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: Failing family

Title: Papers

Dates: 1808-1877

Call No.: col. 486

Acc. No.: 75x261.1012-.1077

Quantity: 7 folders (about 65 items)

Location: 34 J 3

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Henry, Josiah, Mary, Polly, and Simeon Failing lived in Fort Plain and Canajoharie, New York, during the 19th century. Simeon served as the measurer of firewood, timber, and lumber, as well as the pound keeper and tax collector for these towns.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Collection contains various papers relating to the Failing family between 1808-1877, including bills, receipts, promissory notes, bonds, articles of agreement, deeds, and letters. Items of note include bills for stores, lumber, and hollowware, a promissory note for lumber, an account book documenting casual labor, and articles of agreement concerning the subcontracting of work for the Erie Canal. A patent assignment for a water elevator, granted to Simeon Failing in 1867, is also included.

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 Rockwell Gardiner.

ACCESS POINTS

Topics:

Patents - Specimens - 19th century.

Stoves.

Pottery.

Shipping – New York (State).

Erie Canal (N.Y.).

Accounts.

Bills (financial).

Invoices (Acknowledgments).

Receipts.

Deeds.

Promissory notes.

Bonds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 34 J 3

Folder 1: receipts

.1012 shipping receipt, September 6, 1837, stoves and hollowware shipped by Capt. S. Failing from Troy to Amdel B. Watson of Unadilla, care of E. Foot of Cooperstown, signed by Sylvester Parker per I. L. Parker and by Robert(?) A. Smith

.1013 shipping receipt, September 7, 1837, stoves and hollowware shipped by Capt. S. Failing from Troy to Elisha Foot of Cooperstown, signed by Sylvester Parker per I. L. Parker and by Robert(?) A. Smith

.1014 New York canal shipping clearance papers, April 28, 1837, Fu[illegible, name of town] for raft no. 3 of Fort Plain, S. Failing master, bound for Cohoes

.1015a receipted bill, Simeon Faling [sic], paid L. Fox for making coat, vest, etc., July 23, 1841-February 11, 1842

.1015b bill, Simeon Failing owes to Chas. Davy,1844-1846, for rental of horse, cutter, wagon; Failing given credit for filing saws

.1016 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid Simon Tingue, 1845, for variety of goods, including food, boiled oil, white lead, nails, cups and saucers, soap, candles, thread, liquor, etc.

.1017 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid Nathan Davis for furnishing and lining grave, etc., 1845-1846

.1018 bill, Simeon Failing owes to Simon Tingue, 1845, for variety of goods, including food, nails and other hardware, soap, candles, thread and textile fabrics, lumber, garden seeds, bowls, etc.

.1019 bill, Simeon Faling [sic] owes to J. & R. Adams, 1846, for pork, ham, veal, lamb, beef

.1020 receipt issued to S. Faling (sic) for payment of bill, [signature illegible], Fort Plain, September 9(?), 1846

.1021 bill, Bogert Davis & Turner owe S. Failing for his unspecified work, 1845

.1022 bill, Simeon Faling [sic] owes to J. & R. Adams, 1848, for pork, beef, sausages, tallow

.1023 account between Simeon Failing and David C.(?) Wabash(?); Failing bough potatoes, pumpkins, lumber, walnuts, and a dressed pig, and paid for these goods with work on house and barn, 1849-1852

.1024 receipt, Simeon Failing paid D. Wieting for coffin, Fort Plain, June 25, 1852

.1025 bill, Simeon Failing owes to James Difendorf(?), 1853-1857, for visits (probably medical visits)

.1026 receipt, Simeon Failing paid D. Wieting for sugar, molasses, etc., 1856-1857

.1027 receipted bill, Simeon Faling (sic) paid Robert Patten for making and mending shoes and boots, 1856-1860

.1028 bill, Simeon Failing bought of Hood & Keloch(?), boards, nails, sugar, shingles, etc., 1857

.1029 receipted b ill, Simeon Failing paid Babcock & Gregory for sash, putty, glass, white lead, boiled oil, etc., 1857-1858

