Manuscript Group 79, Caleb W. Bruen (1768-1846), Cabinetmaker and distiller Record Books, 1804-1829 (Bulk dates: 1812-1828)

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Manuscript Group 79, Caleb W. Bruen (1768-1846), Cabinetmaker and distiller Record Books, 1804-1829 (Bulk dates: 1812-1828),
0.25 linear feet / 5 volumes

Call Number: MG 79 (os)

• Summary

• Biographical Note

• Provenance Note

• Scope and
  Content Note

• Related
  Collections

• Item List

Summary:

Four daybooks and an account book documenting Caleb W. Bruen’s cabinetmaking, apple, cider, and spirits
businesses in Newark, New Jersey.

Gift (in part) of Mrs. Alex M. Linnett, 1921.

Biographical Note:

Caleb Wheeler Bruen, the son of Anna Wheeler (1742-1794) and Caleb Bruen (1735-1818),
was born in 1768, the second of four children.  Caleb W. Bruen’s elder brother
Matthias (1766-1846) became a merchant in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and New York City, and
Caleb inherited the cabinetmaking and distilling family businesses in Newark, New Jersey.
Caleb W. Bruen married Rachael ( ) and they had at least one daughter together: Anna
Eliza.  Caleb W. Bruen died in Newark on December 9, 1846.

Sources:

Bruen Family File, The New Jersey Historical Society.

Caleb Bruen Biography File, The New Jersey Historical Society.

Genealogical Card Index, The New Jersey Historical Society.

Provenance Note:

This collection was donated by Mrs. Alex M. Linnett through Dr. William S. Disbrow in
January of 1921.  Caleb W. Bruen’s account book had been moved to Manuscript Group
146, Nichols Family Record Books, probably because it contains a receipt made out to Isaac
Nichols.  The handwriting and account entries, however, match those of Caleb W. Bruen, not
Isaac Nichols, and the volume was returned to Manuscript Group 79 at the time of
processing.

Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains five record books of Caleb W. Bruen, dating from 1804-1829,
with bulk dates of 1812-1828.  Four of the five volumes are daybooks, which track the
different businesses that Bruen was involved in: cabinetmaking, spirits, apples, and
cider.  The entries in the cabinetmaking daybook run from 1804-1807, and specify person,
job, and price.  Bruen typically built or mended such pieces as mahogany tables, bureaus,
bookcases, and cabinets. The spirits and apples daybooks run from 1812-1829, and the cider
daybook from 1812-1828. Entries in all three volumes are by date, and then specify person
and amount bought (measured in gallons, quarts, and pints for spirits; in bushels for
apples; and in barrels for cider).

The last volume is Caleb W. Bruen’s account book from 1811-1828.
Entries are by
person and then specify date, job, and price.  Typical jobs include selling rum, cider, and
vinegar; building furniture such as dining tables and bed stands; and working in the mill.
The account book is indexed.

Related
Collection:

Manuscript Group 1007, Wheeler
Family (Newark, NJ) Papers

Item List:

Processed by Kim Charlton, January 2000 as part of the “Farm to
City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission.

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