Installment II: "To My Own Expense" Gen. Montgomery Appears in the 1793 Day Book

"A bowl of grog, a gill of rum..." The 1793 Montgomery Store Daybook

Installment II

We have previously observed General Montgomery’s business acumen: the lucrative production of goods in his own factories (having a distillery, gristmill and sawmill at the Oliverian Brook) and the ability to provide convenient outlet for those goods. (The reader will recall that various forms of distilled spirits and the grinding and purchase of grains were among the most common items sold, traded bartered or exchanged at the Montgomery Store.)  Another important element of his financial success rests on his ownership of teams of oxen and horses, stables and land for grazing and grain production.  In addition, he had the ability to leverage skilled men (his colleagues and neighbors from the area as well as those who served with him in various military capacities) for long haul jobs, such as the one described below to Concord, hence, operating as a teamster.

The reader will not be surprised to learn how exciting it was to find an entry penned by General Montgomery himself. The opportunity to see the General's own hand (it varies markedly from the entries found before and after) written nearly 220 years ago to the day (7th November 1793) provides an immediate connection with this influential and one might speculate, charismatic person - an historic figure I am now able to begin to trace. General Montgomery shared the same joys and sorrows that we experience today: success in work, loss of loved ones -his first wife and at least three children through disease- laughing, eating and drinking at social gatherings and conversing with the townspeople, at his stores, factories or on business in Concord.  He and his colleagues speculated on politics, the court sessions, the weather and success of crops.

His selected use of language provides a brief sliver of his personality and what made him such an influential force that he could lead a band of Haverhill men to defend the Portsmouth harbor in 1814 requiring substantial time from home. Continued research will reveal more about his work in politics at the state level.

His entry for November 7^th, 1793 (p.120) is partly illegible but reveals:

“The expense of the cattle to Concord….at Concord…D.Celley. Sanborn expense to Haverhill..to cash ___  Sanborn for expense from Celley’s. Paid at Carlton (?) Custom (?) Haverhill. Paid Kimball for driving. Cost on the team for above, livery and ____ (?) My own expense [brought] up. Paid Clark. Paid man 2 days. Sanborn time. Paid John Hutchins for his ____(?) in. To 1 journey wagon. To my own time _____, ______, ____ on to account.”

The following day, it is noted “By Stephen Couch by beef sold at Concord.” Couch was a trader from Bath and appears frequently in the Day Book. The entry is quite likely to be connected with the General’s coordinated trip to Concord.

Tour Note: Gov. Wentworth's "small hut" In Portsmouth, NH

The striking interiors of Governor Wentworth's 1763 "small hut" were available for lengthy perusal on October 29th, 2011, thanks to Tom Hardiman, Keeper, Portsmouth Athenaeum, and the generous and gracious staff of the Mark Wentworth Home on Pleasant Street in Portsmouth, NH. The Wentworth Home underwent a thoughtful and extensive renovation in 2006. Below find some of the striking results.

The interior views are courtesy of the Mark Wentworth Home and illustrate a number of key Georgian-era design characteristics.  However, what the images can not convey are the elements of generous space and balance throughout. The lofty 10+ foot ceilings, wide, commodious stair landings with the treads and risers offering a gentle ascent or descent, substantial natural light, and well crafted and highly detailed woodwork, combine to create a cohesive synthesis of proportion and elegance.

To the contemporary eye, one might well wonder why the Governor considered this substantial and expensive residence a mere "hut" - but not surprisingly, he had much more extensive holdings in Britain.

Exterior view, with fine corner quions and pedimented dormers

Interior view with deeply carved, architectural surround.
Note crimson wallpaper.

2nd floor deeply carved and highly articulated column, architrave and cornice

For further information, see previous blog and
the Portsmouth Athenaeum.

Addendum: Temperance Pickering Knight Headstone

Temperance Pickering Knight (1731-1823)

After having the opportunity to examine her canary quilted petticoat (see earlier blog post), I started on a quest to find Temperance Pickering Knight's headstone which I had heard was "embedded" within the expansive mall area of Newington. Newington is where she was born and married.  As it turns out, I had seen the remains of the small plot some five years earlier and knew exactly where it was located. The burial site is in a state disrepair and the handful of stones within the borders are barely legible and eroded from the elements and years of past vandalism.  While Temperance's headstone is badly damaged and the upper third severed, there is nonetheless a powerful connection with her through the stone.

It is possible to make out her name and death date on the the stone despite the damage.  Note the deeply incised and elegant serifed lettering.  The use of classic white marble is indicative of the changing style of headstone in the early 19th century.

