Demolition of 'Old Milliken Homestead' on Campbell Farm near the Wallkill

[Author's note: An Update that corrects errors stated below was posted on December 17, 2018]

An historic home on the Wallkill farm of Samuel Campbell (sold in 1793) is slated for demolition.

Noted historian, Mildred Parker Seese, included the "Old Milliken Homestead" in her book of Old Orange Homes.

Undated Photo from Seese, Old Orange Houses Volume I, 1941, p10. Note diamond-shaped window in attic.

This is the home that still stands on the northeast corner of Route 208 and Coleman Road in Montgomery, New York. It is in disrepair and unoccupied. The property was once part of the Samuel Campbell farm (1773-1793) and is currently part of the Bruderhof Community. It is slated for demolition.

Picture taken by the author in March 2015. Looking from the west.  Note diamond-shaped window matching the house in the Seese photo.

Photo taken by the author in May 2014. Already in advanced state of decay.

Photo taken by the author in May 2014. Front entry.

In a prior blog, I described the ownership history of this property.  It was originally part of a large 2000 acre patent granted to Archibald Kennedy in 1719. The Campbell-Barkley deed states that the part of the Kennedy patent that eventually came into Campbell hands, was 'granted' to Thomas Goldsmith (a 'Thomas Goldsmith' appeared twenty-one times in the Colden Store DayBook of 1767-8) who in turn 'granted' it to David Baldwin (could this be the same 'David Baldwin' of Newark Mountain where Samuel Campbell was living prior to coming to New York?). Samuel Campbell purchased it from Baldwin, probably in the late 1760s.

The location and boundaries of this property can be pinpointed thanks to the detailed description in the deed and the still existing stone walls that bordered the early farms.

Property Lines (red) of Campbell Farm in 1793 deed. The 'Milliken' home is just to the north of the 'Coleman Rd' label.

Barkley already owned property to the east of this parcel.  In 1826 his son sold a parcel of land to Susan Bowne which included the part of the Campbell parcel west of Route 208.

Barkley sale to Bowne in 1826. 1793 boundaries of Campbell farm in green.The boundaries are plotted on the 1862 farm map of Montgomery, NY.

By 1862 the eastern part of the Campbell farm was part of the Peter Eager estate. He is still listed as the owner in the 1875 Atlas. The 1903 Atlas refers to the home and property as "Maple Lawn" owned by Chas. Coleman.

Milliken property appears to the west of the Bowne property on the 1862 farm map of Montgomery. The 1793 deed also described Milliken property abutting the Campbell farm on the north (above the Peter Eager parcel shown above.) However, I have found no reference other than Seese that the Millikens owned the property on which the 'Milliken' home stands.  Could she be mistaken? Is this really the Peter Eager house built onto or near the original Campbell homestead?

Stay tuned.

November 28, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Monday, November 28, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Governor Moore offers reward!

Controversy still abounded two weeks after activists burned the Royal Governor of Massachusetts in effigy near the Merchant's Coffee House in New York City.

Merchant's Coffee House on right. Courtesy of New-York Historical Society

Page three of the New-York Weekly Mercury displayed a Proclamation from Henry Moore, Royal Governor of New-York. He offered a fifty pound reward for the identification of the 'rioters' who burned effigies of the the governor of Massachusetts Governor and the Sheriff of Boston.  The rioters' crime was not plainly stated but they created 'noise and tumult' and 'disturbed the public tranquility.' They had gathered on the northeast end of Queen Street (current Pearl Street) and proceeded 'hastily' as far as the Merchant's Coffee House (at Queen St. and Wall St., now Pearl and Wall).

