ANTIQUE HANDWRITTEN STORE LEDGER Pre Civil War Windham County VT Vermont/Cushing
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:3711850 | Year Printed: 1860 |
| Subject: Americana | Topic: Historical |
| Original/Facsimile: Original | Binding: Hardcover |
| Special Attributes: Signed, 1st Edition, Manuscript |
FANTASTIC, ORIGINAL 19TH CENTURY MANUSCRIPT STORE LEDGER FROM VERMONT. This terrific early volume dates from 1860 and was kept by Daniel F. Cushing of Grafton, Vermont. Author owned and operated a general store in the Grafton village of Cambridgeport. Front flyleaf bears his ownership inscription along with "Day Book".The large number of transactions here over a relatively brief period of time suggest Daniel F. Cushing's store was a thriving hub of activity and a one-stop shopping dest...ination for local residents. At the time, Grafton was home to nearly 1, 500 residents however the Civil War, which began just months after ledger was written, took a heavy toll on the town. To this day local cemeteries are dotted with tombstones of casualties from the war, particularly the Battle of Gettysburg. (Scroll down for more pictures).
Impressive volume contains about 180 pages of handwritten entries chronicling daily activities at Daniel F. Cushing's busy general store. Among the innumerable items found here include boots, bowls, Calcutta boots, , calf skin shoes, candles, cheese, chimney pots, cider barrels, coffee, cotton cloth, doe skin cloth, door locks, flannel cloth, hats, jack knives, kerosene chimneys, kerosene oil, lamp oil, matches, monkey jackets, oil barrels, paregoric, pails, pipes, pencil lead, pitchers, plates, rags, rope, shingle nails, soothing syrup, spools of thread, suspenders, twine, twisted tobacco, tobacco plugs, wallpaper, etc. In addition to entries for the sale of goods and materials, author also made various notes throughout book such as "I went to Boston", "wife making dress", "to be paid Saturday night", "weighing oxen", "mending shoes", "Grafton mail came", "for making shirts", "helping to get hay", etc.
The names of various companies with whom author dealt can also be found here, along with the names of numerous individual customers making for a treasure trove of local history and genealogy. Among the many last names found here include Alexander, Austin, Ball, Barber, Barry, Bemas, Bennett, Bliss, Bolles, Bowman, Brown, Browne, Buckland, Burr, Burt, Butterfield, Campbell, Chaffee, Chapin, Cobleigh, Cobly, Cobley, Colburn, Cole, Colton, Davis, Dodge, Donahue, Dunham, Edwards, Emory, Fisher, Ford, Fuller, Gardner, Glynn, Gorton, Hill, Hitchcock, Holden, Houghton, Howard, Howe, Hubbard, Jenkins, Lawrence, Leland, Mack, McQuade, Morse, Nichols, Oak, Oaks, Ober, Osgood, Perham, Perry, Phippling, Plant, Porter, Putman, Redfield, Scofield, Sherwin, Smith, Stanfield, Stevens, Thompson, Thrasher, Tucker, Walker, Weaver, Wheelock, Whitney, Wilder, Willard, Winn, Wolf, Wood, Woods, Wright, Wyman, etc.
Grafton is located in Windham County, Vermont. According to recent census figures, the town is currently home to a population of about 679. The town was originally founded as Thomlinson, but renaming rights were auctioned in 1791. The high bidder, who reportedly offered "five dollars and a jug of rum, " changed the name to Grafton after his home town of Grafton, Massachusetts. Possibly as a result of having celebrated a bit too much with the rum (some say it was hard cider), the money was never collected. In the early 19th century, sheep raising became popular and multiple woolen mills sprang up along the branches of the Saxtons River. Soapstone was quarried on nearby Bear Mountain. The town became a notable stagecoach hub for traffic across the Green Mountains into Albany, New York. One inn from that era, "the Old Tavern, " was founded in 1801. It remains one of the oldest continually operating hotels in the United States.
Just prior to the Civil War Grafton had a population of almost 1, 500. The town suffered severe losses during the war and local cemeteries in the village hold many tombstones of casualties from the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, the community declined in population. The soapstone quarry was depleted and closed late in the 19th century. At the time of the Great Depression, the town's population was less than 400. In the 1960s the Windham Foundation was established to help restore the village. It purchased the Old Tavern and many residences in the area. The foundation also established an artisanal cheese business, the Grafton Village Cheese Company, and built a world-class cross-country skiing center at Grafton Ponds that offers a popular mountain biking program for children in the summer months. The restoration efforts attracted new residents from metropolitan New York and Boston.
Along with the town of Grafton, Windham County today also comprises the towns of Athens, Brattleboro, Brookline, Dover, Dummerston, Guilford, Halifax, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Rockingham, Somerset, Stratton, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminster, Whitingham, Wilmington, and Windham, along with various villages including Algiers, Bellows Falls, Harmonyville, Jacksonville, North Westminster, and Saxtons River. The county is widely known today for its counterculture. With blue being the color typically associated with the Democratic party and red the Republican party, by some accounts Windham County is today the "bluest' county" in the "bluest' state" in America.
