Manuscript Group 847, John Mehelm (1733 – 1809) and Sidney Berry (1745 – 1820), Merchants Account book, 1772 – 1774
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Manuscript Group 847, John Mehelm (1733 – 1809) and Sidney Berry (1745 – 1820), Merchants
Account book, 1772 – 1774, 0.5 linear feet / 1 volume
Call Number: MG 847 (os)
Financial records kept by John Mehelm (1733-1809) and Sidney Berry (1745-1820) as proprietors of a general store in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Ledger “A” includes accounts for William Paterson (1745-1806), the Potash Company, and the 1772 Delaware Lottery.
John Mehelm (1733-1809) and Sidney Berry (1745-1820) owned a general store in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Mehelm emigrated from Ireland and became a schoolmaster in Berks County, Pennsylvania and in Readington Township, New Jersey. In 1761, he married Daniel Waldron’s widow and moved to Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, where he ran a general store. He was a member of the New Jersey Assembly from 1772-1775 and of the New Jersey Council of Safety. During the Revolution, Mehelm served as the quartermaster general of the New Jersey Militia and attained the rank of colonel in the 4th Regiment Hunterdon County Militia. After the war, he was the surrogate for Hunterdon and Somerset Counties.
Sidney Berry (1745-1820) was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Before the Revolution, he ran a general store with John Mehelm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. At the outbreak of war, he joined the New Jersey Militia as an assistant quartermaster and quartermaster in the New Jersey Militia and attained the rank of colonel. After the war, he moved to New York and was appointed first surrogate and judge in Saratoga County. His wife was the daughter of Daniel and Joanna Waldron and he therefore was probably the son-in-law of John Mehelm.
Sources:
James McLachlan. Princetonians: 1748-1768. Princeton, NJ : Princeton University, 1976.
The source of this collection is unknown.
This collection consists of an account book used by John Mehelm and Sidney Berry from 1772-1774. Each customer’s account contains entries detailing products purchased such as flaxseed, wheat, flour, buckwheat, linen, rum, glass, nails, rope, indigo, bran, and coffee; and price paid. Mehelm and Berry’s customers included William Paterson (1745-1806), the Potash Company, the 1772 Delaware Lottery, Thomas Thompson, Nicholas Perine, Reverend Jeremiah Halsey (1733-1780), John Schenck, Matthias Smock, Jacob Shandy, and Albert Cornell. The accounts are indexed.
See other merchants’ records/papers.
Processed by James Lewis, February 2001 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
