Collection of Gershom F. Melcher business papers

Collection

Identifier: Col-0004

Scope and Contents

The collection primarily documents Melcher’s purchases of goods to sell in his store. It includes printed billheads, bills, drafts, and receipts, which indicate a wide trade with firms in most of New England, and in New York. Melcher purchased such items as knives, cuff pins, coral amulets, ring boxes, chains, earrings, pins for fraternal orders, candlesticks, Parian pitchers, rings (some set with stones), jet jewelry, thimbles, coffin plates, ladles, scissors, buttons, watch fobs, tea sets, goblets, vases, and an assortment of similar goods. Some of the invoices give a description of the goods being purchased. However, many of the invoices include catalog numbers or abbreviations, so it can be difficult to learn what has been ordered. A couple of the bills were for services, such as painting and laying carpet.

All bills are addressed to Melcher, unless otherwise noted.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1867-1875

Creator

Gershom F. Melcher (Person)

Biographical / Historical

Gershom Flagg Melcher was a watchmaker and dealer in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was born on May 22,1831, the son of Daniel and Nancy Y. Folsom Melcher. In the 1850 census, Melcher was listed as living with watchmaker Albert Wakefield of Somersworth, New Hampshire. Melcher married Abbie Underwood Vennard on July 26, 1871. Melcher died on November 17,1876.

Full Extent

0.209 Linear Feet (5 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Related Materials

A bill addressed to Melcher is taped inside an invoice book of John Sise, in Col. 88 in this repository. A photocopy of that bill is included in this collection. Melcher is also mentioned in a letter sent to Sise.

