mums173 Benjamin Briggs Accounts, 1805-1820 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Linda Seidman. 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

University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Eric Cartier. 2003-05-08 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mu8 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 Benjamin Briggs Accounts, 1805-1820 Finding Aid Manuscript Number 173 Compiled by Linda Seidman August 1987 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

2003 University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview Briggs, Benjamin, 1760-1834 Benjamin Briggs Accounts 1805-1820 MS 173 1 box, 1 volume Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst Ship's captain and cobbler from Scituate, Massachusetts. Includes list of ship expenses (harbor master's fees, wages, wharf fees, provisions, carpenter and blacksmith bills, and bills for loading labor, rigging, and mending the sails), debt accounts with individuals, and accounts for making and mending shoes and boots. English. Scope and Contents of the Collection

In 1805-06, Captain Benjamin Briggs (1760-1834) of Scituate, Massachusetts listed the expenses of running his ship. He paid for harbor master's fees, wages, "wharfage at St. Mary's", provisions, carpenter and blacksmith bills, glasses and plates, "pylotage", loading labor, rigging, mending the sails, and more. Individuals whom he paid repeatedly were Absolom Ozbon, Daniel Wilcott, and Lewis Talon.

Between 1809 and 1820 there are various accounts with individuals who owed him for work, the use of his boy and horse, and wood or timber, for which services were sometimes exchanged. Some of the repeat customers were Ichabod Cook, Nathaniel Litchfield, and Jonathan Brown.

By 1820 the accounts are mainly for making and mending shoes and boots. The cobbler may have been one of Captain Briggs' three sons--Billings, Paul, or James.

The collection is open for research.

 Preferred Citation

Cite as: Benjamin Briggs Accounts (MS 173). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Acquired from Charles Apfelbaum, 1987.

Collection processed by Linda Seidman, 2003.

 Search Terms Briggs, Benjamin, 1760-1834. Ozbon, Absolom. Wilcott, Daniel. Talon, Lewis. Cook, Ichabod. Litchfield, Nathaniel. Brown, Jonathan. Ship captains--Massachusetts--Scituate--Economic conditions--19th century--Sources. Shoemakers--Massachusetts--Scituate--Economic conditions--19th century--Sources. Shipping--Massachusetts--Scituate--Accounting--History--Sources. Shipping--Massachusetts--Scituate--Cost of operation--History--19th century--Sources. Debtor and creditor--Massachusetts--Scituate--History--19th century--Sources. Barter--Massachusetts--Scituate--History--19th century--Sources. Scituate (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th century--Sources. Account books.