St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-01-28
Glimpses of Old Times.
o the Editor of the Caledonian


old manuscript papers, letters, deeds,
and other items of business transae-
tions, dating all along the years of the
last century, relating to events taking
place among the people in the eastern
extremity of Long Island, and their
connections in the vicinity of Pough-
keepsie. This was a Puritan colony,
settled by colonists from Massachusetts
Bay who emigrated thither in a body,
thirty years after the settlement at
| Plymouth.
These scraps of paper, dim with age
and worn by time and usage, afford
some curious glimpses of times and
manners long passed away. The paper
itself, which formed the medium of the
transactions of our fOrefathers was made
in sheets of every size and shape, was
! of gray tint. unruled, and the larger
sheets, when held to the light, display
lc1IiOHs ter-maTkS-cTOWDS, SeaLs
aud fantastic emblemS. The ink was
\IuxNvIgIC\y Mack, aMANs GAeav glnA 0As-
y
tiuct, often has eaten into the paper and
the hand writing of lawyers and clergy
men was round and full, with many
fourishes and much formality of phrase.
Few of these papers have any value for
what they say, but for whatthey suggest.
For instance, there must have been
variety of money current in the colonies
about the close of the old French War,
for here we have-"An account of
Monies sent by Mr.. Wells to New York."
consisting of-''65 Spanish Dollars, 25
Portuguese Pieces, 25 Crowns, l half
Joe, Guinea, 10 SOvereigps, A Spanish
Coins, % pounds in paper money, and
three shillings in Small Silver''-all
amounting to 100 pounds sterling-nine
different kinds in circulation, employed
in single transaction.
An inventory of the goods of a de-
ceased merchant at SOuthold, Long Is
land in I76S, includes such items of do
mestic utility as saddle bags, "chests"
and "hetchels," with "warmiug pans,"
"chaffing- dishes" "cittles," ''snuff dish
eS" and "bridels." The value of a pair
of saddIe-bags seems to have averaged
"a shillings; a pair of mise" boots was
set at 30 shillings; pound of tea was
three shillings, nine pence; molasSes
was four shillings per gallon. The value
of yoke of oxen appears to have been
twelve pounds, and the value of good
less than a yoke of oxen.
One paper is an account of wheat
ground at mill in southampton in
I72S. with the names of the owners,
and the kind of wheat ground. There
would seem to have, been as many va
rieties of wheat as at the present day.
Then follow the names of men who
agree to deliver certain amounts of
wheat Oh board the sloop Catherine
when it shall arrive, payment to be in
Spanish Dollars, six shillings for each
dollar, as current in ye Province of
Massachusetts Bay, January 1st last"
This Seventh day of September in
the third year of His Majesty's Reign,
l763," Timothy Wells agrees to take
his brother David's son, during his mi
nority, to teach him trade, land to
Read and to Rite and to Sifer the three
first rules"
The school master was evidently
abroad even then. He was also to send
him to Injecting" and to clothe him
'Ieputably."
Evidently writing was serious bust
ness with our ancestors, and when
they took pen in hand never ventured
within the suspicion of fun. la large
number of letters written by people of
all ages, there is no glimpse beyond
the details of early life; no gossip, no
news, only the state of the weather, the
crops, family health or want of it, and
the state of religion, and remarks
upon the qualities of the ministers in
the vicinity. There is about them all
singular honesty of thought and Ian
guage, an almost Scriptural simplicity
Frequently Scriptural phrases are used
to express every day affairs. There is
such a directness of speech that we can
read much between the lines.
With what pathOs does this appea
come to us across the interval of al
hundred and thirty years: "Whereas
have been burnt out, and lost all | haC
: in We World, so that | Cant keep hOus,
. Nor go on, with my bisinis for want o
5 Necessares to do it, wherefore | hum
), bly, beg We assistons of Charitable PeO
J. pie & that in any way they think Best
+ BARZILLAI OsMAN, JUNIOR.
), December we l6 Day, 176l."
4 ] confess that in this appeal there is
/ tone of honest self-respect in yielding
d to dire necessity, much more moving
= than the words he used. Perhaps thi
dim little slip of yellow paper, writer
d in cramped hand, as if the write
e. found it hard work, may be the sOlitar
C. record of a life and Il distress, whic
was all over a century ago. Even hi
$ gravestone, if he had any, may hav
a, crumbled away long before this time.
K, <, The only thing resembling humOr i
s. several hundred papers, is, curiOusl
"a enough, in a receipt which runs as TO
r lows:
'ARMENIA, December 26, I76S.
or Received OF Selah Wells, eleven Shi
III lings in full of all acompts from the Be
pit ginning of the World to this Day.