BEEF! March 31, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday March 31, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Beef, Cows, Steer, and Veal

The month of March came to a close with 13 customers purchasing 43 items at the Colden Store. Frederick Buckstaver (Bookstaver) bought three dozen curtain rings. Only one other sale of curtain rings was recorded in the prior seven months. That was James Gillespie in the prior September, who purchased four dozen curtain rings. Even in 1768, homes had glass window panes and curtains.

The store purchased 54 pounds of Beef on this day, 250 years ago, from James Herrel (Herrald). He was represented in the store by "his Nigro."

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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.

Hogs dominate the meat purchases by the store (over 40 transactions in the prior seven months), but some beef was traded. Colden purchased beef on two occasions in the prior seven months and sold it twice.

The store also bought and sold cows on four occasions. The going rate appeared to be 70-80 shillings for a purchase and 90 shillings for a sale.

On one occasion the store bought "1 Pair of fatt Cattel." And on another occasion "1 Red Steer 2 yr old."

Red Steer.  OK..It probably did not look like this one ;-)  Image Courtesy of Cave Views.

One last reference to beef is the purchase by the store of veal on three occasions. There is no record of the store selling veal (so far).

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ATHLONE HAT! March 30, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday March 30, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Athlone Hat

On this day, 250 years ago, John Mains spent seven shillings for an Athlone Hat at the Colden Store.

Felt Hat c. 1760. Not necessarily an Athlone.  Image Courtesy of Connecticut Historical Society

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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.

In the prior eight months, Colden sold over 100 hats at his store. Only three were described as 'Athlone.' Three hats were described as 'Castor' meaning beaver hats. Nineteen were 'Hills Hats.'  In fact, Colden had purchased sixty-six of these hats from William Hill in the prior eight months. Perhaps the generic hat purchases were Hill Hats even though not labeled as such? Or maybe Colden was also acting as a broker for Hill?

The term 'Athlone' comes from the Irish town of the same name which had a long history as a hotbed of hatters. Perhaps 'Athlone' by this date was used to describe a style of hat as opposed to the location of manufacture?

Irish Historical Textiles has an excellent article on Athlone Hats!

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BROAD AXE! March 29, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday March 29, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Broad Axe

John Gillespie purchased a Broad Axe at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years ago.

I have always believed that my ancestor, Joel Campbell, who shopped at the Colden Store, spent the majority of his life cutting down trees. He was constantly moving further into the wilderness. Once he had cleared a field in Canoe Brook, NJ he moved to Ulster, NY where more clearing awaited.  Then he moved to unclaimed land near Peenpack, and then again to wilderness near Tioga Point, Pennsylvania. At each location, trees were felled with a Broad Axe.

The fallen timber was further worked to build home, fence, and provide a constant stream of firewood. I have no direct evidence, but it is highly likely he was involved in securing logs for the Chevaux de Frise at New Windsor and for the rafts that supported the River Chain at West Point. He was intimate with the Broad Axe as were most yeomen!

Image Courtesy of Luigi Zanasi - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 ca

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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's dictionary of 1828 insists that the proper spelling is 'Ax' not 'Axe.' "An instrument usually of iron, for hewing timber and chopping wood. It consists of a head with an arching edge, and a helve or handle. The ax is of two kinds, the broad ax for hewing..."

In the prior seven months, Colden sold five Axes.

It is a bit surprising to me that the Scythe outsold the Axe at the Colden Store. It is perhaps an indication that the area was becoming less of a wilderness.

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McCAY! March 28, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday March 28, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

The Funeral of Patrick McCay

William Wear purchased six items "for funeral of Patrick McCay" at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years ago.

Daybook entry of March 28, 1768. Detail for William Wear from approx. pg. 239 of Daybook, 1767 Aug. 11-1768 Nov. 2., Cadwallader Colden, 1722-1797, New-York Historical Society Mss Collection (BV Colden, Cadwallader, Jr), Publication Date: 1767, Description: 1 v. (467 p.) ; 8 x 19 in.; image #94210d, Collection of the New-York Historical Society.

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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.

