Business Records of a Blacksmith

Collection

Identifier: SpC MS 1841-sc

Staff Only

Content Description

The Collection consists of the business records of an unidentified blacksmith from the mid-1800's. The sheets list services performed and their cost. The blacksmith appears to have lived and/or worked in the town of Standish, Maine.

Dates

Creation: 19th century

Conditions Governing Access

No restriction on access

Use Restrictions

Rights assessment remains the responsibility of the researcher. No known restrictions.

Historical Note

Blacksmiths were essential to the society of the 19th century. Before factories were using mass production methods to quickly make and sell large quantities of metal items, it was the blacksmith who crafted these items. (excerpted from https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/who-was-a-blacksmith.htm ; accessed 8/31/2023)

Historical Note

Standish is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, and was once hunting and fishing territory of the Abenaki tribe. In 1750, the Massachusetts General Court granted the township to Captain Moses Pearson and Captain Humphrey Hobbs, together with their respective companies, for services during the French and Indian Wars. It was to be called Pearson and Hobbs Town, but Hobbs died and none of his company took possession. In 1752, the land was surveyed and divided into 30-acre lots. Pearsontown Plantation was incorporated as Standish on November 30, 1785. The town is named in honor of Captain Myles Standish. (excerpted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standish,_Maine ; accessed 8/31/2023)