The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware  19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Marr, William N. (William Neal), 1820-1864

Title:               Bills and receipts

Dates:             1842-1865

Call No.:         Col. 681

Acc. No.:        70x55.10-.112

Quantity:       

Location:        18 B 2

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

William Neal Marr lived in Great Falls, New Hampshire.  (The town was later renamed Somersworth, and Berwick, Maine, is across the river from it.)  He was born in 1820, the son of Keziah Neal and Oliver Marr.  In 1847, he married Elizabeth Craigie Nowell.  They had two children, daughter Helene (who died while an infant, in 1850), and son Henry Nowell Marr (1853-1940).  William Marr died in 1864.   In the 1850 census, he was listed as a trader, living in Great Falls.  In the 1860 census, the family was listed as living in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and Marr was a salesman.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

The papers consist almost entirely of bills sent to William N. Marr, his estate, and his wife, from merchants in Boston, Massachusetts, Great Falls, New Hampshire, or Berwick, Maine.  Some of the bills have printed billheads, but none are illustrated.   As well, there is a mortgage deed in which John Foss of New Hampshire sells property in South Berwick, Maine, to Marr.  Marr bought a wide variety of goods, including a child’s coffin, Italian grave stones, a parlor stove, spoons and forks, window shades, tea, plates, clothes line, shovels, furniture (including some pieces for children), and many other sorts of household goods (but next to no food and clothing are represented in these bills).  A good many of the bills are for building materials (lumber, brick, lime, etc.), hardware, labor, wallpaper, marble shelves, and other items for a house which Marr had built in Great Falls in 1854.  (Apparently, he later rented this house when he moved his family to the Boston area.)

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

The bills are in accession number order; most are in chronological order, except some bills from 1859 are found near the beginning of the collection.

 

 

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. D. Scotti.

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Topics:

            House construction - New Hampshire.

            Dwellings - Maintenance and repair - New Hampshire.

            House furnishings - 19th century.

            Furniture - Prices - 19th century.

            Children’s furniture.

            Sepulchral monuments - Prices.

            Coffins - Prices.

            Building materials – Prices – 19th century.

            Household supplies – Prices – 19th century.

            Receipts (Acknowledgments).

           

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 18 B 2

 

 

All accession numbers begin with 70x55.

All bills were addressed to William N. Marr, unless otherwise noted.

Most bills were marked paid.

 

 

Folder 1 of 1:

 

.10       receipt: Oliver Marr paid Edward Evans for sawing clapboards; payment was made by William N. Marr, 1842.

 

.11       mortgage deed: John B. Foss to William N. Marr: Foss (a yeoman of Durham, N.H.) sold property in South Berwick, York County, Maine, to Marr, May 1, 1850;

                        Printed form

 

.12       bill: from S. W. Waldron, Boston, Nov. 25, 1859: soap[?], plates;

                        Printed billhead: importer of crockery, china and glass ware, dealer in paper hangings, looking glasses, solar lamps and Britannia ware; billhead has been altered: & Son has been crossed out

 

.13       bill, from F.O. Dewey, Boston, Nov. 26, 1859: for shades, goblets, and something else;

                        Printed billhead: dealer in glass, Britannia and Japanned ware, [etc.]

 

.14       bill, from Marden & Hartshorn, Boston, Dec. 16, 1859: for Putnams Fixtures, and tassels;

                        Printed billhead: window shades, cord, tassels, lace and muslin curtains, gilt cornices, bands, paper hangings, &c.

 

.15       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, April 22, 1859: for a long list of goods, including boots, castors, child’s crib, tea tray, tumblers, soup plates, coffee and tea, feather duster, butter knife, umbrella stand, etc.; credit was given for returning a piano stool and matting

 

.16       receipt: Marr paid B.F. & D.T. Hill for making coffin and box for child, Jan. 3, 1850

 

.17       receipt: Marr paid Henry H. Bracy for two miniatures, June[?] 3, 1850

 

.18       receipt: Marr paid F.Y. & C.A. Rollins for strips and piece of joist, June 4, 1850

 

.19       receipt: Marr paid Joh Emery for a set of Italian grave stones, July 25, 1850

 

.20       receipt: Marr paid [unclear] Fredick[?] for carpeting[?], July 7, 1851

 

