1809–1839 MANUSCRIPT ACCOUNT DAYBOOK — DEMERITT FAMILY, FARM GOODS, MILLING & LABOR

Item #1750

Manuscript account book measuring approximately 7 × 8 inches, with approximately 170 pages, completely filled with handwritten entries. The opening identifies it as “Eli Demeritt and Day Book,” although the handwriting leaves some uncertainty about the exact spelling of the name.

Entries document transactions involving corn, potatoes, oats, butter, pork, veal, hay, cider, vinegar, and livestock, alongside cowhides, calfskins, sheep skins, and leather goods. Services include sawing, grinding grain and plaster, hauling wood and boards, weaving, and agricultural labor. Debits and credits record both cash payments and exchanges of goods and work, offering a detailed picture of a local agricultural economy.

Recurring surnames include Demeritt, Young, Burnham, Woodes, Joy, and others. References to Dover, Durham, and Barrington suggest a New Hampshire setting. Particularly interesting entries include payment for timber for four wheels, weaving cloth, and potatoes planted on another man’s land.

A penciled preliminary notation gives the dates as December 22, 1809, to January 3, 1838; however, one photographed page appears headed April 11, 1839.

Bound in marbled boards with a leather spine. Covers show substantial rubbing, edge wear, and staining. Interior pages exhibit scattered foxing, discoloration, ink show-through, and occasional smudging, with a tear visible on an opening leaf. A densely written record of everyday commerce, labor, and community relationships in the early nineteenth century.

Price: $350.00