Descendants have a created a family genealogy which may be found at
http://members.tripod.com/Al_Beagan/April4/3565.htm and a there are a number of key documents at the Rockingham County Probate Records.

18th Century Fashion Note: Temperance Pickering Knight

I recently spent a delightful day at the UNH Museum, reveling in my first experience with the Irma Bowen Collection, ably guided by Astrida Schaeffer, costume historian and mannequin maker at Schaeffer Arts.

Among the one of the most striking pieces in the collection is a dazzling canary yellow quilted petticoat, of silk, lined with wool and flax, worn by Temperance Pickering Knight (1731-1823) of Newington. The second wife of John Knight, she was married 15 March 1759. Knight had a profitable business: he ran the ferry between Newington and Dover Point.  This would explain the high end wardrobe items belonging to Temperance Knight.

I recently visited her burial site in Newington with its broken marble slab. (Images forthcoming.) We can thank the foresight of family members and UNH instructor, Irma Bowen, for the survival of this rare garment. Fortunately, Irma Bowen, began collecting examples of needlework and textiles back in the 1920s for the benefit of her students. The fact that we can actually put a name and a biography with this striking, well-crafted and expensive garment, amplifies its significance tremendously. Knowing an approximate time period when it was worn and where, has attracted the attention of students and costume historians over several decades.

For further information on the Bowen Collection and Temperance Pickering Knight and her petticoat, see
http://www.unh.edu/news/news_releases/2000/june/mg_20000619museum.html

Silbrocade paten, prob. owned by Temeprance Pickering Knight
c.mid 1700s, Courtesy UNH Museum. Thank you to Dale Valena, Director

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.

Tour Note: Mark Wentworth House, 29 October 2011

As part of  exhibition "Money, Revolution and Books...." the Portsmouth Athenaeum offers tour of the Mark Wentworth Home, October 29, Saturday – once the home of John and Anna Fisher, who rented it to Anna’s brother, Governor John Wentworth. 10 a.m. meeting at the Mark Wentworth Home. Please RSPV by calling 431-2538 x2 for reservations.  For information on the exhibition, see blog archive; for brief background on the Mark Wentworth Home, see excerpt below. A Revolutionary History A prominent piece of Portsmouth's history, the Mark Wentworth Home's Pleasant Street mansion was believed to have been built in 1763.   The Residence was the home of Governor John Wentworth, the last Royal Governor, who lived there until just before the start of the Revolution.  Governor Wentworth described the home as a "a small hut with little comfortable apartments." This "small hut" is now registered on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered to be one of the finest architecturally built homes in the region, during the eighteenth century. Although he was a Portsmouth native and generally well liked, the loyalist Governor Wentworth often ignited fierce opposition.  Portsmouth was the site of many Revolutionary War incidents, and on one particularly explosive occasion in the summer of 1775, a mob of patriots gathered outside the mansion and demanded the surrender of Governor Wentworth's associate, Colonel John Fenton. Before Fenton gave himself up, shots were fired and the evidence remains to this day with bullet holes in the plaster above the fireplace of the mansion's front room. http://markwentworth.org/about-us/history In preparation for "Transatlantic Transformations: Georgian Architecture in Salem, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire" for the upcoming Historic Deerfield Forum "Balance and Beauty: Georgian Design in America," I am looking forward to seeing the inside of this important c. 1763 home. (www.historic-deerfield.org)

"A bowl of grog, a gill of rum..." Installment I, 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book

“A bowl of grog, a gill of rum, a stick of twist and a yard of shalloon”

The 1793 Montgomery Store Daybook, Oliverian Village, NH.

Installment I

Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.

It is not surprising that General John Montgomery (1764-February 21, 1825) was likely the wealthiest man in Haverhill. In 1805, his poll tax was the largest in the town registering in at over $100.00.  A figure of considerable status who served his community and his country in several capacities, the General was active in the War of 1812 (at the age of 48), leading his regiment, which included a number of Haverhill men, to protect the Portsmouth waterfront. His business acumen was highly regarded, and, he was one of the significant proprietors at the Oliverian Brook, owning a sawmill, a distillery and a gristmill, according to tax records. His house was appropriately located on a rise, just a short walk from “the brook” so he could oversee his business interests, much the way a ship owner, such as Salem’s (Massachusetts) Elias Haskett Derby, built his house at the head of his wharf. The 1790 census reveals that he was just beginning to build his home and business. He owned no slaves.

