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: Hotchkiss, Hiram,
1805-1869.
Title: Account books and loose documents
Dates: 1832-1852
Call No.: Doc. 1772
Acc. No.: 2018x50.1-.2
Quantity: 2 volumes, 1 folder
Location: 31 J 6
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Hiram Hotchkiss (1805-1869) was a farmer in Hampton,
Washington County, New York. He was the
son of Lowly A. Doolittle (1769-1855) and Rufus Hotchkiss (1769-1841), natives
of Connecticut who moved to Hampton, New York.
Hiram Hotchkiss married first Lucina Pearce (1807-1857) and then Deborah
A. Vredenburgh (widow of Joseph M. Stoddard).
He was an active member of the local Methodist Episcopal Church, serving
as one of the trustees, and was interested in civic affairs as evidenced by his
running for supervisor. He appears to have also had a farm in Poultney,
Vermont.
Hiram is known to have had four daughters. Lizann or Lizana married Buel G. Streeter
(1832-1900). Candace married Marvin
Orlando Stoddard (1840-1914), the son of Joseph M. Stoddard and Deborah A.
Vredenburgh (whose second husband was Hiram Hotchkiss). Maria Elizabeth (1833-1910) married Seaman Asahel
Knapp (1833-1911). Daughter Anna is
mentioned in the second account book; the name Burritt Collins is found in
connection with this. Some family trees
omit her, while others list her as Anna Delaney, born 1829. In the 1850 census, Elihu B. Collins was
married to a woman named Anna D., and they lived in Poultney. In later census records, the Collins family
lived elsewhere in New York, and he was a dry goods merchant.
Hiram Hotchkiss signed his name as Hotchkys, but the
family tombstone and all other records spell the name as Hotchkiss.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
Two account books and some loose papers detailing
the agricultural work done for and by Hiram Hotchkiss, as well as documenting
the building of a parsonage for the Methodist Episcopal Church in Poultney,
Vermont. Hotchkiss hired men to work for
him, and includes information about the terms of their payment (wages, plus
house, garden, etc.), documents the reasons for the workers taking time off
from work (going to election, attending a wedding, etc.), and in general gives
details of the work done on a farm: threshing, shearing sheep, planting,
haying, tending to apple trees, picking rocks out of the fields, shoveling
manure, etc. The finding aid to this
small collection gives more details about the two accounts books and the loose
items found in one of them.
ORGANIZATION
The loose items are arranged chronologically.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased
from Dan Casavant Rare Books.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Hotchkiss family.
Topics:
Absenteeism (Labor)
Agricultural
laborers - New York (State) - Washington County.
Agricultural wages.
Agriculture - Accounting - New York (State) - Washington
County.
Apples - New York (State) - Washington County.
Dairy farming - New York (State) - Washington County.
Farm life - New York (State) - Washington County.
House construction - Vermont - Poultney.
Labor contract.
Men’s clothing.
Parsonages - Vermont - Poultney.
Political campaigns - New York (State) - Washington
County.
Textile fabrics - Specimen.
Women employees.
Account books.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 31 J
6
.1 Account
book, Hiram Hotchkiss, 1832-1840
A volume packed with information
about Hiram Hotchkiss’ dealing with his neighbors, especially in farm accounts. (One account is signed by his father Rufus
Hotchkiss on Hiram’s behalf.) The volume
records transactions in produce such as hay, oats, corn, rye, veal, pork,
potatoes, vinegar and cider, sheep, etc.
Farm work such as thrashing, cutting corn, using oxen and horses, working
on apple trees, shearing sheep, hoeing, haying, killing hogs, working on a wall,
and planting are all mentioned.
Hotchkiss hired boys or men to work for him, and recorded their wages
(p. 49: Amisa paid $60 a year; p. 60: Abel Parker to get $105 a year). Hotchkiss also recorded his employees’
reasons for lost time. For example,
found on page 118 are the following reasons for Cyrus’ lost time: camp meeting,
company training, Hartford Convention, election, going to court, celebrating
New Year in Poultney, attending a wedding, visiting someone, and others (more
of his lost time was recorded on pages 120 and 128).
As well, Hotchkiss records payments
of taxes, work on roads, and boarding a schoolmaster. On page 9 are found purchases for David:
coarse shoes, a hat, and tobacco; David was probably a farm hand. Lists of men’s clothing are found on pages 29
and 49, and other clothing and shoes are mentioned elsewhere in the book. Other expenses include a gun, cash for election,
training (probably militia training), a spelling book, candles, camp meeting, a
dog (6 weeks old, see p. 118); and on page 91, there are mentions of the
Christian Advocate, cash for ministers, and a singing book.
