Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

Nelson W. Winton kept this diary between 1843 and 1847, at the ages of 14 to 17, while living with his aunt and uncle (a physician) in Havana, Chemung County, New York. Winton wrote about his attendance at district and select schools at Havana, taught by Rufus Burr and James H. Gage, and at the Owego Academy. He attended Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian religious meetings, as well as temperance gatherings. Winton wrote regularly about helping with labor, such as killing and butchering cows and pigs, and chopping wood. He documented leisure activities, such as sleighing, skating, sledding, attending picnics and concerts, spending time in nature with his friends, interacting with young women, and other activities. On multiple occasions, he traveled to Geneva, Oswego, Syracuse, Binghamton, and other areas in New York State. Winton regularly recorded information about events that took place on holidays, including George Washington's Birthday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year. At the end of the diary (pages 106-108, 118-157), Nelson Winton copied his compositions and speeches on subjects such as a dream, Greek and Roman history, pin making, the deleterious effect of reading novels, slavery, and other topics.

Nelson W. Winton kept this diary between 1843 and 1847, at the ages of 14 to 17, while living with his aunt and uncle (a physician) in Havana, Chemung County, New York. Winton wrote about his attendance at district and select schools at Havana, taught by Rufus Burr and James H. Gage, and at the Owego Academy. He attended Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian religious meetings, as well as temperance gatherings. Winton wrote regularly about helping with labor, such as killing and butchering cows and pigs, and chopping wood. He documented leisure activities, such as sleighing, skating, sledding, attending picnics and concerts, spending time in nature with his friends, interacting with young women, and other activities. On multiple occasions, he traveled to Geneva, Oswego, Syracuse, Binghamton, and other areas in New York State. Winton regularly recorded information about events that took place on holidays, including George Washington's Birthday, July 4th (Independence Day), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.

At the end of the diary (pages 106-108, 118-157), Nelson Winton copied his compositions and speeches on subjects such as a dream, Greek and Roman history, pin making, the deleterious effect of reading novels, slavery, and other topics.

A selection of entries include:

• 1843 November 20: Gathered a group of boys together to whip his cousin Henry on his birthday.
• 1843 November 28: Attendance at the Youth's Washington Temperance Society.
• 1843 December 2: Went to see Tom Thumb (paid 6 pence to see him).
• 1844 March 10: Heard Samuel Parker (1779-1866) preach on his missionary work in the West.
• 1844 July 8: Did not attend the circus as he "does not approve of them."
• 1844 August 22: Attended a caravan at Jefferson; description of the animals he saw (elephants, tigers, panthers, wolves, monkeys, leopards, camels, etc. etc.).
• 1844 August 30: Fire at Mr. Down's Woolen Factory.
• 1844 September 6-23: Traveled by boat and railroad to Syracuse and Oswego, and returned to Havana (description of Oswego, Oswego River, and Fort Oswego).
• 1844 October 2-3: Chemung County Agricultural Fair.
• 1844 October 18: Mass meeting of Jefferson Whigs.
• 1844 December 12: "Gov [William C.] Bouck appointed to day Thanksgiving"; description of the day.
• 1845 January 24: Temperance Exhibition at the "Brick House"; presentation of George Lovell and his decline into drinking, gambling, murder, and prison.
• 1845 March 4: Village boys organized a "Franklin Association" for speaking and debating. Winton is a member.
• 1845 March 15: Tapping trees for maple sap/sugar.
• 1845 March 27: Edward Hazen visited the school to instruct on grammar.
• 1845 April 10: District School House sold at public auction; trustees and voters allocated $2,500 to build a new schoolhouse and playground.
• 1845 July 17-21: Travel to Owego and Binghamton.
• 1846 May 12: Attended a concert comprised of a mixed race cast, with one Native American woman; visited Mr. Holden who let them use his telescope.
• 1846 May 19: Opening of new schoolhouse, with speeches.
• 1846 June 3: Co-edited a newspaper devoted to Literature, Science and the Fine Arts, titled "The Pioneer."
• 1846 June 17: Lengthy description of examinations, orations, and acting.
• 1846 August 24ff.: Lengthy description of travel by steamboat to Geneva, New York, by railroad and packet to Oswego, then Syracuse. The packet was delayed because the crew got into a physical fight with the crew of another packet. Entertained on the packet by a black singer.
• 1846 December 24: Examinations, orations, and acting.
• 1847 February 1: Attendance at Emily Walker's party, comments on the women present.
• 1847 March 18, 25: Debating and topics of debate.
• 1847 July 3-4: Travel to Geneva, New York, to celebrate Independence Day.
• 1847 August 3: Elaborate picnic event, marching in procession from the "Temple of Science" to a glen, with a brass band, exhibition of paintings of sacred history, and lectures.
• 1847 August 29: Fourth time shaving; cut himself, preventing him from attending meeting.
• 1843-1845 (Pages 106-108, 118-157): Compositions and speeches for the school, the Owego Academy, the Owego Young Men's Lyceum, and the Havana Juvenile Washington Temperance Society.
• 1846 September 18 (Pages 141-142): Nelson Winton's reflections on his future prospects as a clerk and on his apprehensions about leaving the home of his uncle, aunt, and cousins.

