The Winterthur Library
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, DE 19735
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE
COLLECTION
Creator: Melcher,
Gershom F.
Title: Papers
Dates: 1865-1875
Call No.: Col.
4
Acc. No.: 68x75,
69x35, 79x122, 88x118, 99x39
Quantity: 1
box
Location: 34
K 2
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Gershom F. Melcher was
listed as a watchmaker in Portsmouth, New Hampshire's directories for at least
the years 1856-57 and 1860-61. From the
contents of this collection, it is plain that his business included selling
silver and jewelry, as well. As
confirmation of this, we note that Melcher ran an advertisement on page 159 of The
Portsmouth Guide Book ... (Portsmouth: Joseph H. Foster, 1876) which reads
"G.F. Melcher, Dealer in Watches, Jewelry, Silver Ware, &c., No. 7
Congress St., Portsmouth, N.H." [Winterthur call number F44 / P85f]
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The collection includes
printed billheads, bills, drafts, and receipts, which indicate a wide trade
with firms in most of New England, and in New York. Melcher purchased such items as knives, cuff
pins, coral amulets, ring boxes, chains, earrings, pins for fraternal orders,
candlesticks, Parian pitchers, rings (some set with stones), jet jewelry,
thimbles, coffin plates, ladles, scissors, buttons, watch fobs, tea sets,
goblets, vases, and an assortment of similar goods. Some of the invoices give a description of the
goods being purchased. A couple of the
bills were for services, such as painting and laying carpet.
An invoice book for the
years 1865-1868 is also included here, though it is possible that it is not
Melcher's. The attribution apparently
rests on a bill that came with the book, taped to the verso of the front free
endpaper. The goods listed in the
invoice book include glassware and chinaware.
Many of the goods are nicely described, sometimes including pattern
names. Goods included lava toy tea sets,
ruby gilt engraved vases, unglazed flower pots, plain Wellington wine glasses,
pairs of carvers, and a wide range of such goods. Among the firms represented were the Mount
Washington Glass Works; the Cape Cod Glass Company; Curtis, Collamore &
Co.; the Boston and Sandwich Glass Co., and Meriden Cutlery Co.
ORGANIZATION
The materials are housed
in six folders. The bills and receipts
are grouped by year in folders 1-5; they are not in exact chronological order. The last folder contains the invoice book
which is attributed to Melcher.
In 1968, the Downs
Collection acquired a number of these bills and printed billheads directed to
Gershom F. Melcher (68x75). Three
further accessions of overlapping similar material supplemented these items in
1979 and 1988 (79x122.12-90; 88x118; 99x39).
All the loose bills, receipts, and so on have been interfiled during
final processing.
The invoice book (acc.
69x35) is also available on microfilm, Mic. 955.
LANGUAGE
OF MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from Timothy
Trace; William B. Pennebaker; David Scotti; Avis and Rockwell Gardiner; and
Charles Apfelbaum
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Silverwork - New Hampshire.
Silverwork - Connecticut.
Silverwork - Maine.
Silverwork - Massachusetts.
Silverwork - New York (State).
Silverwork - Rhode Island.
Jewelry trade - New Hampshire - Portsmouth.
Glassware.
Pottery.
Bills (financial).
Receipts.
Silversmiths.
Watchmakers.
Jewelers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF
THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 K 2
Folder 1: Bills and receipts for G. F. Melcher, 1867-1868
(acc. 68x75.1-.17, 79x122.12-.19,
88x118.3-.9)
Folder 2: Bills and receipts for G. F. Melcher, 1869-1870
(acc. 79x122.20-.39, 88x118.10-.16,
99x39.4-.13)
Folder 3: Bills and receipts for G. F. Melcher, 1871-1872
(acc. 79x122.40-.52, 88x118.3-.9,
99x39.14-.17)
Folder 4: Bills and receipts for G. F. Melcher, 1873-1874
(acc. 79x122.53-.69, 99x39.49-.81)
Folder 5: Bills and receipts for G. F. Melcher, 1875, n.d.
