The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center
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Williams, Roger

Roger Williams Account Book

1808-1822
1 vol. 0.1 linear feet
Call no.: MS 619 bd

During the early decades of the nineteenth century, Roger Williams ran a ferry in West Springfield, Mass., carrying passengers and freight across the Connecticut River.

The Williams ledger is a combination daybook and account book, recording several dozen transactions of a Connecticut River ferryman, centered on the years around the War of 1812. Most of the entries are brief records of trips carrying individuals or freight across the river, however a few provide indications of other economic activity, including framing and joining, making a coffin, fixing sleds, and cidering.

Historical Note

During the early decades of the nineteenth century, Roger Williams ran a ferry in West Springfield, Mass., carrying passengers and freight across the Connecticut River.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Williams ledger is a combination daybook and account book, recording several dozen transactions of a Connecticut River ferryman, centered on the years around the War of 1812. Most of the entries are brief records of trips carrying individuals or freight across the river, however a few provide indications of other economic activity, including framing and joining, making a coffin, fixing sleds, and cidering.

The approximate location of the ferry is inferred from one entry datelined West Springfield, but also from several account names that can be traced with some confidence to that town, including Enoch and Justin Ashley, Luke Parsons, Rowley Leonard, Silas Chapin, Chauncey Morgan, Moses Bliss, Peresh Hitchcock, and Moses Ely and his sons Willard and John. A few entries, such as those for Rhoda Ashley and Jared Noble, come from residents of adjacent Westfield.


Information on Use
Terms of Access and Use
Restrictions on access:

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Roger Williams Account Book (MS 619 bd). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

History of the Collection

Acquired from Dan Casavant, November 2008.

Processing Information

Processed by Dex Haven, February 2009.


Additional Information

Language
English

Subjects

Ferries--Massachusetts--Connecticut RiverWest Springfield (Mass.)

Contributors

Williams, Roger

Types of material

Account booksDaybooks