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John Davenport Jr. account book, 1787-1797 : manuscript
Title
John Davenport Jr. account book, 1787-1797 : manuscript.
Production
[Stamford, Connecticut] : John Davenport, 1787-1797.
Physical Description
1 volume ([14], 175, [1] leaves) : paper, ink ; 20 x 17 cm.
Language
English
Local Notes
Hicks classification: MssA D275 1787.
Notes
Title from spine of slipcase.
Manuscript on paper.
Holograph entries, in single hand, written in black ink; signed.
Leaves mostly numbered in ink on upper right recto.
Place of production (Stamford, Connecticut) inferred from Davenport's residence; date of manufacture inferred from inscribed entries: "The book begun in the year 1787, John Davenport Jun" inscribed to front free endpaper. The last entry in the account book is dated 1797.
Printed lined account book with ready-made tabbed index (in black and red) at the beginning of the manuscript, including the names of clients.
Description based in part on information provided by bookseller.
In English.
Biographical / Historical Note
Born into a prominent Stamford family, Davenport, a Yale graduate, was admitted to the bar around 1775. After serving in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, where he attained the rank of major, he returned to Stamford, where he spent the rest of his life. In addition to his legal career, he was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1776-1796 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1799-1817.
Summary
Account book dates from the early years of Davenport's legal career. Among his clients were Timothy Dwight IV (1752-1817), then a distinguished minister and schoolmaster in Fairfield, later president of Yale, and Joel Barlow (1754-1817), the notable poet, diplomat, and politician, then living in Hartford. Other clients belonged to such prominent Connecticut families as the Beaches, Merritts, Seymours, and Whitneys. Perhaps the most intriguing client (?) was "Tom [,] Negro of A.W. [or A.T.] Watson," who engaged Davenport's services in 1791 and paid the balance in his labor. (Slavery was abolished in Connecticut in 1848.) It is also possible that he was loaned to Davenport to pay a debt. However, Tom is listed in the index, which is a list of clients.
Variant and related titles
John Davenport, Jr. account book.
John Davenport account book.
Format
Archives or Manuscripts
Added to Catalog
May 10, 2023
Subjects
Genre/Form
Account books.
Bookmark As
Citation
