Manuscript accounting ledger page listing orders issued to pay individuals for the use of their horses by the state during the Revolutionary War and public expenditures for the support of the town's poor and needy families. Plym[p]ton, [Massachusetts], 1780-1784. 2pp, 4 x 12 in. Accounts are specifically identified as "Plym[p]ton Febry ye 27th 1782 / A List of Orders Drawn for the Payment / of Horses for the use of the State in ye year 1780 /  1782"; "Continued from the Bottom of the Other List [not present] for the / Support of ye Poor for ye year 1782 / 1783"; and "A List of Orders for Supplying Noah Eatons / Family for the year 1781 / Plym[p]ton Febry ye 27th 1782." Each associated list includes a specific date, name, and currency recorded in the colonial system of pounds, shillings, and pence.

Plympton, Massachusetts, was a rural, sparsely populated agricultural town. These war-date accounts provide detailed insight into the burdens shouldered by its citizens as a result of the lengthy conflict between Britain and its American colonies, as well as the ways in which the community responded to support those most in need. The ledger identifies a dozen individuals who provided horses for the use of the state, including Ephraim Soule, William Shurtleff, "Brigadier Goodwin," and Isaac Wright. During the Revolutionary War, horses were sometimes purchased from local farmers or, in more desperate circumstances, were impressed from local citizens. Horses could also be acquired by the state through voluntary sale or agent procurement. The demand for horses was immense, as they were needed to pull artillery and supply wagons in addition to moving troops.

Perhaps most illustrative are the records of payments (orders) made to various townspeople for providing care or services for impoverished individuals including the family of Private Noah Eaton. Care for the poor was largely a local responsibility in this period, and as this document illustrates townspeople supported their indigent neighbors by providing food, clothing, and housing. Among the entries for "Support for the Poor" in 1782 and 1783 are "Mr. Eleazer Crocker Ordr for Keeping Susanna Cole"; "Ordr to Lieut Ellis for Procuring Beef," "Order to Gideon Samson for Dig[g]ing Grave," "Order to John Chamberlin for a Coffin," "Order to Ebenr Soule for ye Wido Cole," and "Ordr to Nathl Churchill Jr for Pr of Shoes."

A specific account for supporting the local family of Noah Eaton indicates that among others widow Mercy Weston provided the family milk, Gideon Bradford provided wood, and Nathaniel Churchill provided shoes. At the time of this accounting in February 1782, Noah Eaton (1734-1798) is listed on the muster rolls as a private serving at West Point [New York] under the command of Captain Rufus Lincoln's company, Lieut. Col. John Brooks's 7th Regiment Massachusetts Line. Eaton's service during the war was in fact extensive, having enlisted first in the Continental Army for the term of 8 months in 1778, and receiving final discharge in September 1782 "being worn out in service and old age" and unfit for service on account of deafness (Massachusetts, U.S. Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolutionary War, Vol. 5). Records suggest that his family struggling on the homefront to make ends meet consisted of his wife Hannah, and at least one child. Eaton's struggles unfortunately, did not end with the war. Probate records filed in Plymouth County in 1795 state that Noah Eaton "by excessive intemperance and idleness, spends & wastes his time & property, as to expose himself & family to suffering circumstances, and the town to which he belongs, to the expense of their maintenance & support...."

A detailed financial record documenting the ways in which local townspeople supported the broader war effort with their own personal property, as well as the ways in which the absence of a husband or father during the war caused economic strain and hardship for their families on the homefront.

[American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs]

[Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs] [Revolutionary War, American Revolution]

Light toning, light chipping along edge lines.