The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Scott & Hutchinson

Title: Records

Dates: 1853-1883

Call No.: Col. 52

Acc. No.: 83x237

Quantity: 4 boxes

Location: 14 C 1

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Scott & Hutchinson was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, firm specializing in wheelwrighting and blacksmithing in the last half of the 1800s. The firm also built wagons, carts, and wheelbarrows. Their principal place of business was on Gray's Ferry Road, Philadelphia. The partners were John Scott and John Hutchinson until 1872 (when one receipt mentions the "late John Hutchinson"). Then a James Hutchinson appears in the records, as well as the name of Mrs. Mary Hutchinson.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The papers include bills, accounts, and receipts having to do with the business of wheelwrighting and blacksmithing, with rent and taxes, and with other business and personal concerns. Among the commodities purchased, one finds lumber, paints, varnishes, coal, bricks, hardware, wagon parts. The last box contains two hand-drawn maps, some wallpaper scraps, a few lithographs (in poor condition) and student notebooks kept by William, David, and Joseph Scott, sons of John Scott.

The collection includes a number of printed billheads. Following is a list of the companies represented.

John Scott, wheelwright

Scott & Hutchinson, wheelwrights and blacksmiths

William T. Brice, coach and wagon painter

S. C. Rodgers, light carriage manufacturer

Ketterer & Scherer, Fairmount Wagon Works

L. Rodenhauser, carriage and wagon builder

John Buckley & Co., spokes, hubs, felloes, &c.

Belt & Smith, coach, wagon, sign, ornamental painting

Demerest Gordon, Girard Spoke Works

Wm. D. Harrison, Sign and Ornamental Painter

Benezet & Co., manufacturers of coach and carriage springs

Kennedy, Willing & Co., saddlery and coach hardware

D. H. Kent, iron, steel and coach material

Harrison Brothers, paints

Charles C. Phillips & Co., manufacturers of varnish and japan

John M. Ford & Co., saddlery, hardware, coach trimmings

B. Ogden, dealer in hardware, tinware, lamps

Wm. Boyd & Son, house, sign and fresco painters

Among the highlights of the collection are the following:

Patent, "Improvement in Dumping Wagons," 1852. See Frank Castor, 1872;

John Scott's alterations to a 3-story brick dwelling, west side of Gray's Ferry Road (Papers 1853-1859);

Hutchinson and Scott's mortgage;

survey of two lots on south side of Bedford Street;

John Scott's rent on property in Bedford Street;

list of John Scott's Properties: 618-620 Gray's Ferry Rd. (Papers 1860-1869),

: 1916 Bedford Street,

: 2703 Federal Street;

taxes on: 2324 Gray's Ferry Road,

: 2326 South Street,

: 627 24th Street,

: 2018 Shippen,

: 1916 Bedford,

: 2013 Kimble;

permit and license, 1872;

permit to construct a 2-story back building at 24th & South Street, 1875;

trade card, Scott & Hutchinson.

The donor reported that he found the papers between the walls at John Scott's residence at 2314 South Street in Philadelphia. Their condition certainly supported this. Virtually all the papers were covered with soot or mold; many exhibit insect or rodent damage; a few have burn marks on the edges; most have severe creases; many are quite brittle. The surface dirt has been brushed off.

ORGANIZATION

These papers are arranged chronologically by half year, but not any more finely than that.

PROVENANCE

Gift of John Randolph.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Scott, John, fl. 1853-1883.

Hutchinson, John, fl. 1853-1870.

Scott, William, b. ca. 1870.

Scott, David, b. ca. 1870.

Scott, Joseph, b. ca. 1870.

Topics:

Wheelwrights - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

Blacksmiths - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

Carriage manufacturers and dealers - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

Building materials \z Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

School notebooks.

Wallpaper - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.

Bills (financial).

Receipts.

Notebooks.

Maps.

Lithographs.

Trade cards.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 14 C 1

Box 1:

Bills and receipts, 1853-1859

Bills and receipts, Building materials, 1860-1869

Bills and receipts, Ground rent, taxes and water (and Tho. Castor patent), 1860-1869

Bills and receipts, Wheelwrighting and blacksmithing, 1860-1869

Bills and receipts, General, 1860-69

Survey map, 1864

Bills and receipts, January-June 1870

Bills and receipts, July-December 1870

Bills and receipts, January-June 1871

Bills and receipts, July-December 1871

Bills and receipts, January-June 1872

Bills and receipts, July-December 1872

Box 2:

Bills and receipts, January-June 1873

Bills and receipts, July-December 1873

Accounts with Cresson & Ross, 1873-1875

Bills and receipts, January-June 1874

Bills and receipts, July-December 1874

Bills and receipts, January-April 1875

Bills and receipts, May-June 1875

Bills and receipts, July-August 1875

Bills and receipts, September-December 1875

Bills and receipts, 1876

Bills and receipts, 1877

Box 3:

Bills and receipts, 1878

Lodge assessments, John Scott's, ca. 1878

Bills and receipts, January-June 1879

Bills and receipts, July-December 1879

Bills and receipts, January-June 1880

Bills and receipts, July-December 1880

Bills and receipts, January-June 1881

Bills and receipts, July-December 1881

Bills and receipts, January-June 1882

Bills and receipts, July-December 1882

Bills and receipts, 1883

Bills and receipts, plus four trade cards, various dates

BIlls and receipts, etc., undated

Box 4:

Hand-drawn maps, undated

Color lithograph illustrations, undated

Lithograph, "The First Lesson," undated

Wallpaper fragments, undated

William Scott's accounting/bookkeeping/mathematics exercises notebook, 1872 (?)

William J. Scott's anatomy notebook, 1878

Mathematics notebook, 187-

David Scott's objects notebook, 187-

David Scott's objects notebook, 188-

Penmanship notebook (partial), undated

Political economy notebook, 187-

Jos. Scott's vocabulary notebook