(acc. 79x122.70-.90, 88x118.1-.2, 99x39.1-.3,
.48, .82-.92)
Folder 6: Invoice book, 1865-1868
(acc. 69x35)
[see attached index to
names]
Names appearing in files of bills and
receipts and names appearing in the invoice book; numbers to left of dash refer
to folder numbers; numbers to right of dash refer to accession numbers (acc.
79x122); names with an asterisk (*) are listed in two ways: in direct order and
under last name, thus A. Bernhard & Co. is found under A. and under
Bernhard; the accession numbers and the page numbers of the invoice book are
listed under only one form of the name, however.
Initial processing
included Termatrex indexing of the invoice book and the earlier two accessions
of billheads and receipts. The bills and
receipts acquired in 1988 were not indexed on the Termatrex system, but are
included in the attached name index.
A. Bernhard & Co.
(New York)* 1, 5; -.15, .72, .88
A. Paul & Co.
(Boston)* 4
A. F. Towle & Son
(Newburyport)* 4
A. W. Mitchell & Co.
(Boston)* 3, 4, 5
Adams, Chandler &
Co. (New York) 2
Adolph Hess & Co.
(New York)* 4
Adler, M. (New York) 3,
4
Armour, John J. (Boston)
2
Aug. Morgan (Boston)* 1
B. Bradley & Co.
(Boston)* 3, 4, 5; - .83
Banfield, Forristall
& Co. (Boston) 1
Bardo(?) & Dotter
(New York) 6 [invoice book, p.74]
Bassett, French &
Co. (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.32, 43]
Bassett, George W.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.27]
Belcher, G. F. - .23
[probably Melcher was meant, but name on bill is Belcher]
Benjn. F. Webster (n.p.)* 3
Bernhard, A. & Co.
(New York)* 1, 5
Blaisdell, Uriah (n.p.)*
3; - .47
Bodine, G. M. (New York)*
2; - .38
Boston & Sandwich
Glass Co. (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.7,
12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 24, 26, 27, 53, 55, 82, 98]
[also listed as Boston Sandwich Glass Co.]
Bradford, Martin L.,
& Co. (Portsmouth)* 6 [invoice book,
p.22]
Bradley, B., & Co.
(Boston)* 3, 4, 5
Brandly, V., & Co.
(Boston)* 2; -
.23, .29
Briggs, Richard 6 [invoice book, p.78, 90, 99, 101, 103]
Brown & Russell
(Boston) 1
Brown, E. M., & Co.
(n.p.)* 4; - .56
Brown, E. Washington
(Portsmouth, N. H.)* 5; -
.76
Burton, Fellows &
Co. (Portsmouth, N.H.) 6 [invoice book,
p. 17, 35, 46]
C. M. Hills (New York)* 1, 2, 3
Caldwell, Homer, &
Co. (Boston)* 6 [invoice book, p.12, 15,
20]
Cape Cod Glass Co.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 5, 15, 19,
21, 22, 28, 31, 38, 40, 42, 49, 56, 57, 70, 86, 88, 97, 100, 103]
Carl, Earl & Co.
(Boston) 2
Carr, M. W., & Co.
(Boston)* 3
Case Combination (n.p.) 5; - .90
Champan – see Chapman
Chapman, Geo. H., jr.,
& Co. (Boston)* 2, 6 [invoice book, p. 28]
Colby, W. B.
(Portsmouth, N.H.?)* 1; - .16
Cormerais, Henry, &
Co. (Boston)* 6 [invoice book, p.95]
Curtis, Collamore &
Co. (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 5, 6,
11, 13, 16, 21, 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 33, 36, 39, 40, 44, 45, 49, 51, 52, 54-56,
58, 59, 61, 67-70, 72-74, 76, 84, 87, 89, 91, 94, 96, 97, 99-103]
D. C. Percival, Jr.
& Co. (Boston)* 1, 3
Daniel L. Tirrell (Boston)*
1
Decker, Leonard (New
York) 4
Dennison & Co.