.21       bill from C.B.[?] Pinkman[?] for 6 maple cane chairs, July 10, 1851

 

.22       receipt: Marr paid [illegible] Rollins, Great Falls, for a washstand, July 12, 1851

 

.23       bill from John S. Hayes, Great Falls, Nov. 21, 1851: parlor stove, Russia pipe, sheet iron

 

.24       bill from Albert Wakefield, Great Falls, Feb. 21, 1853: one gold fob chain and a gold key

 

.25       bill from E. H. Tibbets, May 1853-Nov. 5, 1856: for sand, brick, boards, lime, water, stone, door steps, shingles

 

.26       receipt: Marr paid Hiram W. Hayes, Great Falls, Oct. 19, 1853, for laying cellar wall and blowing[?] in cellar

 

.27       bill from Jones, Dodge & Chesley, Oct. 31, 1853: for clapboards

 

.28       receipt: Marr paid John & Barnard Knight for work done, Great Falls, Nov. 8, 1853.

 

.29       receipt: Marr paid Paul Stone for feet of underpinning[?], S. Berwick, Nov. 11, 1853

 

.30       receipt: Marr paid unnamed person for two oil casks, Salmon Falls, Nov. 23, 1853

 

.31       bill from Jones, Dodge & Chesley, for clapboards and shingles, Oct.-Nov. 1853

 

.32       bill from Asa Knox, Great Falls, Dec. 15, 1853, for unspecified labor

 

.33       bill from John Martin, Dec. 1853-July 21, 1854, for lime and laths

 

.34       bill from James Twombly, Dec. 1853-Feb. 1854, for boards, planning and sawing, stock, hard pine floor boards, and damage to a circular saw;

                        On back: note about paying Rollins for lumber

 

.35       bill from Samuel D. Whitehouse, Dec. 1853, for bricks of various kinds

 

.36       receipt: Marr paid George Hobbs for work on dwelling house, Dec. 15, 1853

 

.37       bill from Jet[?] Lord[?], Great Falls, Dec. 17, 1853, for copper boiler and boiler door

 

.38       bill from Andrew Wentworth, Dec. 19, 1853, for laying brick

 

.39       bill for surveying of boards, done by Stephen Willard, signed Thomas B. Littlefield, Wells Depot, Jan. 27, 1854;

                        With penciled note that Willard had been paid

 

.40       receipt: Marr paid F. G. Nason, South Berwick, Feb. 4, 1854; goods or services not mentioned

 

.41       bill from F. A. Rollins, April 5, 1854, for hemlock plank and for sawing

 

.42       bill from Jones, Dodge & Chesley, for laths, and trucking them, April 11, 1854

 

.43       bill from Andrew Wentworth, May-June, no year, for days of work;

                        On back: receipt: B. F. Lewis, Berwick, Sept. 23, 1855, was paid by S. Wentworth for schooling Sarah Wentworth

 

.44       receipt: Marr paid E. Holcomb for a panel door, June 8, 1854

 

.45       receipt: Marr paid John Lougee, Great Falls, June 13, 1854, for window sash and pairs of side lights, and for setting glass

 

.46       receipt: Marr paid John Tucky, June 22, 1854, for one thousand laths

 

.47       bill from Charles Sanborn[?],June-Sept. 1854, for red paint, zinc dryer, putty, etc.;

                        On back: note about French yellow and dryer, Oct. 11, 1854

 

.48       bill from Littlefield & Blaisdell, June-August, 1854, for planning boards and for laths

 

.49       bill from A. Q. Wendell, Portsmouth, Aug. 7, 1854, for locks, knobs, latches, wardrobe hooks, brass hooks, etc.

