LOGWOOD! October 4, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Tuesday, October 4, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Logwood

Thomas Beattie purchased three pounds of Logwood at the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

Logwood.  Image courtesy of AllThePrettyFibers  

Webster defined Logwood in his 1828 dictionary as 'A species of tree and wood, called also Campeachy-wood, from the bay of Campeachy in Spanish America, of the genus Haematoxylon, of which there is one species only. This tree has a crooked, deformed stem, growing to the height of 20 or 24 feet, with crooked irregular branches, armed with strong thorns. The wood is of a firm texture and a red color. It is much used in dyeing.'

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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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Colden sold logwood on six different occasions. It was useful as a red dye, however one source states that logwood can produce a wide range of colors including blue, blueish purples, magenta and black.

It is likely that the term 'redwood' is synonymous with logwood in the Colden DayBook. Colden sold 'Red Wood' on twenty-six occasions (see DYES!).

More on the Beattie family appeared in a prior blog.

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