The accounts for each person
jump from page to page but are clearly marked so it is possible to follow one
particular person throughout the book.
The pages are also clearly marked whether the accounts on that page are
debits or credits.
[Description of volume: boards
covered with marbled paper, leather spine.
“Hiram Hotchkys” is written twice inside the front cover, along with
many other notes inside front and back covers.
Pages are lined and ruled for accounts; pages at beginning, end, and
pages 95-104 were removed at some point.]
.2 Account
book, Hiram Hotchkiss, 1849-1852
Contents and format of this volume
are very similar to the first volume.
Special to this volume are records for building a parsonage for the
Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church in Poultney, Vermont. On pages 15-16 is found a list of the
materials for building the home: boards, shingles, white lead, putty, lights
and window sash, nails, etc. On page 24
is found a record of Clark Searles’ work on the parsonage. Later records for plaster, nails and such are
also probably related to building the parsonage, although possibly for another
building.
Several times in this
volume, Hotchkiss recorded the terms of employment for men he hired. On page 25 are found the terms for Cyrus
Streeter: wages, house rent, apples, plot for growing potatoes, etc. On page 94 are the terms of employment for
Hiram Colvin, and there are records for others as well. Girls or women also worked for Hotchkiss, and
are found in both volume, but he never gave details of their employment.
Within the accounts, Hotchkiss would
mention things like making purchases at Shaw’s store or list a charge for Hiram
Willis tapping boots, thus giving the names of other workers in the community. An interesting record is found on page 100,
an account of what “I have don … for my daughter Anna,” mentioning a farm at
Poultney. Burritt is also mentioned in
this, not specifically as Anna’s husband but presumably he is so, and Burritt
sometimes boarded Hotchkiss’ daughters Candace and Maria.
[Description of volume: boards
covered with marbled paper, leather spine.
The date 1850 is written twice on front cover; a note is written on back
cover. Written on front flyleaf: Hiram
Hotchkys Book Hampton. A number of notes
are written inside front and back covers and on first and last flyleaves. Pages have light lines.]
Folder 3: Loose
items from 2018x50.2
.3a-b printed
ballots for town officers (2 copies), including
Hiram
Hotchkiss, supervisor;
Peter
Farnam for town clerk;
Levi
W. Manchester for Justice of the Peace;
And other men for
assessor, commissioner of highways, overseer of the poor, inspectors of
election (2 names), collector, constables (2 names), and sealer of weights and
measures
.4 “We the subscribers do agree to pay the
sum … during the present conference year of 1849-50 for the purpose of
supporting the preaching of the gospel in Hampton Station, Troy Conference of
the M.E. Church.” Hampton, N.H., June
12, 1849. Hiram Hotchkiss, Edmund H.
Clark, Ira Falkenbery, Hiram Willis, and Orson Woodard signed their names, with
Hotchkiss promising to pay the most.
This is a small booklet made
by folding a piece of paper; calculations on last page.
.5 Bill: Mrs. H. Hotchkiss bought shoes
and a hat from J. J. Joslin, W. Poultney, Aug. 14?, 1852, with writing samples
written over the bill, and calculations on the back
.6 Note about cider and wood, dated 1852;
with calculations on back
.7 A prose piece about sleighing on New
Year’s day, not dated, signed Peggy;
Endorsed on back: Peggy, Hampton,
N.Y., Comp. No. 20th, with an account dated April 1, 1853, and some
calculations
.8 July 10th, “ 4th:
note about potatoes, no names, no year
.9 List of names, with Hiram Hotchkiss at
the top and David Willis at the bottom, and various other notes in pencil and
pen
.10 List of names, written in pencil,
L.E. Prouty at top, H. Hotchkiss at
bottom, and calculations
.11 A page headed E.B. Collins, with accounts
and calculations; on back: notes about people working on house, farm, and fence
.12 Slip of paper: “We find our deal all
correct … and we will allow the $1.32 cts to Aunt Martha.” Not signed, not dated, with calculations on
front and back
.13 Torn fragment of a letter, with part of
address: Hotchkiss, Hampton, Washington Co., NY; has initials and tally marks
and calculations
.14 Slip of paper with notes about produce
written in pencil, and calculations
.15 slip of paper with calculations on one
side, and a note in pencil on the other: This Paper is [illegible] with H.
Colvin”
.16 one
slip of paper, possibly part of a bill, “The above / as folows [sic] / For teach…”
.17a-d Four slips
with calculations and sometimes some other words
.18 slip of paper mentioning silk, spools of
thread, cambric, and brown for linings, which was wrapped around a sample of
maroon wool cloth
.19 slip of paper headed “Dairy of 1849,”
listing quantities of some dairy product (cheese and butter are specified only
a few times) traded to Bates and Shaw’s store