This collection contains 9 letters that B. Robert Winthrop, a native of New York City, wrote to his sister Mag while he lived and worked in "Angostura" between 1824 and 1825. He described his life abroad and commented on the local culture. The collection also contains a letter that Winthrop wrote to Mag after returning to New York City, as well as a manuscript poem.

This collection contains 9 letters that B. Robert Winthrop wrote to his sister Mag while he lived and worked in "Angostura" between December 8, 1824, and December 20, 1825, as well as one letter that he wrote after returning to his home in New York City and a poem copied by C. Winthrop.

B. Robert Winthrop moved to "Angostura" in late 1824, and remained until at least early 1826. While abroad, he corresponded with his sister, Mag C. Winthrop, who remained with their family in New York City. In his first letter, written on December 8, 1824, he described the local population and his experiences as foreigner living abroad (such as his lack of familiarity with the local vernacular). Winthrop often referred to his desire to return home and remarked on social news from New York City. In late 1825, he began to describe his efforts to return to the United States, as well as his disappointment when his plans did not come to fruition.

In his final letter from overseas, dated December 20, 1825, he relayed a request from the "Governors Daughter," who wished for a set of "curls" from New York. He also wrote Mag from New York City on January 2, 1829, after the rest of the Winthrop family had moved to Clarendon County, South Carolina, responding in detail to her request for news of New York's latest fashions and expressing his pleasure with a general's recent success in the "Western States." The final item is a manuscript copy of "The Mariner's Dream," a poem by William Dimond; this copy is attributed to "Miss C. Winthrop."

The Charles Winstone letterbook, 1777-1786, contains the business correspondence of Winstone, attorney general and planter in Dominica during and after the American Revolution.

The Charles Winstone letterbook contains 131 letters written between December 22, 1777, and July 20, 1786, comprising a total of 210 pages. Winstone wrote 126 of the letters. His clerk, Thomas Pryor, wrote an additional 5 items, on Winstone's behalf, during Winstone's business trip to Antigua from July to September 1780. The letters primarily concern legal, financial, and plantation affairs, and are addressed to 40 different recipients. They include references to the effect of the American Revolution on trade, the activities of American privateers, the defenses of Dominica, French naval and military activities in the West Indies, the capture of Dominica by France, and conditions there after the capture. Winstone wrote most frequently to John Rae (29 letters), Benjamin Sandford (13 letters), David Chollet (11 letters), John Fordyce (8 letters), John Greg (5 letters), and the firms of Bordieu, Chollet & Bordieu (7 letters) and Langston & Dixon (5 letters).

Many of the letters narrate political activities and developments in the West Indies during and after the American Revolution, including the increasing presence of the French Navy, the French invasion and capture of Dominica, and conflict over neighboring islands. On December 22, 1777, Winstone wrote to the governor of Dominica, William Stuart, and described the "very weak state" of Dominica's garrison, Fort Shirley, as well as the "swarming" of numerous "Rebel Privateers" around the island. He also nervously anticipated "something unfriendly" based on the presence of 12,000 soldiers and numerous ships at the nearby islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe. Several months later, he wrote to James Irvin, and recounted the story of Sharpe, a slave stolen by an American privateer and later recovered (January 6, 1778). A highlight of the letterbook is Winstone's letter to David Chollet of October 26, 1778, in which he described Dominica's feeble resistance to France's invasion and subsequent takeover: "we had only the Name of a Garrison [and] about forty Regulars to carry Arms…. We partly lay the blame on our Admiral who remained [at] an Anchor in Carlisle."

