Shopkeeper's Expense Account Book, 1850-1863

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Summary

Abstract:
The collection consists of one expense account book kept by a shopkeeper in or near Port Deposit, Cecil County, Maryland. Chronological entries from March 1850 to February 1863 record the date, description, and amount for each personal and business expenditure of the shopkeeper, who appears to have sold medicine and paint. Business related entries include freight bills, license fees, corporation taxes, payments for services performed at the shop, expenses in Baltimore and Philadelphia, regular purchases from wholesale druggists such as Canby & Hatch and Wilson & Merritt, and frequent checks drawn on Cecil Bank. Other firms frequently mentioned include Hugh Bolton & Co., Geo. D. Wetherill & Co., and Clark & Jones. Also listed are purchases of food including flour, butter, potatoes, apples, peaches, chicken, beef, mackerel, and brandy; purchases of non-food items including wood, seeds, matches, candles, books, and journals; expenses for his wife and children; payments for services performed at the house; and contributions to the Colonization Society, missionary organizations, the local Methodist church, and Reverend Henry Colelazer. In addition to the itemized entries, the account book contains two tabular sections that together record the daily total for nearly every week from March 18, 1850, to August 10, 1863. Overall, 122 filled and 5 partially used manuscript pages reflect the life of an educated and civic-minded rural shopkeeper in Maryland during the mid-1800s.
Extent:
0.1 Linear Feet
1 Item
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01178

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of one expense account book kept by a shopkeeper in or near Port Deposit, Cecil County, Maryland. Chronological entries from March 1850 to February 1863 record the date, description, and amount for each personal and business expenditure of the shopkeeper, who appears to have sold medicine and paint. Business related entries include freight bills, license fees, corporation taxes, payments for services performed at the "shop," expenses in Baltimore and Philadelphia, regular purchases from wholesale druggists such as Canby & Hatch and Wilson & Merritt, and frequent checks drawn on Cecil Bank. Other firms frequently mentioned include Hugh Bolton & Co., Geo. D. Wetherill & Co., and Clark & Jones. Also listed are purchases of food including flour, butter, potatoes, apples, peaches, chicken, beef, mackerel, and brandy; purchases of non-food items including wood, seeds, matches, candles, books, and journals; expenses for his wife and children; payments for services performed at the "house;" and contributions to the Colonization Society, missionary organizations, the local Methodist church, and Reverend Henry Colelazer. In addition to the itemized entries, the account book contains two tabular sections that together record the daily total for nearly every week from March 18, 1850, to August 10, 1863. Overall, 122 filled and 5 partially used manuscript pages reflect the life of an educated and civic-minded rural shopkeeper in Maryland during the mid-1800s.

Acquisition information:
The Shopkeeper's Expense Account Book was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1986.
Processing information:

Processed by Danielle Moore, October 2010

Encoded by Danielle Moore, October 2010

Accession 1-8-87 is described in this finding aid.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Shopkeeper's Expense Account Book, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University