 

.50       bill from J. F. Shores, Jr., Aug. 1854, for rolls of paper [presumably wallpaper]

 

.51       bill from Franklin J. Rollins, Sept.-Nov. 1854, for newell, banisters, straight rail, ramp & twist, quarter turn, ease off with head, bolts, work of putting up rail - done by Robinson

 

.52       receipt: John P. Osgood was paid for painting, Sept. 18, 1854

 

.53       receipt: E. Holcomb was paid for work, stone; Sept. 28, 1854

 

.54       receipt: Joseph Wiggin was paid for painting, Oct. 1854

 

.55       receipt: E.J. Lane, Dover, N.H., Oct. 6, 1854, was paid for rolls of paper and yards of border;

                        Printed billhead: dealer in school and miscellaneous books, blank books, periodicals, stationery, fancy articles, and room papers

 

.56       receipt: Jones & Chesley were paid for 5000 shingles, Oct. 1854-Feb. 1855

 

.57       bill from Jones & Chesley, Oct. 1854, for 5000 shingles

 

.58       receipt: Rufus Woodward, Great Falls, Oct. 25, 1854, was paid for days of work

 

.59       receipt: Jacob Horn, Great Falls, Oct. 28, 1854, was paid for work of hauling stone and unspecified work of two men and a pair of oxen; credit was given for bricks

 

.60       receipt: E. Holcomb was paid for digging and stoning a cellar and for labor of a man, Otc. 28, 1854

 

.61       receipt: John Emery, Great Falls, Nov. 18, 1854, was paid for marble shelf and brackets, and a soapstone something; the goods were charged to A. Wimpfheir[?] & Bro.

                        [in .65, the named appears to be Wimpheimer]

 

.62       bill from John S. Hayes, Great Falls, Dec. 5, 1854, for nails, lead, thimble, oven mouth[?], pulleys, screws, sandpaper, brads, butts

 

.63       bill from B.F. & D.T. Hill, Great Falls, Jan. 1854-March 28, 1855: for window frames, pine lumber, sawing, doors, etc.

 

.64       bill from Jones & Chesley, no date, for pine planks, also trucking and loading;

                        On back: calculations

 

.65       bill from Joseph Wiggins, Great Falls, July 3, 1855, for painting blinds, labor on fence, and for paint; payment was made by Wimpheimer

 

.66       bill from Tibbets & Co., Oct. 25, 1855, for clapboards and linseed oil

 

.67       bill from Littlefield & Blaisdell, for sets of blinds and hanging them, gate hinges, iron rods for fence, setting post, drilling holes, work on bank steps, stock for one flight, rolling slat, making 2 steps; repair work to a gate was deducted; Mr. Wimpheiser is mentioned

 

.68       receipt: E. H. Tibbets was paid, Great Falls, Nov. 5, 1856

 

.69       bill from Shearer & Paine, June 1856 [although written 1857]-August 1857: for a long list of goods, including boarding M. J. Brockway and Mrs. Rice, forks and spoons, slat, mustard spoon, nappie, tea, tacks, butter knife, collars, boots, hat tree, knives, etc.

 

.70       bill from Bassett & Pierce, Boston, Aug. 31, 1857, for whte plates, sugar and creamer, dishes, baker, nappie, etc.

                        Printed billhead: importers of china, glass, crockery ware & paper hangings

 

.71       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, Sept. 1, 1857-Feb. 1858: for boarding Mrs. C. Rice, butter knives, tea and coffee, mattress, furniture, crockery ware, spittoon, coal shovel, pine sink, teapoy, foot bath, gunny cloth, boots, etc.

 

.72       bill from Joseph Wiggins, Rollinsford, Oct. 26, 1857, for days of work, paint, varnish can coach varnish, lights of glass; with note about how the bill was paid

 

.73       bill from J. A. Burleigh, Jr., Oct.-Nov. 1857, recording work done by others: Hiram Wentworth whitewashed, mended plastering, and pointed cellar; Lothrop & Co. supplied wallpaper; Joseph Wiggins painted; Tibbetts & Co. supplied pipe for drains and knobs for mop boards; J. S. Hayes soldered tin conductors for funnel thimble; Sanborn painted piazza roof; A. Jenkins supplied weather strips; N. Warren & H. W. Hayes dug and stoned a well; A. Gilpatrick & Son supplied a pump; N. Warren leveled the yard; also mentioned are credits given for crockery, furniture, and rent

 

.74       receipt: Nathaniel Warren was paid by J.A. Burleigh, Jr., for leveling Marr’s yard;

                        Warren signed with his mark;

 

.75       bill from J.E. Daniels & Co., Boston, 1858: for French set fruit [presumably a set of furniture in French style, made of fruitwood];

                        Printed billhead: manufacturers of cottage chamber furniture, … sets of solid chestnut and black walnut, … [etc., with lists of different kinds of furniture, also refrigerators]

 

.76       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, Feb.  1858-April 1859: for boarding Mrs. Rice, a rocking horse, shoes and boots, summer coat, coffee and tea pots, bakers, window curtain and curtain fixture, willow carriage, spoon holder, pine table, bar room chairs, pine sink, plates, tea tray, piano stool, knives and forks, a chamber set, coal hod, etc., etc.