General Montgomery had created a strong revenue stream due to the land and industries he owned at the Oliverian Brook. The General was also able to offer a convenient outlet for the products produced in his various factories through his store.  The Montgomery Store was located a short distance (across today’s Route 10) from the Brook and adjacent to the General’s home.  The survival of Day Book 1, 1793 offers a rich look at life in this small town- from diet to clothing, to services, tools and trade, as well as the finances and occupations of the disparate denizens. ¹ Seasonal cycles, town or family celebrations, economic and social trends, as well as patterns of trade and barter, are all evident in this over 150 page daily ledger. When placed within the context of post Revolutionary rural America and events such as the 1791 Distilled Spirits Tax and the subsequent Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 or the introduction of Noah Webster’s  “Blue back” spellers (Language, Part I, 1783), the survival of this small town New Hampshire daybook is a true find.²

General Montgomery’s wealth and status may be seen in the commodious late Georgian home he built c. early 1790s, with its second floor ballroom, his outbuildings and land holdings. The General was able to send, at considerable cost, his three eldest daughters, Mary, Ann (Nancy) and Myra to the esteemed school of Mrs. Susanna Rowson in Boston for tutelage in a variety of subjects, including finishing their silk embroideries. ³ His legendary purchase of a piano from the English court is further testimony to his wealth. ⁴

While a number of the daily entries appear at first glance to be routine – and the most frequent are centered on the purchase of alcoholic beverages such as rum, West Indian rum, grog, wine and brandy—numerous patterns appear surrounding even the most common acquisitions. For example, the items entered under Ephraim Root for March 26^th 1793, indicate that some repairs and preparations were being made at the Root household. Listed in the inventory are nails, shingle nails, 2 3/4lbs. German steel, 14lbs 3/4.  iron, 1ib brimstone, 2 yds. chintz, 1 yd. calamanco, 1 yd. muslin handiff, 1 skein silk, 2 1/2 yd. green ribbon silk, 1 pair gloves, 2 yds. quality, 1 1/4 yd. ribbon, 1skein thread, 1 yd. black tafte and 5 gals. rum. While further research needs to be completed on the Root family, the purchases might well indicate an expansion or repair to a house or outbuilding in combination with a special event such as a wedding or the remodeling of a chamber, hence the high-end textile purchase.

Payment for Mr. Root’s bill is also worthy of attention: he paid part in cash, part through trade of 5 bushels of corn and by payment of a bowl of grog for “Dimon”.

Installment II (Week of 1 November 2011) will find the Montgomery Store clerk reviewing a major purchase by Mr. Stephen Couch, a trader from Bath.

Day Book, March17, 1793-February 22, 1794.
Courtesy, Haverhill Historical Society
Gift of William F. Koch, Jr. 2009

Ephraim Root purchase, March 26th, 1793

Detail, Stephen Couch purchase.
Note coffee, cottonwool, sugar, allspice, pepper and tea.

Notes

1. The author thanks John Page, President of the Haverhill Historical Society, for bringing the Montgomery Store Day Book to the author’s attention; Prof. Dane Morrison, Salem State University for providing a broader historical context for the Day Book entries; Haverhill librarian Nanci Myers for providing access and a pleasant work environment, and James Garvin, NH State Architectural Historian (ret.), Jim Alexander, FAIA and Tom Stocker for sharing freely of their knowledge of Haverhill.

2. The Distilled Spirits Tax of 1791 and the subsequent Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 did not have the same impact in New England that it did in locations like Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania where the transportation of grains to distilleries was challenging and the distilleries small, and even the time needed to travel to a major city such as Philadelphia to pay the tax was burdensome.  However, the preponderance of liquor purchases, frequently by gallons and barrels in a town such as Haverhill may indicate some concern.  More research into similar town purchase patterns in combination with newspaper notices would yield further information.

Noah Webster’s Language, Part I of 1783 was known for generations simply as The Blue-back Speller, it was in use for more than a century and sold over seventy million copies. Of interest for this discussion is the fact that three spellers are sold from the store within the first two pages of the Day Book: Joseph Pearson, Joshua Swan and Moody Bedell  each purchase a “spelling book” and many others are sold throughout the year.  According to numerous sources, the effect of Webster’s book on students was unequaled in the history of American elementary education. The purchase of the speller indicates an interest in “self improvement” and desire for knowledge compatible with the ideals of the new Republic. See http://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/Webster-Noah.html#ixzz1bq2cIbM1

3. The author thanks Jane C. Nylander, Director Emerita Historic New England, for calling attention to the Elias Nasson archive, the Montgomery sisters and for sharing her research on their time with Mrs. Rowson.

4. Inventory and probate research for the Montgomery family is currently underway.