Name/Title
Matthew Frame ledger, 1791-1812Entry/Object ID
ARC179Scope and Content
An account book containing records of purchases and payments by individual customers of Matthew Frame, a Charles Town merchant (see Background below). Almost all transactions occurred between 1798 and 1810. One record is dated 1791; very few are dated later than 1810.
(A photocopy of the ledger is stored at SR3/SU4/S5.)
The first page contains handwritten calculations and the handwritten names James Lock and James Jones.
Accounting entries begin on the right side of folio 1, that is, the left side of folio 1 is missing. The first extant entry is dated 1791 and 1801 summarizing a long-standing debt and its settlement. The remaining entries date from 1798 and later. Entries continue to the left page of folio 245 where the last extant legible date is March 3, 1810. The image of this last page shows the edge of a page that was cut from the ledger. There may be other pages missing at the end. Within the ledger, some pages are missing and others have portions missing.
On the left folio page the customer's first name, preceded or followed by Dr (debit or debtor), is usually written at the top and debits are entered underneath. Credits are entered on the right folio page under the customer's last name and the abbreviation Cr (credit or creditor). In some cases the debtor's full name is on the top of the left folio page and Contra is at the top of the right one. The left and right folio pages have the same page number. On some pages are notations such as Carried To Folio #, See L B & folo # (i.e., see Ledger B at a particular folio #).
Illegible letters appear in an image of the outside front cover; however, about one half of the spine is visible in the image. On the spine, the letter "R" appears on the far right of what may be a debossed printing of LEDGER. Below that area is the handwritten letter "C." No images were available of the inside front cover or the outside or inside back cover.
(Attached in Media are index to customer names, list of goods sold and credited, annotated catalog record from American Antiquarian Society (AAS), 1931 letters from Boyd Stutler to AAS about M. Frame ledger.)
An analysis of ledgers A (ARC866) and C by history researcher Don Watts reveals that ledger A is a companion to ledger C. (See Don Watts, "Mysteries Surrounding Matthew Frame's Account Ledger," attached in ARC866 Media.)
Background:
Matthew Frame immigrated to Charles Town from Ireland in the late 18th century, married Massa (Massey) Gibbs (died 1854, age 78), established a mercantile business, and was appointed Charles Town's first postmaster in 1799. Although it's not clear when he opened his business, entries in ARC179 date from 1791.
See Media in ARC866 for location of M. Frame's store in Charles Town.Acquisition
Accession
62Source or Donor
Jefferson County MuseumAcquisition Method
PurchaseArchive Details
Date(s) of Creation
1791 - 1812Archive Size/Extent
One notebook containing color prints of 311 images (8 1/2" x 11" x 1 1/2"); four DVDs with images of ledger pages: one and a duplicate with images 0001-0180 and one and a duplicate with images 0181-0311Archive Notes
Date(s) Created: 1791-1812
Location of Originals: American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury St.
Worcester, MA 01609
508-755-5221
library@mwa.org.