 

.77       bill from Richards, Alden & Co., Boston, August 12, 1858, for extra fine carpet;

                        Printed billhead: importers and dealers in carpetings

 

.78       bill from J.A. Burleigh, Jr., Nat 1858-Feb. 1859, for payments to others: to N. W. Turner for gas fittings; to Jessup for repairing something in cellar; to J. Lougee for setting glass; to Great Falls Mfg. Co. for gas fittings (list of goods); to A. Gilpatrick & Son for repairing soft water pump and pipe; to Andrew Wentworth for balance due on note; with credit given for house rent

 

.79       receipt: John Lougee paid by J. A. Burleigh,Jr., for setting glass, Nov. 2, 1858

 

.80       bill from S.W. Waldron & Son, Boston, Dec. 28, 1858 [or 1859]: for lanterns;

                        Printed billhead: importer of crockery, china and glass ware, dealer in paper hangings, looking glasses, solar lamps and Britannia ware;

 

.81       bill from B.F. Adams, Boston, Jan. 19, 1860, for cottage time[?];

                        Printed billhead: gum elastic suspenders, buttons …, silver plate ware, hooks and eyes, pins, American pocket-cutlery, clocks, buck mittens and gloves, sewing silk, threads, &c.

 

.82       bill from William B. Phelps, Boston, Feb. 21, 1860: for bedstead;

                        Printed billhead: furniture and upholstery goods

 

.83       bill from J. C. Pitman, Great Falls, March 3, 1860: for black walnut coffin, outside box, and funeral attendance

 

.84       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, Aug. 30, 1860-Feb. 1861: for a long list of goods, including stove shovel, kerosene lamps, set of castors, coal sifter, side lights, nappies, white cup plates, wood pail, saleratus, toy bureau, Paris clock, 3 sweep sofa, marble bureau, molasses pitcher, matting, etc.

 

.85       receipt: J. W. Whitehose was paid for bricks, Great Falls, Nov. 19, 1860

 

.86       bill from H. Wentworth, Nov. 21, 1860, for days of work, casks of lime, bushel of hair, trucking

 

.87       receipt: Marr paid William Hansen, Great Falls, Feb. 25, 1861, for Hiram Wentworth’s bill for stock and work pointing cellar in his [apparently Hansen’s] house on Grand St.

 

.88       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, March 6, 1861-Feb. 1862: for a long list of goods, including wood bowls, knife box, socks, goblets, child’s chaise, painted toilet set, marble top chestnut chamber set, palm leaf mat, Aldrich hat, bottle of pickles, etc.

 

.89       bill from Hiram Wentworth, Somersworth, Nov. 15, 1861, for days of plastering, lime, hair, etc.

 

.90       bill from Tibbets & Brother, Great Falls, N.H., Oct.-Nov. 1861, for varnish, spirits, nails, screws, butts, latches, door handle, etc.;

                        Printed billhead: dealers in hardware, well chain, iron & steel, steel springs, [and a long list of other goods, including paints, tools, grass seed, Colt’s revolvers, guns, etc.]

 

.91       bill from Enos Harris, G. Falls, Nov. 23, 1861, for hemlock and pine boards and planks, trucking boards, nails, for paying John Lougee for setting glass, for window springs, sticks of timber for barn, for paying F.A. Lord for stove used to keep plastering from freezing

 

.92       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, Feb. 19-Dec. 29, 1862: for a long list of goods,  including B.W. [black walnut] N.Y. parlor chairs, center table, damask lounge, tin grater, cups and saucers, mill files, castor bottles, silk gimp, boy’s something, window shades, eggs, child’s rocker, monkey wrench, etc.

