Littleton, New Hampshire Archive Highlights Bills And Receipts Of L.A. Russell

(NEW HAMPSHIRE). This archive consists of the labor of L.A. Russell, Lucius A. Russell (1809-1864), a resident of Littleton, a small town in Northern New Hampshire. The archive consists of twenty-seven documents from the 1850s, the vast majority of which are either bills he has paid or receipts indicating payment for his labor. Therefore, this archive provides a window into the type of labor performed by a enterprising Northern man in the decade before the Civil War, and the typical costs and prices of his time. Some examples from this archive include: A) NS. 1 pg. 4” x 6”. May 17, 1854. Waterford. “Recd of L.A. Russell two Dollars for crossing Littleton Bridge to years XX to Oct 10th 1853”. It is then signed by “Robert Furby”. This document reveals even the role of tolls as an added expense for businessmen like Russell. B) DS. 1 pg. 4” x 6”. April 26, 1854. N.p. A document signed “L.A. Russell”. This document is a bank note: “Three months from date, for value received, we jointly and severally promise to pay the PASSUMPSIC BANK Four Hundred Dollars”. The note is then signed by three men, one of whom is Russell. Scribbled on top of the signatures in Russell’s handwriting is “Paid”, and on the opposite side in the same hand it is written “Bank Note $400 Paid”, and the date given as July 24. The Passumpsic Bank still exists today as a community bank, 11 branches strong, though now as a savings bank. C) DS. 1 pg. 4” x 8”. October 12, 1854. Littleton. A document signed “L.A. Russell”. This document is a bill “For transportation from Wells River to Littleton” aboard the White Mountains Railroad. The bill is for a barrel weighing 313 pounds and costing $25, with an additional $61 for express service. The document is signed “R.H. Nelson” on behalf of the corporation in a separate hand. On the back, it is indicated in another hand, possibly Russell’s, that this is a “Bill for Apples 1854”. According to a local historian, the White Mountains Railroad Company was chartered in1848, to take advantage of the lucrative mountain tourist trade. It opened a connection along the Ammonoosuc River between Wells River and Littleton on August 1, 1853. D) DS. 1 pg. 5” x 8”. December 12, 1854. Concord. A document signed by “L. Downing & Sons”. It is a bill charging LA. Russell $140 for “Lo one pan. Wagon. 6 seats” dated to May 16, 1854. The document indicates that Downing & Sons “Recd Payment by note”. In 1813, Lewis Downing opened a wheelwright shop in Concord, New Hampshire to make coaches and wagons. It was reconstituted as Downing & Sons by him and two of his children in 1847. By the 20th century, after a few iterations, the wheelwright shop had become Abbott-Downing Company, a truck and body company famous nationwide for its Concord coach. This iteration survived until 1925 and the name was bought by Wells Fargo in 1945. All the documents in this archive are in good condition, with some minor folds and stains.