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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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At the Colden Store on this date, the residents were likely buying up cloth to make winter garments. One year prior, on November 28, 1767, Colden had sold five yards of 'Cloth', a yard of Cambric, two yards of Linen, a yard of Buckram, five yards of Shalloon, and four sticks of Mohair, over six dozen Buttons, and about ten skeins of Thread. [Search for "1767-11-28" at http://www.orangecountyhistoricalsociety.org/Colden_DayBook_Items_Large.html]

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November 24, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Thursday, November 24, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

A Year-ago at the Store; More troops at Boston; More on the Effigy Incident

On this day in 1767, one year prior to today's date, fifty-six items were sold at the Colden store. Despite the late date, flaxseed was still being brought to the store and purchased by Colden for five shillings per bushel. Perhaps today was like that November-day one year-ago when Colden purchased the flaxseed as well as butter, beeswax and venison?

The New York City newspaper of today contained news from Boston of the 13th of November.  More British troops had arrived in Commodore Hood's Men of War. The 64th and 65th regiments had arrived a few days earlier from Cork, Ireland. The reporter wrote that 'The parade of the Guards on weekdays [was] grander than in time of war...'

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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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Page three of the New-York Journal continued the press coverage of the effigy incident of the 14th. The paper's printer, John Holt, defended his publication's account of the effigy burning after being accused of deceiving the public as to the level of public sympathy for the perpetrators. His defense was that '...nobody supposes that printers are to be vouchers for the truth of intelligence they publish...' The issue was not dead. In the coming Monday's edition of the Weekly Mercury, the Governor will offer a reward for identification of the effigy burners.

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November 21, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Monday, November 21, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

More on Protests in New York City and Six Nations Treaty

On Monday, November 14, 1768, effigies of the royal Governor of Massachusetts (Bernard) and Boston Sheriff (Greenleaf) were burned in the streets of Manhattan to protest the enforcement of the recent punitive tariffs in Boston.  See prior blog.

The burning of effigies had been a British pastime for ages, but it may have come more naturally at this particular time of year because of an annual tradition since 1605, sometimes known as Guy Fawkes Day. That day fell on November 5th. Protestants celebrated the day by burning an effigy of the Pope. Perhaps a few activists had left-over effigy-making materials and turned their energies towards current events?

The narrative that appeared in today's Mercury and Post Boy newspapers was the royal version. It did not mention the names of those burned in effigy or the nature of the protest, but spent most of its text describing military efforts to inhibit the protests and the general disapproval by the majority of New Yorkers.

The author of this version, town clerk, Augustus Van Cortlandt, wrote a forward in which he stated that Holt's version in the New-York Journal 'deceived' his readers by stating that the protest was 'generally approved' by the populace.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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 newspapers of this date also contained more information about the boundary line agreed with the Six Nations in the Fort Stanwix Treaty of November 5th. It passed far to the west of the Delaware River, but the location where Joel Campbell (eponym of this blog) would settle in 1805 near current Ridgebury, Pennsylvania, was still in Indian Hunting Grounds.

Treaty of Fort Stanwix Boundary Line, Wikipedia Commons. Locations where Joel Campbell resided shown in red by author.

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November 17, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Thursday, November 17, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Protests in New York City and Six Nations Treaty

Three days ago, on Monday evening, November 14, 1768, activists in New York City burned effigies of the royal Governor of Massachusetts and the Sheriff of Boston. Despite the authority's efforts to stop it, the mob met on Queens Street (current Pearl Street in Manhattan). The protest was reported on page three of the New-York Journal of November 17th.

As described in a prior blog, the British had recently landed thousands of troops in Boston to quell the unrest related to the latest round of punitive tariffs. New York City was the base of Britain's North American forces. It was an appropriate place to protest alleged British mistreatment of its colonies.

Holt's New-York Journal was the most patriotic of the three New-York City papers and covered the story by publishing an account written by a Boston sympathizer.  It read:

Article on protest in New York City on Monday, November 14, 1768. New-York Journal, November 17, 1768, p3 genealogybank.com

The competing newspapers of Parker and Gaines would issue a different version of the event in their editions of November 21st.  It was written by the  town clerk, Augustus V. Cortlandt. Unlike the prior account, it stated that the protest was 'disapproved by the majority of the citizens.' See future blog.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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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More momentous news was brought from the North. This may have been old news in the taverns near Coldengham as the bearers of the news had descended the Hudson River and had undoubtedly stopped at New Windsor.

