mums013 Samuel Henry Accounts, 1813-1881 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Ken Fones-Wolf. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA

2003

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Eric Cartier. 2003-04-22 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mu55 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Samuel Henry Accounts, 1813-1881 Finding Aid Manuscript Number 13 Compiled by Ken Fones-Wolf November 1984 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Henry, Samuel, 19th cent. Samuel Henry Accounts 1813-1881 MS 13 2 boxes (0.75 linear ft.) Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Justice of the peace, merchant, landowner, and entrepreneur from Prescott and Shutesbury, Massachusetts. Nine volumes contain descriptions of his duties as justice of the peace, a book of deeds and mortgages from local real estate transactions, account books of sales in his general store and from his palm leaf hat business, and notes of accounts with individuals. English. Biographical Note

Prescott was among the Western Massachusetts towns abolished in 1938 to allow the Swift River Valley to be flooded, thereby creating the Quabbin Reservoir to provide Boston with water.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Samuel Henry was a justice of the peace, merchant, landowner, and entrepreneur in early nineteenth century Prescott, Massachusetts. Henry eventually moved to Shutesbury, Massachusetts in 1857. The nine volumes of accounts in this collection reflect his varied interests and responsibilities. His record of acknowledgements covers his duties as justice of the peace and show local real estate transactions from 1829 to 1857. His personal activity in real estate is reflected in his book of deeds and mortgages, covering the period 1813 to 1876. Henry also ran a general store and began a palmleaf-hatmaking business. The hat business was an extensive homework industry, which involved the braiding of hats (usually by women at home) in exchange for credit at Henry's store. Much of Henry's activity in the local economy similarly took place without the exchange of cash. The use of the account books, which also include extensive notes of accounts with individuals (1830-1881) help reconstruct the rural economy of nineteenth-century Massachusetts.

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Samuel Henry Accounts (MS 13). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Acquired from Donald Howe, 1960.

Processed by Ken Fones-Wolf, November 1984.

Search Terms Henry, Samuel, fl. 19th century. Panama hat industry--Massachusetts--History--Sources. Massachusetts--Economic conditions--19th century--Sources. Prescott (Mass.)--History--Sources. Shutesbury (Mass.)--History--Sources. Quabbin Reservoir Region (Mass.)--History. Account books 1 1 Deeds and Mortgages 1813-1876 1 2 Record of Acknowledgements of Deeds and Other Instruments 1829-1854 1 3 Ledger No. 1 for Palm Leaf Hat Manufacture 1835-1838 1 3 Cash Book 1838-1854 1 4 Cash Book 1840-1862 1 5 Account of Cash Paid for Family Expenses 1854-1859 1 5 Memorandum of Agreements and Small Accounts 1854-1857 1 5 Account of Rents and Expenses on Tool Place 1857-1860 1 5 Account of Rents on Johnston Place 1858-1859 1 5 Record of Acknowledgements of Deeds and Other Instruments 1854-1857 1 5 Account of Cash to Be Loaned 1854-1860 1 6 Accounts with Individuals 1830-1838 1 6 Accounts of Notes and Cash on Interest 1846-1860 1 6 List of Notes that Belong to the Store 1829-1846 1 7 Accounts with Individuals 1834-1843 2 8 Accounts with Individuals 1856-1881 2 9 Accounts with Individuals 1835-1860