There is a lot of information between these pages, cover to cover. Sometimes it is confusing as things don't necessarily go from page to page in chronological order... if space was found between old lines, new entries were squeezed in...
I would like some help solving a mystery, and along the way, someone might find out something about a relative... lots of names and dates in here, even if they are not in any consistent order or format. I also find it interesting what people paid for what...
When I first looked through this ledger, I wasn't sure how useful it was – but eventually I broke a couple of brick walls, finding people mentioned as “son of”, “wife of” etc. So good luck!
When I first looked through this ledger, I wasn't sure how useful it was – but eventually I broke a couple of brick walls, finding people mentioned as “son of”, “wife of” etc. So good luck!
What I know – its a ledger – upstate New York – probably Albany, Rensslaersville, Coeymans, Greenville, Westerlo – in the general area of Albany, Schoharie County, etc... Maybe someone will notice a pattern of names that can help identify the exact community.
It appears to be a combination of employment records and things sold, and lots of other stuff tossed in for good measure, including sawing occasional planks and a recipe here and there...
I will transcribe and post a few ledger pages on Mondays and hope for the best. I will do the transcription in page order, which means the dates will jump around a bit. Maybe our collective noggins can solve the mystery of where it was (names should help) and who it might have belonged to... So here we go! My notes and running commentary are in brackets...
[The ledger is “hard bound” although coming loose a bit – remarkable condition for almost 200 years. Inside front cover, there is a glued on stamp about the size of a business card, that is affixed to the upper left corner.]
INSIDE FRONT COVER:
B. D. Packard & Company
71 State Street
One door west of the State Bank
Continue to carry on the business of painting, binding, and bookselling, where they will at all times give prompt attention to all who may favour them with their patronage.
N.B. Particular attention is paid to BLANK BOOKS, FANCY BINDING and BOOK and JOB PRINTING.
Albany, 1830
[it appears that the owner of the ledger either purchased the book (apparently in Albany) or received it as part of a promotion – however, it is a good sized ledger, and not the small “pocket” ones, making me think it was purchased]
PAGE:
Taxes paid on our Michigan land at different periods
1838 $10.30
1843 $11.34
1844 $ 9.95
1848 $ 5.69
1848 $18.59
to boards sawed of Jacob Rosenburg 1848 $18.03
[unclear by position if date & $ are part of the tax summary or if Jacob's – if the latter, then next entry on the logs sold has no name associated with it]
logs July 2nd sold
Harriett Sommers Dr [could be DO]
June 5th to cash, fifty cents
David Beecker, December 9 borrowed 1838 [year or amount?]
to 145 feet if pine inch boards
to 201 ½ inch planks
Harriett Sommers commenced labor May 4 1852 at $8 per week
Lost time May 4 week, 1 day sickening and home making days
June 10, 11 and 12 2 ¼ days sick
Left off June 10 at tea time
$4.79
.50
$4.29
PAGE 1:
[note that monetary unit for page 2 appears to be pounds instead of dollars and there is some semblance of ledger lines, etc]
₤ | s | d | |
| Conrad Flansburg, Oct 21 1830 – to 1 bushel of wheat at 8 shillings per bushel | 0 | 8 | |
| Dec 18 1861 to one bushel of rye @ 2 shillings 6 pence per | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| March 8 to 2 bushels, do [ditto?] | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| March 24 to 40 pounds of beef at 3 pence per pound | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| [illegible] 1830 to 32 pounds of beef at 3 pence per pound | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| [illegible] hemlock boards at [illegible] pence per board | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| George B Vandewarker Dr Feb 19 1832 – to cash | 4 | 00 | |
| cash | 6 | 00 | |
| 12th cash | 1 | 00 | |
| 23rd cash | 1 | 00 | |
| 1 ½ pounds tobacco at 25 c per pound | 0 | 3 | 7 1/9 |
| to leather for one pair of shoes | 0 | 1 | 12 ½ |
| July 31st to cash do | 1 | 00 | |
| Aug 31st to cash do | 10 | 00 | |
| PAGE 2 | |||
| Oct 18 1830 Settled with Conrad Flansburg there remains due th sd Conrad six shillings | 6 | ||
| Feb 18 1831 to Sivingling 13 ½ lbs of fas [sas? flax?] @ 3 pence per lb | 3 | 4 | |
| June 18 to two days hoighing corn | 8 | 0 | |
| July 22 to 1 day hiling corn by son Henry | 4 | ||
| August 12 to 3 days work in hay at 5s per day | 15 | ||
| Mary F Becker commenced work July 16 1852 worked five days | |||
| Abram Sommers to 4 bushels of oats to 4 bushels do | |||
| PAGE 3 | |||
| John Mereness commenced labour March 25 1833 | |||
| time lost to ¾ of day | 0 | ¾ | |
| time lost to ½ of day | ½ | ||
| time lost to 2 of day | 2 | ||
| time lost to ¾ of day | ¾ | ||
| time lost to ¼ of day | ¼ | ||
| time lost to ¼ of day | ¼ | ||
| time lost to 1 of day | 1 | ||
| time lost to ¼ of day | ¼ | ||
| August 27 | ¼ | ||
| September 6 | ¼ | ||
| September 13 | ¼ | ||
| September 14 | ¼ | ||
| horse to pasture May 18th | |||
| cow to pasture June 1st | |||
| George B Vandewater [Vandewarker?] commenced labour Feb 24 1834 | 0 | ½ | |
| time lost March 4 | |||
| to 1 day do | 1 | ||
| to 2 days do | 2 | ||
| to ½ day do | ½ | ||
| July 8th to 3 ½ | 3 | ½ | |
| July 23rd to 10 days | 10 |
That is it for today... same time, same place - enjoy!
Old ledger books can tell a fascinating story about the life of local residents. You can ussually find some ledgers at local historical societies. Even if you ancestors is not listed you can learn a lot about the local residents and teh times in which your ancestor lived in.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Jim
Hidden Genealogy Nuggets