Sir William Johnson and leaders from several colonies had successfully negotiated with the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix. 3200 Indians from almost 20 tribes were present. A new Boundary Line was agreed on "between their Hunting Country and this and the other Colonies to the Southward."

For the residents of Coldengham this meant less fear of Indian interference as they migrated west towards the Delaware River. This area already had a settlement called Peenpack near the current city of Port Jervis, New York. Peenpack had a history of Indian raids. The area between the Wallkill and the Delaware rivers was often referred as the 'frontiers' and would be defended, mostly unsuccessfully, by Coldengham area militias over the next fifteen years. By 1790, Joel Campbell, eponym of this blog, and most of his children would be living in the area of Peenpack (See references to the farm on the Neversink River at the end of this article.)

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November 14, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Monday, November 14, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

John Nicholson Properties

On this date, 250 years-ago, an out-dated advertisement appeared on the last page of the New-York Weekly Mercury. A 194-acre farm would be auctioned by John Nicholson on November 10th, four days prior to the publication. Whether or not the auction occurred could not be ascertained. No deed for this property appears to exist.

Advertisement in the November 14, 1768 edition of the New-York Weekly Mercury.

John Nicholson shopped at the Colden Store on several occasions.   A brief biography appears in a prior blog.

This advertisement sent me looking for other properties of John Nicholson. Two deeds were found.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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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On February 1, 1777, with the Revolutionary War in its most crucial year for the Hudson Valley, John  Nicholson sold a 100-acre farm in New Windsor to Jeduthan Belknap of Rhode Island. The property abutted the Johnston farms and had an unusual provision for mineral rights. The widow Elizabeth Johnston would be given half of the mineral rights and could search, dig, and cart away at all times. [see familysearch.org Liber HH p 97 Image 67; )

The second deed was for the homestead that still stands in current Maybrook designated with an historic marker.  On December 6, 1786, John Nicholson of Albany and Richard Skinner Merchant of Albany purchased the 200-acre lot #7 of the 2000-acre Patrick McKnight patent. Fellow colonel of the Revolution, William Malcom, was the seller. He had lived there during the war, having been displaced from his home in New York City. After the war in 1783, Malcom returned to the City and attempted to sell the property to William Delevan. However, Delevan forfeited and the property reverted to Malcom. [See FamilySearch.org Liber II (two i's) p420 Image 400; ]

If the dates in public genealogies are correct, John Nicholson was about forty-six years-old on this date. He was apparently living in Albany where he had served as an assemblyman (representative of Ulster County in 1782, 1783, 1784).  His first wife, Betsy Moffat, would decease only a few years after moving back to Ulster/Orange County.

On the evening of this date, November 14, 1768, some activists in New York City burned effigies of the royal Governor of Massachusetts and the Sheriff of Boston. This apparently occurred, despite the authorities efforts to stop it, on Queens Street (current Pearl Street) and was reported in the New-York Journal of November 17th. More in a future blog.

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November 10, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Thursday, November 10, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Colden Store Totals - Sewing Items

New York City had a third newspaper in addition to the Monday papers mentioned in the prior blog.  That paper was John Holt's New-York Journal. It published every Thursday.

The edition of 250 years-ago today contained more news from Boston. General Gage, who had sailed from New York to advise the new Boston regiments, was petitioned by the Boston City Council to free them of the occupying troops. Gage gave them no satisfaction.

This edition also announced the availability of Freeman's Almanack for 1769. It is likely that Colden would buy some to sell at his store in Coldengham.