I have written about the McCay family on prior occasions as they owned a farm adjacent to my 6th great-grandfather, Samuel Campbell. Patrick McCay died in early 1768. Samuel Campbell was also aging. He wrote his will in 1773 and would not live to see the birth of the United States.

The purchaser, William Wear, appears only eight times in the DayBook. On most entries he is additionally identified as 'Wallkill', meaning either that he is living on the Wallkill River or in the hamlet of Wallkill, which was the area of the Goodwill Church. [Identifying him as living in the Precinct of Wallkill would not make sense, as they all lived in the Precinct of Wallkill.]

McCay's name appears six times in the DayBook, but he must have been ailing for some time, as he never appeared in person at the store.

From the purchases we can see that the funeral traditions of the time included socializing aided by the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.  They undoubtedly made a tasty rum punch from the allspice, sugar, and rum.

"5 1/2 Galn  Rum @5/
7 # Sugr [sugar]
1 Galn Wine
1/2 Gross Pipes [a gross is 12 dozen]
1 # Alspice
4 # tobaco"

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SOAP! March 26, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday March 26, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Soap

On the last Saturday in March, 250 years ago, sixty-five items were purchased in Colden's store by fifteen different people. This was twice the average number of items sold per day at the store.

One of the many purchases was one-half pound of soap by Jacob Millspaugh Jr.

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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.

In the prior seven months, the store sold almost twenty pounds of soap (often spelled 'sope') in fifteen transactions. The amount is dwarfed by the large quantities of fabric purchased at the store, which leads to a few conclusions.

First, this soap may have been an imported luxury item. Perhaps it was specially formulated for shaving or bathing.

Secondly, most of the soap consumed was probably made locally. They had all of the ingredients to do so.

Lye (NaOH) was extracted from wood ashes and concentrated. It was then boiled with animal fat to effect the saponification resulting in soap. The resulting mixture could be poured into soap molds to solidify or used as a liquid. We know the community processed animal fats as they sold tallow to the store. They also had access to tons of ashes from the home fires that were continually burning.

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COLDEN ACADEMY! March 25, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday March 25, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

The Academy

Colden paid Charles Rooby almost forty pounds for shoes on this day, 250 years ago. The DayBook records that Colden paid 19:17:3 for shoes for his family over the past year. An expensive shoe sold for about 10 shillings, so this is the equivalent of over 40 shoes! See prior blog on shoes.

Colden paid an additional nineteen pounds for "Shoes for Scholars." That is roughly another 40 shoes!

March 25, 1768 transaction in Colden Store DayBook.

This entry is the first that directly references the Academy that Colden had instituted a few years prior. Other services for carpentry, painting, or masonry recorded in the DayBook may have been for the Academy, although most were assumed to be for Colden's Stone Mansion.

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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 Coldenham Academy opened in November 1762 under the tutelage of William Adams. Its location is believed to be the Colden homestead in Coldengham. It was described as a "large and convenient house capable of accommodating from 20 to 30 students with a proper Housekeeper and other Servants necessary for washing, cooking, and keeping the Scholars in the best and most decent manner." [1762-10-25 New-York Gazette] It appears they also provided shoes.

William Adams left in 1767 to open his own school in New Rochelle. Edward Riggs was hired to continue "the Academy at Coldenham." The restructured academy opened the prior May (1767). Whether the school was still in session in March of 1768 when Colden paid almost twenty pounds for shoes, is not known.  No further mention of the academy appears in New York City papers after this date.

Edward Riggs appears 26 times in the DayBook along with his maid, his girl, his brother, and his brother-in-law. His last purchase was in May 16, 1768. That transaction ended with rent paid to Thomas McClaughrey and a reconciliation of his account with the amount due Riggs of 15 pounds 12 shillings and 10 pence.  Perhaps that was a farewell to the short life of the Academy?

Advertisement from New-York Mercury May 4, 1767.

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SCYTHE! March 24, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday March 24, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Scythe

David Smith and Jacob Bookstaver (Buckstaver) made consecutive purchases of scythes on this day, 250 years ago, in the Colden Store.

Image courtesy of passionforthepast.blogspot.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.

