This item documents the business transactions of hatmaker William Cordwell of Norway, Oxford County, ME from 1824-1840. While his primary source of income was as a hatter, Cordwell also bartered and sold other goods such as baskets, axe handles, wood screws, potatoes, and turkeys and performed services like plastering and chimney repair. Hats and other items were traded primarily for animal pelts, food, and various commodities. Cordwell recorded making the following styles of hats: fur cap, "knapt hat," boy's hat, fine hat, dressing hat, drab hat, flat hat, low drawn hat, Shaker hat, felt hat, and oval hat. He also repaired, colored, and. decorated hats and ladies' bonnets. Entries in the ledger record the customer name, date, and debits and credits on the same page rather than the common practice of using two opposing pages for debits and credits.