Earlier editions had announced that on this day the farm of John Nicholson in western Newburgh would be auctioned. More on that in the next blog.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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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Prior blogs enumerated the top purchases of customers of the Colden store and top sales from customers to the store. The list below lists the top sewing items by total cost. The total amount spent on sewing items was about three times the amount spent on rum.

No.	Item	Count	Cost (£)
1	Cloth	131	220
2	Linen	243	118
3	Check	173	90
4	Shalloon	155	68
5	Cotton	148	45
6	Indigo	234	40
7	Callico	75	38
8	Buttons	339	35
9	Cambric	151	32
10	Silk	231	31
11	Kersey	24	31
12	Nap	29	29
13	Forest	20	29
14	Persian	60	28
15	Wool	75	25
16	Osnaburg	76	24
17	Scarlet	13	22
18	Flannel	48	21
19	Lace	81	19
20	Wilton	15	19
21	Durant	33	18
22	Coating	13	17
23	Serge	16	17
24	Lawn	57	17
25	Mohair	223	14
26	Camblet	7	12
27	Rateen	9	11
28	Cards	51	11
29	Plush	7	11
30	Pins	201	10
31	Tow	10	10
32	Buckle	82	9
33	Baize	19	9
34	Everlasting	19	9
35	Ribbon	51	7
36	Muslinette	3	7
37	Taffety	19	7
38	Crape	7	6
39	Binding	85	6
40	Buckram	66	6
41	Thread	149	5
42	Sagathy	3	5
43	Duffels	4	5
44	Tape	88	4
45	Allapine	1	4
46	Thickset	5	3
47	Velvet	3	3
48	Frize	2	3
49	Pealing	7	2
50	Ribbing	19	2
51	Gimp	13	2
52	Poplin	1	2
53	Halfthicks	8	1
54	Maskerade	1	1
55	Alum	36	1
56	Bonnet	35	1
57	Needles	33	1
58	Redwood	31	1
59	Yarn	3	1
60	Ferreting	18	1
61	Twist	7	1
62	Logwood	6	1
63	Alamode	3	0
64	Scissors	5	0
65	Bonnet paper	15	0
66	Calaminco	1	0
67	Copperas	10	0
68	Thimble	7	0
69	Lye	1	0
70	Starch	1	0
71	Homespun	4	3
72	Gimblet	30	1

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November 7, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Monday, November 7, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Colden Store Totals - Top Sales (by farmers to the store)

New York City had two newspapers that published every Monday... James Parker's The New-York Post Boy and Hugh Gaines' The New-York Weekly Mercury. Copies of these papers found their way up the Hudson River to New Windsor and within a week were likely read at local taverns in the area of the Colden Store.

Although no record is preserved of the daily happenings at the store after November 3, 1768, other records, including the New York City newspapers, give an indication of events that shaped the lives of the residents of the Coldengham area.

For example, on this day 250 years-ago, the Post Boy reported that the students of Harvard had united in boycotting tea. Just a month ago, a substantial British force had landed in Boston and had turned the city into a virtual 'garrison.' Their occupation of the town would lead to such unfortunate events as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and eventually the events at Lexington and Concord.

It was also on this day that the newly elected Provincial Assembly met in New York City for the first time. George Clinton made the trip to the city as the representative of the community near the Colden Store.  He had defeated Cadwallader Colden Jr. (owner of the store) in the recent election.

The speaker of the Assembly referred to the New York Colony in his address as being 'impoverished.' Whether the shoppers at the Colden Store felt the economic difficulties, resulting from the latest disagreements with the mother country, is unknown.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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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In a prior blog the top purchases of customers of the Colden store were listed. Over the period from August 11, 1767 to November 3, 1768, Colden filled 450 pages of his Day Book with the details of over 250 clients who visited the store almost 4000 times.

