MILSPAUGH! September 29, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday, September 29, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Johannes Millspaugh

Johannes Millspaugh purchased allspice, tea-and-sugar, hammer-and-nails, and one gimblet at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

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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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The surname of Millspaugh [Milspaugh, Millspough, Millsbough, Milspaugh, Milspock] appeared ninety-seven times in the DayBook. It was one of the most frequently cited names. Given names and their frequency included Haneas/Honnes/Johannes (Acct# 105, 187, 233) (28), Jacob (M^s, Senr, Acct# 74, 195) (13), Jacob (P, Junr, Acct# 100, 204, 15) (28), Nicholas (Acct# 64, 207) (23), and Phillip (Acct# 111) (4). These different accounts could represent different persons with the same name, however in it appears accounts were closed before new accounts were opened (Nicholas: Acct 64 was closed before Acct 207 was used; Jacob Junr: Acct 100 was closed before Acct 204 was used; Johannes: Acct 187 was closed before Acct 233 was used...however 105 and 187 were used at the same time?); Jacob Senr: Acct 74 was closed before Acct 195 was used.)

Public genealogies state that three brothers (Matthias, Philip, and Nicholas) left Germany [Melsbach, Melzbach] in about 1735 and arrived in New York. [Ruttenber states only the surname as having left Germany in 1730.] This seems odd to me as the children are given names with Dutch spellings. The M^s in Jacob Senr's name could stand for Matthias and hints that he was the son of Matthias. That is what the Barrett-Haight Tree suggests and places him at thirty-six years-of-age when he shopped at the Colden Store. Phillip (d. 1758) was survived by a son, Phillip (b. 1745) who could be the Phillip recorded in the DayBook. Phillip also had a son, Johannes (b. abt 1730) who could be the Johannes in the DayBook. Jacob Junr. is more of a mystery as the son of Jacob Senr. was too young to shop at the store.  Is his designation of 'P' an indication that he was the son of Phillip? Some genealogies show a 'John' as the son of Phillip and is often confused with the son of Matthias.

It can be stated with accuracy that the Milspaugh family was prolific in this region of the state and that the given names listed above were used over and over again. Ruttenber (History of Orange County) states that Matthias Milspaugh was one of the early settlers of the area and farmed on the west side of the Wallkill River. The house of the patriarch, Matthias, was the meeting place for the yearly freeholder meeting after Wallkill Precinct was formed in 1743.  He married the widow of Johannes Mingus and thus acquired the Mingus grist mill and farm (Ruttenber, p. 23)

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HAMMER! September 28, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday, September 28, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Hammer

Johannes Hardenbergh purchased a solid-cheek hammer at the Colden Store on this day, 250 year-ago. The 'cheek' is the side of the hammer.

Colonial Hammer. Image courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg 

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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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The Colden Store sold eleven hammers in the period covered by the Day Book. They ranged in price from one-and-three-quarter shilling to three-and-one-half shillings for the solid-cheek hammers. Six were described simply as 'hammer', but three were 'shoe hammers', and two were solid-cheek.

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FRYING PAN! September 26, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Monday, September 26, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Frying Pan

Andrew Lutts and Robert DeLap made payments for frying pans at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

Long-handled frying pan with legs. Image courtesy of FightingQuakerForge.com  

Webster's 1828 dictionary defined a Fryingpan as 'a pan with a long handle, used for frying meat and vegetables.'

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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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The Colden Store sold eighteen frying pans in the period covered by the Day Book. In some cases they were sold by weight at about one shilling per pound. The prices varied from three-and-one-half shillings to eight shillings.

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NEWKIRK! September 24, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday, September 24, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Adam Newkirk

Adam Newkirk purchased a variety of items at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago. The items included gun powder and shot, salt and pepper, cotton, nails, and two combs.

J. Newkirk Home (underlined in red) on 1798 Map of Montgomery, New York.

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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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According to the DayBook, the store only saw activity on two days during this week, 250 years ago. Was this a trend leading up to the closure of the store in November 1768? Or was Colden in New York on another procurement trip?

The Newkirk surname appeared eleven times in the Day Book with Adam Newkirk accounting for seven of those. Constable Johannes Newkirk appeared twice and Jacob and John Junr appeared once each.

Four Newkirks were enumerated in the 1779 tax assessment for Hanover. They included Adam (80 acres), Jacob (referred to as Colonel - his office in the local militia; 120 acres), Johannis (120), and Henery (210).

