Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Testaments
Mattys Felter purchased two 'Testaments' at the Colden Store on this day 250-years ago. Just five days prior he had purchased an additional two Testaments.
Colden also sold 'Bibles' at about twice the cost of a 'Testament' indicating that the latter probably contained only what is referred to today as the New Testament chapters.
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| Harwood's New Testament, 1768. |
In 1768, Edward Harwood published his translation of the New Testament which became quite popular. You can view Harwood's New Testament as a free e-book here. It would be a coincidence if this was the version of the New Testament purchased by Felter, but it confirms that single testaments were sold at this time.
About twenty Bibles or Testaments were sold over the sixteen months covered by the DayBook.
Why Felter needed four copies of a Testament remains a mystery. Was he purchasing them as a church official? Were they gifts for family members? Was he using them to educate his children in reading and writing? Felter's motives remain unanswered, but we know that for some reason the two testaments purchased five days prior were not adequate and two more were purchased on this 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.
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