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[Author' Note of 2018-06-30. An updated blog on scythes is available here.]

Webster's Dictionary of 1828 instructs us that the spelling of 'scythe' is incorrect and should be 'sythe.' He would change his mind in later dictionaries. That is how fluid spelling can be. Colden's clerks spelled it both ways...and a few more just to cover all of the bases.

Webster's definition in 1828 was "An instrument for mowing grass, or cutting other grain or vegetables. It consists of a long curving blade with a sharp edge, made fast to a handle, which in New England is called a snath, and which is bent into a convenient form for swinging the blade to advantage. The blade is hung to the snath at an acute angle."

This was an indespensible tool for a yeoman of the 18th century. Undoubtedly every yeoman possessed at least one and treasured it dearly.

The inventive New Englanders were constantly coming up with improvements in the handle and blade which may have been why these two yeoman were making a purchase in what was really the off-season. The scythe was used for cutting grains like wheat and rye which were harvested between July and December. Indeed, ten of the thirteen scythe purchases transcribed so far were purchased in late June 1768.

Today's purchases were on page 235. Pages 311 to 320 were all in late June.

Here is a great clip of a scythe in action.  It was hard work!

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BILLS OF CREDIT! March 23, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday March 23, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Bills of Credit

Colden debited a series of 'bills' to Samuel White on this day, 250 years ago. These were apparently not British notes of currency, as Britain did not have a 5£ note in 1768.  The 5£ bills were "Bills of Credit" issued by a colonial government, most likely by the colony of New York.

The Currency Act of 1764 allowed the colonies to use Bills of Credit as legal tender to pay taxes, but not to pay a merchant. In this case, the DayBook clearly states that these were payments from Colden to White for Wheat that had previously been delivered (although there is no prior transaction in the DayBook showing a 'Credit' to White's account for Wheat delivered.) Perhaps the British restrictions on colonial currency were already being ignored?

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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 debited many payments of cash to his customers in the DayBook. There were almost 200 cash payments in the prior six months. However, none of them specified that the cash was paid in bills of a certain denomination.

The entry above indicates that Colden "Paid him on acct of  Wheat Recd...viz..." The transcription in the database is shown below. Note that 'D^o' is an abbreviation of 'Ditto' which transcribes to the prior item, or 'bills.'

There were two 5-pound bills (see example below), six 32-and-one-half shilling bills, and one 5-shilling bill.

Below is an example of a five pound bill of credit issued in 1759 by the colony of New York.

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CARTAGE! March 22, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday March 22, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Cartage

Colden paid Silas Wood six pounds and eight shillings for carting and roadwork on this day, 250 years ago.

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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.

In a prior article I speculated on the cartage services Colden would have needed to keep his store stocked with rum, molasses, fabrics and to transport the store's purchases of wheat (milled by Colden to flour) and hogs to New York City. "Colden must have maintained almost a daily cartage from his store to the docks at Newburgh/New Windsor to maintain this trade."

Prior DayBook entries have not revealed these cartage services, but this entry sheds light on separate cartage hired by Colden to maintain businesses not mentioned otherwise in the DayBook. For example, sales of board and brick are not recorded in the DayBook, but Silas Wood carted these items "from River." The river in question was undoubtedly the Hudson River at the ports of Newburgh or New Windsor. Perhaps the board and brick were for his own use, but he could well have been a middle-man supplying others.

Colden also appears to have acquired a Canoe for the Jacksons. There is no record of a 'Jackson' visiting the store, but the Jackson family was living near Neelytown close to the Wallkill River by the time of the Revolution.

South of the Colden homes was a large swampy area where the Tin Brook originated. It is shown on the map of the Colden property as a shaded area. It is now part of Stewart State Forest south of I-84. Colden paid Wood for his work on a road through this area. It is recorded in the DayBook as a payment to Silas Wood for "working at my request on the road in the Long Swamp."

Colden estate showing possible location of "Long Swamp." Click to enlarge. Image courtesy of Robin Assenza.

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HORSE! March 21, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday March 21, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Horse

It was almost two weeks since the election in Ulster County. The word finally reached the capital of the Province and the results appeared in the New York City papers. There was no mention of Cadwallader Colden II.

