 individual brads.

Colonial Brads (1-3) and Nails (4-5).  Image courtesy of Williamsburg Coffeehouse Blog

The large number of nails consumed by the community indicates that local construction activity was substantial.

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LINEN! February 23, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday February 23, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Linen

250 years ago today, Charles Ruby (Rube) bought two different grades of linen at the Colden Store. He bought one half yard of the more expensive linen at 5 Shillings per yard and seven yards of the cheaper linen at 4 1/4 Shillings per yard.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Charles Ruby (Rooby, Rubey, Rube, Roby) is mentioned 34 times in the DayBook. On this occasion he purchased mostly sewing supplies.

Linen (linnen or linning) was the most popular fabric sold at the store (see previous blog).  In the prior six months, Colden sold about 180 yards of linen in about 100 transactions. It was sold in various grades and prices, including Check, Striped, and Sheeting Linen. All of it was likely imported from England.

Linen was made from the fibers in flax. We know from the Daybook that flax was grown (see prior blog)  and that 'homespun' was manufactured locally. The actual yardage of linen made locally remains unknown, but it was being encouraged in many colonies as the boycotting of English goods gained serious consideration in the wake of the oppressive Townshend taxes (see prior blog).

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OSENBRIGS! February 22, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday February 22, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Lawn and Osenbrigs (Ozenbrigs, Osnaburg)

This week at the Colden store started quietly, 250 years ago today. There were only twelve items purchased on seven different accounts. Two of the purchases were fabrics whose names appear frequently in the DayBook, but are terms foreign to us 250 years later. William Miller purchased 1/2 yard of "Lawn" at 12 Shillings per yard and John Belknap purchased two yards of "Osenbrigs" at only 1 Shilling per yard.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Lawn is defined in Webster's 1828 dictionary as "A sort of fine linen. Its use in the sleeves of bishops, explains the following line. -A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn-."  Lawn at the Colden store was twelve times the price of "Osenbrigs" [Osnaburg]. Caulfeild's 1882 Dictionary of Needlework describes Lawn as "a delicate linen .. used for making of shirts, handkerchiefs, ruffles, and ruffs....resembles cambric, but thinner and finer." p321  Over the prior six months, Colden sold 15 yards of Lawn.

Osnaburg fabric is almost always spelled "ozenbrigs or osenbrigs" in the DayBook. In 18th century writings it is spelled many ways including oznaburg, oznaburgh, osnaburgh, oznabrigs, osenbrigs, ozenbrigo, and oznaburg. Wikipedia defines it as a "coarse type of plain fabric, named from the archaic English name for the city of Osnabrück, Germany." Caulfeild describes it as  "Osnaburghs, a narrow make of linen, used in mangling." p326 This inexpensive, coarse fabric of linen or hemp made in Osnaburg, Germany and some parts of Great Britain, was "imported by the thousands of yards for slaves' shirts and shifts. Osnaburg was apparently unbleached or 'brown,' as suggested by the runaways who are described as taking both 'white' and 'oznaburgh' shirts." [See an excellent article by Linda Baumgarten - Colonial Williamsburg]. Over the prior six months, Colden sold 66 yards of Osnaburg.

Osnaburg fabric - Image courtesy of fabric.com

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BOYCOTT! February 20, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday February 20, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Boston Boycott

This Saturday, 250 years ago, was a quiet day at the store. The DayBook records ten transactions on four accounts.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

David Henyon [Hennion] bought an ax and some tea. John McClean, described as a jobber, bought tea, sugar, and three cups and saucers. It appears he would have company as he sipped his sweetened tea this Sabbath eve.

James Waugh arrived with a sleigh or wagon loaded with 50 bushels of wheat. Colden credited his account with 15 pounds and then paid him 13 1/2 pounds in cash.

Nehemiah Carpenter was paid by Colden for making three pairs of shoes by way of a credit to his account. On prior visits to the store, Carpenter had purchased awls, buckles, heels, sole leather, and upper leather.  When Carpenter left the store he was carrying a half gallon of West Indian Rum and a half bushel of salt.

