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: New-York Agricultural
Society
Title: Papers
Dates: 1793-1819, bulk 1793-1796
Call No.: Col. 490
Acc. No.: 76x45
Quantity: 11 items
Location: 34 J 3
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The New-York Agricultural Society was listed in the
New York City directory for 1794. It
promoted agriculture, manufactures, and the arts. Officers in 1794 included Samuel Jones and
Samuel L. Mitchill; Samuel Bard was the representative for News York City, and
Ezra L’Hommedieu was the representative for Suffolk County. No attempt was made to trace the society through
the directories, and nothing else was learned about it.
The Albany County Agricultural Society sponsored its
first fair in 1813 or 1819 (both dates were found).
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
This small collection primarily consists of bills
addressed to the New-York Agricultural Society between 1793-1796. Most are for beer, pipes, tobacco, candles,
door keeping services, and the publication of notices; all of these relate to
the society’s meetings. Other bills are
for engraving a seal, a model of a thrashing machine, and for making a plow. A certificate of membership for John Lamb in
the Albany County Agricultural Society, dated 1819, has an engraving of farm
animals and various agricultural implements.
ORGANIZATION
The items are in chronological 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 J. S. Newman.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Albany County Agricultural
Society (N.Y.)
Agricultural implements - Prices - 18th century.
Agriculture -
Societies, etc.
Associations,
institutions, etc. - Records and correspondence.
Beer - Prices -
18th century.
Societies - Records and correspondence.
Bills.
Membership certificates.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 J
3
All accession
number begin with 76x45.
.1 the Agricultural Society, March 9,
1793, orders its treasurer to pay Mr. Bicker, the door keeper, for articles
furnished to the society and for his services; signed S. Jones, Jun.;
.2 receipt: Victor Bicker acknowledges
receipt of payment from Samuel Jones, Jr., on behalf of Samuel Jones,
treasurer, New York, March 17, 1793;
.3 receipted bill: the Agricultural Society
paid Victor Bicker for beer, pipes, tobacco, and his services, 1794
.5 receipted bill: Samuel Jones, Jr. paid
Geo. Bunce & Co., for publishing notice of Agricultural Society, Feb. 16,
1795
.6 receipt: James Harvey was paid for a
model of a thrashing machine which he made for the Agricultural Society, March
17, 1795;
.7 receipt: James Shields was paid for
making a plow for the Agriculture Society, New York, March 30-April 1, 1795;
.4 receipted bill: the New York
Agriculture Society paid Victor Bicker for pipes, tobacco, candles, and his
services, June 1795 [date on back]
.9 Samuel Bard, Peter De Labigarre, and
Samuel L. Mitchell pledge to pay B. C. Verger for engraving a seal for the
Society for Promoting Agriculture, Arts, and Manufactures; also signed by
Samuel Jones, treasurer; March 1, 1796;
On back: Verger’s
receipt for payment, March 5, 1796; written in French,
.8 receipt bill: John Conran, New York,
March 16, 1796 was paid by the Agricultural Society for candlelight and
attendance;
On back: a note that
something was audited and examined by Samuel L. Mitchell;
.10 receipted bill: Bartholomew Skaats
was paid by the Agriculture Society for
attendance, beer, candles, pipes, tobacco, and cock for the beer barrel, bill
datd April 5, 1796;
with a note from
Ezra L’Hommedieu dated March 5, 1796 requesting that the bill be paid
.11 membership certificate: The Albany County
Agricultural Society for Promoting Agriculture and Domestic Manufactures
admitted John Lamb of Albany, Oct. 12, 1819; signed by the secretary Louis Van
Vechten, and the president Stephen van Rensselaer;
Printed
form published and sold by Rawdon & Balch, engravers, Albany; illustrated
with an eagle on top of a shield, and with a vignette of a milkmaid approaching
cows under a tree, with a farmer plowing, and a hear of sheep, and some produce