Winstone wrote particularly revealing letters concerning the war's financial consequences, to which he was well attuned. He noted that property in the West Indies had lost half of its value, and bemoaned the embargoes enacted by the British to halt French trade via Dominica, which had made his position as attorney general unprofitable (October 26, 1778). On June 18, 1779, he reported the difficulty of trading because of the risks associated with sending items to St. Eustatius en route to Europe. He also provided the prices of sugar, beef, and salt-fish, and requested assistance from Chollet in convincing Dutch ships to come to Dominica for trading purposes. On January 12, 1780, he wrote to Robert Melvill and described the ubiquitous high prices, the seizure of livestock for use by the military hospital, and the general suffering of the population. A terrible hurricane and destructive fire in the town of Roseau, described by Winstone on July 16, 1781, compounded the distress of the inhabitants.

Although many letters in the volume relate to political events and their financial consequences in Dominica, others concern more routine financial matters and events. On October 27, 1778, Winstone wrote a letter to accompany a slave he sold to Thomas Campbell, in which he intimated, "the Reason of my selling the Fellow is that he is disliked by the rest of the Negroes on the Plantation & he is addicted to running away." Many later letters relate strictly to financial matters, such as the mortgages of planters and the settling of accounts. The final letter in the volume, dated April 30, 1786, gives a rare glimpse into Winstone's personal life; in it, he hopes his daughter Rebecca ("Becks"), wife of his business associate Benjamin Sanford, has successfully delivered her first child.

This collection contains correspondence that Charlotte Henrietta Winslow (née Pettibone) received in the mid-1800s. She corresponded with several potential suitors in the latter half of the 1840s, including her future husband, Horace Winslow. Other correspondence includes personal letters she received from family and friends, as well as letters addressed to her sister-in-law, Philinda Winslow. Other items include poems and religious notes.

This collection (1 linear foot) contains over 500 letters related to Charlotte Henrietta Winslow (née Pettibone), as well as poetry, religious notes, and other items. In the mid-1800s, Charlotte Pettibone Winslow received letters from potential suitors, family members, and friends. The collection also contains letters written and received by her husband, Horace Winslow, as well as letters received by her sister-in-law, Philinda Winslow. Most of the correspondence concerns social life in New York City and Connecticut in the early 19th century.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence that Charlotte Pettibone Winslow received both before and after her marriage to Presbyterian and Congregational pastor Horace Winslow. She received 3 letters from Delia Bacon between 1844 and 1845 related to her desire to study under Bacon, as well as letters from friends and family members describing their social lives in New York City and in Connecticut towns such as Norfolk and Hartford. Many of the letters discuss courtship and marriage; multiple correspondents also mentioned their acquaintances' visits to Niagara Falls.

Charlotte Pettibone corresponded with several potential suitors in the mid- to late-1840s, and the collection contains many letters she received from suitors, as well as her responses, which include both original items and contemporary copies that Pettibone transcribed herself. Two letters are apologies to potential suitors with whom she did not wish to engage in correspondence and courtship (February 18, 1843 and January 1, 1848). The collection contains 3 letters that Sanford Horton wrote to Pettibone between 1845 and 1846, regarding the possibility of correspondence and the potential for mutual affections, as well as her responses. She also received 4 similar letters from William Long, to whom she responded 3 times. The letters between Pettibone and Long often relate to religious views and to Charlotte's religious studies; the final 2, written in December 1846, discuss the discontinuation of their correspondence.

Other suitors included Harvey Loomis (23 letters and 12 responses, 1847-1848); Nat B. Stevens (7 letters and 2 responses, 1846-1847); and J. H. W. Wing (2 letters and 6 responses, 1848). Horace Winslow wrote 3 letters to Charlotte during their courtship, and 13 during the first two years of their marriage, expressing his affections and providing news of his health and activities.

Charlotte Pettibone Winslow also received letters from her mother, Fanny Pettibone, who provided news from Norfolk, Connecticut, and from her extended family. Fanny Pettibone received several letters from Jeffrey O. Phelps between 1876 and 1877, most of which concern finances. Charlotte Pettibone Winslow received 4 letters from her niece, Molly P. Phelps, about her studies at Amherst College between 1838 and 1840. Winslow also wrote to her sister-in-law, Philinda Winslow, after 1850, and wrote to other friends and family members throughout the early 1800s.

