The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-11
SOME oLp.IlME PRICES.

!
! SOME OLD-TIME PRICES.
/ Mr.. Oliver Phillips recently bought
and took possession of town property
| in Keosauqua which had once been
owned by one NJ. NJ. Myers. pioneer
stored in the barn was an account
book kept by Mr.. Myers from 1S43
to 1851 which contains pretty COM
plete list of the prices of commod-
tiles current at that time. Copious
extracts from the record are given
by the Republican in its issue for last
week Those were the much-yaunteu
good old days and it is interesting
and instructive to compare the re-
wards of industry then with what
they are now. For instance:
Sarah Wescoat is credited with l
hog at s100, and / COW at s11.0o.
James Howell is credited with 80 lbs.
of beef at 21a cents .65; l lb. butter.
0S; 16G lbs. pork at 211a cts. Al; 1
bu potatoes .3711a; AZ bu. oats, 1121s;
6 bu. corn 1.50.
The James Howell (Howell) nam
ed above was at that time editor of
the Des Moines Valley Wing. publish
ed at Keosauqua He later came to
Keokuk, established The Gate City,
and served a term as United States
senator from Iowa.
The record all the way through
shows only one price of corn-twenty-
FIVE cents a bushel Further extracts
follow:
VIM. Steel is credited with 21s lbs
singer. 21z lbs butter / bolt candle
weeking, total 6Ss4 cents.
George Bennett. credit by upsetting
ak .37h; lbs nails .371z.
Anderson, by liz blu wheat 1884 :;
Blu bran 121s; / Blu meel Is; ~ lbs
-four 1.05.
F. G. Betterton BY Sc feet seasoned
oak flooring at 1.25-110.
Louisa Wescoatt by Blu buckwheat
1.5D
f Purdom by II lbs pork 80.
Joseph Purdom by 40s4 lbs baycon
! at ; cents q pound 2.04; 32a4 lbs bay
con at cents 1859
Andrew Meredith by schoping cord
wood / day rs; by sons work liz
days % THE book shows many cred
I its for "schoping' wood)
! Green by y gallon molasses and
pound of singer .43A.
! Joseph Wescoatt by bead sted
/ 400.
! George Wright bu corn $50;
4 peck potatoes .1212
John Arrowsmith by 4 lbs coffee "A
Silas Tolman by II cord of wood
90: by use of horse l day 80
T Brewington by schoping wood l
dav 62.
Robert Patterson by day gather
ing corn 30
G. G. Wright BY 46 # pine lumber
at 3 cents per.ft. 1.3S
Elias Simmons by use of team / day
to go TO packets mill $50.
Savage DIR. to IA lbs pickeled pork
at ; cents 81
Henry Shepley DIR to powder ant
powder horn BIZ; / box caps 10: ]
bar of lead .10--total 81 Also to a
lb tea o. and TO bottle of rock oil 81
petroleum so
William Dutch by making 1 pare O
boots 80: by making pare womeni
shoes 1.25; by making pare small
shoes IS
I Bennington BY u day hauling
joists f21a.
Hickey BY turning ? table legs a
12la cents each %.
Dec. 30. 1849, Null set in to worl
: at the rats Of ten dollars a month
half cash and half trade"
p. F. Parson DIR. TO hauling to tn,
Barbecue at Birmingham 6 person
100; to tending plasterers one nigh
Bin; to hauling / sack of salt from
Keokuk IS; to hauling load of bricl
to Funk's mill so Among many 9th
er credits he has the following: b
paying at bentonsport on cloth 12O
, by Y days work at crock kiln 70: b
4 plastering G. G. Wrights house al /
2 cents per yard sf5.30.
e G. Wright by SO pounds of beef a
e ~ cents a pound of Jackson %;
Debtor to cor of wood 100.
What young mans chances wer
n in those days may be cleaned fror
n contract entered into between NJ,
Q Myers and young man named Henr
e shepley. The contract was date
d August Is, 1850, and reads as follows
a Henry Shepley set in to work I
9. the rats of nine dollars per mont
- for six months and if we like eac
. other at the end of said time he is
2 continue on for twelve months frol
+ the time of beginning at the sam
e rats. He lost 3 days at campmee
IN ing"
lie To earn this. to us, magnifcer
se monthly stipend Henry had to put
te full time. There were no holidays
d Saturday afternoons off for Henri
as for the account against him show
p that every half day of lost time W;
rs charged up against him Here a
De some of the lost time items: Hen,
ed was sick on Aug 90, 30 and 81: 10
- half day at store and getting pan
cut; six days with his feet being sor,