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: Grant, John E. (John Edward), 1838-1912
Title: Papers,
Dates: 1864-1890.
Call No.: Col. 557
Acc. No.: 98x66
Quantity: 65 items (5 folders)
Location: 18 I 1
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
John E. Grant was a farmer in West Wrentham and
Sheldonville, both of which are part of Wrentham, Massachusetts. He was born in 1838, the son of Miranda
Cutler Craig and George Grant. John
married Elvira Sophronia Hawes (1839-1925), and they had at least two
children. In addition to being a farmer,
Grant held several town offices at various times: Selectman, Overseer for the
Poor, Surveyor of Highways, Fire Warden, Measurer of Wood and Bark, Assessor,
Surveyor of Lumber, and Fence Viewer; as well, he was on the Board of
Health. In 1881, Grant’s property was
valued at $3,465.00 and included a piano, land, livestock, and several
buildings.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
Collection includes blacksmiths' bills; grocery
bills (listing items purchased and prices, dated 1889-1890); a letter about selling
cranberries in New York; bills for painting and wallpaper; a bill from Dr.
George King (possibly from Franklin, Mass.) for visits and medicine; a list of
streets assigned to Grant as Surveyor of Highways in 1880; and "Hints
about Poultry" (a note about how to raise chickens). The undated property inventory, listing house
furnishings and other assets, is probably of the estate of George Grant, who
died in 1865.
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 Carmen D. Valentino.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Grant, George, 1798-1865.
Topics:
Blacksmithing -
Massachusetts - Wrentham.
Blacksmithing -
Prices.
Food prices -
Massachusetts - Sheldonville.
House
furnishings - Inventories.
House furnishings – Massachusetts.
House painting - Massachusetts - Wrentham.
Inventories of decedents’ estates - Massachusetts -
Wrentham.
Medical fees.
Poultry.
Roads - Massachusetts
- Wrentham.
Wallpaper - Prices.
Farmers.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 18 I
1
All accession
numbers begin with 98x66. All are
addressed to John E. Grant, unless otherwise noted.
Folder 1:
1864-1869
.1 receipted bill: from C.E. Aldrich,
Woonsocket, Dec. 20, 1864: curtains, nappie, caster, goblets, molasses jug,
plates, lamp, forks, crockery;
On back: a list of more
goods, and prices, written in pencil
.2 bill, to estate of George Grant, from
Charles A. Grant, April 1865-Feb. [presumably 1866, but year not stated]:
shoeing horses and oxen, settings tires, sharpening teeth on harrow, bolts for
sawmill, and other blacksmithing work;
Endorsed on
back: R. A. Mellens blacksmith bill
.3 bill, to estate of George Grant, from
Charles A. Grant, April-Sept. 1866: shoeing horses and oxen, setting cart
tires, mending mowing machine and winnowing mill, fixing yoke, and other
blacksmith work
.4 bill, to estate of George Grant, from
Charles A. Grant, Oct. 1866-March 1867: shoeing horses and oxen, making nails
and hook, lengthening whippletree, mending sythe,, and other blacksmith work
.5 letter, Frazier & Van Saun, New
York, Oct. 22, 1867: will take his cranberries and sell them to best advantage;
Printed letterhead:
dealers in foreign and domestic fruits
.6 receipted bill: Constant Taber,
Wrentham, Oct. 26, 1867: for painting house and fence, panes of glass,
wallpaper and border, whitewashing, paint and oil, work and paint in kitchen;
Part
of bill was paid by Mrs. George Grant
.7 receipted bill: R. A. Mellen, Oct. 19,
1868: blacksmith work: mending shovel, chair, repairing wagon, shoeing oxen and
horses, cutting saw, making yoke staple, setting tires, etc.
.8 receipted bill: R. A. Mellen, Wrentham,
Apr. 1, 1869: blacksmith work: shoeing oxen and horses, hooping barrels, making
mill bolts, etc.
