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.

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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.

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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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Search the DayBook

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.

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

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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Search the DayBook

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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