HANDWRITTEN CARPENTRY WORK DIARY Account Book/Ledger/New York City/Brooklyn

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

HANDWRITTEN CARPENTRY WORK DIARY Account Book/Ledger/New York City/Brooklyn :
$18.51

EXTREMELY INTERESTING, ORIGINAL 19TH CENTURY MANUSCRIPT ACCOUNT BOOK OF AN IMMIGRANT CARPENTER. Fascinating early volume dates from 1853-1870 and was kept by Thomas Nelson who emigrated from Manchester, England to the United States circa 1865. Upon his arrival here, author quickly established himself as an able craftsman and is engaged in various carpentry projects. Author\'s specific location in the States is not disclosed, however he transitions from using British Pounds to U.S. Dollars as currency for work he performs and purchases he makes, and while researching the U.S. address of his various job sites (Monroe Street, Gates Avenue, Dean Street, Nevins Street, etc.), the city of Brooklyn, New York comes up prominently. We believe author arrived in New York City from England and settled in the borough of Brooklyn, where he engaged in the skilled carpentry trade. (Scroll down for more pictures.)
Entries in this compelling early volume commence in 1853 when Thomas Nelson is still residing in Manchester, England. While there, he records numerous payments received from various parties all of whom he names in book. He may have also been recording days worked by various parties. Flag Row in Manchester is frequently mentioned and a few entries suggest author acted as treasurer for an Oddfellows lodge in the same city where the fraternal organization was originally started. The Independent Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) was founded in Manchester in 1810 and was established in the United States nine years later in Baltimore. Several pages bear payments received and fastidiously recorded by author who occasionally makes additional notations such as treasury collection for defense fund, expenses to Liverpool, loan, lent to pay club, etc.
Other entries suggest Thomas Nelson was also engaged in the carpentry trade before relocating to the United States (most likely New York City) where his entries focus mainly on his carpentry activities. Among his many carpentry related entries include framing, raising, and enclosing floors, finishing work, making and finishing doors and sidelights, hanging blinds, working on a parlor floor, work on sloop casing and altering (emblematic of Brooklyn\'s waterfront location), contract work, day work, etc. Other entries include work on sloop casing and altering (reflective of Brooklyn\'s waterfront location),stairs, balusters, book cases, clock cases, cupboards, chairs, mahogany, timber, boards, screws, paint, etc. Also included are the names of various customers for whom Thomas Nelson performs carpentry work (G. H. Chamberlain, Frank Van Palt, etc.) An absolutely fascinating chronicle of an early immigrant who quickly establishes himself in business as a skilled tradesman.

Brooklyn is today the most populous borough of New York City, with a census-estimated 2,648,771 residents. Named after Dutch village of Breukelen, it borders the borough of Queens at the southwestern end of the same Long Island, and has several bridge connections to the nearby boroughs of Staten Island and Manhattan. Since 1896, the borough has been coterminous with Kings County, the most populous county in the U.S. state of New York and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, after the county of New York (which is coextensive with the borough of Manhattan).
The history of European settlement in Brooklyn spans more than 350 years. The settlement began in the 17th century as the small Dutch-founded town of \"Breuckelen\" on the East River shore of Long Island, grew to be a sizable city in the 19th century, and was consolidated in 1898 with New York City (then confined to Manhattan and part of the Bronx), the remaining rural areas of Kings County, and the largely rural areas of Queensand Staten Island, to form the modern City of New York. The etymology of Breuckelen may be directly from the dialect word Breuckelen meaning buckle or from the platte Deutsche Brücken meaning bridge.
With a land area of 71 square miles and water area of 26 square miles, Kings County is New York\'s fourth-smallest county by land area and third-smallest by total area, though it is the second-largest among the city\'s five boroughs. Today, if New York City dissolved, Brooklyn would rank as the third-most populous city in the U.S. after Los Angeles and Chicago. Brooklyn was an independent incorporated city (and previously an authorized village and town within the provisions of the New York State Constitution) until January 1st, 1898, when, after a long political campaign and public relations battle during the 1890s, according to the new Municipal Charter of \"Greater New York\", Brooklyn was consolidated with the other cities, boroughs, and counties to form the modern \"City of New York,\" surrounding the Upper New York Bay with five constituent boroughs. The borough continues, however, to maintain a distinct culture.
Many Brooklyn neighborhoods are ethnic enclaves. Brooklyn\'s official motto, displayed on the Borough seal and Flag, is Eendraght Maeckt Maght which translates from early modern Dutch as \"Unity makes strength\". In the first decades of the 21st century, Brooklyn has experienced a renaissance as an avant garde destination for hipsters, with concomitant gentrification, dramatic house price increases, and a decrease in housing affordability. Since 2010, Brooklyn has evolved into a thriving hub of entrepreneurship and high technology startup firms, and of postmodern art and design.
Condition: Rare book remains in good to fair condition (see pictures). Volume bound in original full vellum; cover worn with clasp lacking, front hinge cracked causing binding to partially separate from block and the loosening of a few pages, mild toning, scattered staining and soiling, occasional minor tearing, etc. Early book contains about 100 pp. of manuscript entries in ink and pencil with a few additionalblank pages; and measures approx 6\" tall x 4\" wide x .75\" thick. Quite a find and a very worthy acquisition indeed.
Payment and Shipping:Please see our response and offer with confidence.Never a reserve and very low opening offer as always.Never a reserve and very low opening offer as always. For international shipping quote, please contact us. buyers with no established response must contact us before offerding. Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax or include dealer tax resale number.Payment must be received within 5 days after close of sale.Thanks for your interest!

Track Page Views With
Auctiva\'s FREE Counter