Zebina Bartlett's Account Book

Zebina Bartlett’s Book of Accounts

Zebina Bartlett, son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Smith) Bartlett was born at North Hadley, Massachusetts 18 October 1780.   Zebina was the second of three children born to Daniel and Elizabeth. 

In 1803, now 23 years old,  Zebina married Demis Allis, daughter of Russell and Sarah (Edson) Allis.  They resided in present day East Whately at what was then called “Bartlett’s Corner”.  I believe this to be where present day Christian Lane meets River Road.  Between 1808 and 1824, the couple had seven children.   Zebina was a contractor and bridge builder. He died in Whately 9 November 1862 and is buried in the East Whately Cemetery. 

Zebina was twenty years old when he purchased and began to use his account book.  Measuring 15.5 tall and 6.5 inches wide, the book is in extremely poor condition with water stains and mold.  The paper is strong and although the binding is loose and the covers badly worn, the book is in one piece.  Many entries are badly faded and some are illegible. 

The pages are numbered only erratically; Zebina did not start at the beginning or go to the end and numbered only the verso.  My numbering starts on the first page inside the cover and goes through 204 pages. 

Zebina  used a form of double entry bookkeeping with monies owed to him itemized on the left.  The right side was used in two ways; sometimes to settle accounts with his customers and sometimes to itemize his own expenditures.  In many but not all cases, the settling of accounts was recorded on the page directly opposite the itemization of jobs.

While difficult to read, the book of accounts is an open window through which we can glimpse everyday life in the 1800’s in Whately.  Zebina Bartlett was called a carpenter but he was able to make anything from a cradle to a bridge. 

A sampling of the items for which he charged various clients goes to show the range of work he was willing and able to do.  In addition, he charged clients for riding to various nearby towns on errands, he “rented” his horse to neighbors, and he charged for work done by his sons Alvan and Zebina W.  He sold a lot of woven woolen, linen and cotton goods and it is presumed that these were the labors of his wife and five daughters.  He sold rum, cider, ashes, salt, seeds, potatoes and other items. 

Levi Morton                   “to move house”

Levi Morton                    “to pair small shoes”

Joel Wait                        “to make corn barrow”

Joel Wait                       “to mend a table”

Philow Bacon                “ to making 2 pair of shafts”

Oliver Graves                “to one bushel of salt”

Oliver Graves                 “my horse to Buckland”

Oliver Graves                “for 13 lbs of veal hind quarters”

Josiah Gilbert                “to making a slead”

Thomas Marsh              “to making a coffin”

Thomas Marsh              “for my horse to Hatfield”

Oliver Morton                “for one pair of wagon wheels”

Oliver Morton                “for hanging a grind stone”

Joshua Belding               “for taking care of two hogs”

Capt. Thos. Sanderson  “for making seed harrow”

Capt. Thos. Sanderson  “to setting glass one evening”

Solomon Adkins            “to work on tan pots”

Solomon Adkins            “to one days work chopping”

Benjamin Cooley           “to driving one hog home”

Town of Whately           “to work on highway”

Town of Whately           “to work on schoolhouse”

Asa Parker                     “to two days work reaping”

Lucius Graves                “to one bread trough”

Lucius Graves                “to help Simon finish off wheels”

Lucius Graves                “to help Rowland turn five hubs”

David Stockbridge          “to work laying floor”

David Stockbridge          “to making hay cart”

Erastus Crafts                “to make small coffin”

Samuel Bartlett              “to make a cradle”

Osee Smith                    “to one day moving cider mill”

David Stockbridge          “to my trouble collecting timber for your barn”

David Stockbridge          “to put up lightning rods”

David Stockbridge           “to fix pump and barnyard fence”

Page showing details for Oliver Graves.  

Page showing money owed to David Stockbridge.  Since this is primarily for "flip", brandy and tobacco it reflects time spent at the Stockbridge tavern.

The Account Book is in the collections of the Whately Historical Society and is catalogued as number 1981.098.001.

  

This history of the Waite Farm is unattributed but is probably by Argie Waite Strippe.  The original paper is very faded and will neither photograph nor scan.  The photograph and the history are in the collections of the Whately Historical Society.


The information about Benjamin Waite, "The Hero of the Connecticut Valley", is readily found in many places in books and on the Internet.  This paper is of interest not because of Benjamin but  because of the specific details about previous buildings on the site and the specific materials used in building the present house.  The Waite House is located at the intersection of Webber Road, Strippe Road and Mountain Laurel Road in West Whately..

No 1.  February 1905

A History of this, “The Waite Farm” West Whately Mass[1] 

Benjamin Waite the “Indian Scout” and called the Hero of the Connecticut Valley was our own first ancestor.  He had several children, his son’s were John and Jeremiah.  Jeremiah had a son Nathan, and he and his son Jeremiah bought this farm about 1781, of Capt. Church and sister of Hatfield, Mass. 

There was at that time a small frame house:  in 1776 that house was taken down and a larger one built.  Many of the old boards were  being used in building the second house which stood upon nearly the same (lines) foundations as the first.  The second house was taken down in May 1904, being one hundred and eight years old (108).  It was in a fairly good state of preservation, although the large chimney was considered unsafe and much work would be necessary (to be done) if the house were remodeled, to make it in good condition; therefore this present house was built.  It stands nearly on the same lines but everything from foundations to finish is new.  A large heavy stone wall cellar replaces the small one (which was under only two rooms.  The stones for the cellar were blasted and brought from the Laurel Mountain west of the house.  The lumber grew on the woodlot on the mountain west of the house and in the edge of Conway owned and cut by Willis Waite, the present owner of the farm.  The slate for the roof came from Vermont by carload.  The carpenter and builder of this house was Charles Field, son of Frank and grandson of Paul W. Field of West Whately.  The first old boards, which were used on houses No 1 and No 2 are also used on this house.

Since the farm was first purchased in 1781 or 1783 it has never been sold, but has been handed down by will from father to Son, until the present time.  First Nathan, then Jeremiah, then Nathan, then John Bement Waite born August 5, 1812 and died April 16, 1888, age 74 and eight months.  He married Celia Ford, daughter of John Ford manufacturer of woolen cloth at and  of Cummington, Mass.  She was born October 28, 1819;  they had eight children, Alfred, Eugene, John, Edward, Adelaide C, Arthur (died young), Willis Ford, M  Madora, Francis and Anna L.  The farm was willed by John Bement to his wife Celia Ford and at her decease to their son Willis A., the present owner and builder of this house. 

He was born March 21, 1850 and married Sept. 17, 1879 [to] Marianna Brewer daughter of Amos Brewer of Sheffield, Mass.  She was born March 18, 1857.  They have two children Clifford Earl born November 3, 1882 who is unmarried and lives with his parents at the present time, and Argie Lena born November 14, 1884.  She married William G. Stripp, October 13, 1902, and at present they live with her father.

Six generations have lived upon this farm up to the present time and here is hoping it will remain in the Waite name until six generations more come and go.  Many acres have been added to the farm by both Willis and his father since the original purchase in 1781. 

Further account pertaining to family, house and locations can be found in Crafts History of Town of Whately, Mass. 

This is a transcription of a paper owned by the Whately Historical Society and catalogued 1999.157.001

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[1] Words in italic are corrections or additions added to the original, presumably by the author.