March 21, 1768 New-York Weekly Mercury

The election loss may have been old history by now to Colden as he minded the store and other business as Wallkill Precinct Supervisor. On this day, 250 years ago, he sold a horse to Isaac Buttris.

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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 horse was apparently acquired by Colden in settling the estate of a person named "Davis." Colden then sold the horse to Buttris.

A 'vendue' was an estate sale. The Davis vendue was attended by both Colden and Buttris where this transaction occurred. The surname of 'Davis' only appears three times in the DayBook and it is unclear who the late 'Davis' was whose estate was being sold at vendue. Isaac Buttris appears six times in the DayBook. He was not a frequent store visitor. Perhaps his residence was not close to the store?

This is the first occurrence in the DayBook of a horse being sold. Sales of hogs, sheep and cows are also recorded in the DayBook. He also sold sleighs (pulled by horses).

The price of the horse was four and a half pounds. That was about a month's wages for a laborer. In comparison, a 160# hog sold for two pounds.

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EVERLASTING! March 19, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday March 19, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Everlasting

Peter Terwilliger Sr. purchased two yards of Everlasting on this day, 250 years ago. Everlasting was a course, inexpensive, durable fabric used in outerwear.

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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.

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The Terwilliger surname is by far the most frequently recorded surname in the DayBook. It appears 162 times in 27 different spellings! I won't even take a stab at an attempt to explain the Terwilliger relationships as there are so many.

Peter Sr. purchased several sewing items on the account of his son, Jacob Terwilliger Jr. [Yes, that is not a typo. Jacob is listed as a "Jr." to a Peter "Sr." ]

The fabric that Peter selected, known as "Everlasting," was purchased on at least fourteen different occasions in the prior six months.

Everlasting (the fabric) did not appear in Webster's dictionary of 1828.  However, it is described in Caulfeild's 1882 Dictionary of Sewing as a "woollen Jean, employed for the tops of boots." - p201

The British History's Dictionary of Traded Goods (a great source for this type of thing) describes Everlasting as "A material used in the sixteenth century and the seventeenth for the military dress and for outer wear generally, apparently identical with DURANCE [spelled Durant or Durent in the DayBook]. The term was later applied to another durable CLOTH, strongly twilled, also called LASTING, used, among other purposes, for ladies' SHOEs [Montgomery (1984)], as in the advertisement for 'a large Quantity of Damask and Everlasting Shoes, of several colours' [Newspapers (1751)]. This term was also applied in other circumstances when durability was the main characteristic, for example to the embroidered edging for underclothing, which was called EVERLASTING trimming. OED earliest date of use: 1590-1607.  Found described as BLACK, PLAID, RED, SCARLET Found describing WAISTCOAT. Found in units of YARD."

The week ended with darkening skies and a wind out of the Northeast that increased during the night to a gale. The wind and snow continued into Sunday as the store sat closed. The storm damaged several wharves and ships in New York harbor. [New-York Weekly Mercury March 28, 1768]

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ADZE! March 18, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday March 18, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Chisels and Adze

Today is the 251st anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act.  Not a big deal.  But 250 years ago it was the FIRST anniversary and the Sons of Liberty threw a grand celebration in New York City.

The mood was undoubtedly a bit more somber in the Colden Store on this day 250 years ago. Colden's election loss to two Whigs in the race for Ulster County representative to the Provincial Assembly was still fresh on his mind. He did not need to be reminded of the abuse his father took during the Stamp Act's brief life. Among other outrages, his father had been burned in effigy outside Fort George in New York City.

As Colden prepared to close the store, he sold augers, chisels, and an adze to William Bohanen.

Adze.  Image courtesy of A Woodworker's Musings

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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 Bohanen appeared only three times in the DayBook. In one of the appearances he picked up fabric and buttons for John McClaughrey. Perhaps Bohanen was a neighbor or a carpenter's apprentice to McClaughrey? McClaughrey performed carpentry work on Colden's home.