Jacob was a Captain in the French and Indian War under Colonel Thomas Ellison (Headley, History of Orange County). He was commissioned as a Major in the local militia at the start of the Revolutionary War. At the Battle of the Highland Forts on October 6, 1777, he was ordered to send fifty men from the Second Regiment of Ulster Militia across the Hudson River from Fort Montgomery to act as lookouts. This was the regiment that contained many of the men of Hanover including Joel Campbell's (eponym of this blog) brothers, Jonathan, Levi, and Samuel. The regiment's colonel was taken captive at that battle, after which Newkirk acted as the regimental commander. Jacob Newkirk was promoted to Lt. Colonel of the militia by 1780 and led many militia parties in defense of the settlers west of Ulster who were targets of marauding Indian and Tories.

The J. Newkirk home appeared on the 1798 map of Montgomery and sat on the West side of the Wallkill River south of the German Church (see map above).

From public genealogies it appears that Constable Johannes (b. abt 1700) was the father of Adam, Jacob, John, and Henry.

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CRAWFORD! September 21, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday, September 21, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

James Crawford

James Crawford (of Wallkill) purchased two Rum Hogsheads for sixteen shillings at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago. A Hogshead was a barrel containing about sixty-four gallons. Clearly they were empty or they would have been much more expensive. Rum sold for three to six shillings per gallon.

A Hogshead for dry goods. Courtesy of Natasha at owlcation.com

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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.

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

What was Crawford doing with two large barrels? Was he manufacturing his own rum or beer? Or did he have some other purpose for what appears to be the depleted barrels in which Colden ordered rum for the store. There are no other instances recorded in the Day Book detailing the sale of empty Hogsheads.

The Crawfords were an influential and prolific family in the area of the Colden store. Their name appeared seventy-one times in the Colden Day Book.

James must have had a substantial home as he purchased twenty-four panes of window glass.  James was identified as a cooper (barrel maker) which makes it even more curious that he purchased Hogsheads when he could have made them himself.

Another James Crawford born February 10, 1765 in Wallkill Precinct (three years prior to the purchase of the Hogshead) served in the revolution and has a lengthy and interesting pension file as did a Samuel Crawford. Were these the sons of this James?

Five Crawfords appear in the 1779 tax assessment of Hanover Precinct (the area of the Colden Store): James (350 acres), Joseph (148), Samuel (120), Robert (100), and Alexander (0). Strangely, no Crawford homes appear on the 1798 map of the new Town of Montgomery (which consisted of most of the former Hanover).

The Town of Crawford, New York is named after this influential family who shopped at the Colden Store.

[Author's Note: The Day Book recorded no sales on Thursday and Friday, September 22nd and 23rd.  There will be no blog for those days.]

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RYE! September 15, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday, September 15, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Rye

Thomas Goldsmith sold fifty-four-and-one-half bushels of Rye to the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago. It sold for about four shillings per bushel versus wheat at about six shillings.

Rye.  Image courtesy of www.organicfacts.net

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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.

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

Rye was a grain considered inferior to wheat and had only seven transactions at the store compared to more than 150 for wheat.

Rye was only sold to the store on two occasions and purchased on five occasions.

[Author's note: Although there were sales on September 16, 1768, there was nothing extraordinary. The Store Day Book had no entries for September 17-20 (four days), 1768. The next blog will appear on September 21st for DayBook activity on that date, 250 years-ago.]

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MILLER! September 14, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday, September 14, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

John Miller, Mason

John Miller was credited for twenty-three-and-one-half days of labor for Colden as a mason on this day, 250 years-ago. The payment was apparently long overdue. Twenty-one of the days were for a prior under-crediting for the work he did plastering Colden's new house in the fall of 1767. The remaining two-and-one-half days were for more recent masonry work at Colden's mill. The going rate for a mason appeared to be five shillings per 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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The Miller surname appeared about fifty times in the DayBook. Half of those were for 'John' who was identified as a mason in fourteen of those entries.

On prior occasions Miller was paid for plastering Colden's Cellar, Kitchen, and Middle Room. He had also bought a horse at Widow McCay's Vendue thanks to a loan from Colden.

There were two William Millers who shopped at the Colden Store.  One was identified 'of Wallkill' and the other 'of Little Britain.'

Other given names for Miller in the DayBook included Jacobus and Barrent.

