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Dudley Brown Account Book

A description of the items at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 20 Jul 2009

Biographical History

Little is known of Dudley Brown. It is likely that he was the son of Dudley Brown and Phebe Miner of North Stonington, Connecticut; if so, he was born in North Stonington in 1804 (see Cyrus Henry Brown, Brown Genealogy, Vol. 1. Boston, The Everett Press Company, 1907). The account book shows that he was a shopkeeper, perhaps a dry goods store, in the town of Preston in Chenango County, New York. A laid-in note inside the front cover indicates he was town supervisor sometime prior to 1859.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Dudley Brown Account Book records sales of food and merchandise to individuals in Preston, New York. Items recorded include cheese, butter, cotton and silk cloth, shoes, straw bonnets, snuff, tobacco, horseshoes, mutton, corn and potatoes. Near the end of the book, Brown has annual tallies (e.g. "Account of Cheese in 1834"). The account book spans 1830-1837; two additional laid-in items date from 1856 and 1859. The only personal item is a laid-in sheet with a poem on the value of friendship (see page 70).

Arrangement of the Collection

One item.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has many small collections of account books, ledgers, and similar business-related material. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

Subject Headings

Persons

Brown, Dudley, 1804-

Subjects

Business enterprises -- Preston (N.Y.)

Places

Preston (N.Y.) -- Commerce.
Preston (N.Y.) -- History.

Genres and Forms

Account books.

Occupations

Grocers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Dudley Brown Account Book,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 1969.

Table of Contents

Financial records

Inventory