Philinda Winslow received social letters from friends and family members, including 19 from her brother Horace. Friends, cousins, and other correspondents discussed social news; her most frequent correspondent, Corinna A. Fisher, wrote 50 letters between 1845 and 1853, most from Lansingburg, New York. On April 17, 1862, Corinna A. Shearer responded to news of Horace Winslow's appointment as chaplain to the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment, and wrote of the sacrifice of lives for the preservation of the Union. Two other items relate to Horace Winslow's Civil War service, including a paper listing his name and regiment and an undated printed form for declaring "Arrears of Pay."

The collection also contains a letter written to Timothy Stanley from a woman's rights convention held in Connecicut in 1854, in which the author claimed that women possessed superior qualities to men, advocated that women retain their surnames after marriage, and discussed women's civil rights.

Additional materials include a colored picture of a flower, miscellaneous fragments and notes, and a document respecting Charlotte Pettibone's performance at Miss Hillyer's School. The collection also contains 12 poems and poetic fragments, 13 sets of notes on sermons and Bible verses, a receipt, a printed letter that Horace Winslow addressed "For the Freedmen," a program for the Fourth Annual New England Conference of Christian Workers, and an advertisement for religious tracts.

This collection is made up of correspondence, writings, a journal, a scrapbook, and published material related to George Clary Wing of Bloomfield, Ohio, and two account books kept his father, Joseph Knowles Wing, during his military service in the Civil War. George C. Wing's correspondence pertains mostly to his career in the United States government in the late 19th century, and his writings cover topics such as history, literature, and travel.

This collection is made up of correspondence, writings, a journal, a scrapbook, and published material related to George Clary Wing of Bloomfield, Ohio, and two account books kept by his father, Joseph Knowles Wing, during his military service in the Civil War.

The Correspondence series (32 items) consists of personal and professional correspondence related to George C. Wing. Most items are incoming letters that Wing received from acquaintances and politicians who discussed Wing's career in the United States Department of Justice and the United States Department of State from 1872-1884. Some items are signed by prominent politicians, including George Henry Williams, Charles Devens, Benjamin Brewster, and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen. The series also contains a small number of draft letters from Wing to various individuals, also concerning his career in Washington, D.C. George C. Wing received personal letters from his father, Joseph K. Wing, and one letter and one telegram from his brother, Francis J. Wing; both provided news from North Bloomfield, Ohio, and offered professional advice. The final item is a brief personal letter from "George" to "Julia" (July 23, 1923).

The Journal and Notebooks series contains 2 notebooks and 1 journal. George C. Wing kept two notebooks from 1872-1924 (280 pages) and 1884-1920 (150 pages, not all of which are used). These contain quotations, essays, and notes about many subjects, including lectures at Georgetown Law School, English-language literature, classical history and literature, American history, and scientific subjects. Wing also composed some poetry. The second volume includes some one-line journal entries about Wing's business trips and family news from 1884-1910. He laid newspaper clippings, loose essays, photographs, and notes into the volumes.

George C. Wing's journal includes 51 pages of daily entries describing the scenery during his railroad and steamship journey from Ohio to Valdez, Alaska, and back between June 5, 1901, and July 9, 1901. He mentioned his daily activities and sometimes noted the types of plants prevalent in different areas of the country. The later pages (around 15 pages) contain a drawing of "Jake," a sketch of the Alaska coastline along a glacier, additional trip notes, memoranda, a railroad ticket and steamship purser's ticket, and a photograph of a woman.

The Writings series consists of three items. George C. Wing compiled a group of manuscript writings and draft letters in a volume entitled "Brands- from the Burning!" from the mid-1880s to the mid-1910s. Included are stories, essays, translations, and poems about history, literature, and other topics. Wing's draft letters include an opinion piece about the country's relationship with Germany in 1915. The series also includes a manuscript draft of Wing's book, The Western Reserve Home and The Manuscript Letters of Ephraim Brown and Family, 1805-1845 (1915, later published as Early Years on the Western Reserve) and a group of correspondence and essays about a road in Bloomfield, Ohio, and a related property dispute, entitled "The Lane in Section Sixty, Bloomfield, Trumbull County, Ohio" (1925).