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VAN WIEN! September 13, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday, September 13, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Van Wien [Van Weyen]

The daughter of the widow Catherine Van Wien [Van Weyen] purchased three-quarter yard of Buckram at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago. The purchase was debited against account #205, which had been the account of Henry Van Wien, but was now titled as the account of Widow Catherine Van Wien. Buckram was "a coarse linen cloth, stiffened with glue, used in garments to keep them in the form intended [bonnets], and for wrappers to cover cloths, and other merchandize." (1828 edition of Webster's Dictionary.)

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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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The Van Wien surname appeared seventeen times in the DayBook. On eleven of those occasions the given name was 'Henry.' Henry may have been ill because he was almost always represented by others at the store including 'his son', 'his wife' [Catherine], [his] 'daughter', 'Kain', John Graham, and Jacob Roose Junr. He had a son by the same name as 'Henry Van Wien Jun' picked up items on Robert Graham's account.

Henry Van Wien appeared to pass away in early June of 1768. On May 28, 1768, John Graham picked up some items on Van Wien's account (#205). Four weeks later, on June 23, 1768, Catherine Van Wien purchased items at the store 'for her husband's funeral.' They included ten gallons of Rum, twenty-eight pounds of Sugar, Cinnamon, Allspice, and a Gross of Pipes. These items were similar to those purchased for the McCay funeral.

A will for Hendrick Van Weyen of Shawangunk exists.  New York Probate Records, 1629-1971/Ulster/Wills 1787-1795 Vol A p 155 at FamilySearch.com   It mentions his wife Catharina Schoonmaker, his son Hendrick, and his two daughters (not by name). Strangely, it is signed July 15, 1768, weeks after the funeral purchases. Did she buy funeral supplies prior to the fact, or is one of the dates incorrect?

On September 10th, just three days prior to this purchase of Buchram, several items were purchased on account #205 which was now titled 'The Estate [of] Henry Van Wien.' The items were nothing extraordinary: fabric, thread, Indigo, Pepper, and Nails.

Public genealogies exist for Henry Van Weyen (most with questionable accuracy). This is the spelling used on the roles of the Shawangunk Dutch Reformed Church and in his will, but never in the DayBook

A 'Henry Vanwigan' appeared in the 1779 tax assessment for Shawangunk. Undoubtedly this is Henry Jr.  He also appears in the 1790 U.S. census as Henry Van Wye.

Sadly, the patriarch, whose orphaned daughter shopped in the Colden Store on this date, did not live to see his son and daughter marry in the next two years.  His daughter Catharina married John Daily [Dayly, Daley] on January 4, 1769 and his son Henrik Jr. married Sarah Rosa on December 13, 1770. (Records of the Shawangunk Dutch Reformed Church)

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HARDENBERGH! September 8, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday, September 8, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Johannes Hardenbergh

Johannes Hardenbergh purchased three pounds of shot, a pound of black powder, and some flints. Thomas Belnap Jr. [Belknap] made a purchase just prior to that of Hardenbergh for four pounds of shot and a pound of powder.

Posthumous silhouette of the brother of Johannes Hardenbergh Jr.

It is likely that these purchases were not for hunting game, but for militia operations. Both Belknap and Hardenbergh were known to be officers in the local militias.

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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.

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

The surname of Hardenbergh only appeared seven times in the Day Book. Six of those were Johannes or John (all with DayBook Acct# 38), while a single entry was for a 'John Junr' (DayBook Acct# 6).

The infrequent appearance of the name might suggest that Hardenbergh did not live close to the store, and perhaps was only in the area for purposes of militia drilling or service. It can be assumed that this Johannes Hardenbergh (or his son of same name?) was the Lt. Colonel in Jonathan Hasbrouck's Newburgh Regiment of Militia at the start of the Revolutionary War. Due to Hasbrouck's infirmity, Hardenberg was the de-facto regimental commander and became its official leader by commission on February 27th, 1779.

The on-line genealogies contain some confusion between Johannes of the Newburgh Regiment and his father (also a Colonel) who lived in the family homestead in Rosendale, New York. (Also not to be confused with his cousin Johannes G. Hardenbergh (More...) who lived further up the Rondout Creek.)

The younger Hardenbergh had apparently inherited (or acquired) land east of the Wallkill River. This was a bit closer to Newburgh and maybe because of family connections allowed him to land the commission in Hasbrouck's militia. As such he commanded Joel Campbell (eponym of this blog) and his sons. His most interesting role in history is not that well known....he was the slave-holder of Sojourner Truth.

The Hardenberghs were a wealthy land-owning family that had been in New York since the 17th Century. They were influential in New York life and politics. Johannes' brother, Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (see silhouette above), became a minister and  eventual president of Queens College (Rutgers).