.1030 receipt, Sim. Failing paid on account with Wood & Klock, Fort Plain, 1857

.1034 receipt, Sim. Failing paid on account with Wood & Klock, Fort Plain, 1857

.1031 receipt, Sim. Failing paid on account with Wood & Klock, Fort Plain, 1857

.1032 bill, Simeon Failing owes S. Smith for flour, candles, butter, 1857

.1033 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid S. Tingue & Son, for wide variety of goods, including umbrella, textiles, sugar, shoes, butter, tea, nuts, etc., 1857-1858

.1035 list of amounts paid to various people, 1857-1858

.1036 receipted bill, Simeon Faling (sic) paid Wm. Dillenbeck(?) for pants and school tax, Fort Plain, 1857-1858

.1037 bill, Nelson L. Beckwith owes to S. Failing, for board, a pair of boots, washing, 1857-1858

.1038 receipted bill, School District No. 11, payment receipted by [signature illegible], for bolts, etc., 1858

.1039 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid Wm. De Long for painting school house, 1857-1858

.1040 bill, Simeon Faling (sic) bought of H. I. Philips(?), bunches of lath, 1857

.1041 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid S. Tingue for butter, eggs, fabric, etc., 1858

.1042 bill, Simeon Failing bough of S. Tingue & Son, Fort Plain, textiles, 1858, on printed billhead

.1043 receipted bill, Simeon Failing bought of Mrs. Lewis Ransom, ribbon, hats, hat trim, food items, 1852-1859

.1044 receipted bill, Simeon Faling (sic) paid Pattin(?) & Haron(?), for shoes, boots, and mending, 1858-1859

.1045 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid O. O. Austin, for flour, singed D. Lathrop, 1862

.1046 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid Peter P. Wagner, Fort Plain, for sugar, butter, apples, etc., 1870; receipt signed by F. L. Kemp; on printed billhead

.1047 measurement of bark, August 12, 1858, measuring seems to have been done by S. Failing for Mr. Wagon(?)

.1048 receipted bill, Simeon Failing paid Rufus Lipe, Fort Plain, for paper and other goods, 1874

.1049 account of Failing Wiley & Co., also mentions account of Lysander Reeves; variety of goods mentioned, including tobacco, writing paper, shovels, textiles, etc., and payments made to various people

.1050 list of names and days worked, including S. Failing, A. F. Fargeharson(?), H. Hardendorff(?), Jacob Linser(?), Lonzo Snell, John Da[illegible]

Folder 2: orders and promissory notes

.1051 note, D. Linton(?), Mohawk, to S. Failing, Fort Plain, Nov. 23, 1841; Linton will be down soon and expects Failing to have some money ready for him by then; tell Geo. Crouse but don’t let everyone else know about his affairs

.1052 notes, Catharine Rowland, Fort Hunter, to S. Failing, asking payment for bill for boarding, March 15, no year

.1054 note from Abraham P. Failing, promising to deliver lumber for a house to Simeon Failing, also letting Simeon Failing live rent-free in the house which he now occupies, April 23, 1835

.1055 note, Abraham P. Failing, promises to deliver a certain amount of lumber to Simeon Failing, May 5, 1835

.1056 S. Failing promises to pay Wood & Klcok $77.07, Fort Plain, January 11, 1858

Folder 3: account book, 1856, and list of lumber

.1053 accounts, presumably of Simeon Failing, in pencil, badly smeared and faded

.1057 list of lumber measured by S. Failing for Abels(?) & Ha[illegible], March 1854

Folder 4: legal papers

.1058 articles of agreement between Henry J. Failing and Abrahams Failing, May 6, 1822, Montgomery County, New York, about construction of part of the Erie Canal; signature of witness illegible

.1059 articles of agreement, Simeon Failing and Mary Failing to Daniel F. Curtis, January 18, 1832, Montgomery County, New York, about timber; also signed by John Darrow

