Pages from Elijah Williams (Old Soldier’s) account book, Vol. 2

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

The system of slavery in New England was often markedly different from that of the Southern colonies. Not only did the enslaved frequently work alongside their enslavers and reside with them, but they might also be sent to serve in the militia, fight in wars, and were allowed to hold accounts in local stores. One enslaved man in Deerfield, Massachusetts, was even sent on occasion to run his enslaver’s store in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. The account book pages for the store run by Elijah Williams in Deerfield include accounts for people such as Ishmael, who was enslaved by Thomas Dickinson and Titus, who was enslaved by the Reverend Jonathan Ashley. Each account includes a page listing a person’s purchases with values in pounds, shillings, and pence, and an opposing page listing the ways in which these people paid for their items. In Ishmael’s case, payment included cash, two days of work, and “By Digging Jno [Jonathan] Tutes Grave”.

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Details

Item typeAccount book
AuthorWilliams, Elijah
Date1746–1757
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicCommerce, Business, Trade, Consumerism
African American, Black Life
Slavery, Indenture
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatHandwriting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: manuscript, paper, ink Height: 7.00 in Width: 5.75 in
Catalog #L00.045
View this item in our curatorial database →
Williams, Elijah. Pages from Elijah Williams (Old Soldier’s) account book, Vol. 2. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l00-045/. Accessed on March 2, 2025.

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