ORIGINAL 1804–1805 EARLY AMERICAN MERCHANT’S ACCOUNT — JOSHUA RILEY & WILLIAM WRIGHT
An original early American manuscript merchant’s account dating from November 1804 through December 1805, headed to Major Williams and recording transactions with J. Riley & A. Wright.
The account contains a fascinating series of contemporary commercial entries, including payments for labor and services, an entry relating to the ship Phoenix, and the purchase or accounting of approximately 118 gallons of rum. The rum is carefully calculated at approximately 94 cents per gallon, providing an unusually tangible glimpse into early American maritime commerce and commodity pricing.
The account concludes with a settlement notation dated December 25, 1805, and bears the signatures of the parties, including what appears to be Joshua Riley and William Wright.
The manuscript is particularly attractive to collectors of early American commerce, maritime history, merchant records, shipping, rum trade, and original handwritten documents of the Federal period. The surviving folds, period ink, calculations, corrections, and signatures preserve the appearance of an authentic working merchant’s ledger/account from the first decade of the United States.
The document measures approximately [MEASUREMENTS] and is in good original condition for an early nineteenth-century working commercial manuscript, with expected folds, toning, light staining, and handling wear.
A fascinating original record of American commercial life only 28 years after the Constitution and during the formative years of the early Republic.
An original early American manuscript merchant’s account dating from November 1804 through December 1805, headed to Major Williams and recording transactions with J. Riley & A. Wright.
The account contains a fascinating series of contemporary commercial entries, including payments for labor and services, an entry relating to the ship Phoenix, and the purchase or accounting of approximately 118 gallons of rum. The rum is carefully calculated at approximately 94 cents per gallon, providing an unusually tangible glimpse into early American maritime commerce and commodity pricing.
The account concludes with a settlement notation dated December 25, 1805, and bears the signatures of the parties, including what appears to be Joshua Riley and William Wright.
The manuscript is particularly attractive to collectors of early American commerce, maritime history, merchant records, shipping, rum trade, and original handwritten documents of the Federal period. The surviving folds, period ink, calculations, corrections, and signatures preserve the appearance of an authentic working merchant’s ledger/account from the first decade of the United States.
The document measures approximately [MEASUREMENTS] and is in good original condition for an early nineteenth-century working commercial manuscript, with expected folds, toning, light staining, and handling wear.
A fascinating original record of American commercial life only 28 years after the Constitution and during the formative years of the early Republic.