Index to names of business appearing on bills and receipts. Numbers refer to folder numbers. Names with an asterisk (*) are listed in two ways: in direct order and under last name, thus A. Bernhard & Co. is found under A. and under Bernhard. A. Bernhard & Co. (New York)* 1, 5 A. Paul & Co. (Boston)* 4 A. F. Towle & Son (Newburyport)* 4 A. W. Mitchell & Co. (Boston)* 3, 4, 5 Adams, Chandler & Co. (New York) 2 Adolph Hess & Co. (New York)* 4 Adler, M. (New York) 3, 4 Armour, John J. (Boston) 2 B. Bradley & Co. (Boston)* 3, 4, 5 Banfield, Forristall & Co. (Boston) 1 Bernhard, A. & Co. (New York)* 1, 5 Blaisdell, Uriah (n.p.) 3 Bodine, G. M. (New York)* 2 Bradley, B., & Co. (Boston)* 3, 4, 5 Brandly, V., & Co. (Boston)* 2 Brown & Russell (Boston) 1 Brown, E. M., & Co. (n.p.)* 4 Brown, E. Washington (Portsmouth, N. H.)* 5 Carl, Earl & Co. (Boston) 2 Carr, M. W., & Co. (Boston)* 3 Case Combination (n.p.) 5 Chapman, Geo. H., jr., & Co. (Boston)* 2 Colby, W. B. (Portsmouth, N.H.?) 1 D. C. Percival, Jr. & Co. (Boston)* 1, 3 Decker, Leonard (New York) 4 Dennison & Co. 2 Dessauer, G. (New York) 2, 3 Dinzey, Frederick V. (Boston) 3, 4 Dunham, Rufus (Portland) 1, 2 E. M. Brown & Co. (n.p.)* 4 E. Williams & Co. (New York)* 5 Elcox, H. & Co. (New York)* 5 Enos Richardson & Co. (New York)* 4, 5 Ephraim Bros. (New York) 4 Fletcher & Tanton (Portsmouth, N.H.) 5 Fogg & Sawyer (Boston) 3, 4 Freund, Goldsmith & Co. (New York) 4, 5 Geo. H. Chapman, jr., & Co. (Boston)* 2 Gorham Mfg. Company (Providence, R.I.) 3, 4 Gray, Robert (Portsmouth, N.H.?)* 3 Gray, Sarah E. 3 Guild & Delano (Boston) 2 H. Elcox & Co. (New York)* 5 H. A. Osgood & Son (Portsmouth, New York, Lewiston, Me.)* 5 Hammel, L., & Co. (New York)* 5 Harod, Wm. F. (Boston) 4 Harwood Brothers (Boston) 1 Haskell, Lyman (Boston) 2 Hess, Adolph, & Co. (New York)* 4 Hills, C. M. (New York, Providence, R.I.)* 1, 2, 3 Hirsh & Oppenheimer (New York) 2 [see also Oppenheimer Bros. & Hirsh] Hodgson, Thomas (Boston) 4, 5 Holmes, Booth & Haydens (Boston) 3 Hopkins, James N. (Providence) 2, 3, 4 [name also listed as J.N. Hopkins] Hunt & Owen (Providence) 3, 4 Ira Richards & Co. (n.p.)* 3 J. L. Sweet & Co. (Attleborough, MA)* 4 Jones, William P. (Newburyport) 5 Josselyn, E. K. (Boston) 2 Ketcham, Brother & Co. (New York) 1 L. Hammel & Co. (New York)* 5 M.W. Carr & Co. (Boston)* 3 Mahony, J. Wilbur (Boston) 4 Margot Brothers (Boston) 4 McClary, Walter (Portsmouth, N.H.) 4 Meriden Britannia Co. (West Meriden, Conn.) 1, 2 Miller Bros. (New York) 3, 5 Mitchell, A. W., & Co. (Boston)* 3, 4, 5 Morgan, Aug. (Boston) 1 Mt. Washington Glass Works (Boston) 1 Myers, S. & J. (Boston)* 1, 4 New England Clock Warehouse – see B. Bradley & Co. Oppenheimer Bros. & Hirsh (New York) 5 [see also Hirsh & Oppenheimer] Osgood, H.A., & Son (Portsmouth; New York; Lewiston, Me.)* 5 Palmer, Bachelder & Co. (Boston) 5 Palmer, Bachelders & Co. (Boston) 1, 3 Palmers & Bachelders (Boston) – see Palmer, Bachelders & Co. Parker & Casper Co. (West Meriden, Conn.) 5 Paul, A., & Co. (Boston)* 4 Percival, D. C., Jr., & Co. (Boston)* 1, 3 Percival & Morris (Boston) 4 Rand, Wm. T. (n.p.) 4 Redfield & Rice (New York, Wolcotville, Conn.) 1, 2 Reed & Barton (Taunton, Mass.) 2 Rich, M. C. (New York) 3 Richards, Ira, & Co. (n.p.)* 3 Richardson, Enos, & Co. (New York)* 4, 5 Ripley, Howland & Co. (Boston) 3, 4 Robbins, Appleton & Co. (Boston) 4 Rogers Brothers 1 Rogers, Wm., Mfg. Co. (Hartford, Conn.)* 1 Rogers, Smith & Co. (New Haven, Conn.) 1, 2, 3 S. & J. Myers (Boston)* 1, 4 Sackett, Davis & Co. (Boston) 4 Sanders & Croswell (Boston) 3, 5 Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. (Wallingford, Conn.) 5 Smith, Geo. S. (Plymouth, N.H.) 4 Stevens, E. A. (n.p.) 2 Stone & Wolff (New York) 3 Stone, David (New York) 2 S.S. Stowe & Co. (n.p.)* 2 Stowe & Co. – see S.S. Stowe & Co. Stowe, S. S., & Co. (n.p.)* 2 Sturn, I. (New York) 1 Sweet, J. L., & Co. (Attleborough, Mass.)* 4 Thaxter, Joshua (Boston) 3 Thayer & Guppy (Portsmouth, NH) 3 Tirrell, Daniel L. (Boston) 1 Towle & Jones (Newburyport, Mass.) 2 Towle, A. F., & Son (Newburyport)* 4 Towle, Jones & Co. (Newburyport) 3 Trier & Co. (New York) 2 Trier, Bros. & Zellenka (New York) 4 Tucker & Margoff (New York) 3 V. Brandly & Co. (Boston)* 2 Warren & Richmond (Boston) 2 Weber, H. (Boston) 1 Weber, H. (Portsmouth; but probably same as the Boston Weber) 2 Webster, Benjn. F. (n.p.) 3 Whiting M’f’g. Company (New York) 3 Wilcox Silver Plate Co. (New York and West Meriden, Conn.) 2, 4, 5 Williams, E., & Co. (New York)* 5 Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. (Hartford, Conn.)* 1 Wolfson, A. (Boston) 4, 5