Manuscript Group 655, James I. Ackerman (b. 1772), Blacksmithand innkeeper Records, 1802-1820

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Manuscript Group 655, James I. Ackerman (b. 1772), Blacksmith and innkeeper
Records, 1802-1820, 0.1 linear feet / 3 folders
Call Number: MG 655

Summary

• Biographical Note

• Provenance Note

• Scope and Content Note

• Related Collections

• Folder List

Summary:

The records, 1802-1820, of James I. Ackerman (b. 1772), a tavern keeper and blacksmith in Franklin Township, Bergen County, New Jersey.

Gift of Catherine Marks, 1967.

Biographical Note: The records, dating from 1802-1820, were kept by an individual who was a tavern keeper and blacksmith in Bergen County, New Jersey. Although the author is unidentified, it is possible that James I. Ackerman (b. 1772), a Franklin Township (Bergen County) blacksmith who lived in a house that was purported to be an inn around the turn of the 18th century, produced the records. One recurrent customer in the accounts, Garret D. Ackerman, was also a Franklin Township resident.

Sources:

Braun, Maria S. Franklin Lakes: Its History and Heritage. Phillips-Campbell
Publishing Co., Inc., 1965 Provenance Note:

The collection was a 1967 gift of Catherine Marks. Scope and Content Note:

The records consist of pages of an account book dating from 1802-1805, pages 308-331 of a daybook dating from 1809-1810, and pages 721-729 of a daybook dating from 1819-1820. The three record books are incomplete and not indexed, yet they appear to be written in the same hand and chronicle the business transactions of the same individual.  The account entries in each series give customer name, date, goods or services provided, price, and method of payment.  The account book lists only ironwork transactions such as horse shoeing, making of tools, and mending of iron items.  The daybooks contain both ironwork and tavern transactions, which include the provision of comestibles such as rum, whiskey, cider, and dinner; and lodging arrangements.  The tavern keeper / blacksmith’s customers are primarily individuals from Bergen and Passaic counties such as Garret D. Ackerman, Garret G. Van Wagoner, John Post, and Mrs. Zabreski. Related Collections:

See other blacksmith’s records/papers.

See other inn/tavern records and other innkeeper’s/tavern keeper’s records/papers. Folder List:

Processed by Jeff McMillan, August 2000 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Submit a request to copy part of this collection