[TAVERN] [ACCOUNT BOOK] Manuscript Daybook from a Tavern and Store in New Braintree, Massachusetts
New Braintree, Massachusetts: 1816-1821. Hardcover. Beginning on November 29, 1816, this handwritten account book stands as a vivid record of early American life, spanning more than two hundred pages and chronicling the daily transactions, drinking, and bartering that took place over five years.
The town of New Braintree, formerly part of Brookfield and Hardwick, lies southeast of Boston. Noted for its prosperous dairy farms, by the late eighteenth century it was shipping cheese and beef annually to Boston and enjoying a period of notable prosperity. By the early nineteenth century, New Braintree supported over one thousand milking cows and produced more than 200,000 pounds of cheese each year. Alongside its thriving agricultural trade, the town was also home to several other industries—a broom factory, blacksmith shop, saw and grist mills, and a shoe and boot works.
We were unable to pinpoint the "name" of the Tavern but between 1800 and 1820, two principal taverns served the community: Learned’s Tavern (later known as Hunter’s Tavern) and the Frost Tavern. Each functioned as a vital social hub and stagecoach stop, offering food, lodging, and supplies to residents and travelers alike. Situated along the Old Turnpike Road—one of the first major routes from Boston to Northampton—these taverns were strategically positioned to provide rest and relay stations for horses and coaches. Our proprieter has written "New Braintree - and the date on the top of each page.
The ledger offers remarkable detail. The proprietor carefully recorded each patron’s full name, what they purchased or bartered, and the price or exchange. The tavern served a range of drinks characteristic of what became known as the “Alcoholic Republic” period—rum, brandy, bitters, flip, grog, gin, cider, and lemonade. Goods traded or sold included tobacco, coffee, vinegar, sugar, oats, potatoes, ginger, cords of wood, black wool, candles, mutton, veal, bread and cheese, cotton flannel, brooms, saltpeter, allspice, pepper, and much more. Meals and horse usage were also noted; one entry even records a “damage of breaking sleigh.”
Some entries:
January 7th, 1817 - Polly Drury - Cloth for a Gown, 3/4 yd &. 1/8 yd c.cloth, Cotton Flannel 3/4, 1/4 yard cambric, 1 Baskets - 10 cents for dressing Flannel, Knitting 1 pr stocking: 3.07
Januray 11th, 1817 - Joseph Pepper - 1 Qt. Tumbler he Broke, 3 Qts. of Oats, Horse Keeping, Hay at the gate, His ride to Ruttland: 1.40
May 29th, 1818 - Lt. M. Lincoln - 1 Mug Gin Took, 1 Qt. N.E. Rum, 1 Glass Too After,1 Qt. N.E. Rum: .75
January 14th, 1819 - James Thompson - Dinner, Supper, Mug Tod, Grog for John Tidd, Grog for Charles Thompson, Dinner for C.Thompson: 1.45
September 11th, 1819: Abraham Mullett - Tobacco, Leather Apron, Junk Tobacco: .62
July 10th, 1820: Martin Howard - Carrying a Pig to Market: .73
Septemeber 15th, 1820: David Davis - Tea, Grog, Cash, 1/2 pt. N Rum, Grog, Upper leather for pr. shoes: 17.10
Among the local patrons, we were able to verify these men had served in the War of 1812: Capt. Ebenezer Tidd, Lt. Michael Lincoln, Lt. Joseph Pepper, and Hiram Barr. Frequent visitors included John Thompson, Horace Nye, Isa Pope, Polly Drury, John Kelly, Otis Woods, Rufus Russell, David Knight, George Mullett, and David Davis, among others.
Though in poor to fair condition—with many pages showing the marks of bookworms—the majority of the volume remains fully legible, preserving an extraordinary glimpse into the social and economic fabric of early nineteenth-century New England. One page laid in from 1808. Leather. Item #4739
Sold