Account book, 1856-1866, of C. Davenport, who sold men's and boys' hats, caps, and clothing accessories. Among the kinds of hats sold were dressing, patent, soft, beaver, thin, Manilla, Beebe, Leghorn, French, Panama, press, Dupont, Burnside, silk glazed, waterproof, ledger, derby, and Florence hats. Caps also came in a wide variety of types: fur, navy, Highland, pointed, Scotch, petersham, sleighing, seamless, plush, straw, velvet, and chinchilla caps. Among the accessories he sold were cravats and neck ties, collars (including Byron and paper collars), scarves, turbans, gauntlets, braces, different kinds of gloves (driving, buck, silk, kid, and evening), umbrellas, bosoms, hat bands, buttons, lined kid mittens, a collar box, and fur tippets, cuffs, and collars. In addition, Davenport repaired hats and umbrellas, and trimmed hats. In one entry, he notes putting "weed on hat," perhaps a reference to putting mourning trim on the hat. The bills were paid in cash. As well, the volume records other financial transactions in which Davenport had an interest. There are accounts with several companies which could have been his suppliers, but these records do not give much detail of what was being bought or sold. As well, there are records of several ships, the barks Huntress, Morning Star, Stella, Keoka, Ohio, and Black Eagle and the schooner Glacier. For these vessels, he records the purchase price, the cost of outfitting the ship, the amount of the return cargo, and the profit or loss made on their voyages. Davenport also lists stock purchases in such companies as the Wamsutta Mills, the N.B.V. & N. Steamboat Co., the St. Marys Copper Mining Co., the Rocky Mountain & Pittsburg Gold Mining Co., the New Bedford Glass Co., and several coal companies.
