Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation

Brick Meeting House (Cecil County, Md.) Journal, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased in March 2010

Scope and Contents

Journal, 1846-1855 of a merchant in or near the Brick Meetinghouse in Cecil County, Maryland. The front page reads "Journal, G and N, Brick Meeting House." The Brick Meeting House in Cecil County was a Quaker church building and the connection to the entries in this volume has not been established. It seems like over time the journal was used for different purposes. The larger part is an account book for a trading and shipping business. Accounts are for sundries, wine, food items, the Pennsylvania life insurance, shipments to other cities, like New Orleans, Boston and New York, often for considerable amounts of money. Some of the entries were made by William Caldwell, and John M. Griffith. Some of the family names mentioned are Kirk, Dawson, White, Pierson, Williams, Griffith, and Askew. The later part contains accounts of a smaller business and records payments made to day laborers. Also included is a poem by John M. Griffith "The Beggar's Petition"; several pages of handwriting practice consisting of one line phrases or sayings that are repeated several times over; and the Democratic Ticket to an undated election.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Maryland--History--19th century--Sources
• Merchants--Maryland
• Shipping--United States