The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Smith, William.
Title: Bills,
Dates: 1767-1797.
Call No.: Col. 465
Acc. No.: 74x302
Quantity: 15 items
Location: 34 J 2
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
William Smith was a merchant in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. His father was also named
William, and the father was dead by May 1764. The father owned land in or near Chester,
Penn. The firm of William Smith and
Sons, merchants, at 153 Water Street, was listed in the 1785 Philadelphia city
directory. Merchant William Smith was
also listed in the 1791 and 1793 directories, located at 83 North Water Street.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
This small collection of bills was collected by William
Smith between 1767-1797. Most bills are
from firms located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Burlington, New Jersey,
area. Items mentioned include frames for
two looking glasses, a clock case, a walnut dressing table, a stand, a
gridiron, books, whetstones, sugar, molasses, tea, coffee, flour, and
chocolate. Other bills are for liquor
and a local poor tax, paid on behalf of the estate of the senior William Smith. Several items are receipts for payments. In a short letter, Frances Durdin ordered
some good sherry and complained that the last received was too muddy to drink.
ORGANIZATION
The items are in accession number order.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from William Pennybaker.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Liquors - Prices - 18th
century.
Furniture - Prices - 18th century.
Food prices - 18th century.
Taxation – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia.
Invoices.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 J 2
All accession
numbers begin with 74x302. All bills
addressed to William Smith unless otherwise noted.
.1 vendue bill from Foulk & Bowman,
April 7, 1767: William Smith bought books and paper, including something by
Gaston, Monitor, Tillotson’s Sermons; payment receipt signed by Cuth. Landreth
.2 receipt: Smith paid the poor tax for
the estate of William Smith, received by James Whiteall
.3 note about Smith’s account with John
Watson, mentioned sundries, load of goods, passage for various people,
1768-1769
.4 receipted bill: Bethaniath Hodgkinson
was paid for mending a table, for a stand, for framing two looking glasses, for
putting legs in stand, and for blacking[?] a clock case, work done June
1785-March 1788; paid May 27, 1789
.5 bill from William Whiteside, June 16,
1786[?], for bohea tea
.6 bill from vendue of estate of Jno.
Watson, Sept. 20, 1786: purchased stone jars, walnut dressing table, a
gridiron, and a pewter quart; received dated Sept. 7, 1787, signed by Daniel
Smith, executor
.7 receipted bill from Job Butcher, June
13, 1787: for 60 Cramereik[?[ whetsontes
.8 receipted bill from Thomas Gregson,
Burlington, May 14, 1787: to wiring[?] 60 doz. of porter
.9 receipt: Smith paid John Morrell, May
25, 1787; money given to Morrell by Jonathan Fineman
.10 receipted bill: Amb. Vasse, Philadelphia,
was paid for brandy, June 20, 1787
.11 receipt: John Wither[illegible] was paid
for a box of soap, Feb. 9, 1788
.12 bill from George Smith, dated Nov. 26,
1790, but covers purchases made Dec. 7, 1789-April 20, 1790.
Purchases were chiefly
food stuffs, includin flour, sugar, molasses, rum, chocolate, chees, wine,
raisins [spelled reasons], glass[?], oil, coffee, iron tea kettles, etc.
.13 receipt: Willis & Yardley received
payment, Philadelphia, Feb. 22, 1792; receipt was enclosed in a letter by Raper
Hoskins
.14 note to Smith from Daniel Smith, Jr.,
Jan. 29, 1797: please to let Jacob Jacobs have money and charge to Daniel’s
account
.15 note to Smith from Frances Durdin, March
1, 1797: please to send good sherry wine; “the last was so muddy that I could
hardly use the half of it – I beg this may be clear”