Some the transactions were sales of items to the store. These 'purchases' by Colden were entered in the Day Book as credits to the sellers accounts. The top items sold to the store are listed below:

Item	Amount	Unit	# of Entries	Total £
Wheat	2957	bushel	115	876
Cash	409	pounds	135	409
Flour	257	barrel	20	393
Butter	1654	#	75	108
Flaxseed	436	bushel	114	96
Hogs	64	per	34	87
Shoes	24	pair	13	45
Corn	90	bushel	9	13

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November 5, 1768 near Coldengham, New York

Saturday, November 5, 1768 [250 years-ago from today]
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Colden Store Totals - Top Purchases

The last day of sales recorded in the Colden Day Book was two days ago on November 3, 250 years-ago. The store appears to have continued operations, but the new Day Book was not preserved.

From the 12,529 transactions in the surviving Day Book, now transcribed and in searchable database form, analyses can be performed and conclusions reached about the community around the store.

Over the period from August 11, 1767 to November 3, 1768, Colden filled 450 pages with the details of over 250 clients who visited the store almost 4000 times.

The top entries (purchased on more than 100 occasions) and the number of times they were purchased is below:

Item	# of Purchases
Rum	1644
Tea	854
Sugar	736
Salt	475
Molasses	401
Nails	377
Buttons	339
Paper	333
Cash	307
Linen	243
Pepper	235
Indigo	234
Silk	231
Powder	230
Mohair	223
Handkerchief	212
Shot	204
Pins	201
Check	173
Wheat	165
Hat	163
Shalloon	155
Snuff	155
Cambric	151
Thread	149
Cotton	148
Cloth	131
Knife	131
Comb	125
Flaxseed	111
Pot	105

The top five items were foodstuffs.  However, this analysis hides the fact that the major purchases in terms of cost (not in number) were sewing items. That will be shown in a future blog.

All of the items above are discussed in detail in a prior blogs.  See Index to Colden Store Blogs.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Index to Colden Store Blogs. 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.

INDEX to Colden Store DayBook Blogs

INDEX to Colden Day Book Blogs
written from January 15, 2018 to November 4, 2018

The blog Titles are listed alphabetically in two categories:
1) People and 2) Non-People.

You can also use the search-box in the upper left corner of the webpage to search for keywords in my blogs.

Title (People) - Date of DayBook Entry

ALSDORPH - October 18, 1768
BEATTY - March 4, 1768
BELKNAP - February 11, 1768
BLAKE - July 1, 1768
BOYD, Robert - April 12, 1768
BROWN - July 26, 1768
CALHOON, Hugh - April 11, 1768
CAMPBELL - February 6, 1768
CAMPBELL, James - June 28, 1768
CAMPBELL, Joel - October 7, 1768
CAMPBELL, Joel-REPRISE - October 28, 1768
CAMPBELL, Samuel - April 30, 1768
CAMPBELL-McDOWELL-NORRIS - May 21, 1768
CAPTAIN_FARRINGTON - August 30, 1768
CARSKADAN - October 14, 1768
CLERKS - February 27, 1768
CLINTON, George - May 19, 1768
COLDEN, CADWALLADER_III - October 20, 1768
COMFORT - June 3, 1768
CRAWFORD - September 21, 1768
CRISPELL, Martha - October 8, 1768
CRIST - February 13, 1768
DAILEY - July 29, 1768
DECKER - July 11, 1768
DUBOIS - February 5, 1768
GALATIAN - May 5, 1768
GILLESPIE - June 7, 1768
GOLDSMITH - June 18, 1768
GOODJION - June 4, 1768
GRAHAM - February 2, 1768
HARDENBERGH - September 8, 1768
HENYON - May 23, 1768
HILL, DOCTOR - February 3, 1768
HILL, Nathaniel - April 7, 1768
HOLTZLANDER - October 12, 1768
HUMPHREYS, James - August 29, 1768
KEMBERGH - October 15, 1768
KIDD - June 2, 1768
McCAY - March 28, 1768
McCOLLUM - January 29, 1768
McKINNEY - February 1, 1768
McPEAK - October 31, 1768
MILLER - September 14, 1768
MILLIKEN - February 4, 1768
MILSPAUGH - September 29, 1768
MONELL - May 10, 1768
NEWKIRK - September 24, 1768
NICHOLSON - August 9, 1768
OSTRANDER - July 18, 1768
PUNDERSON, Mr. - June 10, 1768
RANK - October 22, 1768
RIGGS, Edward - May 16, 1768
SEARS_THE_FULLER - June 13, 1768
SHAY - August 13, 1768
SINSABAUGH - October 24, 1768
SLOOT - September 3, 1768
TALKETT - February 15, 1768
TARPENING - July 17, 1768
TEARS - October 5, 1768
TERWILLIGER - May 26, 1768
VAN_KEUREN - July 28, 1768
VAN_WIEN - September 13, 1768
WOOD, Theophilus - June 11, 1768

