A List of Wearing Apparel, Books, &c. of William Stoddard Williams

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


About this item

When the newly-trained physician, Dr. William Stoddard Williams (1762-1829) left Deerfield, Massachusetts, for his first job in the Berkshires town of Richmond, he packed books – more than two dozen medical texts plus English and French grammars, Locke’s work on philosophy, and a psalm book – and enough clothing to carry him through the change of seasons until he moved back to Deerfield in July of 1786. All of the items suggest a gentleman’s inventory. His list includes three coats and two overcoats, plus one white jacket “with French quilting,” nine vests (including two striped and one of cashmere), eight pairs of breeches, four hats, nine pair of gloves, and 12 pairs of stockings made of “thread,” “worsted,” and “yarn.” His seven shirts included two that were “ruffled.”

* Note especially the “1 Pair Breeches & Jacket Solo. [his younger brother] bro’t up to have ye Small Pox in.” He may have been planning to go to a “pest house” in order to be inoculated himself or to spend time in a pesthouse as a physician and wanted clothes specifically for that purpose.

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Details

Item typePersonal Documents
Diary, Journal
AuthorWilliams, M.D., William Stoddard
Date1785
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicMedical, Health, Disease
Clothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
Industry, Occupation, Work
EraThe New Nation, 1784–1815
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatHandwriting; Ink
Dimension detailsProcess Material: manuscript, paper, ink Height: 12.25 in Width: 7.50 in
Catalog #L99.029
View this item in our curatorial database →
Williams, M.D., William Stoddard. A List of Wearing Apparel, Books, &c. of William Stoddard Williams. 1785. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l99-029/. Accessed on October 15, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.