That would be consistent with the carpentry tools purchased on this occasion. Augers and Gimblets were discussed in a prior post.  Bohanen purchased three augers and three chisels (chezels) of various sizes. In addition, he purchased an adz (adze, adds).

The transcription of Bohanen's purchase is shown below:

Webster defined "Adz" in his 1828 dictionary as "An iron instrument with an arching edge, across the line of the handle, and ground from a base on its inside to the outer edge; used for chipping a horizontal surface of timber." Webster did not use the modern spelling of "Adze."

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ST. PATRICK'S DAY! March 17, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday March 17, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

St. Patrick's Day

After a long cold winter, the community was probably looking for reasons to celebrate the longer days and warmer temperatures. In New York City there were at least two galas on St. Patrick's Day. Members of the Order of St. Patrick dined at the Mason's Arms. The Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick met at Bolton and Sigell's and appear to have made a day out of it.

Announcement in the March 14, 1768 edition of the New-York Weekly Mercury

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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 traffic at the store on St. Patrick's Day was about normal:  Thirty-nine transactions on eleven accounts. Six of the transactions were for tea. Only two were for rum, which leads one to believe that the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Coldengham were more tranquil than in New York City.

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GAMMON! March 16, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday March 16, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Gammon

Doctor Hill's "Negro" visited Colden's store on this day, 250 years ago. He was picking up an order for three items: 31 pounds of ham, seven pounds of sugar, and one gallon of West Indian Rum. Including the containers, this load was over fifty pounds.

First entry from March 16, 1768.  Note date and place at top of page.

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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 wrote Dr. Hill's order as "2 Gamons W^t 31# @7d £0 18 1." A gammon is the rear leg and rump of a hog, smoked on the bone. In 1828, Webster defined it as "The buttock or thigh of a hog, pickled and smoked or dried; a smoked ham." Hill bought two of these weighing 31 pounds at seven pence per pound.

Gammon

This was the only recorded sale of gammon in the prior six months. There are three sales of Pork: one as 10#, one as a barrel of Pork, and one of 83# "returnd him."

There were over 30 purchases of hogs by the store. Undoubtedly these were to be slaughtered, salted, and barrelled. But there are no records of the barreled pork being sold except as mentioned above. These hogs were likely exported.

It appears that most of the yeomen in the area of Coldengham had their own hogs which they personally slaughtered, salted, and barrelled.

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GLOVES! March 15, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday March 15, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Gloves

Thomas Beattie (Baity, Beatty) was at the Colden Store 250 years ago today. He was picking up some items for his neighbor, Martha McCollum (McCollem). He left with a gallon of rum, one and one-half yards of ribbon, and a pair of gloves. He purchased nothing for himself.

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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.

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In the prior six months, Colden sold about thirty pairs of gloves. Only one had a descriptor: "worsted." There is no record of whether the gloves were for women or men, work or worship, of leather or cloth.

They were not inexpensive. The worsted pair was the most expensive at four and one-half shillings - almost a day's wages. The least expensive was two and one-half shillings.

Of the 15 accounts that purchased "gloves" in the prior six months, four were women's accounts. Considering that very few of the accounts were in a woman's name, this is a very high proportion. This makes me believe that these gloves were women's gloves and were a luxury item for special occasions.

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SNUFF! March 14, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday March 14, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Snuff

James Gallatian (Gillation) purchased one-quarter pound of snuff on this day, 250 years-ago. Snuff was a pulverized tobacco that was inserted or inhaled into the nostrils. Sometimes it was scented with plant oils. Persons with somewhat of an addiction to the practice, inhaled the snuff a few times an hour, making a portable container a necessity.  (see Snuff Box below).

Snuff Box.  Image courtesy of The Manual of Arms

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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 practice of "snuffing" was not just for men.  The women of the day engaged also. It is told that Martha Washington was a user of snuff.

The process for making snuff from tobacco was carried out in England where its usage was very popular in the 18th century. However, Virginia, and some of the other colonies, were exporting large amounts of tobacco and also had snufferies. In 1772, Virginia exported 70 million pounds of raw leaf tobacco!

In the prior six months, the Colden store sold 35 pounds of snuff in 70 purchases. The store sold four snuff boxes.

