Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-02-08
Some Prices Ninety Years Ago.

Some Prices Ninety Years Ago.
Economists, We believe, have never
bean able to give satisfactory explana-
ton Of the waves of ascending prices
which sweep over the world at times.
A period when prices remain compare
lively on level 10 followed by another
period when prices of everything 90
mounting, as they have been doing for
the past dozen years, until after . few
decades the dollar, or other artificial
unit of value by whatever name, repre-
sents In purchasing power as regards
general commodities perhaps half what
II formerly did. The increase OF gold
production is named as cause, and It
doubtless has influence, but 1t doesn't
fully explain the intermittent rise OF
prices that has been going on over the
world for some centuries.
All this comment is preliminary to q
citation Of some prices obtained at an
auction sale In Paris ninety years ago.
The document from which these are
taken Is furnished the Democrat by Silas
P. Maxim of this town, and the heading
is:
Account. of Sales of the personal es-
tate of Stephen Robinson, late of Paris,
in the County of Oxford, yeoman, de.
ceased, intestate, at auction, pursuant to
the order of the Honorable Benja.
Chandler, Esq. Judge of the Probate of
Wills, &c. for said County, dated the
fourteenth day Of June A. D. 1925; the
sales being made On the IS October
at Paris aforesaid"
Stephen Robinson was the grandfather
of the late s. r. Parsons, and the per-
sopal property sold was at the home.
stead, which is still occupied by the
family. On account of some blindness
Of handwriting in the account, and q
system of making the entries which was
doubtless understood by the maker but
not fully by the reader, 1t is not possible
to make out accurately all the items, but
some of them are plain enough.
First on the list were some horses and
colts, and as compared with other things
these apparently brought pretty good
prices. Article No. was 3-year- old
gray colt, and the price was $50. Other
horses of ages which are not clear from
the account sold for S35, sS1, and $3.50,
the last being sold to Stephen Robinson,
son of the decedent, and the price
paid is the largest item which appears
in the entire list.
One yoke of oxen sold for $41, yoke
of 2,year-old steers for SIT, and appar.
emily an odd OK and an odd 3-year-Old
steer for 500 and SIC Is respectively.
Two 2-year-old bulls for S10.S5 and IS
respectively. Six or eight cows and
heifsrs ranged from $40 to S13 Is.
Six sheep sold for s2.S3 each, twelve
for S1.72 each, and six for S1.30 each.
81 swine, large bogg," brought 81, and
a '.2d do" the same price. 81 do, large
pigg," brought So 60, and others 50 20
and so S5 respectively.
A large quantity of grain was sold In
ten -bushel and twenty-bushel lots, prices
on corn being SO and go cents, oats 30
and 81 cents, wheat SO and 80 cents.
Some lumber was disposed of, and the
entries are somewhat mixed. As nearly
as can be made out, some clear boards
were sold at $40 per thousand, "mercht.
boards"-presumably meaning mer-
"a, refuse boards at 81 so. |
Merchantable plank brought 50 per
refuse plank So, and refuse
joist 20 cents per hundred. Ash plank |
S. per thousand. Heading 80 cents per
slaves Is cents per thousand.
A quantity of iron, to the amount OF
PIP pounds, was sold to Simeon Chip |
man, who was blacksmith, at 9 cents
per pound-and that is about the only
price named in the list which looks large
in these days.
Two morocco skins brought 81 cents. |
It would be natural to infer that a
cider mill was run at the place, as one
barrel of vinegar and thirty-one barrels |
If cider were sold, The vinegar brought |
81 .35, and the cider, which was sold in
lots of from one barrel to ten per Gus
toner, brought prices varying from % to |
10 cents per barrel. 1t may be noted as
fact of some interest that In the list OF
purchasers of the cider are only three |
names which appear anywhere else on
the list, one of them buying ten bushels
Of corn, one a sleigh, and the third the
two morocco skins. The rest of the |
cider purchasers bought nothing but
cider.
1t may also be OF interest to note some
Of the names which appear in the list OF
purchasers at the auction. Some OF
Them are familiar in the history of this
and adjoining towns. They include
rhos. Clark, Esq, Charles Porter, Leon
ard Shurtleff, Lemuel Jackson, Willis
Sampson, Simeon Cummings, Ichabod
DaDl. Stowell, Jr., Jairus s.
Keith, Esq Rufus K. Goodenow, David
Jr., Elijah Bates, Saml. Raw
SOD, Philip Caldwell, Stephen Blake,
John Richards, Lewis B. Slowell, VIM.
c. Whitney, Joseph Jackson, Jr., David
James Longley, Cyprian Ste
vens, E. A. Holmes, Sim. Chapman, Levi
Thayer. Luther Linnell. Joseph Raines,
Alvs Shurtleff, Thos. Webster, L. Whit
man, Moses Hammond, Daniel Stowell,
Jeremiah How, Emmor Rawson, John |
Joshua Merrill, VIM. Hutch
ius, Josiah Jordan, John Porter, VIM.
Young, Stephen Emery, Isaac Cum