The Joseph K. Wing Account Books (320 total pages, fewer than half of which are used) contain financial records and supply lists related to Wing's service in the 16th Army Corps during the Civil War (1863-1864). Wing, a quartermaster, compiled records about purchases of horses, including the price of each animal; lists of supplies, including the number of items and occasional remarks about items' condition; lists of clothing items available, including remarks about whether each item was damaged or new; a list of forage vouchers cashed by Wing, including the name of the soldier who claimed each voucher; and lists of supplies held by various regiments. Notes regarding prison returns mention a few female prisoners. The volumes also contain notes about army transportation and food supplies.

The collection's Scrapbook (27 pages) primarily contains newspaper clippings about many different subjects, including articles and photographs pertaining to steamship travel to and around Alaska, particularly regarding the ships Dolphin and Bertha. Other clippings concern various members of the Wing family, such as George C. Wing and Francis J. Wing, and the history of Bloomfield, Ohio. Items laid into the back of the volume include printed Personal Instructions to the Diplomatic Agents of the United States in Foreign Countries (1874), George Wing's manuscript report about "Proceedings for the Extradition of Criminals (June 14, 1883), George Wing's drawing of "The Encyclopedant" (February 1895), and a menu for the Alaska Steamship Company vessel Dolphin (July 4, 1901).

Printed Items (4 items) include a copy of George C. Wing's book Early Years on the Western Reserve with Extracts from Letters of Ephraim Brown and Family, 1805-1845 (Cleveland, 1916), inscribed to his sister Elizabeth and to a niece, and a copy of Neighborhood: A Settlement Quarterly containing several articles about pottery (July 1930). George C. Wing also collected court briefs from his time with the United States Court of Claims (1879-1882), and received a United States Senate report about the relationship between Great Britain and the United States with regard to each country's naval presence on the Great Lakes between the War of 1812 (1892).

This collection contains 7 letters that James Raymond wrote to his cousin, James Winch of Templeton, Massachusetts, about his life in Ridgefield and Monroeville, Ohio, in the 1820s and 1850s. Raymond provided family news, described local agriculture, and discussed local and national party politics, particularly related to elections of 1856.

This collection contains 7 letters that James Raymond wrote to his cousin, James Winch of Templeton, Massachusetts, about his life in Ridgefield and Monroeville, Ohio, in the early to mid-19th century. In his first 2 letters, Raymond shared information about the area of Ohio where his family had settled. He described prairies that were suited to grow crops such as corn and hemp, predators such as rattlesnakes and wolves, the economic effects of canals in New York and Ohio, and religious customs in Ridgefield (February 9, 1825, and May 14, 1826). His letters also provide news about family members, especially his siblings.

Raymond wrote 5 letters from August 6, 1854-December 5, 1858, informing his cousin about his life, his health, and his family members. Though poor health prevented him from performing heavy labor, he often wrote about farm work and his crops, which included wheat, corn, oats, and potatoes. Raymond also commented on political issues, particularly party politics in Ohio during the 1856 presidential election. He discussed the Locofocos, Whig Party, Know-Nothing Party, Democratic Party, and Republican Party, and mentioned issues such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, tax increases, and slavery.

The Winchester family papers contain correspondence and one document related to the family of John and Nancy Winchester of Groton, Connecticut. Their son William, a sailor during and after the War of 1812, wrote most of the letters.

The Winchester family papers contain correspondence and one document related to the family of John and Nancy Winchester of Groton, Connecticut. Their son William, a sailor during and after the War of 1812, wrote most of the letters. In his brief letters to his mother Nancy, William reported on his health and recent assignments and voyages, and requested news of his brothers and of life at home. He composed several of the letters while serving in the Navy during the War of 1812. In one letter, he reported having heard the news of the death of one of his brothers, and implored his mother to tell him which brother had died (May 11, 1814); most likely Elias. Other letters in the collection include correspondence from William's brothers, John and Alden, who, like William, gave their mother brief updates on their own travels at sea and of their employment, In her letter of February 18, 1814, Nancy sent news about the ill health of Elias. Also of interest within the collection is the official discharge form relieving the senior John Winchester from duty as a drummer in the Second Regiment of Artillery and Engineers, signed by Secretary of War James McHenry (November 30, 1799).

This collection contains correspondence, a school notebook, and other material related to Howard W. Wiltse, a native of Hannibal, New York, who graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1861.

This collection (13 items) contains correspondence, a school notebook (approximately 200 pages), and other material related to Howard W. Wiltse, a native of Hannibal, New York, who graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1861.