On June 20th, Colden purchased 18 1/2 pounds of snuff from a man named Hugh Calhoon. Calhoon must have been a merchant as he is only listed twice in the DayBook. Both times Colden made large purchases of fabric from him.

Colden's purchase of snuff was recorded as "2 Bladers [Bladders] Snuff W^t 18 1/2." Indeed, snuff was packaged and shipped in dried animal bladders to preserve its freshness.

There is some indication that the use of animal bladders was unique to Pierre Lorrillard, who started a New York City snufferie in 1760.    Could it be that the snuff in Colden's store was from the Lorillard snuff factory?

Colden purchased the snuff from Calhoon at three shillings per pound and sold it for four and one-half shillings. Perhaps it bore the Lorillard trademark shown below.

Lorillard Tradmark. Courtesy of BoweryBoysHistory.com

The community also smoked tobacco in pipes. That will be the subject of a future blog.

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COFFEE! March 12, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday March 12, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Coffee

Mattys Felter purchased two pounds of coffee at Cadwallader Colden's Store on this day, 250 years ago. He paid three and one-half shillings or about two-thirds the daily wage of a laborer.

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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.

=============================

Browsing through the database of items purchased at the store, it is clear without doing any fancy analysis that tea and rum were the beverages of choice in this community.

Tea was about four times as expensive as coffee per pound, but perhaps less was needed to make a suitable cup of refreshment. Coffee was seldom sold in quantities less than a pound, but tea was often sold in quarter-pound amounts.

In the prior six months, Colden sold 55 pounds of coffee to about fifty customers.

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BUCKLES! March 11, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday March 11, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Buckles

Neal Gillespie Jr. bought a pair of buckles at Cadwallader Colden's Store on this day, 250 years ago. He paid two shillings and nine pence or about a half-days wages for a laborer.

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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.

Buckles were always sold in pairs at the store, which implies they were used for shoes and hosiery and not for what we call a "belt."

In the prior six months, the store sold about 50 pairs of buckles. The descriptors included knee, brass, strong, steel, and shoe. The prices varied from one to three shillings.

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BEESWAX! March 10, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday March 10, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Beeswax

Jacob Terwilliger sold Cadwallader Colden's Store three and one-quarter pounds of Beeswax on this day, 250 years ago. He was credited with four shillings and ten and one-half pence at the rate of eighteen pence per pound ("@18d").

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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.

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Honey bees were imported to the colonies in 1622. (Podcast on "Bees in the Colonies") By the time of the DayBook, bee husbandry had been carried out in the colonies for almost 150 years. The domestication of bees was often done by providing a hollowed out tree as a hive location.

The colonial foliage was very agreeable to the bee.  In one year, Philadelphia exported 30,000 pounds of beeswax!

In the prior six months, the store bought about 60 pounds of beeswax from 13 different farmers. Beeswax was typically used in high quality candles. Jacob Terwilliger also sold tallow to the store on the same day. Tallow was made from animal fat and was used in candle manufacture.

There is only one purchase of honey recorded in the DayBook in the prior six months. William Terwilliger sold 48 pounds of honey to the store. Honey was used not only as a sweetener, but also in the manufacture of mead, a popular alcoholic beverage.

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ELECTION! March 8, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday March 8, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Election Day

Today, 250 years ago, was election day for the two Ulster County representatives to the General Assembly of the Province of New York. [March 7 was election day for New York City, but each county selected their own Election Day. I think it was March 8 or 9 in Ulster because the store was closed on those days as Colden needed to make the lengthy trip to Kingston for the election.] This was the only province-wide elected body. The governor, the judges, and the senate were all appointed. The privilege to vote for a Representative to the Colonial General Assemby was extended only to freeholders with assets above a certain threshold.

Cadwallader Colden II was a candidate to represent Ulster County. His frequent Legal Counsel, George Clinton, was also running for one of the two seats from Ulster. George was of the Clinton family from nearby Little Britain. He was a young 28 years-old compared to Cadwallader's 46 years of experience. [Fingerhut, Survivor]

It is likely that the voting was not by secret ballot, but was done in person at a gathering place in Kingston, the county seat.