Were fewer people shopping lately because of what was going on in Boston? The response of the Bostonians to the taxes imposed by the Townshend Acts was to boycott certain English goods. The list included most of the items sold by Colden at his store.  The New York Journal newspaper of February 11, 1768 listed these articles to be boycotted: loaf sugar, cordage, anchors, coaches, chaises and carriages, furniture, hats, ready-made apparel, gloves, shoes, sole leather, nails, lace, buttons, snuff, mustard, clocks, smith and jeweller's ware, cloth, muffs, furs, milenary ware, starch, china-ware, silk and cotton velvets, gauze, Lawn, Cambricks, silks, pewter ware, linseed oil, glue, malt liquor and cheese.

Judging from the large number of advertisements for imported goods in the same issue of the newspaper, the flow of goods from England had not been affected yet.

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FILES! February 19, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday February 19, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Files and Rasps

On this day 250 years ago, the store had nine visitors, but sold only ten items. Five of the items were rum and two were tea. Colden bought cash from two visitors and he bought two pairs of shoes from another. James Humphrey bought two files.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Colden sold about 25 files over the prior six months. They were described as large, round, and handsaw files. They were sold at prices between half a shilling and two and a half shillings accounting for the size and quality. Colden had also sold one rasp in the prior six months.

Transactions in the Colden Store DayBook from August 1767 to February 1768 which involved "files."

The file was clearly a necessary tool for the yeoman of that period. It was used to sharpen saws and other implements, shape wood and iron, and used for many other tasks where just a small amount of material needed to be abraded away.

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GIMBLETS! February 18, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday February 18, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Gimblets and Augers

The traffic at Cadwallader Colden Jr.'s the store was very light on this day 250 years ago. Only nine items were transacted on three accounts.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Possibly another winter storm was keeping people from getting out, however there was no mention of adverse weather in New York newspapers.

Nancy Waugh purchased several fabrics and silk thread. John Belknap's boy slave picked up some snuff. Snuff and other tobacco products will be featured in a future blog.

Dinnes McPeick (Dennis McPeak?) purchased a gallon of New England rum, mohair yarn, and two gimblets.

A gimblet was a small tool for drilling holes...typically in wood. It was essentially a bit with a perpendicular handle.

Gimblet.  Image Courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg.

In the prior six months, Colden had sold 19 gimblets of various sizes and prices.

An auger was similar to a gimblet, just larger in size and higher in price.

Auger. Image Courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg. 

In the prior six months, Colden sold nine augers, usually 1/2 and 3/4 inch sizes.

See the link to Colonial Williamsburg and their discussion on Augers, Gimlets, and Braces. The term 'brace' has not appeared in the DayBook in the prior six months. Future dates have not been transcribed yet.

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HANDKERCHIEFS! February 17, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday February 17, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Handkerchiefs

250 years ago today, both Jacob Millspaugh and the wife of John Tarpening purchased handkerchiefs. Over the prior six months, the store had sold almost 130 handkerchiefs!

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

The simple square of fabric known as a handkerchief was apparently a very well-used item in households around the Colden Store. They were made from many materials including cotton, silk, linen, and gauze. The prices varied from ten shillings for silk to two and a half for cotton.

A price of ten shillings, about two days labor, indicates that some handkerchiefs were more than utilitarian, but a luxury or status item.

The word 'kerchief' stems from two french words: 'cover' and 'head'.  You probably remember the line from the Night Before Christmas...'Ma in her kerchief.' The fabric square was historically used as a head cover. By the 16th century the fabric squares were being used for wiping the forehead, face or nose and the prefix 'hand' was added.

The high number of handkerchiefs purchased at the Colden store indicates either their popularity (if it was a fashion statement) but more likely the heavy use made of these small squares of cloth in the daily life of the people near Coldengham.

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BUTTONS! February 16, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday February 16, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Buttons

Buttons were a very common purchase at the Colden Store. 250 years ago today,  Frances Youmens bought coat and vest buttons while William Strickland bought just 'buttons.'

Horn Buttons. Image courtesy of  www.wmboothdraper.com

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Buttons were essential to the clothing of the day. A coat could require 12-26 buttons and a vest 20 buttons.

In the prior six months, Colden had sold over 3000 buttons! They were typically sold by the dozen and included descriptors like vest buttons, shirt buttons, sleeve buttons, horn, brass, metal, felt, Philadelphry, small, and large.

Most of the buttons were likely imported due to recent mass production in England. However, Philadelphia appears to be a source of buttons from the descriptors. Indeed, Caspar Wistar had been making brass buttons in Philadelphia since 1750.

