David Hays Store in Bedford, John Clark Purchases 1770 and 1771

Pg. 31, Debits

John Clark, Jnr,

1770

August 27 Iron & Indigo 3 shillings, 6 pence

1771

June 22 1 quart Cyder [sic] 4 pence

July 15 1 gal Rum 4 shillings, 9 pence

August 6 1 quart Rum 1 shilling, 3 pence

19 Rum & Molasses 3 shillings, 3 pence

28 1 gal Rum 5 shillings

29 ½ gal Rum 2 shillings, 6 pence

October 24 Cloth & Mohair 33 shillings, 2 pence

December 10 Corsy & Mohair 7 shillings, 2 pence

1772

February 24 wine 3 shillings

March 20 1 gal Rum 7 shillings

[TOTAL:] £ 3, 10 shillings, 11 pence

Credits:

1771

October 24 1 calf 12 shillings

1772

March 30 Balance Carried Forward £ 2, 18 shilling, 11 pence

Note: Rum was a common beverage at the time, and was safer to drink than water. It was also cheap. I could not find any reliable sources on this topic to get a better understanding about how dilute or potent rum would have been for day-to-day family consumption.

Source:

Hays, David. Account book. Bedford: 1770-1775, 231 pgs. Hayes Family Papers. Westchester County Historical Society. westchesterhistory.com. Photocopies, Sept., 1995.