MONELL! May 10, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday May 10, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

George Monell

Two hundred and fifty years-ago today, an entry was made in the Colden Store DayBook regarding the account of 'James Monel (Georges Son).' The entry simply stated that James had one and one-half shillings left to pay on a pair of shoes.

May 10, 1768 transaction for James Monell in the Colden Store DayBook.

There were several entries of this type in the DayBook. They are puzzling because 1) no purchase was recorded (no 'D^d' which indicates an item was taken possession of), 2) no credit was given (if the amount owed had changed, it seems there would be a corresponding credit), in fact 3) an additional debit appears in the right column (which is strange as the debit should have been entered at the time of purchase.)

The dating of this entry was also odd. The date of the '10'th appeared in the entry header, however the two preceding entries were clearly labeled '11.' Was this entry out of order? Did Colden remember on the 11th that he had a conversation with James Monell on the 10th?

The account number associated with this entry, 49, appeared eleven other times in the DayBook. Except for this entry, the account name was always 'George Monell.' James Monell (or another son) picked up items frequently for his father George. On six occasions, the person making transactions at the store was George's 'son' and in one case, 'his young son.'

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

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.

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

The surname of Monell is well-known in this part of New York. They were one of the earliest settlers near Coldengham and became prominent civic and business leaders in the Newburgh area.

Earlier this very year, on January 4th, the patriarch of this family, James Monell passed away. He was buried in the Goodwill Church cemetery, his headstone being one of the earliest markers.  James was the father of George, John, and William. [Baker, A Genealogy of the Monell Family.]

George had at least five children, James (the young man who owed money for the shoes), Jane (who was married to Dr. Hill), Robert (probably the Robert mentioned in the DayBook), David, and George Jr. One of their original farms was close to the Goodwill Meeting House and hence close to the Campbell farm (my ancestors) that sat just to the north.

In the prior year, June 1767, George Monell advertised the sale of this farm in the New-York Mercury Newspaper. He described the 200 acre farm as “situated near Wallkill [Goodwill] Meeting-House, in Ulster County, bounded on the one side by a publick Road leading from Goshen to Esopus [Kingston] and Albany [208/Maybrook/207], and divided by another publick Road leading to Wallkill Bridge and the High-Dutch Settlement [17K].” Remnants of the Monell family still lived near this location at the time of the 1790 census.

1779 Sauthier Map. Like most maps of its day, this one was constructed from many others. It is famous for its detail (this is just a small portion of the map). The location called “Wallkill” is the current location of the Goodwill Church.

At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1776, this region raised at least two companies to sail down the Hudson to defend New York City. Captain James Milliken recruited a company that included 1st Lieutenant Alexander Neely and 2nd Lieutenant James Monell. No muster of this company survives, but it likely contained my ancestors, Samuel, Levi, and Nathan (brothers of Joel Campbell, eponym of this blog). This company rendezvoused at Newburgh, sailed by sloop to Peekskill, then marched to Kingsbridge. This location was the only crossing from York Island (Manhattan) to the mainland (current Bronx) and was where many of the levies stood in reserve. James Monell went on to enlist in Malcolm's New York Regiment and served until he lost an eye in 1778 at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey.

James' brother, Robert, was an officer in the local militia. Lt. Robert Monell, was killed on October 6, 1777 at the Battle of Fort Montgomery.

As one might guess from this family's patriotism, they were tightly associated with the Goodwill Church.

Baker's A Genealogy of the Monell Family is available on-line at the Hathi Trust.

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

Search the DayBook