Buttons could be made from many materials including thread, seashell, wood, wax, bone, and horn. Button molds for making cloth buttons existed in this period, but none have been found so far in the DayBook.

The community around Coldengham made most of their own clothes based on the store sales. Hats, shoes, and aprons were sold at the store, but vests, breeches, dresses, and coats appear to have been custom manufactured by the community. The store provided them with the thousands of buttons required to make those items.

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TALKETT! February 15, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday February 15, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Josiah Talkett

On Monday, February 15, 1768, 250 years ago, Colden conducted 30 transactions with nine accounts.  The traffic on this day was about average for the fifteen months of activity recorded in the store DayBook. Several of the transactions involved "settling accounts" to the end of the prior year. The account of Josiah Talcott [Talkett] was one of those. In addition, it included payment for work performed for Colden.

February 15, 1768 entry for Josiah Talkett in Colden Store DayBook.  See transcription below.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Josiah Talkett appears 41 times in the DayBook of the Colden Store. He is frequently represented by James Bayard [his apprentice?] or Benjamin Wood. On one occasion his wife charges to the account.

His purchases in the prior six months have not been extraordinary: fabrics, buttons, seasonings, lead/powder, nails, molasses, sugar, and rum.  But today, he would receive payment for work on Colden's home. The transcription is below.

"The house" was probably the "Colden Stone Mansion" erected on about this date.

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CRIST! February 13, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday February 13, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Stephanus Crist and his Grist Mill

250 years ago today, Stephanus Crist sold two bushels of ground corn to Colden. The DayBook contains the notation that it was ground at Crist's mill.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

The Crist family was wealthy and prolific. Stephanus was one of at least two brothers who had settled with other Germans as early as 1721 on the west side of the Wallkill River. Crist acquired a most advantageous lot of 200 acres on the river that was known as the 'Crist Mill Lot.' [Rutterber, History of Orange County, p372]

This lot was at one of the few locations where a bridge spanned the Wallkill.  In fact, there are two entries in the DayBook where Crist is referred to as "at the Bridge."

The Crist surname appears over 90 times in the DayBook. Stephanus appears 18 times. His son, Christian, appears 16 times [CORRECTION: Christian was probably the nephew of Stephanus.  See note below].

Seven years from this date, on May 20, 1775, Stephanus would execute his last will and testament. The will gives his occupation as 'Tavern Keeper.' It also enumerates his wife (Eva), his sons (Daniel, Christian, Simeon, Jonathan, and Frederick), daughter (Hannah), and slaves (Jean and Closs).  [Probated March 7, 1776 in Ulster County, New York City Wills, Liber 30, page 125.] Accessed at https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8800/005519026_00109?pid=2939900

Stephanus Crist would not live to see the birth of the United States in 1776, but 250 years ago today, he was spending a cold February Saturday in the Colden Store.

Crist property (green circle) near Wards Bridge over the Wallkill River. 

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PINS! February 12, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday February 12, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Pins

250 years ago today, was twice as busy as the normal day at the Colden store.  The DayBook records 60 transactions on 21 different accounts. George Booth included a paper of pins among his four transactions. Pins were a common purchase at the store.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Pins must have been a versatile item in the household at the time. Rees (see below) wrote in 1819 that their principal use was "by the women in adjusting their dress." In the prior six months, Colden had sold 72 papers of pins.

The sales are recorded as "1 paper pins." My interpretation of that is not that the pins were to be used on paper, but that the pins came in units of "1 paper." Pins were stuck in a piece of paper (as many are today) as a convenience in shipping, counting, and storing.

The 1819 Cyclopaedia by Rees has a rather long section describing the manufacture of pins. Pins were made from brass by thousands of craftsmen in English pin-making factories in the early 1800s.

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BELKNAP! February 11, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday February 11, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Belknap

250 years ago today, seventeen persons made 60 transactions at the Colden Store. Jonathan Belknap was credited cash for some purchases he had made the previous Friday and he informed Colden that he had taken three gallons of West Indian Rum on Monday which had not been entered into the DayBook.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for more of an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

I have many questions associated with this entry.

Firstly, if Belknap had paid with cash on Friday, there would have been no entry in the DayBook if I correctly understand Colden's procedures. What percentage of the store transactions were in cash and hence not recorded?

