Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the E. G. Pease Store Account Books, 1868-1869
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
| Repository | Martha's Vineyard Museum,
Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508)627-4441 |
|---|---|
| Call Number | RU 421 |
| Creator | |
| Title | E. G. Pease store account books |
| Date | 1868-1869 |
| Extent | 1 box |
| Language | The materials are in English. |
| Abstract | The collection consists of five account books from 1868-1876, labeled Gerry Pease Store, including daybooks, cashbooks and ledgers. |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 421, E. G. Pease Store Account Books.
Acquisition Information
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Publication Information
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Gale Huntington Research Library59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508)627-4441
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared by Joyce Cooper in January 2013 with assistance from Insley Julier. Machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick April 2014.
Processing of this collection and creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the towns of Aquinnah, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and West Tisbury through the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act. Machine-encoding of the finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Index Terms
Genre(s)
- Account books
- Cashbooks
- Daybooks
- Ledgers
Geographic Name(s)
- Edgartown (Mass.)
- Boston (Mass.)
Subject(s)
- Grocery trade--Massachusetts-- Martha's Vineyard
- Merchants--Massachusetts--Martha's Vineyard
Biography/Historical Note
Little information is known about the creator of this collection, but the March 15, 1861 Vineyard Gazette has E. G. Pease advertising groceries and provisions. Elbridge Gerry Pease, 1800-1866, was a trader with a shop in Edgartown at the time. It is possible that the store continued to operate after 1866, however no advertisements were found in later newspapers and it is not known when the store closed.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of five account books, 1868-1876. Each volume is labeled; "Gerry Pease Store," however the records in this collection date from after Elbridge Gerry Pease's death. Considering Pease's 1866 death date, this attribution is questionable however no other identifying information is associated with these volumes. It is not known whether these labels were added by the creator of the records or by a later custodian or museum staff person. Accounts listed in the ledger vary, some of the entries pertain to; nine different properties around Massachusetts, interest in five different freight or passenger vessels, eight different banks (none of which is on Martha's Vineyard), and many individuals and businesses. The individuals and businesses do not seem to be connected with the island, with a few exceptions. There is frequent mention of John A. Pease. His name appears associated both, with his own account, and as a line item in other accounts. Two of the daybooks are heavily over written by someone practicing their penmanship.
Daybook I is overwritten in part but some line items are still legible for cash received and paid. There are four sections for January, February and March 1868, one for August, September and October 1868 and one for January, February and March 1869. In addition there are three pages titled, "John A. Pease c/c Pawnee House," dated 1876.
The Ledger book II dated 1868 seems to be a summary of accounts listed in the daybooks. There are accounts for over 80 different individuals and companies
Cashbook and Daybook III contains receipts and debits for July-October 1868. Also some pages are titled, "Boston," July-September 1868, these show a large amount of coal purchased from William H. Prentice, as well as, line items for partial ownership in freight boats. Additionally, one page is headed; "Account Books of Smith & Pease," dated 1875. Most line items in this section concern real estate commissions.
Cashbook IV has records from July-October 1868, much of this is for coal and payment to individuals for labor. There are pages titled, "Boston," for various dates in January 1868 and many of the records pertain to general store type items.
Daybook V, heavily overwritten, contains records of August-October 1868, July and March of 1869.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in its original order, according to roman numerals found on the front cover of the volumes.
Collection Contents
| Box | Folder | |||
Daybook I, 1868-1869, 1876 | 1 | 1 | ||
Ledger II, 1868 | 1 | 2 | ||
Cashbook and Daybook III, 1868, 1875 | 1 | 3 | ||
Cashbook IV, 1868 | 1 | 4 | ||
Daybook V, 1868-1869 | 1 | 5 | ||