[Author's Note: DayBook entries of September 9-12 contained nothing extraordinary. The next blog to appear will be September 13.]

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STARCH! September 4, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Sunday, September 4, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Starch

Robert Crawford sold Colden four-and-one-half pounds of Starch on this day, 250 years-ago.

September 4, 1768 Entry in Colden DayBook for Robert Crawford. Courtesy of New-York Historical Society.

There may have been some confusion in the dating of the purchases designated for Sunday the 4th. Normally the store was closed on Sunday. The Day Book records no sales on the following Monday through Wednesday which is very unusual. My guess is that in cleaning up the book a few weeks after the  fact, Colden filled in dates at the top of the page to the best of his recollection and erred for these few pages.

There will be no blog for September 5th, 6th, and 7th.

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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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This entry for starch is the only purchase or sale of starch mentioned in the DayBook. The entry is fairly legible and it is believed that the transcription is correct.

Webster defined Starch in his 1828 dictionary as "A substance used to stiffen linen and other cloth. It is the fecula of flour, or a substance that subsides from water mixed with wheat flour. It is sometimes made from potatoes."

It is interesting that Webster gives the principle use of starch as a fabric stiffener and does not mention the many other uses of starch. Even back in the 1700's the fashion tastes favored the look of stiff fabrics.

The surname of Crawford appeared seventy-one times in the DayBook. In fact there were two "Robert Crawfords" in the DayBook differentiated by their respective neighborhoods: 'of Wallkill [neighborhood of Goodwill Church]' and 'of Little Britain.'

The concentration of of Crawfords in the northernwest section of Montgomery led to the naming of the new town of Crawford in 1823. More on this family in a future blog.

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SLOOT! September 3, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Saturday, September 3, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Sloot

Jonas (Jones) Sloot purchased Osnaburg fabric, two sticks of Mohair, a skein of silk thread, three-and-one-half dozen Buttons, and a silk Handkerchief at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

September 3, 1768 Entry in Colden DayBook for Jones Sloot. Courtesy of New-York Historical Society.

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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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Sloot's purchases at the store on this Saturday were nothing out of the ordinary.

The Sloot (Slutt, Slott, Sloet, Sloat) surname appeared twenty-four times in the DayBook. Johannes (or John, Jones, and Jonas?) accounted for fifteen of those. His sons, Daniel, Cornelius, and John Jr. accounted for another six. David (2) and Alexander (1) were undoubtedly related, but the relationships were not revealed by the DayBook.

In the 1779 property assessment for Hanover Precinct (Ulster County), Cornelius, David, John, and Jonas (It appears that John and Jonas were separate persons.) all had about 100 acres of land that appeared to be situated not far from the Goodwill church.

Public genealogies for this family can be found on-line (sometimes spelled as Sloet or Sloat) but the family was prolific enough that there is confusion between various lines and different people who shared the same name. The tree I started for this family is here.

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CORN FAN! September 2, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Friday, September 2, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Corn Fan

Josiah Talcott purchased a Corn Fan for nine shillings at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

An image of Tibetan women using 'winnowing fans' to separate corn from chaff.

For ages farmers have needed to separate their grains from the chaff. Devices to assist in this process were in use as early as the 17th century and are described in the British History website as "a BASKET of a special form, while earlier another sort was a specialised wooden SHOVEL. They were used for separating the CORN from the CHAFF by throwing it up in the air."

However, there were other devices for creating artificial wind that were closer to what we refer to as a 'fan' today. Sometimes these were called 'winnowing machines' or 'fans for corn.' See the reference at the British History Site.

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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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The Colden DayBook records the sale of nine Corn Fans over the period of about a year. All were sold for about nine shillings and all sold as single items to a unique person.

More about the craftsman, Josiah Talcott (Talkett), is found in a prior blog.

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POTATOES! September 1, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday, September 1, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Potatoes

James Campbell sold one bushel of potatoes to the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

Bushel of Potatoes. Image courtesy of food-skills-for-self-sufficiency.com

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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.

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

Only two mentions of potatoes are contained in the Day Book. They were both sales by James Campbell of a bushel to the store.

Potatoes were certainly not the crop of choice in this area of New York. But Webster, in his 1828 dictionary, states that it was not an unimportant one in the colonies. This native crop of America 'constitutes one of the cheapest and most nourishing species of vegetable food.' Webster ended his definition with this statement: 'In the British dominions and in the United States, it has proved one of the greatest blessings bestowed on man by the Creator.'

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