Hubbard and Lyman

Hubbard and Lyman was a manufacturing partnership in Springfield, Massachusetts. The two principals — Moses Lyman and Jason Hubbard, both Massachusetts natives born in 1815 — were listed in the 1850 census as harnessmakers, and harnesses accounted for the bulk of their business. The 1850 manufacturing census lists the partnership as doing an annual business of about $10,000. Hubbard and Lyman employed eight workers (to whom they paid wages of about $300 per month) and had about $3,000 invested in the business.

Early in the 1850s the partnership ended when Jason Hubbard disappeared, either through death or desertion. His wife Sarah (born in Massachusetts in 1820) continued to appear in the Springfield directories into the 1860s. Moses Lyman then went into business with Arthur Moore. However, by 1860, Moses was dead, leaving his widow Nancy (age 38) and at least three children — George (14), Mary (13), and Frances (11).

The account book documents the Hubbard and Lyman business between 1844 and 1847, although about 20 pages in the front of the daybook are pasted over with clippings. The clippings were probably pasted in by Lyman’s daughters Mary and Frances, since their names were written on the pages. The daybook offers a glimpse into the world of small-shop harness and trunk-making, including the prices paid for harnesses ($15-$35), whips ($4-$5), trunks and valises ($1.50-$5) as well as a variety of repair jobs, including the splicing, coupling, and repairing of the hoses of the Springfield Fire Department in 1846 (p. 405). Although most of the business was done on a cash basis, Hubbard and Lyman also accepted wood, leather, and leather thread in exchange.