Subject (Non-People) - Date of DayBook Entry

100_BLOGS - May 15, 1768
4-DAY_CLOSURE - July 6, 1768
ACADEMY - March 25, 1768
ADZE - March 18, 1768
ALLAPINE - May 31, 1768
ALMANAC - January 16, 1768
ATHLONE_HAT - March 30, 1768
AXE - March 29, 1768
BED_CORD - February 25, 1768
BEEF - March 31, 1768
BEESWAX - March 10, 1768
BIBLE - March 6, 1768
BILLS_OF_CREDIT - March 23, 1768
BINDING - June 17, 1768
BOLTING - July 22, 1768
BONNETS - May 7, 1768
BOSTON - July 4, 1768
BOYCOTT - February 20, 1768
BRIMSTONE - January 21, 1768
BUCKLES - March 11, 1768
BUTTER - April 26, 1768
BUTTONS - February 16, 1768
CALICO - June 21, 1768
CAMBRIC - July 2, 1768
CANDLESTICK - August 2, 1768
CASH - August 4, 1768
CHAMBER_POT - April 13, 1768
CHECK_APRON - May 18, 1768
CHICKEN - October 10, 1768
CHOCOLATE - February 26, 1768
CIDER - January 27, 1768
CINNAMON - June 24, 1768
CLARET - August 10, 1768
CLOSED - January 17, 1768
CLOTH - January 22, 1768
COFFEE - March 12, 1768
COMBS - February 8, 1768
COMMON_PRAYER_BOOK - May 3, 1768
COOPERS - May 17, 1768
COPPERAS - April 19, 1768
COPPERS - April 14, 1768
CORN_FAN - September 2, 1768
CRAVAT - April 4, 1768
CUPS - March 7, 1768
DAY_OF_PRAYER - April 5, 1768
DRAWKNIFE - May 2, 1768
DUFFELS - November 1, 1768
DURANT - July 15, 1768
DYES - January 23, 1768
ELECTION - March 8, 1768
EVERLASTING - March 19, 1768
FERRETING - June 20, 1768
FILES - February 19, 1768
FINAL_DAY_&_SEALING_WAX - November 2, 1768
FINAL_PAGE - November 3, 1768
FLAX - May 6, 1768
FLOUR - July 20, 1768
FORKS - March 1, 1768
FRY_PAN - September 26, 1768
GAMMON - March 16, 1768
GARTERS - October 27, 1768
GATHERING_SPOT? - August 8, 1768
GIMBLETS - February 18, 1768
GIMP - July 14, 1768
GLASS - July 30, 1768
GLOVES - March 15, 1768
GOODWILL_CHURCH - July 10, 1768
GREEN_NAP - August 24, 1768
GROATER - July 13, 1768
HAMMER - September 28, 1768
HANDKERCHIEF - February 17, 1768
HATS - January 25, 1768
HINGES - March 2, 1768
HOGSHEADS - February 9, 1768
HOPS - October 17, 1768
