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The Orne Papers

Life, Business, and Shoemaking 1776-1845

By Standley Goodwin

1Marblehead Museum & Historical Society

The Orne Papers• Business and Everyday Life Papers of Orne Family

- Shoe and Boot Makers to Middle Class

• Mainly Records of:

Jonathan Orne 1745-1803

- Shoe and Boot Maker, Civic Volunteer, Freemason

John Orne (son) 1773-1850

- Shoe and Boot Maker, Businessman, Entrepreneur, Early Shoe Manufacturer

Marblehead Museum & Historical Society 2

Saving the Papers• 1797-Jonathan and John Orne Jointly Buy 37 High Street. Move in with

Business and Personal Papers

• 1803-Jonathan Orne Dies; Second Wife Mary and Jonathan Jr.; Later John Settle Estate

• 1850-John Orne Dies; Second Wife Sarah Settles Estate

• 1863-Sarah Orne Dies

• 1865-Stepson Azor Orne Buys House from Siblings

• 1870-Azor Orne Sells Most of House and Property to Nephew Azor OrneGoodwin; Retains Right to Live There.

• 1873-Azor Orne Dies

• 1873-1967-House and Property Remain in Goodwin Family Until Last Resident Dies

• 1967-House Cleaned Out in Order to Sell; Orne Papers Saved by Emerson Goodwin and Stored in His House

• 2008-Papers Rediscovered and Offered to MMHS


Ornes Buy House in 1797


Orne HouseLocated at 37 High St. next to Alley Steps


Content of Papers• Daybooks 1786-1834

– About 400 Pages

• Receipts and Bills 1767-1850

– Over 1000 Individual Receipts and Bills

• Other Documents

– Congregational Church

– Education

– Taxes

– Estates

– Personal Letters• A New Source of Original Material for Scholars and Interested Parties


Daybooks

• Daybook Used to Record Daily Business Transactions

• Merchant Enters:

– What is Being Purchased

– Who is Buying It and for Whom

– Type of Transactiono Cash

o Credit

• Customers Mainly Men, Some Widows, and Few Single Women

• Many Familiar Old Marblehead Names are in the Daybooks


Jonathan Orne’s Daybook - 1793Marblehead Museum & Historical Society 8

John Orne’s Daybook - 1819Marblehead Museum & Historical Society 9

Receipts and Bills

• Majority of Documents are Receipts and Bills

• Over One Thousand Receipts and Bills Covering All Aspects of Life and Business are Present


Firewood ReceiptBought from Edmund Kimball


Shoe Business Receipt


Receipt Records

• People were Saving Every Receipt They got for their Entire Life

• Why?

• What created Generations of Packrats


Credit and Barter


Credit• Economy of Marblehead Based on Fishing Industry

• Wages Paid After Fish Caught, Cured, Shipped, Sold, and Payment Returned to Marblehead

• Good Part of Year Passed Between Catching Fish and Payment

• Most Only got Paid Two or Three Times a Year

– Between Payments Workers Lived on Credit

• When Wages Received Workers Paid Debts

• Most had Little or Nothing Left Over

• The Credit Cycle Extended to Everyone Supplying Industry

• In the Marblehead Credit System Everyone was a Creditor and Debtor at the Same Time


Marblehead Credit System• Each Merchant Ran His Own Credit System

• There was No Banking System to Perform Function

• Customer went to Merchant’s Shop to Purchase Item and Either Paid in Cash or Asked for Credit

• Merchant Decided if Customer was Credit Worthy

• Merchant Recorded Transaction in Daybook

• If Debt, Merchant Put Letters Dr. on Transaction Line

• When Customer Made Payment Merchant gave Customer Signed and Dated Receipt and Marked Payment in Daybook

• Receipt Your Only Proof of Payment

• Keep it or Risk Paying Again

• Customer Liable for Debt Until He Died and His Estate Settled


Credit Example


Shoe Business ReceiptsMarblehead Museum & Historical Society 18

Credit Request


Barter• Debts were Recorded in Cash

• They could be Settled by Barter if:

– The Debtor had a Commodity (Fish, Food, etc.) or Work the Creditor would accept in Lieu of Cash

