Barcode number 1178215: Retreat Furnace Daybook and Ledger, 1816-1826

Scope and content:

Retreat Furnace Daybook and Ledger, 1816-1826, was used first as a daybook, 1816, and then as ledger, 1818-1826, to record the transactions of individual employees. Daybook entries document items purchased at the furnace store and include such items as bacon, meal, shoes, blankets, coffee, beef, flour, and tobacco. Transactions were entered on a chronological basis as they occurred. Each entry includes date, employee name, items purchased, and monies debited to the accounts. Beginning in 1818, the volume was used as a ledger to record the individual accounts of employees. All of the employees appear to have been free laborers that were engaged primarily in blacksmith work. Each account includes the employee name and a record of the blacksmith work performed. Each account entry includes the day, a description of the work performed, and the wages provided. Examples of work performed include shoeing horses, making rivets and nails, shaping shovels, and sharpening tools. The accounts also include debits for purchases of items such as blankets, cider, skillets, etc. Several accounts refer to entries made in an unidentified daybook.

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