(Boston) 2, 6 [invoice book, p. 11]
Dessauer, G. (New York)
2, 3
Dinzey, Frederick V.
(Boston) 3, 4
Dunham, Rufus (Portland)
1, 2, 6 [invoice book, p.14, 85, 94]; -
.27
E. A. Stevens (n.p.)* 2
E. K. Josselyn (Boston)*
2
E. M. Brown & Co.
(n.p.)* 4
E. Washington Brown
(Portsmouth, N.H.)* 5
E. Williams & Co.
(New York)* 5
Eastham, Harvey &
Morris (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.64,
87, 97]
Elcox, H. & Co. (New
York)* 5; - .70
Enos Richardson &
Co. (New York)* 4, 5
Ephraim Bros. (New York)
4; - .61
Fletcher & Tanton
(Portsmouth, N.H.) 5 - .71
Fogg & Sawyer
(Boston) 3, 4
Fowle & Co.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 28]
Freund, Goldsmith &
Co. (New York) 4, 5 - .64, .68, .79, .87
G. M. Bodine (New York)*
2
Gale, Snow & Co.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 61, 86]
Gale, Wm. S., & Co.
(Boston)* 6 [invoice book]
Geo. H. Chapman, jr.,
& Co. (Boston)* 2, 6 [invoice book]
[name also listed as Champan in invoice book]
Gorham Mfg. Company
(Providence, R.I.) 3, 4; - .53
Gray, Robert
(Portsmouth, N.H.?)* 3; - .41, .45
Gray, Sarah - .41. .45
Guild & Delano
(Boston) 2
H. Elcox & Co. (New
York)* 5
H. Weber (Boston)* 1
H. Weber (Portsmouth)* 2
H. A. Osgood & Son
(Portsmouth, New York, Lewiston, Me.)* 5
Hammel, L., & Co.
(New York)* 5; - .73
Harmar, William, &
Co. (New York)* 6 [invoice book, p.50]
Harod, Wm. F. (Boston)* 4; - .59
Harwood Brothers
(Boston) 1 - .17
Haskell, Lyman (Boston)*
2; - .24
Henry Cormerais &
Co. (Boston)* 6 [invoice book]
Herman Trost, & Co.
(New York)* 6 [invoice book]
Hess, Adolph, & Co.
(New York)* 4
Hills, C. M. (New York)*
1, 2, 3; - .19. .22
Hirsh & Oppenheimer
(New York) 2 - .30, .31
Hodgson, Thomas (Boston)
4, 5
Holmes, Booth &
Haydens (Boston) 3
Homer Caldwell & Co.
(Boston)* 6 [invoice book]
Hopkins, James N.
(Providence)* 2, 3, 4; - .32, .34, .36
Hunt & Owen
(Providence) 3, 4 - .66
I. Sturn (New York)* 1
Ira Richards & Co.
(n.p.)* 3
Iuane(?), V.
(Philadelphia) 6 [invoice book, p.19]
J. L. Sweet & Co.
(Attleborough, MA)* 3, 4, 5
J. N. Hopkins
(Providence)* 2, 3, 4
J. Wilbur Mahony
(Boston)* 4
John Vogt & Co. (New
York)* 6 [invoice book]
Jones, William P.
(Newburyport)* 5
Josselyn, E. K. (Boston)*
2; - .25
Ketcham, Brother &
Co. (New York) 1
L. Hammel & Co. (New
York)* 5
L.S. Stowe & Co.
(n.p.)* 2
Lamson, Asa B. (Exeter,
N.H.) 6 [invoice book, p. 11, 14, 19,
63, 78, 98, 100]
Lamson, Rufus (Exeter,
N.H.) 6 [invoice book, p.44]
Landers Frary &
Clark (New Britain, Conn.) 6 [invoice
book, p.76]
Lauterback, Henry C.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 6, 8, 10,
15, 41]
Lazarus & Morris
(Hartford) 6 [invoice book, p. 9]
Lyman Haskell (Boston)* 2
M. C. Rich (New York)* 3
M.W. Carr & Co.
