Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Salt
On about this date, 250 years ago, a copy of the April 18th edition of the New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury newspaper arrived in Coldengham. A short article reported that the merchants of New York City had agreed to boycott British goods shipped after October 1, 1768 if Boston and Philadelphia did also. The boycott would continue until 'a certain act of Parliament is repealed,' referring presumably to the so-called Townshend Acts.
This news was not good for most merchants who relied on the profits from these imported goods which were popular with colonists. Colden may have wondered how his store could survive after that date. Could the boycott be the reason that the DayBook stops in about November of 1768? Did his store, which relied on these imported goods, suffer from lack of inventory and close its doors? If it did close at the end of the DayBook, the boycott was probably not the reason. Many items could be sourced from New England (such as rum), plus there were pirated items to sell and a legal trade with Spain and France.
One thing was certain. The boycott would change life-as-usual at the Colden store.
One item that colonial entrepreneurs were trying to source locally was salt. It was available in the new world as sea salt and in mineral deposits. It was vital to the preservation of many foods. One historian writes that in the 1700s the colonists ate salted meat at nearly every meal.
Archibald McNeal purchased one-half bushel of salt on this day, 250 years ago, for two shillings and three pence.
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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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Salt Manufacture
Liquid from sea water or briny springs/bogs were evaporated in shallow ponds or concentrated in heated vats. Salt crystals formed during this process and were removed.
Bushels
Salt was sold by the bushel. A bushel referred to a specific weight (not to a container). This was the case into the 1800s as seen from the attached table. A bushel of salt equated to 56 pounds. Hence, Archibald McNeal walked away from the store with 28 pounds, probably in a bag.
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| Bushel weights for various commodities. Image courtesy of Creative Commons. |
Salting meats for preservation
"Salting, especially of meat, is the process of preserving food with salt (and a little saltpeter). This method draws out moisture that causes decay. Also, most bacteria, fungi, and other disease-causing organisms cannot survive in such a salty environment. Meat salted in cold weather (so it does not spoil before the salt has time to take effect), can last for many years. Salted meat was often smoked as well, by exposing it to smoke from a wood fire. In the American colonies, most home properties included a smokehouse where meats were smoked and stored." Foods preserved with salt by the Coldengham community included pork, beef, chicken, lamb, and fish. [Colonial Williamsburg]
This short demonstration of the salting process shows how McNeal may have salted his pork: https://youtu.be/ZdmPIpQZPRg
In the prior eight months, Colden sold 220 bushels of salt (12,320 #) in 275 transactions.
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