Port Colborne Historical & Marine Museum Digital Collections

Graybiel Blacksmith Ledger - 1791 to the mid 1800s

Pages

Description

Sponsors

This item is a part of the 1812 History digitization project. This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy.

Creator

Graybiel Family

Media Type

Text

Item Type

Books

Description

The brown, hard covered Graybiel ledger, with handwritten ink entries from 1791 to the mid 1800s, is believed to have originated in Pennsylvania with the Graybiel Family and ended in the Niagara Peninsula with John Graybiel Jr. (b.1809) According to the ledger, John Graybiel Sr. (1752-1801), took over the business in 1793. After his death, his widow and children brought the ledger to Canada (Wainfleet Township) soon after 1801. Michael (b.1777), the eldest son, was a blacksmith and began his entries in 1804 which continued to 1813. Michael’s son, John Graybiel Jr. continued to use the ledger in the mid 1820s as a place to practice his writing skills. By the late 1820s, it was being used to record affidavits. A few entries continue throughout the mid-1800s by John Graybiel. There are entries written in both English and German.

Aside from the information provided on the Graybiel family, this ledger, through the many transactions listed, gives much insight into day-to-day life in the old Sugarloaf Settlement. In many cases, it may be the only ‘personal’ information available about some of the first settlers as many local names came be found within. It can also shed some light on the life and society of the settlement during the War of 1812.

For more information, read “‘Scruples of Conscience’: The War of 1812 in the Sugarloaf Settlement” by Donald G. Anger, the Port Colborne Historical and Marine Museum.

This ledger was donated in memory of Mrs. Margaret Matthews (Scott) Fear.

Notes

The Ledger is indexed by account and not surnames as there are several names on each account due to bartering back and forth. Also, the page number in the index refers to the ledger's own page numbers.

Subject(s)

War of 1812
War of 1812- Domestic Life
Ledger Book
Graybiel, Michael
Sugarloaf Settlement- Port Colborne, ON
Graybiel, John

Local identifier

2001.6.1

Language of Item

English

Geographic Coverage

Port Colborne

Ontario, Canada

Latitude: 42.8875364636593 Longitude: -79.2539978027344

Copyright Statement

Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

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