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: Blanchard & Clapp
Title: Invoices and bills
Dates: 1833-1834
Call No.: Col. 659
Acc. No.: 81x280.16-.22, .24-.31
Quantity: 15 items
Location: 34 J 4
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Nothing is known about the partnership of Blanchard
& Clapp. They probably ran a general
store somewhere in New England, possibly in Windham County, Vermont.
One of the bills was from Wardsboro, which is in
Windham County, Vermont. The 1830 and
1840 censuses for Wardsboro list Aaron Blanchard, but no one surnamed Clapp, so
although the store may have been close to Wardsboro, it does not seem to have
been in that town.
Walton Mead painted a sign for the company. A man of that name lived in Walpole, New
Hampshire, across the river from Windham County, Vermont.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
A small group of bills sent to Blanclard & Clapp
for purchasing goods, mostly from stores in Boston, Massachusetts, or in
Windham County, Vermont, 1833-1834. Some
of the bills are for textile fabrics, such as London prints, muslin, shirting,
flannel, gingham, grass cloth, etc., and dress making notions (buttons, braids,
ribbon, and other trims) or dress accessories (hose, handkerchiefs, shawls,
gloves). Other bills are for pitchforks,
saws, brushes (hair, tooth, paint, cloth), teapots, lanterns and lamps, chamber
pots, tubs and pails, saleratus, copperas, alum, and a variety of other goods.
ORGANIZATION
The bills and invoices are in chronological order,
not 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 N. David Scotti.
ACCESS POINTS
Topics:
Textile fabrics - Prices -
19th century.
Dress
accessories - Prices - 19th century.
Notions
(Merchandise) - Prices.
House
furnishings - 19th century.
Agricultural
implements - Prices.
Invoices.
Merchants.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 J
4
All invoices
are addressed to Blanchard and Clapp;
All accession
numbers begin with 81x280
Folder 1 of 2:
(chronological order):
.17 receipted
invoice, from Ball, Baker & Co., Boston, May 1, 1833.
Items
purchased include quills, buttons (some gilt), bobbins, tape, twist, ribbons,
braids, handkerchiefs, edging, inserting, hooks and eyes, bed tick and
furniture binding, lacings, thread, umbrellas and parasols, table cloths
(plaid, brown linen, blue figured), canvas pudding, Suffolk drilling, needles,
buckram, palm leaves, etc.
.16 receipted invoice, from Kimball J. Evett
& Co., Boston, May 2, 1833;
Items
purchased include tapes, braces, temperance handkerchiefs, other handkerchiefs,
vesting, gloves, hose, shawls, lace edging, quilling, various kinds of textile
fabrics (muslin, cambric, gingham, shirting, linen, sheeting, etc.), oil cloth,
etc. Receipt signed by J. Brown.
.19 receipted bill, from Walton Mead, no
place, May 16, 1833, for a sign.
.20 receipted bill, bought of Abel K. Wilder,
Wardsboro, [Vermont], May 18, 1833: for pitchforks.
[Note:
Abel K. Wilder was not the same person as Abel Wilder, the grandfather of
Almanzo Wilder, the husband of the writer Laura Ingalls Wilder. However, as they both lived for a time in
Windham County, Vermont, they may have been related.]
.21 receipted bill, bought of Mark Richards, Boston,
May 21, 1833:
purchased plaid
and mourning gingham, painted French muslin, shoes (from Field & Goold),
mourning and furniture calico, cambric, shirting, prints, and other textile
fabrics.
.22 receipted bill, bought of E. May,
Westminster, [Windham County, Vermont?], June 4, 1833:
purchased saleratus,
copperas, whiting, buttons, shot, milk pans, painted pails, butter tubs,
brooms, padding, Russia duck, mourning crape, yarn, lamps, iron candle sticks,
thread, mugs, platters, plates, tea sets, pitchers, other china ware, lead
cocks, glass, etc.
.24 receipted bill, bought of L. Norton,
Bennington, [probably Vermont], July 10, 1833; receipt signed by James P.[?]
Godfrey;
purchased
stoneware: churns, butter sets, and jugs.
.18 receipted bill, bought of Hunnewell &
Harrington, no place, July 11, 1833;
purchased
crockery: plates, tea pots, sugar bowls, creamers, pitchers, bowls, muffins,
chamber pots, glass nappies, salts, etc.
.25 receipted bill, bought of Henry Rice
& Co., importers of piece goods and hardware, Boston, July 11, 1833;
Purchased pocket knives,
scissors, trunk locks, butts, square files, hinges, scythe rifles and stones,
brads, wool cards, wood screws, twine, fancy calico, Russia diaper.
Printed billhead
.26 receipted bill, bought of John Shorey,
Boston, Sept. 10, 1833;
purchased grass
cloth, silk handkerchiefs, busks, braids, gloves, buttons.
.29 receipted bill, bought of Mark Richards,
Westminster, Nov. 11, 1833: for London print calico, cambric.
Penciled
notes on back include name S.B. Clapp.
.31 receipted bill, bought of Ball Baker
& Co., Boston, Oct. 14, 1834, signed by Richard Pell; for London print.
Folder 2 of 2 (oversized, in map case 2, drawer 8)
.27 receipted bill, bought of Henry Rice
& Co., importers of piece goods and hardware, Boston, Sept. 10, 1833;
Purchased shirting,
sheeting, power loom ticking, fancy calico, cambric, gros de Naples, Irish
linen, pongee, lustring ribbon, fancy gauze handkerchiefs, cotton tapes,
camblet, tabby velvet, vesting, gingham umbrellas, rope, latches, whips, cloth
brushes, wallets, hair brushes, chains, gimblets, tacks etc.
Printed billhead
.28 receipted bill, bought of Henry Rice
& Co., importers of piece goods and hardware, Boston, October 29, 1833;
Purchased a long list of
textile fabrics, handkerchiefs, sewing silk and twist, batting, canvas padding,
buttons, braid, ribbon, saws, gimblets, rope, cocks, locks, etc.
Printed billhead
.30 receipted bill, bought of Henry Rice,
importer of piece goods and hardware, Boston, April 12, 1834;
Purchased a long list of
textile fabrics, Mechlin lace, ribbon, bobbinet quilling, felt hats, children’s
handkerchiefs, kid gloves, hose, cotton tape, buttons, pins, Valencia shawls,
thread, Marseilles vesting, knives and forks, shoe knives, sheep shears,
padlocks, Wedgwood inkstand, toothbrushes, snuff boxes, hooks and eyes,
handsaws, paint brushes, butts, hinges, slate pencils, fish hooks, beads,
sandpaper, shoe thread, etc.
Printed billhead