DOI: 10.3886/icpsr07329
title: American Colonial Wealth Estimates, 1774
title: Archival Version

description: This study was the outcome of an extensive research project that cataloged and analyzed the various types of wealth that existed in the American colonies in 1774, just before the Revolution. Data about 919 decedents having resided in 21 colonial counties in both rural and urban settings were collected from county probate records in the New England colonies, the Middle Colonies, New York, and the South. WEALTH OF A NATION TO BE: THE AMERICAN COLONIES ON THE EVE OF THE REVOLUTION (see Related Literature associated with this study) discusses the entire project, providing tables, graphs, summaries, and conclusions. AMERICAN COLONIAL WEALTH, DOCUMENTS AND METHODS includes some documentation for the codes used as well as the verbatim listings of the probate files of the 919 persons studied.
description: For a description of the weights and their intended usage, please see Jones, Alice Hanson. American Colonial Wealth: Documents And Methods. New York: Arno Press, 1977, Section VI: Weighting Procedures.
description: The sample design aimed to ensure representativeness. Contiguous counties were grouped into units of approximately 20,000 wealthholders, out of which a representative county was drawn based on the number of wealthholders in each county. The cases in the sample were then weighted, first to reflect the age distribution of the total population, and then to take into account those individuals who did not have their estates probated.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Each Region, Wealth Summary: Middle Colonies (MIDLCOL) DS2: Each Region, Wealth Summary: New England (NEWENGL) DS3: Each Region, Wealth Summary: South, followed by New York (SOUTH) DS4: Middle Colonies Wealth Detail: Gross Portable Wealth Detail (GPWDTL) DS5: Middle Colonies Wealth Detail: Gross Portable Wealth, Total per Decedent (GPWTOT) DS6: Middle Colonies Wealth Detail: Real Estate Information from Inventories (REINV) DS7: Middle Colonies Wealth Detail: Additional Real Estate, etc. (ACCTWO) DS8: Wealth Summary for Middle Colonies: Middle Colonies (SUMMARY) DS9: Middle Colonies Wealth Detail: Allocations of "Purse and Apparel" Entry (ALLOCS) DS10: Middle Colonies Wealth Detail: Withdrawn Cards (EXTRAS) DS11: Age in Years: Age in Years of Decedents (AGEYRS) DS12: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of TPW, Middle Colonies (MCTPW) DS13: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of TPW, New England (NETPW) DS14: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of TPW, South (SOTPW) DS15: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of TPW, New York (NYTPW) DS16: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of NW, Middle Colonies (MCNW) DS17: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of NW, New England (NENW) DS18: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of NW, South (SONW) DS19: Ordered Listing of Wealth: Ordered Listing of NW, New York (NYNW) DS20: Regression Analysis Data: Dataset to Estimate Virginia Land Prices (VALAND) DS21: Regression Analysis Data: Dataset to Estimate Maryland Land Prices (MALAND) DS22: Regression Analysis Data: Dataset to Estimate North Carolina Land Prices (NCLAND) DS23: Regression Analysis Data: Dataset to Estimate South Carolina Land Prices (SCLAND) DS24: Regression Analysis Data: Dataset to Estimate Charleston, SC, Land Prices (SCURBN)
description: Probate inventories issued in 1774 for decedents from the American colonies. Smallest Geographic Unit: county