William Bement, Northumberland, New York records
Overview
The William Bement, Northumberland, New York records, spanning the years 1840 to 1853, contains records of a New York farmer and general store proprietor.
Dates
- Creation: 1840-1846
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored offsite; access requires advance notice. Contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information on access procedures and reproduction services.
Extent
0.25 linear feetCollection consists of one volume containing a variety of information about the various business ventures of William Bement. Pages 1-75 contain diary entries about "doings at Pleasant Hill Farm" including house building, farm activities, social and leisure functions, dating from 1840-1842. Immediately after the diary entries begins an index to a general store ledger from 1842-1844. The Schuylerville store accounts of Bement and Shaw follow for September 1846. Further in the book is an abstract of title for property on Bement Avenue, Castleton, Richmond County, New York, dating from 1803-1853. Last page of the volume lists crops planted in 1840 and 1841.
The back of the volume lists recipes for various remedies and solutions including: Crandall Salve ("good for curing sores and wounds of almost every description"); King of Oil ("good for the cure of wounds and sores on horses and cattle"); Ink; Celebrated Eye Wash; Black & Blue Black Ink; Paregoric Elixir; Liquid Opodildoc; British Oil; Oil of Spike; Blue Ink; and Hive Syrup ("good for whooping cough, croup, colds, affections of the lungs, attending the measles...").
Biographical / Historical
In 1840, William Bement and his wife, Cornelia, moved to Pleasant Hill Farm, Northumberland, New York. After building a house and engaging in farm work for a few years, Bement apparently opened a general store which lasted until 1844. In 1845, Bement continued in retailing under the partnership of Bement and Shaw. The men opened a store in Schuylerville, NY.
Physical Location
MANU
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Buckner Speed, 1947.
Processing Information
Processed: March 2021 By: Baker Library Special Collections Staff
Processing Information
To enhance discoverability, this collection was removed from an artificial collection of the records of Account books of farmers in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont in March 2021.
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak01374
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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