Gallatin Merchant's Journal, Introduction

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Gallatin Merchant's Journal
Account Transactions from 1806-1807
Introduction

Reprinted with permission.
Transcribed by Sherry Falcon
Copyright © 1998

The proprietor of this Dry Goods Store is unknown; however, the storekeeper may have been Alexander A. White. On page 257, he was given a $45.00 credit for "keeping store 1 year." The account transactions that appear in this journal show much more than purchases and credits. Listed in the margins of each account's activity are notations that offer relationships of purchasers, their occupation, and even their place of residence.

There were evidently several different Dry Goods Merchants in the area during this period. The ledger lists transactions at Allen & Co., Seavea & Covington, White & Crocket, and the Dixon's Spring Store. These listings reveal many details of life when our county was new. We can see from these transactions how our ancestors dressed, we see what their necessities of life were considered to be, we can even see what they read as entertainment.

Common purchases among the men were items necessary to keep their guns, wagons, and homes in repair: blackball, brimstone, gunpowder, cakes of blacking or fig blue, lead, copperass, wire, gunlocks and flint, bridles bitts, stirrup irons, curry combs, spirits of turpentine, butt, chest, and HL hinges, tack hammers, English grass scythes, adz handles and awl blades, spike gimblets, a foot adz, pruning and cutting knives, binding and webbing, pitt saw files, and nails by the pound.

We can literally walk into the kitchen of an early nineteenth century home and see there the items purchased: cups and saucers, knives and forks, hard mettle spoons, white plates, green-edged plates, tin cups and tumblers; decanters of wine, flasks of whisky; the sugar dish, the cream pot, the vinegar crewet the sauce boat; brown sugar, loaf sugar, coffee and the coffee pot, salt in salt cellars, Hyson tea in the tea canister, a tin strainer, cinnamon by the ounce, ginger root, allspice, individual nutmegs and a nutmeg grater, pepper by the pound stored in the pepper box, Essence of Peppermint and raisens; alum, beeswax, and pint, quart, half-gallon, and gallon jars for pickling; pudding pans, and frying pans.

If we could see the ladies at work with their sewing, we could see a variety of fabrics and trim: Brown Holland, calico, flannel, turkey cotton, muslin, country linen, dimity, cambrick, homespun, and broadcloth were commonly worn. For special occasions, there was velvet, bumbezette, cassimere, cotton Kerseymere, or even fancy bearskin cloth any of which could be trimmed with satin ribband, edging, or lace. They might even adorn the clothing with spangles, or with President's cord. Nearby would be her thimbles, skeins of silk twist, scissors, a paper of pins, perhaps some knitting pins, different sizes of needles, buttons and button molds, a Mersailles vest pattern, a wescoat. There was clothing provided the slaves as well: purchases were recorded for brown, blue, or green 'negro cotton'.

We could even look into their bureau drawers and see their more 'personal' items: suspenders, silk stockings, handkerchiefs, ladies' hair combs, their cloth brush, silk gloves, suspenders, fashionable wool hats, and tucked neatly under their bed, the ladies' or mens' shoes, or their kid skin or Morocco slippers.

On a writing table near a huge fireplace, we can see father's tobacco box filled with seagars, beside that is a quire of paper, and on top of his writing paper, his spectacles with concave glass and the polished steel spectacle case that protects them. Nearby stands an inkstand, and a lead pencil. We can just imagine lessons taught the younger ones by firelight from the spelling books and the primer. Afterward the older children the political views of a growing young nation and debate the opinions in "Volney's View of America."

After the studying was done, everyone could gather around the fireplace with a deck of playing cards, or one would pick up the fiddle bass and all could enjoy a fiddled tune, or perhaps the older son could show tricks learned from his "Slight of Hand" book. The evening might end with reading from the Bible or perhaps even with hymnals.

Pioneers provided as best they could for sickness and for the prevention of it. They kept on hand rat traps to rid themselves of vermin, antimony, worm lozenges, Glauber salts, camphire, Bateman's Drops, and British Oil.

Life was undoubtedly a challenge at best, but because they braved the harsh winters and worked the fields, we are all here. Perhaps this list of names will help to establish or confirm researcher's suspicions and maybe even plug in some holes in research.

** Items purchased and names reflect spelling in original Journal.

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Gallatin Merchant's Journal Account Transactions from 1806-1807Introduction

Gallatin Merchant's Journal
Account Transactions from 1806-1807
Introduction