 

.93       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, Feb. 20, 1862: for parlor chairs, center table, damask lounge, rocker;

                        Printed billhead

 

.94       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, June 11, 1862: for lolling sofa, black walnut center table, rocker and nurse chair, Gre. [Grecian?] chairs, extension table, pink sink, pine bureau and glass, bedstead, chamber set, matting;

                        Printed billhead

 

.95       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, June 20, 1862: for black walnut French parlor chairs, lounge easy chair, small center table, matting, sofa;

                        Printed billhead

 

.96       bill from Allen & Noble, Boston, Aug. 20, 1862, for lime[?];

                        Printed billhead: importers of hard ware and cutlery, … house trimmings, nails, lead, zinc, &c., sand paper, glue, casters, locks, screws & hinges

 

.97       bill, from F.O. Dewey, Boston, Nov. 25, 1862: for tea pot, and something else;

                        Printed billhead: importer and dealer in earthen, glass and Britannia ware, [and various kinds of lamps and lanterns]

 

.98       bill from New England Carpet Company, Boston, Dec. 12, 1862, for stair carpet;

                        Printed billhead

 

.99       bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, Jan. 1, 1863, settled Feb. 3, 1863: for boy’s something, B.W. [black walnut[ Ottoman H.C., burlap, bowls, nappies, etc.

 

.100     bill from Pavillion Carpet Rooms, Boston, Jan. 8, 1863, for yards of super;

                        Printed billhead

 

.101     bill from Shearer & Paine, Boston, July 1-Nov. 7, 1863, for a long list of goods including meal bags, jar of pickles, child’s shoes, window shades, child’s cane seat diner, dinner tickets, steel spade, toy chairs, hair cloth, excelsior, towel stand, office chair, floor brush, carpet sweeper, neck tie, clothes line, bottles of rosemary, etc.

 

.102     memorandum of goods sold, M.D.L. Dinsmore, Aug. 1, 1863, for French lolling sofa with carved top, in hair cloth; brace arm nurse chair, carved top, in hair cloth; inside gilt looking glass, fall leaf extension table; with notes about shipping; signed L. G. Fairbank

 

.103     bill from Fernald & Drew, Boston, Dec. 22, 1863, for walnut extension table;

                        Printed billhead: manufactures of black walnut and chestnut diner, centre, and extension tables’ [bill overprinted to show new address]

 

.104     bill from Berkley House, Boston, Aug. 6, 1863, for 4 weeks board, charged to Shearer & Paine;

                        Printed billhead

 

.105     bill from Otis H. Weed & Co., Boston, May 7, 1864, for carpet sweeper (with discount);

                        Printed billhead: manufacturers of the Patent Rubber Band Carpet Sweepers, steel spring beds and clothes wringers

 

.106     bill from Alfred T. Joy, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 28, 1864, for coffin with plate, satin lining, handles, and box; payment made by Thomas S. Nowell;

                        Printed billhead: dealer in feathers, glasses, house and ship furniture, coffins, caskets, &c., also finisher and polisher of ships’ cabins

 

.107a   letter from W.H. Farrar, Great Falls, Nov. 19, 1864, to Mrs. Marr: has not gotten to Boston to see her; purchased ladder for housel had set of steps made (see enclosed bill); built the back steps at his own expense

 

.107b   bill from W. H. Farrar, Great Falls, Nov. 25, no year: for boards, posts, nails, labor – this was bill enclosed with .107a

 

.108     bill to Mrs. Marr, from W.H. Farrar, Great Falls, N.H., Nov. 19, 1864, for a ladder;

                        Printed billhead: dealer in groceries, provisions, farmer’s produce, crockery & glass ware

 

.109     bill to Mrs. Marr from E.A. Stevens, March 1, 1865, for a Victor Stove

 

.110     bill to Mrs. E. T. [sic] Marr, from Silas Philbrick, July 1865, for pair of grave stones, extra letters; with U.S. Internal Revenue stamp

 

.111     bill to Mrs. Marr, from Silas Philbrick, Aug. 29, 1865, for repairing head stone and setting in socket, and engraving verse letters

 

.112     bill to W.M. Marr, from D. Lothrop & Co., no place, Sept.-Oct., no year: for rolls of paper, yards of border, pint of alcohol