Condition: Rare book remains in good overall condition (see pictures). Volume bound in original leather-backed marbled boards with matching leather tips; cover worn and rubbed with lower spine tip frayed, mild toning, scattered minor staining and ink smudging, etc., generally clean internally. Ledger contains about 180 pp. of manuscript entries with blotter paper interspersed throughout; and measures approx 16" tall x 6.5" wide x 1.25" thick. Quite a find and a very worthy acquisition indeed.
Payment and Shipping: Please see our feedback and bid with confidence. Never a reserve and very low opening bid as always. Never a reserve and very low opening bid as always. For international shipping quote, please contact us. Bidders with no established feedback must contact us before bidding. Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax or include dealer tax resale number. Payment must be received within 5 days after close of auction. Thanks for your interest!
Impressive volume contains about 180 pages of handwritten entries chronicling daily activities at Daniel F. Cushing's busy general store. Among the innumerable items found here include boots, bowls, Calcutta boots, , calf skin shoes, candles, cheese, chimney pots, cider barrels, coffee, cotton cloth, doe skin cloth, door locks, flannel cloth, hats, jack knives, kerosene chimneys, kerosene oil, lamp oil, matches, monkey jackets, oil barrels, paregoric, pails, pipes, pencil lead, pitchers, plates, rags, rope, shingle nails, soothing syrup, spools of thread, suspenders, twine, twisted tobacco, tobacco plugs, wallpaper, etc. In addition to entries for the sale of goods and materials, author also made various notes throughout book such as "I went to Boston", "wife making dress", "to be paid Saturday night", "weighing oxen", "mending shoes", "Grafton mail came", "for making shirts", "helping to get hay", etc.
The names of various companies with whom author dealt can also be found here, along with the names of numerous individual customers making for a treasure trove of local history and genealogy. Among the many last names found here include Alexander, Austin, Ball, Barber, Barry, Bemas, Bennett, Bliss, Bolles, Bowman, Brown, Browne, Buckland, Burr, Burt, Butterfield, Campbell, Chaffee, Chapin, Cobleigh, Cobly, Cobley, Colburn, Cole, Colton, Davis, Dodge, Donahue, Dunham, Edwards, Emory, Fisher, Ford, Fuller, Gardner, Glynn, Gorton, Hill, Hitchcock, Holden, Houghton, Howard, Howe, Hubbard, Jenkins, Lawrence, Leland, Mack, McQuade, Morse, Nichols, Oak, Oaks, Ober, Osgood, Perham, Perry, Phippling, Plant, Porter, Putman, Redfield, Scofield, Sherwin, Smith, Stanfield, Stevens, Thompson, Thrasher, Tucker, Walker, Weaver, Wheelock, Whitney, Wilder, Willard, Winn, Wolf, Wood, Woods, Wright, Wyman, etc.
Grafton is located in Windham County, Vermont. According to recent census figures, the town is currently home to a population of about 679. The town was originally founded as Thomlinson, but renaming rights were auctioned in 1791. The high bidder, who reportedly offered "five dollars and a jug of rum, " changed the name to Grafton after his home town of Grafton, Massachusetts. Possibly as a result of having celebrated a bit too much with the rum (some say it was hard cider), the money was never collected. In the early 19th century, sheep raising became popular and multiple woolen mills sprang up along the branches of the Saxtons River. Soapstone was quarried on nearby Bear Mountain. The town became a notable stagecoach hub for traffic across the Green Mountains into Albany, New York. One inn from that era, "the Old Tavern, " was founded in 1801. It remains one of the oldest continually operating hotels in the United States.
Just prior to the Civil War Grafton had a population of almost 1, 500. The town suffered severe losses during the war and local cemeteries in the village hold many tombstones of casualties from the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, the community declined in population. The soapstone quarry was depleted and closed late in the 19th century. At the time of the Great Depression, the town's population was less than 400. In the 1960s the Windham Foundation was established to help restore the village. It purchased the Old Tavern and many residences in the area. The foundation also established an artisanal cheese business, the Grafton Village Cheese Company, and built a world-class cross-country skiing center at Grafton Ponds that offers a popular mountain biking program for children in the summer months. The restoration efforts attracted new residents from metropolitan New York and Boston.
Along with the town of Grafton, Windham County today also comprises the towns of Athens, Brattleboro, Brookline, Dover, Dummerston, Guilford, Halifax, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Rockingham, Somerset, Stratton, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminster, Whitingham, Wilmington, and Windham, along with various villages including Algiers, Bellows Falls, Harmonyville, Jacksonville, North Westminster, and Saxtons River. The county is widely known today for its counterculture. With blue being the color typically associated with the Democratic party and red the Republican party, by some accounts Windham County is today the "bluest' county" in the "bluest' state" in America.
Condition: Rare book remains in good overall condition (see pictures). Volume bound in original leather-backed marbled boards with matching leather tips; cover worn and rubbed with lower spine tip frayed, mild toning, scattered minor staining and ink smudging, etc., generally clean internally. Ledger contains about 180 pp. of manuscript entries with blotter paper interspersed throughout; and measures approx 16" tall x 6.5" wide x 1.25" thick. Quite a find and a very worthy acquisition indeed.
Payment and Shipping: Please see our feedback and bid with confidence. Never a reserve and very low opening bid as always. Never a reserve and very low opening bid as always. For international shipping quote, please contact us. Bidders with no established feedback must contact us before bidding. Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax or include dealer tax resale number. Payment must be received within 5 days after close of auction. Thanks for your interest!
