Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Pewter
Only six persons visited Colden's store on Friday, May 20, 1768, 250 years-ago today. Among the seventeen items purchased were three and three-quarters pound of pewter by Daniel Snyder.
Pewter refers to a very workable alloy of tin, lead, and copper. It was typically poured into molds to make plates, utensils, and basins. Other items were molded in pieces and then soldered together like teapots, candlesticks, and tankards.
In the 1760s, pewter was in great demand in the colonies. "Three hundred tons of pewter were shipped annually..." from England. [ColonialSense.com]
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| 18th Century Pewter Shop |
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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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Daniel Snyder purchased items from the Colden store eight times over the sixteen months covered by the DayBook. On two of those occasions he was represented by his daughter, and on two others by Mats Terwilliger and John Degrot (two Dutch neighbors?).
The items he purchased were typical of the average shopper: rum, sugar, fabrics, and salt. He did have a thing for hats, purchasing three in October of the prior year and another three this February. He was also constructing some edifice as he purchased twenty pounds of nails in February. He must have had cows and sheep as he sold the store 46 1/2 pounds of butter and bought a pair of [sheep?] shears.
There is no indication Snyder was a pewtersmith, but perhaps it was not uncommon for yeomen to dabble in the manufacture of pewter items?
Over the prior eight months, 'pewter' was mentioned in 31 DayBook transactions. In most cases the term described a manufactured item: pot (6), basin (6), chamber pot (4), tankard (3), dish (1), plate (1), tea pot (1). In two cases 'Old Pewter' was sold to the store for 12 pence per pound.
In four cases 'Pewter' was sold at the rate of 2/4 or 2/6 (28 to 30 pence per pound). The purchasers were Crist (2), Bookstaver, and Snyder. Colden sold more pewter (37#) than he purchased 'Old Pewter'(8#) so this appears to be more than just a recycling of the community's pewter.
It would be interesting to know what Daniel did with his pewter. Did he have a friend with a mold? Did he just hammer it into the shape of the item he needed?
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| Mold for pewter spoon. Image courtesy of olddominionforge.com |
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