Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
The Store as Gathering Spot?
Today's sales (250 years-ago) suggest the store might have served other purposes than just a commercial one. Nine of the fifteen customers (Crawford, Waugh, Belknap, Talcott, Jager, McMullen, Mains, Beattie, and Norris) purchased only rum. The other six customers (Ellems, McKlain, Hill, Comfort,Sweesey, and McNeal) also included rum in their purchases.
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| Transcription of first eight purchases of August 8, 1768 at the Colden Store. All were only rum. |
Although purchases of rum were very common, it was rare that so many purchased only rum. Is it possible that these men had converged on the store to socialize and the purchase of rum was secondary?
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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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Purpose-built stores of the day did not require a fireplace, but the Colden Store had one. That could have been because it was a retrofitted home. It would also have made it a more attractive place to gather and socialize.
Some stores of the day served as lodging for the clerks. For example, the New-York Mercury newspaper of this date (August 8, 1768) describes the clerks asleep at Henry White's store in New York City when a break-in was attempted. Did Colden's clerks lodge at his store, and did they entertain there?
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