Installment 1a: The 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book, Haverhill, NH

The Montgomery Store Clerks

Installment 1a:  "A bowl of grog, a gill of rum....:"

At least three different clerks' hands have been identified thus far in the 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book.  Not surprisingly, the entries range from heavy and bold, with less respect for lined borders, to an elegant, light, hand with richly flourished script. The viewer will note the differing treatments of the primary capital letter at the start of each page, not dissimilar to late Medieval and Gothic illuminated letters.  Take for example the page shown for "Captain Ring, 1 gal. Rum." The letter "R" is heavily but artfully crafted, with shadowing and perspective. Visually, it appears as though a square, reminding one of an illuminated letter. Contrast this with the hand which created the graceful and sinuous "S" for the purchases of Stephen Couch (a trader from about 6 miles away in Bath).  The stylistic characteristics reveal a bit about the training received by the different clerks - namely from whom and where they learned their craft. The special treatment of leading letters is reserved for the beginning of a new page, and not for a new day or customer.

Although at present, it is not possible to determine the identities of any of the Montgomery Store clerks, a few tempting leads have recently come to light and will hopefully reveal more about daily life in the small town of Haverhill.

For additional information on Haverhill and its occupants, see earlier blog posts.
For architectural information, consult the National Register of Historic Places.
For published works, see Whitcher, Bittinger, Blaisdale, Fillion and others.
Contact the Haverhill Library or the Haverhill Historical Society

1793 Day Book, Courtesy the Haverhill Historical Society. Gift, W. Koch, Jr.