(Boston)* 3
Maddock, W. B., &
Steel* 6 [invoice book, p. 1, 5, 22, 46,
70, 103]
[also listed simply as Maddock & Steel]
Mahony, J. Wilbur
(Boston)* 4; - .62
Margot Brothers (Boston)
4
Martin L. Bradford &
Co. (Portsmouth)* 6 [invoice book]
McClary, Walter
(Portsmouth, N.H.)* 4 - .54
Mellen & Co.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.82]
Meriden Britannia Co.
(West Meriden, CT) 1, 6 [invoice book, p.68]
Meriden Cutlery Co. (New
York) 6 [invoice book, p. 7, 18, 27, 31, 37, 43, 50,
60, 67, 77, 85, 94]
Miller Bros. (New York)
3, 5 - .40, .43, .49, .81
Mitchell, A. W., &
Co. (Boston)* 3, 4, 5; - .74
Morgan, Aug. (Boston)* 1; - .13
Mount Washington Glass
Works (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 8, 9,
13, 16, 18, 20, 29, 30, 34-36, 38, 39, 41-43, 45, 46, 49, 51, 53-59, 61-64, 68,
69, 71-77, 81, 83, 85-88, 90, 92-93, 96, 97, 100-104]
Mowbry, Masters &
Andrews (Greenwich, N.Y.) 6 [invoice
book, p.52, 98]
[on p. 98, Mowbry is spelled Mowry]
Myers, S. & J.
(Boston)* 1, 4; - .57
Nathl. Plympton &
Co. -- see Plympton, Nathl.
New England Clock
Warehouse – see B. Bradley & Co.
Oppenheimer Bros. &
Hirsh (New York) 5
Osgood, H.A., & Son
(Portsmouth, New York, Lewiston, Me.)* 5
Page & Harding 6 [invoice book, p.18, 32]
Palmer, Bachelder &
Co. (Boston) 5; - .52, .73, .80, .84
Palmer, Bachelders &
Co. (Boston) 3
Palmers & Bachelders
(Boston) 1
[see also Palmer, Bachelder & Co.]
Parker & Casper Co.
(West Meriden, CT) 5
Paul, A., & Co.
(Boston)* 4
Percival, D. C., Jr.,
& Co. (Boston)* 1, 3; - .12
Percival & Morris
(Boston) 4
Pierce, Saml. B., Sons
& Co. (Boston)* 6 [invoice book, p.
7, 14, 30, 34, 36, 62, 83]
[also spelled Peirce]
Plympton, Nathl.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 41, 42, 50,
51, 57, 64, 68, 75, 78, 82, 88, 90-92]
[also listed as Nathl. Plympton & Co.]
Portland Stone Ware Co.
(Portland) 6 [invoice book, p. 9, 32, 40,
46, 82, 86]
Rand, Wm. T. (n.p.)* 4; - .55
Redfield & Rice (New
York) 1
Redfield & Rice
(Wolcotville, CT) 1, 2
Reed & Barton
(Taunton, MA) 2
Rice, Peirce & Co.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 6]
Rich, M. C. (New York)* 3; - .50
Richards, Ira, & Co.
(n.p.)* 3; - .42
Richardson, Enos, &
Co. (New York)* 4, 5; - .85
Ripley, Howland &
Co. (Boston) 3, 4
Robbins, Appleton &
Co. (Boston) 4 - .58
Robert Gray (Portsmouth,
N.H.?)* 3
Rogers & Co.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.21, 93]
Rogers, Wm., Mfg. Co.
(Hartford, CT)* 1, 6 [invoice book, p.87, 95]
Rogers, Smith & Co.
(New Haven, CT) 1, 2, 3
Rogers, Snelling &
Co. (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.73]
S. & J. Myers
(Boston)* 1, 4
Sackett, Davis & Co.