.9 receipted bill: William Woodman,
Franklin, June 25, 1869: paint colors, oil, japan, putty, varnish, labor
.10 receipted bill: George G. Green,
Woonsocket, Sept. 25, 1869: tablet for Georgie, extra letters [perhaps for a
grave marker];
U.S.
Internal Revenue stamp is affixed
Folder 2:
1870-1875
.11 receipted bill: R. A. Mellen, Wrentham,
Oct. 1, 1870: blacksmith work: shoeing oxen and horses, repairing hand cart,
making cider mill and flail irons, etc.
.12 short letter: Ellen A. Foster, Franklin,
Jan. 14, 1871, to Edwin B. Miller, Thos. B. Staples, Elbert S. Moses: request
that they pay $2250 to Olney Arnold, treasurer of the Providence County Savings
Bank of Pawtucket, Rhode Island;
Written on back: direct
to J. Foord, register of deeds, Dedham, Mass.
.13 receipted bill: Charles A. Grant,
Jan.-June 1871: for making ox sled, a neck yoke, oak planks and chestnut
timber, fixing cart for horses, repairing a wheel, fixing plow
.14 receipted bill: Charles A. Grant, Dec.
1871-April 1872: forebridge to ox wagon, filing saw, woodwork for bobsleds,
spokes and felloes for wheel, etc.
.15 letter: A.J. Currier, Clerk for Albion
Co., R.I., April 20, 1872: pleast let bearer have the pair of cattle bought by
William Carpenter for Albion Co.; will pay next Tuesday
.16 receipted bill: Charles A. Grant, April
1872-Feb. [1873]: splicing shaft, wheel spokes, whippletree, pole in express
wagon, repairing churn, shoeing sled, etc.
.17 receipted bill: Dr. Geo. King: Feb.-July
1872: for visits, vaccination, medicine
.18 receipted bill: R. A. Mellen, Wrentham,
Oct. 1, 1872: blacksmith work: setting tires, making mill bolts, shoeing horses
and oxen
.19 receipted bill: R. A. Mellen, Wrentham,
Apr. 1, 1873: blacksmith work: shoeing oxen and horses, mending pole iron and
chains, making cart hook and mill dog, steeling iron bar, etc.
.20 letter, E.C. Craig, Walpole, June 1,
1873: asks him to dispose of some crop on the old place;
In pencil on back: building
materials: shingles, window, spikes, nails, boards, locks and knob, hinges,
window bolts, etc.
.21 receipted bill: J. B. Mason, Wrentham,
May –Sept. 1873: blacksmith work: making and setting tires, bolts, mending
chain, shoeing horses, setting axel, iron for threshold, etc.
.22 receipted bill: James B. Mason, Wrentham,
Sept.-Dec. 1873: blacksmith work: setting tire, shoeing ox, stop cock, iron
whiffletrees, mend chain, toggles and links, etc.
.23 receipted bill: Geo. M. Cook, May-Dec.
1873: blacksmith work: mending harrow, set of wheels, axletree, set of boxes, a
spoke, whiffletrees, making pole
.24 receipted bill: Geo. M. Cook, Feb.-Oct.
1874: blacksmith work: bolts, filing saw, repairing gear for sawmill and lumber
rack, wheelbarrow, repairing plough, axletree, felloes, fixing boxes and
winnowing mill, repairing wagons
.25 receipted bill: A. H. Perkins, West
Wrentham, Jan.-June 1875: blacksmith work: shoeing horses and oxen, fixing
chain and sled, hooping tub, fixing sawmill iron, etc.
Folder 3:
1876-1882
.26 receipted bill: William Woodman,
Franklin, June[?] 26, 1876: paint, graining color, varnish, labor
.27 receipted bill: G.M. Cook, West Wrentham,
Mass., Aug. 1876-April 1877: blacksmith work: axletree, repairing hand sled,
wood work to runners, whiffletree, evener, repairing wagons
.28 receipted bill: E.J. Blake, West
Wrentham, April 19, 1877 (for Dec. 1876-April 1877): blacksmith work: repairing
shovel, braces on hand sled, links and S hooks, ironing traverse runner,
re-ironing whiffletree, shoeing horses, mill work, mending seat spring and
chain, etc.