Jonathan Belknap's purchases at the Colden Store on February 6, 1768.

Secondly, how had Belknap come up with the money over the weekend? Did he have some business that ran on cash? Was he related to the Belknaps who were known to own a tavern?

Lastly, how had he managed to remove three gallons of rum from the store on Monday without being recorded?  Was this a clerical omission? Or did the store sometimes remain unattended and people took items on the honor system?

The Belknap name appears 103 times in the DayBook, one of the most frequent of any surname. The given names in order of appearance are John (50 entries), Jonathan (31 entries; this is a separate account # so not the same as John), Thomas Junr (6), John Junr (1) , Thomas (8), and Joseph (5).

By this date, there were several lines of the Belknap family living in New Windsor, Newburgh, and maybe even Wallkill Precinct (which would eventually become Hanover and then Montgomery). It is not known exactly where Jonathan fits into this family, but he appears to be related to John as they pick up each others items and at one point have sequential account numbers.

They also appear to be relatively weathy judging from the number of purchases and the number of slaves (men, boys, girls) that pick up items at the store for them.

At least one of the Belknap families ran a tavern. Perhaps Jonathan was involved with this family and was purchasing rum for guests? The 1782 map of New Windsor below, shows two Belknap homes. The home in the upper left is labelled "Jo. Belknap." The location is about where 17K meets Rt. 207.

1782 Dewitt Map of New Windsor Cantonment.  Jo. Belknap home shown at upper left. The connection of this Belknap with the Jonathan Belknap who paid for rum on this date is only speculation.

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INKHORN! February 10, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday February 10, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Inkhorn

250 years ago today, Thomas Goldsmith (page 197-01) purchased an "Inckorn" for two Shillings at the Colden Store. This was undoubtedly an "inkhorn", a small portable container fashioned from cattle horn to carry ink solution.  The purchase of inkhorns, paper, ink powder, bibles, almanacs, and primers begs the question...what was the literacy of this community around the Colden Store?

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for more of an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

I have read that the literacy in the New England colonies at the time of the Revolution was higher than in the mother country.  Some articles say that the literacy at that time was higher than the USA today! [See one such article here.]

I am not totally convinced based on the lack of signatures on deeds from this area. Many deed-signers simply left their "mark" which was usually an unimaginative "x".

On the other hand, many items sold at the Colden store indicate his clientele could read and write. In the prior six months he had sold 13 Almanacs, 32 quires of paper (a quire is 24 sheets), four bibles, eight units of ink powder, and two primers. [Ink was made by mixing "ink powder" with water or wine.] And now an Inkhorn!

I am a bit surprised that there is no record of any books or newspapers [other than the bibles and almanacs] being sold at the store.

The DayBook gives some insight into the literacy of the community, but the actual reading and writing abilities of the average resident, will remain a mystery.

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HOGSHEADS! February 9, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday February 9, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Hogsheads

250 years ago today, was a fairly busy day at the Colden Store.  Fourteen persons made 68 transactions. Six of the transactions were purchases of goods and services by the store. Four transactions were payments of Cash, which were essentially loans to the shoppers. The remaining 58 transactions were purchases of items, including five Handkerchiefs! More on Handkerchiefs in a future blog.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for more of an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

One of the purchases by Samuel Hains was a "Hogs^d," which I presume to be a large barrel referred to as a "Hogshead." In the prior five months, the Daybook mentioned "Hogs" 32 times. It has been assumed these were pigs sold to make salted pork. But could some of these references be to a barrel containing some other item?

On November 20, 1767, in two different, but related, transactions, 61 "Hogs of Lime" were sold to the store at eight Shillings each. Here it appears the term "Hogs" is used as an abbreviation for "Hogshead."

It appears that Hogsheads were sold by their accepted volume and not by their weight. If that is the case, a "Hog" weighing 100# and selling for 3d per pound is probably really a pig and not a barrel full of 100# of something.

Barrel-makers were known as coopers. They made wooden 'barrels' in many standard sizes including the tun (256 gallons), the pipe (128 gallons), the hogshead (64 gallons), the barrel (32 gallons), the kinderkin (16 gallons), and the firkin (8 gallons).

