Roberts family papers

Consists of eight household account books kept by the Roberts family from 1848 to 1890; two stock certificates for the "Company for Erecting a Permanent Bridge over the Schuylkill" Philadelphia, 1838; and 28 miscellaneous manuscripts mostly inventories and estate papers. The account books trace daily expenses for domestic items, summaries of wages paid to women and men and what they did, lists of tax assessments and obligations, proceeds (that is, income realized, mostly from sales of livestock), and sundry expenses. More expensive items, such as the purchase of a threshing machine, a sleigh, livestock, and the charge for painting a carriage, were place under sundry expenses. The section recording proceeds was dropped after a period of time. Details of the Roberts' lives are apparent in these volumes. For instance, in 1848, they purchased a trundle bedstead and blue Liverpool plates, cups, and saucers. During the summer and fall of 1850 details of the cost of building a kitchen are featured. In 1871, the family purchased a bedstead, sofa, wash stand, rocking chair, hat rack, and a bell for the dining room, presumably for a new West Chester dwelling. Through the years, they purchased several stoves for both cooking and heating. In addition information on the Roberts family's dietary habits, medical conditions, and trips to Philadelphia is included.

Highlights of related documents include an 1870 agreement to build a house; bonds owned by the Roberts family; lists of property Martha received from the estate of her deceased husband, Enoch Walker; papers pertaining to the settlement of Martha's estate; inventories of china, silverware, and other household objects belonging to various family members; and notes about what James Cresson had bequeathed to his grandchildren. A photocopy of a family tree is also included.