Ledger books of Ephraim Douglass, 1769-1790.

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Ledger books of Ephraim Douglass, 1769-1790.

The Ephraim Douglass Ledgers present a record of business and military activities undertaken by Ephraim Douglass in Western Pennsylvania. The information contained within dates primarily from the 1770s and illuminates aspects of life in Western Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War era. The ledgers reveal the foods, household items, and services in demand by colonists on what was, at the time, the western frontier. Douglass and his associates have meticulously recorded details of the transactions. The ledger in folder 01 contains customer names, goods and services sold, prices and dates of transactions. The items sold include horseshoes, nails, staples, and lime. The page opposite this information lists expenses incurred by Douglass that offset the amounts due. Examples of these expenses are onions, milk, butter, whiskey, bear meat, and a "fish bought of an Indian." The "Smith and Douglass ledger" documents the partnership between Douglass and Devereaux Smith, including the store they opened in Kittanning in 1776. The items listed are somewhat different from what is represented in the first ledger, with food and liquor appearing with much more frequency. The "Book of Ephraim Douglass, Quartermaster" provides a record of the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment at Kittanning. Information recorded includes an account of tools used and by whom, a list of types and quantities of animal skins, records of employment, deliveries received, and purchases made by the soldiers of the regiment. "Joseph Douglass's Ledger" is a stock book from 1777, which lists quantities of various items, their date of sale, and price. A note written in pencil on the cover states the ledger was kept by Joseph Douglass in Pittsburgh after his brother, Ephraim, left Kittanning with the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment.

4 v.

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SNAC Resource ID: 7319566

University of Pittsburgh

Related Entities

There are 6 Entities related to this resource.

Douglass, Ephraim, 1749?-1833

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6x9379c (person)

Ephraim Douglass was a carpenter, trader and soldier in the Revolutionary War. By 1769, he was employed in a variety of occupations at Fort Pitt, including carpenter, blacksmith, and clerk. Douglass spoke several American Indian dialects and in 1771 began trading with local tribes. Later that year, he established a business with Devereaux Smith that included trading outposts in the Indian Territory surrounding Pittsburgh. The partners opened another store in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, in 1776, wh...

O'Hara, James, 1752-1819

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tt52h0 (person)

Born in county Mayo, Ireland, 1752; clerk in a Liverpool counting house, 1770-72; came to Philadelphia, Pa., 1772; Indian trader & general agent, 1772-76; in war, 1776-83; captain; contractor for army provisions, 1783-90 & 1796-1802; quartermaster-general of U.S. Army, 1792-96; interested in real estate near Pittsburgh, Pa.; died there, Dec. 21, 1819. (Lamb's Biogr. Dict. of U.S.) (blue index cards) From the description of James O'Hara commissary accounts, 1797-1798. (Detroit...

Douglass, Joseph D

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6g171k6 (person)

Butler, Richard, 1743-1791

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ng4vh4 (person)

Officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War who later died fighting American Indians in Ohio; co-signer; Continental Congress' envoy to the Western Indians. From the description of Journal of Gen. Richard Butler, 1785-1786. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 166427842 Born in Dublin, Ireland, April 1, 1743, the son of Thomas and Eleanor (Parker) Butler. Family emigrated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Served in Bouquet expedition and was in Indian trade at Chil...

Smith, Devereux, 1735-1799

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qj8hsd (person)

Pennsylvania. Militia. Pennsylvania Regiment, 8th.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dk0f7x (corporateBody)