A Hogshead for dry goods. Courtesy of Natasha at owlcation.com

The DayBook mentions at least five "Coopers" in the community: James Crawford, John Nicholson, John Gillespie, William Cross, John Rosa, and Hans Rose. The last two persons are probably one and the same.

There will be more on the cooper's trade in a future blog.

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COMBS! February 8, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday February 8, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Combs

Monday, 250 years ago today, was an average day at the Colden store. Twelve people made 43 purchases at the store.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

William Strickland bought ten items, one of which was a comb. In the prior five months, Colden had sold 40 combs. Sometimes they were described as 'fine combs' or as 'horn combs.' A comb or fine comb usually sold for about two shillings. The horn comb was about a quarter of that price.

Image courtesy of Colonial Quills blog.  Go here for an excellent article on Combs and Brushes.

The comb had many possible uses including personal hair dressing and adornment, animal care, and wool preparation.

The combs were likely imported. Their manufacture required high skill and special tools.  The fine combs were likely made from ivory or tortoise shell.  The horn combs were made from the horns of oxen.

Randle Holme [2000] describes the manufacture of horn combs starting from the horn itself, 'sawing [it] into it lengths' and 'Pressing [it] by heat to open and streighten' it to make HORN PLATE. Thereafter followed no less than twelve more steps including scoring both the size of the comb and a line to show how far the teeth were to be sawed in, 'Dantaching' or sawing the teeth, 'Grailing' or cleaning the teeth, 'Priting' or 'making of the ends of the teeth three square', 'Rounding', Redishing' and 'Polishing', and finally 'Sorting and binding them up by dozens in papers.' [http://www.british-history.ac.uk]

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SUNDAY! February 7, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Sunday February 7, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

A Rare Sunday Sale

250 years ago today was a Sunday.  Normally the store was closed on Sundays, but it appears that Colden made a single DayBook entry on this day for Adam Vispart. Robert Baity [Beaty, Beattie] Jr. appeared at the store to take possession of Vispart's items. The DayBook clearly identified the day as the seventh. (See below)

Reproduction of 1768-02-07 entry in the DayBook of Caldawalder Colden for Adam Vispart. N-Y Historical Society Collection.

This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

None of the items purchased by Vispart could be categorized as an "emergency" item. It will remain a mystery why Colden made an exception to his usual practice of no sales on Sundays. This incident is additional evidence that the store was very close to the Colden home. If the store was in a "population center" like the cluster near Goodwill Church or near present-day Walden, would Colden really make the long trip in the middle of the winter to open the store for a few minutes to accommodate a single customer?

Adam Vispart's account had 32 entries in the DayBook.  On most occasions he came to the store in person. But today he was represented by Robert Beaty Jr.[Baity, Beattie]. On four other occasions he was represented by his son. In the prior five months, Adam Vispart had purchased 17 items over 12 visits. Ten of those items were rum. In fact, Vispart will appear tomorrow, Monday, to purchase another half gallon of rum!

On September 11, 1767, Colden paid Vispart for five days of painting. It appears that Vispart painted part of Colden's new home.

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CAMPBELL! February 6, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday February 6, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Joel Campbell

250 years ago today, my 5th great-grandfather and his brother were at the Colden Store. His name was Joel (eponym of joelcampbell1735.blogspot.com).  Jonathan Campbell was his brother. The DayBook records that they both appeared in person and had sequential account numbers: 198 and 199.

This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for more of an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Joel had just turned 33 years-old a few weeks ago and Jonathan was 28. Joel was married and had at least five children of ages twelve to newborn.  Jonathan had a younger family.

Their story (this is the very very short version of their story...see more at bit.ly/JoelCampbellBook) was similar to that of their close neighbors. Mr. Tuthill of Morrisontown, New Jersey had invested in a large section of the Brasier patent. This land sat to the north of the Colden lands and presumably north of the store. Tuthill resold 50-100 acre plots of this land to other New Jerseyites looking for a new start. Joel's father did not purchase in the Tuthill tract, but he relocated his family to land that bordered it on the north, part of the Wileman patent. Joel's father convinced his eight sons and maybe some daughters and relatives to join him, even though they had well-established families in New Jersey. This had all happened within the prior decade.

Somehow they maintained contact with relatives left in New Jersey. For example, in five years a New Jersey niece of Joel would be present at the signing of his father's will. In twenty years, Joel's sister would sell lands in New Jersey and join him in New York.