Howard W. Wiltse entered the University of Michigan Law School in 1859, the year it was founded, and graduated in 1861. From November 29, 1859-December 18, 1860, he composed class notes in a copy of Clayton's Quarto Diary for 1859. Wiltse's notes are based on lectures by the school's three professors (James V. Campbell, Thomas B. Cooley, and Charles I. Walker) and concern a wide range of legal topics, including civil law and criminal law, with an emphasis on economic practices; individual lectures often pertain to legal precedent. A dried fern leaf is laid into the volume.

Letters (10 items), a financial document (1 item), and a newspaper (1 item), once laid into the volume, also relate to Howard W. Wiltse's experiences in New York and Michigan. He wrote 2 letters to an unidentified brother in March 1852 and April 1855 about his experiences teaching school in a town called Burns, and he wrote 7 letters to other family members between May 1859 and April 1862. Wiltse discussed his studies at the University of Michigan Law School, the cost of his schoolbooks, and his legal career in Big Rapids, Michigan. In one letter, written on stationery depicting five of the university's buildings, he mentioned the turbulent political situation just before the Civil War (February 19, 1861). Later items include a financial document (April 3, 1874) and a letter from a man named Charles to a woman named Nettie (September 3, 1886). Howard W. Wiltse also sent his family the first issue of the Mecosta County Pioneer (April 17, 1862).

In 1942, Molly Johnson, an Australian woman, married Robert L. Wilson, an American aide-de-camp. Her papers consist of 21 letters written by Molly to her husband prior to her departure for the United States. The letters provide an Australia bride's perspective of the war bride experience after World War II.

The Molly Wilson papers consist of 21 letters written by Molly to her husband Robert prior to her departure for the United States. The letters provide an Australia bride's perspective of the war bride experience after World War II.

There are two main areas of interest in the Wilson papers. First, Wilson's letters to her husband detail the process of emigrating to the United States. The War Brides' Act (Public Law 271) was passed by Congress on December 28, 1945 to facilitate "admission of alien spouses and alien minor children of citizen members of the United States armed forces." Wilson struggled with the Australian government attempting to ensure that her visa was valid and that she had a petition to enter the United States. Not until early February, a month after Congress had passed the War Brides' Act, did she learn that all that was needed to enter the United States was proof of being a war bride.

The second area of interest involves the interaction of Australian women with armed forces personnel stationed in Australia. Many brides met their husbands while employed at a United States military base. Molly wrote of how nice the officers are to the brides, having parties and screening movies for them. When the food at the war brides' barracks was inedible, the Army stepped in and provided food service for the brides. Naval officers secured her passage on the first bridal ship although she was low on the priority list.

During World War II, an estimated one million American soldiers married women from over fifty different countries. In the Pacific, 16,000 of the one million American soldiers married Australian and New Zealand women. The war brides represent the largest migration to the United States since the 1920s.

The James Wilson ledger is a volume of approximately 660 pages, made up of accounts for individuals and corporations, mostly in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, between 1794 and 1816. The collection also includes about 50 small items, mostly receipts relating to Wilson's business, that were originally enclosed in the ledger.

Wilson divided the ledger into three sections, for which he hand-numbered the pages. In the third section, beginning around 1802, he not only listed the names of his customers, but also frequently recorded their residences or occupations. Women tended to be identified as "daughter of," "wife of," or "widow of" a male relative.

Wilson's customers occupied a spectrum of social statuses. Many of the patrons were listed as farmers or artisans, but the ledger also includes accounts for professionals and gentleman as well as newly freed African Americans, household servants, and apprentices. Most of these customers seemed to reside in the towns of Lebanon, Bethlehem, and Kingwood, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, but Wilson also traded with merchants from Trenton and Philadelphia.

In the earliest entries, dating from 1794, Wilson seems to have traded mostly in wines and spirits, including whisky, spruce beer, port, sherry, rum, cider, and claret. Most of his early customers paid in cash or "bottles returned." Further in the ledger, Wilson's sales broaden to include household goods (chiefly tea, coffee, and sugar), fabric, and clothing. In return, he received services and goods, as well as cash.

This collection also consists of approximately 50 small items, mostly receipts, at one time enclosed in the ledger. Items of note include 2 contracts, dated 1807, for schoolmaster James Hill, an undated note addressed to "Mrs. Wilson" from Theodosia Coxe about household goods, and some basic sketches in the front and end papers of the ledger. An index of the approximately 100 accounts listed under women's names may be found in the control file.