(Boston) 4 - .65
Saml. B. Pierce, Sons
& Co. (Boston)* 6 [invoice book]
[also spelled Peirce]
Sanders & Croswell
(Boston) 3, 5
Scudder, Rogers &
Co. (Boston) 6 [invoice book, p.19]
Simpson, Hall, Miller
& Co. (Wallingford, CT) 5 - .86, .89
Smith, Geo. S.
(Plymouth, N.H.) 4
Stearns, Nathl. C. 6 [invoice book, p.86]
Stevens, E. A. (n.p.)* 2; - .26
Stone & Wolff (New
York) 3
Stone, David (New York)
2
Storrs Brothers (New
York) 6 [invoice book, p.34, 55, 59]
Stowe & Co. - .37
Stowe, L. S., & Co.
(n.p.)* 2; - .33
Sturn, I. (New York)* 1; - .14
Sweet, J. L., & Co.
(Attleborough, MA)* 3, 4, 5; - .46, .60
Thaxter, Joshua (Boston)
3
Thayer & Guppy
(Portsmouth, NH) 3 - .51
Tirrell, Daniel L.
(Boston)* 1
Towle & Jones
(Newburyport, MA) 2
Towle, A. F., & Son
(Newburyport)* 4; - .67, .69
Towle, Jones & Co.
(Newburyport) 3 - .21
Trier & Co. (New
York) 2 - .39
Trier, Bros. &
Zellenka (New York) 3
Trost, Herman, & Co.
(New York)* 6 [invoice book, p. 3, 4,
23, 24, 37, 47, 48, 60, 66, 79-81, 104]
Tucker & Margoff
(New York) 3
Unewell(?), J. B.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 10]
Uriah Blaisdell (n.p.)* 3
V. Brandly & Co.
(Boston)* 2
Vogt, John, & Co.
(New York)* 6 [invoice book, p. 1, 2, 25,
26, 65]
W. B. Colby (Portsmouth,
N.H.?)* 1
W. B. Maddock &
Steel (New York)* 6 [invoice book]
Walter McClary (Portsmouth, N.H.)* 4
Warren & Richmond
(Boston) 2
Weber, H. (Boston)* 1;
- .18, .20, .28, .35
Weber, H. (Portsmouth)* 2
Webster, Benjn. F.
(n.p.)* 3; - .44
Whiting M’f’g. Company
(New York) 3 - .48
Wilcox Silver Plate Co.
(New York and West Meriden, CT) 2, 4, 5 - .63, .78, .82
William Harmar & Co.
(New York)* 6 [invoice book]
William P. Jones
(Newburyport)* 5
Williams, E., & Co.
(New York)* 5; - .77
Williams, W.B.
(Boston) 6 [invoice book, p. 5, 10, 12,
13, 17, 20, 28, 30, 31, 35, 37, 38, 40, 42, 54, 58, 71, 90, 95]
Wm. F. Harod
(Boston)* 4
Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co.
(Hartford, CT)* 1, 6 [invoice book]
Wm. S. Gale, & Co.
(Boston)* 6 [invoice book]
Wm. T. Rand (n.p.)* 4
Wolfson, A. (Boston) 4, 5
Woods, Sherwood & Co. (Lowell) 6 [invoice book, p.62]
Objects:
Blinds – [no number given]
Watch box - .14
Watch glasses - .17, .64
Watches - .17, .38
Occupation index:
Agent - .38, .89
Engraver - .24, .67, .75
Furniture merchant - .71
Importer - .14, .30, .64, .75, .80, .84, .88
Jeweler - .12, .15, .38, .61, .64
Jewelry maker - .23, .29, .40, .46, .59, .60, .65, .70, .88
Jewelry repairing - .46, .59
Newspaper - .51
Silver merchant - .12, .14, .15, .62, .69, .80, .84
Silver plate maker - .24, .62, .74
Silver repairing - .15, .38, .62
Silversmith - .67, .74
Store, fancy - .39
Undertaker - .71