Eventually the connections with New Jersey Campbells ceased as Joel moved further west into Pennsylvania. Recently, YDNA has allowed a reconnection with a Campbell line that remained in New Jersey for many generations.

On this day, Joel was feeling optimistic about the future.  He purchased the higher quality (and higher priced) rum and an apron made of Check (linen cloth with a pattern).

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DuBOIS! February 5, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday February 5, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Peter DuBois

The name Peter DuBois appears 38 times in the DayBook, yet he seldom, if ever, appeared in the flesh. His representatives included his 29 year-old brother (Walter), his boy slave (Andrew), his miller, his blacksmith (James Gardner), and several other people whose relationship is not named.

This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Peter was the 36 year-old son of wealthy Manhattan merchants. He inherited far-flung investments in New Jersey, New York, and even Jamaica where he had spent a considerable time developing the business.

Five years ago he married Catharine DePeyster, daughter of another wealthy New York City merchant. A son was born four years ago, but he does not appear to have survived to this date.

Peter and Catharine's property on the Wallkill River had belonged to his grandmother. They lodged in her old house at first and later built a new brick structure.

Red rectangle indicates approximate location of the DuBois home.at the confluence of the Tin Brook and the Wallkill.

In the prior five months, his account was charged 12 pounds for 28 different items including over 50 gallons of rum! His representatives must have arrived with horse-drawn wagons to cart away the multiple jugs. Other historians have hinted at his love of the bottle.

250 years ago today, Peter bought 2 1/2 gallons of 'the cheap stuff.' It was denoted as 'Y Rum' for three and one half shillings per gallon. It was made in New England vs. the sweeter West Indian Rum. Mrs. Herrel was DuBois' representative on this date. She also picked up a Linen Handkerchief, presumably for Catharine.

Colden and DuBois were apparently friends. They both came from rich families and attended St. Andrews Episcopal Church. At the end of this year, December 31, 1768, Colden invited DuBois to his home. The invitation still survives.

December 31, 1768 note from Cadwallader Colden Jr. to Peter DuBois.  "I was in hopes that we should have had the pleasure of seeing you & Mrs. DuBois in the time of the good Slaying [sleighing...they had experienced enough snow to use sleighs, but it was now gone] the going off [melting of the snow] so unexpectedly deprived us of the pleasure of waiting on you - however the roads may be now passable with a Chair [carriage]..."

When Colden was arrested in 1777 on grounds of treason, part of the evidence was letters in his possession from DuBois, who was an outspoken loyalist.

The rest of DuBois' short life was not a happy one. At the start of the war, Peter was exiled to New York City. Catharine lived with family in New Jersey.  Their forfeited home on the Wallkill was used by the local governments. Peter was not well and died before the war ended, alone in New York City, at the young age of 49. His investments had not gone well. On his death he saddled his wife and her heirs with mountains of debt. Forty years after his death, the New York Legislature was still passing laws specifying how creditors might get some of their money back.

But 250 years ago on this date, Peter and Catharine may have been sitting in their brick home in front of a roaring fire, sipping on recently procured rum.

Sources for the facts in this article can be found in an article written by the author which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

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MILLIKEN! February 4, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday February 4, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Milliken

On this date, 250 years ago, John Millican [Milliken, Millikin] was one of eight shoppers at the Coldengham Store. In addition to buying fabric and ribbon, he moved some money from his store account to that of his widowed sister, Sarah Scott. This interesting set of transactions is shown below.

This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for more of an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Image of DayBook page containing transactions for John Millican and his sister, Widow [Sarah] Scott

One of the Milliken farms was bounded by land of Samuel Campbell, the author's 6th great-grandfather and the father of the eponym of this blog...Joel Campbell. It was located on the current Rt. 208 between 17K and Walden. When Samuel Campbell's children sold the farm in 1793 the property description included a border on the north that extended "... three Chains and fifty Links to the line of the land belonging to the heirs of Alexander Millikin deceased ..." This location is to the southwest of the home of 'A Milligan' shown on the 1798 map of Montgomery (reproduced in previous articles). This makes me believe that this property belonged to the patriarch, Alexander, and not his son, Alexander.