– The Debtor and Creditor Agreed on Its Cash Value


Barter Receipt


Bills• Whenever Merchant Thought Customer (Debtor) was being

Paid He went through Daybooks and Made Up Bill

• Debts on Bill were Sometimes 15 – 20 Years Old

• Creditor Presented Bill to Debtor Promptly

• Debtor Paid what He Could

• Merchant used Payment to Pay His Bills, both Business and Personal

• Money Passed Through the Chain of Creditors and Debtors Rapidly


Bill to Will BrownMarblehead Museum & Historical Society 23

Credit &Estate Settlement• Merchants Kept Careful Track of what was Owed Them

• They Didn’t Track Their Debts

• That was Their Creditor’s Problem

• They Didn’t Keep Account Books

• No One Knew what He was Worth

• As Long as You were Credit Worthy Life Went On

• When You Died Your Executor Settled all Accounts, Determined Your Worth, and Passed the Residual on to Your Heirs as Directed by Your Will or Law

• Your Executor Needed All Your Daybooks and Receipts To Settle Your Accounts


Estate Notice


Bill to Estate


Bill from Estate


Early Nineteenth Century Life As Shown in the Orne Papers


John and Mary (Pearce) Orne’s Family BibleRecord of Marriage and First Seven Children’s Birth


John Orne Rents House


Educating ChildrenPrivate Primary School


Congregational Church Pew BillThe last year in the Franklin St. Church


Back of Pew BillReceipt by Dan Weed


Militia Duty


Newspaper SubscriptionsNewspapers were the Main Means for Communication

Outside of MarbleheadMarblehead Museum & Historical Society 35

Jonathan Orne, Mason


Local TaxesMarblehead Museum & Historical Society 37

1816 US Tax


Benjamin Stevens Burial Benjamin Stevens Second Wife (Sarah Pearce) Became John Orne’s Second Wife in 1835. Lived in Orne House

Until Her Death in 1863 at Age 80


Abigail Orne Bequest


The Other Side of the Revolution

What Happened When the Soldiers Came Home

Sampson Whiting’s Enlistment Bonus


Glover’s Regiment• Glover’s Regiment Sworn In on June 16, 1775 – The Day before Bunker Hill

– 498 Marbleheader’s Enlisted out of Adult Male Population of about 1200

– On January 1, 1776 About 300 Reenlisted for a Year

• Summer 1775 set Up Privateer Operation to Supply Continental Army

• In Summer 1776 British made Major Effort to Destroy Continental Army and End Revolution

– By mid-August had 24,000 Trained Troops in New York Area

– In a series of Offensive Operations British came within a Hair’s Breadth of Destroying Continental Army More than Once

• Glover’s Regiment sent to New York in Late July

• Key Participant in Two Operations that Saved Continental Army

– August 29-30 - Evacuated 9000 Men and Equipment from Long Island

– October 18 - Participates in Delaying Action at Pelham Bay That allowed Continental Army to Leave Manhattan

• With less than a Week to go in Enlistment, Plays Key Role in Battle of Trenton


After Glover’s Regiment• In Four Month’s of Nearly Continuous Combat Glover’s

Regiment and their Fellow Soldiers had Staved Off Disaster and Won a Victory. But the War went On.

• January 1, 1777 Glover’s Regiment Enlistment Up, Few Reenlisted

• The Soldiers Returned to Marblehead

– Each Man is Responsible for the Support of Several Family Members

– Their Pay in Continental Paper Money is being Discounted

– The Fishing Banks are Still Closed

– The British Control the Ocean

– They do what they can to Support Their Families

– Some go Privateering


Privateer “Revenge”


Ensuring Your Prize Money Went to Who You Designated

1780 – The Revolution Drags On• Economic Conditions Deteriorate

• Inflation Rampant

– Continental Paper Money Nearly Worthless

– Credit System a Shambles

• Taxes High


Inflation 1780Marblehead Museum & Historical Society 46

Jonathan Orne’s 1780 Tax


Sampson Whiting’s Enlistment• Dec 1780 - Military Conditions Look Bad, No End in

Sight for Revolution

• The Continental Army Needs Soldiers

• On Dec. 2, 1780 a General Court Resolution Orders Marblehead to Enlist a Specific Number of Soldiers

• By Mid July 1781 Only One Man Needed to Fill Quota

• The Following Three Documents Show What It Took to get Sampson Whiting’s Enlistment


Continental Army EnlistmentMarblehead Museum & Historical Society 49

Gen. Hutchinson Receives Recruit


Paying for Enlistment BonusMarblehead Museum & Historical Society 51

THE END
