Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Sickle
Colden sold eight sickles on this day, 250 years-ago. Thomas Dunn bought three. Malachi Seigher, Ruben Weed, John Crawford, Abraham Dickerson, and Jacob Moore each bought one.
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| Sickle. Image courtesy of motherbedford.com |
The sickle is an ancient tool. It is referred to in the Bible, but existed centuries before that. Webster defined it in his 1828 Dictionary as a "reaping hook; a hooked instrument with teeth; used for cutting grain."
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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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Sickles were a seasonal purchase based on the DayBook data. In fact, all of the sickle sales occurred in July (at least the thirteen transcribed so far). Was the timing due to new stock in the store or the grain's readiness for harvest?
The Scythe was also used for harvesting grain. Colden sold about twice as many scythes as sickles. And recently he had sold several 'New England Scythes.' The scythe appeared to be the tool of choice, but there must have been situations where the sickle was more effective.
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