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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.

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From this date, the trajectories of these two men diverged from being collaborators in the courtroom to adversaries in politics and war.

George Clinton won the election and would continue to represent Ulster until he was elected the State's first Governor in 1777 and served as Commander in Chief of the State's Militia during the seven years of the war. He served as governor for many terms and then served as Vice President of the United States under Jefferson and Madison. Although largely forgotten, this General of the Revolution and Founding Father is without a doubt the most influential Clinton from the State of New York.

George Clinton. Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

Colden did not win a seat in the Assembly, but he won the election for Supervisor of the Precinct of Wallkill. He was also appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas as was his friend and "Purchaser of Large Quantities of Rum", Peter DuBois (see prior blog). Both DuBois and Colden would spend the Revolutionary years in exile in New York City while Clinton led the militia of New York and governed the new State.

Results of election in New York City newspaper, New-York Weekly Mercury of March 21, 1768.

DuBois died in exile before the end of the war.  Colden fled from New York City to New Jersey when General George Washington and Governor Clinton rode their horses victoriously into New York City in 1783 to reclaim the last piece of the United States held by the British.

Washington and Clinton reclaiming New York City on November 25, 1783.

There were no transactions at the store on Wednesday, March the 9th, as Colden made his way back from Kingston. Maybe he looked forward to consolation from his neighbors at the store on Thursday. He was not disappointed as twice the normal number of shoppers visited the store on that day.

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CUPS & SAUCERS! March 7, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday March 7, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Cups and Saucers

The week started with more than the average number of transactions for the day. Perhaps the community knew that the store would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as the owner, Cadwallader Colden II, would be traveling to Kingston for the election of Ulster representatives to the General Assembly of the Province. Colden was a candidate.

On this day, 250 years ago, Johannes Terwilliger and Jacob Sammons both purchased three cups and saucers for one Shilling.

English Cup and Saucer, c. 1760. Image courtesy of By Hiart via Wikimedia Commons.

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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.

Cups and saucers were usually bought in sets of three at the store.  All but one of the sales were a quantity of 3, 6, or 12.

There were 18 purchases of cup and saucer sets over the prior six months. Colden also sold sugar cups, tea cups, earthen (clay) cups, large cups, and just plain "cups." [You can do the search yourself for 'cup' at the DayBook website.]

The store sold other tableware such as plates (pewter and earthen) and bowls (stone and earthen).

Cookingware will be covered in a future blog.

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BIBLE! March 6, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Sunday March 6, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Bible and Speller

On rare occasions Colden's Daybook recorded transactions on Sunday. Today, 250 years ago, was one of those days.

How appropriate is it that my 6th great-uncle, Jonathan Campbell, purchased a Bible on this Sabbath day?

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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.

In the prior six months, Colden had sold nine Bibles, sometimes referred to as "Testaments".

The store did not sell many books. It sold some Almanacs, a few Primers, and just yesterday it sold a Spelling Book.

Dilworth's New Guide was the top spelling book of the day and was printed by James Parker of New York City among others. Was this the book purchased by John Milliken?

An earlier edition of the New Guide or "Dilworth's Speller"

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MILL BOOK! March 5, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday March 5, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

The Mill Book

The first week of March, 250 years ago, ended with another busier than normal day at the Colden store. The average number of store visitors recorded in the DayBook is ten per day. Yesterday, twenty persons visited the store. Today (Saturday), the number was seventeen. The store would also conduct business tomorrow, a Sunday, a day on which it was normally closed. The demand for store items appears to have been high at this time.

Visitors to Colden Store on Saturday, March 5, 1768.

Search the DayBook

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.

One of the more interesting transactions was the purchase of bran by John McClaughrey (McClauthery). In this transaction, Colden refers to a "Mill book."

This is the first time in the DayBook that this Mill Book is mentioned, but not the last. It is known that Colden had a mill based on early maps of his property.

1811 Map of Coldenham.  Base map taken from Williams, Robert, Colden House Study, 2017. This map was also provided to the author separately by Colden descendant, Robin Assenza. Red labels were added by the author.