HORSE - March 21, 1768
INKHORN - February 10, 1768
INTRO - January 15, 1768
IRON_POT - April 17, 1768
JUGS_AND_BOTTLES - June 8, 1768
JURY - August 27, 1768
KERSEY - August 31, 1768
LACE - August 17, 1768
LAWN - June 27, 1768
LIME - April 22, 1768
LINEN - February 23, 1768
LINIMENT - August 12, 1768
LOGISTICS - March 22, 1768
LOGWOOD - October 4, 1768
MILL_BOOK-REVISITED - October 21, 1768
MILLBOOK - March 5, 1768
MOHAIR - April 28, 1768
MOLASSES - July 16, 1768
MOWING - August 19, 1768
MUTTON - August 15, 1768
NAILS - February 24, 1768
NEEDLES - June 23, 1768
NIPPERS - April 15, 1768
NUTMEG - April 25, 1768
OZENBRIGS - February 22, 1768
PAPER - April 21, 1768
PEPPER - May 24, 1768
PERSIAN - June 22, 1768
PEWTER - May 20, 1768
PINCERS - August 6, 1768
PINS - February 12, 1768
PIPES - April 29, 1768
POTATOES - September 1, 1768
POWDER - February 29, 1768
PUTTY - August 26, 1768
RAGSTONE - July 21, 1768
RASP - August 23, 1768
RHUBARB - August 11, 1768
RIBBON - October 6, 1768
RICE - July 25, 1768
RUM - January 18, 1768
RYE - September 15, 1768
SAGATHY - October 1, 1768
SALT - April 23, 1768
SCISSORS - June 9, 1768
SCYTHE_REPRISE - June 30, 1768
SCYTHES - March 24, 1768
SHALLOON - May 11, 1768
SHEEP_SHEARS - May 12, 1768
SHOES - January 20, 1768
SICKLE - July 19, 1768
SILK - August 1, 1768
SLATE_&_PENCIL - October 19, 1768
SLEIGH - January 19, 1768
SNUFF - March 14, 1768
SOAP - March 26, 1768
SPECTACLES - April 24, 1768
St._ANDREW'S_CHURCH - July 12, 1768
St._PATRICK - March 17, 1768
STARCH - September 4, 1768
STEEL - May 30, 1768
STICKNEY - July 27, 1768
STOCKINGS - April 6, 1768
SUGAR - March 3, 1768
SUNDAY - February 7, 1768
TALLOW - May 9, 1768
TANNING - April 9, 1768
TAPE - June 15, 1768
TEA - January 28, 1768
TEAPOT - June 25, 1768
TESTAMENTS - June 16, 1768
THIMBLE - October 3, 1768
THREAD - July 5, 1768
TOW_CLOTH - May 28, 1768
VEAL? - June 6, 1768
W_vs_Y_RUM - July 23, 1768
WHEAT - January 30, 1768
WILTON - April 27, 1768
WINE - April 1, 1768
WOOL_CARDS - May 14, 1768