.29 sheet of accounts, with credits on one
side and debits on other, 1877-1878
.30 receipted bill: E.J. Blake, West
Wrentham, Dec. 3, 1877 (for July-Dec.), blacksmith work
.31 receipted bill: E.J. Blake, West
Wrentham, Aug. 1, 1878 (for Dec. 1877-July 1878): blacksmith work
.32 receipted bill: E.J. Blake, West
Wrentham, Oct. 1, 1879 (for April-Sept. 1879): blacksmith work
.33 receipted bill: E.J. Blake, West
Wrentham, April 1, 1880 (for Oct. 1879-March 1880): blacksmith work
.34 report: “Limits of Highway District No. 2
as assigned by Selectmen of Wrentham, Mass. to John E. Grant, surveyor for
1880,” signed by the selectmen (of whom John E. Grant was one)
.35 bill: A. Mowry, Woonsocket, July 17,
1880: [illegible, but meal seems to be mentioned]
Printed billhead:
dealers in flour, corn, oats, feed, cottone seed meal, feed meal, &c.,
&c.
.36 receipted bill: E.J. Blake, West
Wrentham, Sept. 25, 1882[?] (for March-Nov.): blacksmith work
.37 statement:
E.F. Crowninshield, Diamond Hill, R.I., Dec. 1882: amount on account;
Printed
billhead: dealer in groceries and provisions
Folder 4:
1888-1889
.38-.50 receipted
bills: G. Forbes, Jr., Sheldonville, Mass.: June 25, Oct. 1, Nov. 1,1888; Feb.
1, March 1, April 2, May 3, June 3, July 2, Aug. 2, Sept. 3, Oct. 3, Nov. 30,
1889: for a wide variety of goods, including food items (oranges, butter,
sugar, beans, meal, molasses, canned goods, etc., etc.; this is the largest
category of purchases); household goods (cups and saucers, tumblers, broom);
textiles and sewing supplies (netting, Turkey red, spool of cotton, prints,
hooks & eyes, braid, cambric, whalebones, buttons); dress accessories
(shoes and slippers, overalls, mittens, hose); and such items as cotton seed,
caustic, ammonia, s.b. drops;
Printed billhead: dealer
in dry goods, groceries, flour, grain and general merchandise
[bills for 1890 in
folder 5]
Folder 5: 1890,
no date
.51-.59 receipted
bills: G. Forbes, Jr., Sheldonville, Mass.: Jan. 4, Feb. 4, March 4, May 3,
June 3, July 14, Sept. 4, Oct.7 [two with this date], 1890: see above for the
kinds of goods being purchased;
Printed billhead: dealer in
dry goods, groceries, flour, grain and general merchandise
[bills for 1888-89 in
folder 4]
.60 receipted bill: A. H. Perkins, West
Wrentham, Mass., April-May no year: blacksmith work
.61 bill: Asa Franklin bought of C.L. Norton,
Sheldonville, Mass., July , no year: scythe, flour, oil, tea, starch, “goods”
.62 inventory, not dated, but very probably
of the estate of George Grant (died 1865): lists of goods and values; includes
furniture, air-tight stove and cooking stove, clock, library (presumably value
of books), lamps and candle sticks, beds and bedding, crockery and glassware,
silver spoons, table cloths and towels, wringing machine, balances, milk
things, meal bags, , looking glass, watch; also some food items (cheese,
potatoes, lard, pork, etc.); shares in Wrentham Bank, cash, debts owed to
estate; carriages, harnesses, farming tools, stock and tolls in blacksmith
shop; values of home place, tenements, shops, place in Franklin, pine lot;
.63-.64 envelopes addressed to John E.
Grant, one postmarked from New York, Oct.22, sent to West Wrentham; the other
postmarked Walpole, Mass., Jan. 15, sent to Sheldonville
.65 “Hints about Poultry”: hand-written notes