The members of the Milliken family mentioned in the Daybook are John, his brother (James), and sister (Sarah Scott). In a 1779 tax assessment, John, Robert and Alexander are mentioned. More on them later.

The transcription of the Daybook transactions is shown below. The first transaction is a credit to Sarah Scott's account of 1 6 1. The third transaction is a debit to John Milliken's account for that same amount. This is how money was moved around without the  use of cash.  The store acted almost as a bank. Colden explained that John McClaughrey had paid Milliken by giving cash to Colden which was credited to Milliken's account.

The second transaction of 10 pence (0 0 10) appears to be cash paid by Milliken and credited to his sister's account to pay off her account in full. That zero balance would have been recorded in a separate account book which has not survived.

The last two items of Baize (a course flannel with a long nap) and ribbon were debited as Sundries to Millikens account #212.

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About ten years from this date, John and his brothers would be fighting the War for Independence in Hanover companies of militia. James served as Captain of a company that normally contained two of Samuel Campbell's sons. Nathaniel Milliken served as the company lieutenant. On October 6, 1777, both James and Nathaniel were killed at the Battle of Fort Montgomery [Riker, Evacuation Day]. It was one of the darkest days for this community near the Colden Store.

A stone marker stands in the Goodwill Church cemetery with the engraving:

"In memory of Alexander Milliken of Scotlands Armored (Armorial) family and his son Capt. James of the Committee of Safety, Capt. Nathaniel of the New Windsor Minute Men the officers killed in battle at Fort Montgomery 10/6/1777-Alexander-John-Robert-Hugh-soldiers of the colonial revolutionary Wars" [courtesy of Maude Conklin, interment.net].

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DOCTOR HILL! February 3, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday February 3, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Doctor John Hill

On this day, 250 years ago, Doctor John Hill replenished his inventory of alcoholic beverages with a purchase of two gallons of the best West Indian Rum.

This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for more of an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

Dr. Hill was a frequent shopper at the store with about 78 visits over the 15 months covered by the DayBook. Rum in quantities greater than a gallon was a favorite purchase.  Perhaps rum was large component of his medicinal potions?

From the DayBook we know he had a black slave who picked up many of Hill's purchases at the store. We also know that he had a brother, William Hill, who also picked items for him.

Colden lent Hill money and entered the transactions in the DayBook. But it went further than that.  Dr. Hill was building a new home on which Colden held a 200 pound mortgage [Fingerhut, Survivor, p. 52].

The home "adjoined the Wallkill Meeting-house" (Goodwill Church) and was probably very close to the home identified as "W Hill" on the 1798 map of Montgomery.

1798 map of Montgomery, New York showing W Hill home in green circle near Goodwill Church and probable site of Colden Store on the right.

Hill outfitted his home to operate as a quarantine facility for patients inoculated for small pox.  He advertised his practice in New York City papers in 1771.

Advertisement in the New-York Gazette of November 11, 1768 for Dr. Hill's "Wallkill" medical practice.

Hill may have had health or financial problems as he put his home on the market in 1773.

Advertisement in the New-York Gazette of August 30, 1773 for Dr. Hill's home. 

The home was sold in 1775.  The buyer paid with revolutionary currency. When Hill proceeded to repay the 200 pound mortgage, Colden refused to accept anything but British currency. The revolutionary frictions among neighbors that had been building for years was about to explode.

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Only one other doctor is mentioned in the DayBook: Dr. Jame Lowden [or Louden]. However, a third doctor was known to be practicing in this locale in 1768: Dr. Charles Clinton.  His DayBook of medical activities is preserved in Washington's Headquarters Museum in Newburgh. It begins in the year 1764. Some of the entries in Dr. Clinton's DayBook are described in past articles on this site:
Dr. Charles Clinton of Hanover, NY
Dr. Charles Clinton and his Patient, Joseph Campbell
Dr. Charles Clinton and his Patient, Mrs. Nathaniel Campbell
Dr. Charles Clinton and his Patient, James Campbell's wife
The Posthumous Adventures of Dr. Charles Clinton of Montgomery, New York

By 1772 Dr. Clinton was located in a home just south of Dr. Hill's and is visible on the map above.

I am still puzzled that no Clintons ever shopped at the store in Coldengham. They had plenty of money and were geographically close to the store. Was there some animosity between the Clintons and Coldens that existed even seven years before the outbreak of war?

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