FINAL PAGE! November 3, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday, November 3, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Final Page of Colden Day Book

The Day Book of Cadwallader Colden Jr. contains the transactions of his Coldengham store from August 11, 1767 to November 2, 1768. The book resides in the collections of the New-York Historical Society in New York City.

First page in Colden Store Day Book. Collections of New-York Historical Society.

I first became aware of this artifact in 2008 when reading the biography of Colden Jr. (Survivor) written by Fingerhut. That same year I perused the microfilmed pages of the Day Book and found many references to my Campbell relatives.

When I decided to write a journal article on the Colden Store I returned to the Society and was allowed to create digital images from the microfilm. The transcription (found on-line here) was made from that batch of digital images (read below). I was given permission to share any transcription of the digital images with the public. The journal article appeared in 2017 and the first on-line Day Book database appeared in 2018.

Despite my intense interest in the Day Book, I have never seen the real thing. I have not counted the physical pages nor have I confirmed that every physical page has a corresponding microfilm image.

The pages in the Day Book are not numbered.  I assigned numbers to the pages numbers to assist in organization of the database.

Page one is the first image of the book on microfilm. It contains no transactions. It simply states: 'Cadwallader Colden Jun^r, His Day Book, Began Aug^st 11^th 1767.'

Page two appears to be the reverse side of page one but, because I had no access to the book, I could not confirm that.

I made digital images of all 451 microfilmed pages in a single sitting. I was rushed and undoubtedly made errors.  I confess that I did not double-check to make sure all microfilmed pages were digitally imaged. There could be pages missing.

As long as I am confessing my sins, I apologize for the many errors in transcription. Not only were there challenges in reading 18th century handwriting, but there were multiple clerks, with multiple styles, with multiple spellings for the same word. There were words and abbreviations that are no longer used today. And of course there was human error by the transcribers.

If you search the database, let me know if you see what you think is an error. I can go back and compare with the digital image. But let me be so bold as to say that my transcribers have made a lot fewer errors than Colden and his clerks. I will give Colden a break on spelling, but there were numerous math and dating errors in the Day Book.

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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 last microfilmed image was numbered 451 by me. Was it the last page in the book? I think it probably was.  Colden's pages were not numbered. The prior microfilm image, page 450, appeared to be the obverse side of a page still bound in the ledger, while page 451 appeared to be a loose sheet (not the reverse of 450). Page 440 (a reverse page) can be seen sitting behind page 451 in the microfilm image, hence my assumption that the page is loose (see image below).

Last page in Colden Store Day Book. Collections of New-York Historical Society.

Colden used this page to hold 'Memorandums' or notes to himself. The first is an enumeration of hides provided to the local tanner, Nehemiah Carpenter.

The second was a listing of the nails (taken from store stock?) used to shingle his old house.

The third item appeared to be a normal DayBook entry of a customer transaction. However, it had been crossed out. Perhaps it was added to the new Day Book?

The fourth memorandum was a listing of provisions delivered to Peter Harris' boys. These were large amounts of Pork, loaves of bread, and bushels of Wheat and Rye. The use of the word 'provisions' hints of a journey or military exercise. Harris was never named using a militia officer's title in the twenty-one times he was mentioned in the Day Book. Unlike other entries in the DayBook which were tied to a specific date, these deliveries occurred on about fifteen different dates over the course of 1768. More research is needed to understand why these deliveries were captured in a memorandum and not as regular store sales.

This page also contains some sketches. They look a bit like floor plans and appear to have been written at a later date than the memorandums. They may not even be attributable to Colden.

With the DayBook filled, it probably sat on a shelf at the store, then on a shelf in Colden's home. The home stayed in the family for a few generations, but some point the historical contents were disbursed. (For example the parlor was reconstructed in the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art.) Luckily the DayBook found its way to the New-York Historical Society, and now, it has been transcribed and is searchable by historians and genealogists.

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SEALING WAX! November 2, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Wednesday, November 2, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Final Day of Day Book Entries & Sealing Wax

The last dated entries in the DayBook were on this day, 250 years-ago. The 450 pages of the bound Day Book were totally filled. The last three entry pages contained no columnar lines. Those vertical lines appeared to be part of the original ledger and not added by Colden.

There is no indication that the activities of the store stopped after this date. The store activity appeared normal leading up to this date. It is assumed a new Day Book was started, but did not survive.

Robert Goodjion purchased one stick of sealing wax.

Sticks of Sealing Wax

Wax Seal and Wax Stamp

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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.

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

Webster defined 'Sealing Wax' in his 1828 dictionary as 'A compound of gum lac and the red oxyd of mercury; used for fastening a folded letter and thus consealing the writing, and for receiving impressions of seals set to instruments. Sealing wax is hard or soft, and may be of any color.'

Sealing wax was only sold on two occasions at the Colden Store.

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