In November of 1767 (152-04), Colden recorded a transaction as "Wheat - ground for him." Presumably Colden had ground wheat for a customer, but did not reference the Millbook. In two days (March 7, 1768), Colden will record a sale of corn in the DayBook with the annotation of "pr Mill book."

The "Items Purchased" in the DayBook have only been transcribed up to March 5, 1768. Perhaps the mill and Mill Book will be mentioned more frequently in the coming pages?  Stay tuned.

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BEATTY! March 4, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday March 4, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Thomas Beatty Jr. (Beattie, Baity)

For some reason, today was a very busy day at the Colden Store. There were 71 transactions on 19 different accounts. Thomas Beatty Jr. (page 218-03) was in the store with his relative, John Beatty (218-06; son of Robert) and their neighbor, Matthew McCollum (218-02,04). I wrote in a prior blog that the DayBook recorded Thomas Beatty picking up items for the McCollums at the store. It appears from their purchases on this date that the two families were also sewing similar items.

A comparison of the purchases of McCollum (above the blue dashed line) and Beatty (below dashed line). The identical items are in the same color. Even the quantity matches for the cloth and bottons.

Search the DayBook

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.

On this day, 250 years ago, the Beattys and McCollums both purchased 'Cloth', Shalloon, Osnaburg, Mohair, Thread, and Buttons. The two families appear to be collaborating on the construction of whatever garments they were making. Their farms were very close.

Unlike their neighbors, the McCollums and Campbells (my ancestors), who would soon depart from this area of New York, the Beatty clan propagated and remained in the area. In 1794, Robert Beattie (Beatty) acquired the land that had been the Campbell homestead. By this time the Campbells had largely moved west to Mamakating (Deerpark).

The Beattie surname (Baley, Batey, Baity, Beatty) appears 75 times in the DayBook with the given names of Robert (44 times), Thomas (20), Thomas Jr. (11). Also mentioned are Robert's wife, daughter, and sons, Tom, John, and Robert.  Also mentioned are Thomas' wife and his son.

Ruttenber (History of Orange County) says that the Beattys came with the Charles Clinton group from Ireland in 1730 and settled in Little Britain (New Windsor). There were at least four brothers: James, Chris, James, and Robert. Their father was Robert Beattie. (p. 411) However, Ruttenber also describes a Robert Beattie of Newburgh/Montgomery, who is the Beatty of the DayBook, as "ruling elder" of the Coldenham Church and that he had previously been an elder at the Little Britain Reformed Church. (p. 394) So apparently the Beatty and Beattie families of this area are all related.

The farms of McKinney, Campbell, Wood, Perry, McCollum, and Beattie shared many a fence line and it appeared they did many things together such as sewing and shopping.

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SUGAR! March 3, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday March 3, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Sugar

Samuel Clark purchased seven pounds of sugar on this day, 250 years ago. Over the prior six months, Colden sold over 1000 pound of sugar!

Loaf Sugar with sugar nippers.

Search the DayBook

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.

If you have ever been to a colonial cooking demonstration you have undoubtedly seen the cones of sugar, referred to as "loaf sugar", and the nippers used to remove a piece. (see image above.)

Colden sold loaf sugar (about 10% of his sales), but he sold sugar in other forms that were larger in quantity and half of the price (8d per pound vs. 16d). Loaf sugar was more refined and hence a lighter shade of white. The raw sugar sold by Colden was probably brown. There are also four entries for "Brown Sugar" in the DayBook among the more than 300 sugar sales. This is likely a lower quality sugar similar to what is called Muscovado. In two of the sales it sold for 7.5d vs 8d for regular sugar, but in the other two sales of 'Brown Sugar' the price was identical to normal 'sugar.?

Muscovado Sugar at top. Image courtesy of Moe Rubenzahl, Wikimedia Commons.

The raw sugar probably came in seven-pound containers as purchases of seven and fourteen pound were common.

The largest purchase by far was by Doctor John Hill, who purchased twenty three and three quarter pounds of Loaf Sugar on New Year's Eve of 1767!

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