Collection Overview
Adams, William A.
William A. Adams Daybook
1876-1878
MS 624 bd
1 volume
(0.1 linear ft.)
Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst
During the 1870s, William A. Adams maintained a blacksmithing shop close to the intersection of Walnut and Hickory Streets in Springfield, Mass. His trade ran from farriery to repairing iron work, wheels, and wagons, and situated as he was near the southern end of Watershops Pond, one of the industrial centers of the city, his customers ranged from local residents to manufacturing firms, the city, and the Armory.
The Adams account book contains approximately 150 pages containing brief records of blacksmithing work for a range of customers located in the immediate area. Among the more names mentioned are the grocers Perkins and Nye, W. and E.W. Pease Co., J. Kimberley and Co., and Common Councilman William H. Pinney and J. W. Lull, all of whom can be located within a few blocks of Adams' shop.
English
Historical Note
During the 1870s, William A. Adams maintained a blacksmithing shop close to the intersection of Walnut and Hickory Streets in Springfield, Mass. His trade ran from farriery to repairing iron work, wheels, and wagons, and situated as he was near the southern end of Watershops Pond, one of the industrial centers of the city, his customers ranged from local residents to manufacturing firms, the city, and the Armory.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Adams account book contains brief records of blacksmithing work for a range of customers located in the immediate area. Among the more names mentioned are the grocers Perkins and Nye, W. and E.W. Pease Co., J. Kimberley and Co., and Common Councilman William H. Pinney and J. W. Lull, all of whom can be located within a few blocks of Adams' shop. The account book had a second life as an object for a child's doodling and, perhaps later still, as a would-be scrapbook, nevertheless the majority of entries remain legible.
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Cite as: William A. Adams Daybook (MS 624 bd). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Acquired from Dan Casavant, 1999.
Processed by Dex Haven, August 2009.
Search Terms
Adams, William A.
Blacksmiths--Massachusetts--Springfield.
Horseshoers--Massachusetts--Springfield.
Springfield (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th century.
Daybooks.