.1061 agreement between Simeon Failing and Polly Failing (widow of Henry I. Failing) on one part and Elizabeth Walrath(?) (widow of Jacob A. Walrath[?]) of the other part, to execute a mortgage; Jacob I. Keller also mentioned, witnessed by John Stettis(?), July 30, 1829

.1062 trustees of Fort Plain Village appoint Simeon Failing as Sheet Commissioner for current year, April 15, 1844; signed by U. Birge(?), William Dale, L. Fox, S. Countryman, and C. Charlesworth, clerk

.1063 trustees of Fort Plain Village appoint Simeon Failing as Pound Master for current year, May 14, 1844; signed by E. Stilwell, L. Fox, S. Countryman, U. Birge(?), William Dale, and C. Charlesworth, clerk

.1064 trustees of Fort Plain Village appoint Simeon Failing as Measurer of Firewood, Timber & Lumber, April 8, 1843; signed by Warren Holmes, N. A. Van[illegible], Peter Tobie(?), W. C. Noxon, (?) E. Williams

.1065 trustees of Fort Plain Village appoint Simeon Failing as Measurer of Firewood, Timber & Lumber for ensuing year, April 22, 1850; signed by George Yost, Leander Fox, David Wieting(?), Jermiah Wagner, Wm. E. Burchart(?) and G. Crown, clerk

.1066 Simeon Failing’s report as Collector of School District no. 14, Town of Minden, for 1858-1859

.1067, note, J. Savage, clerk of Superior Court, State of New York, Utica, April 30, 1839, to Messrs. Wagner & Webster, Fort Plain, New York; re: search of court records found only one judgment against Simeon Failing, in case with Joseph Washburn, 1838

.1068 execution of judgment against Simeon Failing, Minden, July 8, 1838, in favor of John J. Wagner; signed by S. Countryman, justice; on back: notices of payments and other actions; on form printed at the Fort Plain Journal office

.1069 William Aberl is to examined as a witness in a case involving John, Jeremiah, Simeon, and Catharine Failing and Andrew and Jacob H. Zimmerman, signed by Montgomery County Court Judge D. F. Pacia(?), May 6, 1839

.1070 decree for sale in foreclosure suit involving Abram H. and Charles J. Diefendorff versus Evan Heath and Simeon Failing, November 19, 1846, on printed form

.1071 judgment in suit involving Abram H. and Charles J. Diefendorff versus Evan Heath and Simeon Failing, January 9, 1847; on back: note that W. C. Noxon sold the mortgage to Jas. W. Hamilton, August 3, 1847

.1072 assignment in letters-patent to Simeon Failing, signed by E. R. [Emett R.] Austin per M. B. Judson, attorney, January 26, 1867; the patent involved improvements to some sort of elevator; on printed form

Folder 5: letters

.1060 Josiah Failing, New York to brother Simeon Failing, Canajoharie, November 2, 1833; have put two boxes and one cask on Capt. Wood’s boat for you; sends tea for mother, paper, shoes for Sarah, saddle for you; please send apples and cider; all well

.1077 Josiah Failing, New York, to mother Mary Failing, Canajoharie, Montgomery County, December 6, 1833; re: firkin of butter, barrel of cider, and box of turnips and other things have arrived; has not yet found anyone to carry the tea to her; Henrietta, children, and Eliza are well; added note dated Dec. 10 – Aunt Day is well [part of note is torn]

Folder 6: deed

.1073 copy of part of a deed mentioning a right of way across land owned by Simeon Failing;

endorsed on back: “A copy of deed, Jacob B. Flint to John N. Zimmerman, Nov. 16, 1846,”

folder 7: miscellaneous accounts

.1076 note, Thomas Day and Henry J. Failing to pay Hendrick Fry for land, house, smith’s hop, and brew kettle, Canajoharie, March 1, 1808; with later notes about payments made

.1075 Henry Failing’s portion of stock from dissolving partnership of Day and Failing, November 1810

.1074 account of debts received and paid since the dissolving of copartner[ship] between Day and Failing , February 8, 1814