Trading Goods on the American Frontier 

This man is a treasure.

The 8x10" window glass was a standard size then. And when photography (wet plate) came along that was the glass the photographers would use to make their plates. Thus, why 8x10" is a standard print size today.

Adjusted for today's prices. Moccasins: $4.44 Shoes: $19.53 Calico shirts: $22.19 wool blanket: $71.01 Rifles: $221.89 Belt knife: $3.02 Tomahawk: $11.89 Pewter teaspoons: $0.36 Pitsaw: $71.01 Hand saw: $22.19 Grindstone: $142.01 Spinning wheel: $62.13 Cloves per pound: $14.20 Nutmeg per pound: $53.25 Mace per pound: $124.26 Ivory comb: $4.44 Horn comb: $0.53 Spectacles: $2.84

Nutmeg, apparently a frontier necessity

Inventory is, in some ways, is more facinating then reading about Kings and generals.

I have several log/inventory books that you might be interested in looking at. My family had a store/trading post back in the early 1800's. Maybe we can find a way to get them in your hands if interested.

Your enthusiasm is infectious as nutmeg. Plus, the rain in the background make this a very soothing video to watch.

My Aunt owned a General Store that was passed down through her husbands family. It was established in 1894 and closed in 2004. I remember looking at the old inventory documents and the credit slips for individual customers and companies. It was some interesting stuff.

With age, even the most mundane things become fascinating relics. That has always been true in human history, even for the Romans who considered the great Egyptian pyramids as ancient! Weird how we humans find old stuff interesting.

Fascinating! I worked in a bakery in England. A pudding is a little cake. So I assume it was a little cake pan.

You spend so much time thanking us but really, I just wanted to post and say thank you! to everyone involved in the production, it's a real pleasure to watch your show! I really have to note the passion you guys extol about history is fantastically infectious. and I hope I can someday be priveleged to make the trip across the pond from Scotland to visit you guys sometime!

I used to work as an auditor and needed to review the court records for real property filings. I loved that part since I went into the back rooms and searched the huge, old, record books and was amazed at the wills that gave a glimpse into what was considered valuable at the time. The records went back in time until the land was part of the Spanish Acquisition (Florida) and it was hard to quit work at 5 PM. Anyone can do this, and many counties now have the records on-line, therefore for anyone interested just research he oldest records page by page and you will never be bored again! My husbands great grandmother used to keep a daily journal (over 30 years worth) detailing weather, daily work, any costs, unusual happenings, and births/deaths/etc. She would always write down her grocery list with cost - so fun. Don't have any idea what happened to all those books but they were over 150 years old.

It's like opening up the Goods and Services section of a Dungeons & Dragons player's handbook. Such interesting materials and an idea of how valuable or easily an item could be replaced. This also gives a great guide to the purchasing power of a dollar on the frontier. A fist full of dollars could set up a full household it sounds like.

My mother recently passed away at 102 years old. As a young bride she kept a notebook of income and expenses. I hope one of my siblings kept it! They built their first house (3 br) for $3400

He mentions 3 point blankets. This was a measure of the size of a blanket first used by French weavers in the mid 18th century. A 3 point blanket would be a small twin bed size, about 60 X 80 inches. Hudson's Bay Company in Canada still sells 'point' blankets as they have since the 18th century. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%27s_Bay_point_blanket

You may not realize, but your channel is very useful for fleshing out my fantasy tabletop role-playing games. I've gleaned so much information that helps me make my worlds seem more rich and alive. Being able to tell the players what's stacked in the back of a pantry, or filling a shop's shelves, even if its something they'll never buy or need, helps make the game feel less like sitting around a table looking at pieces of paper and dice. Thank you.

0:03 Doggie nose poking into the video! So informative. I find it interesting to try and picture the goods that stores would have back then. I always strive to lead a simple quality over quantity life which often leads me to mindfully purchase more ‘vintage’ designs and wares. I love your website and am ordering a pencil soon!

Those inventories can have a use that many would not expect. I have heard of several African Americans who were able to trace their families by using inventories, wills, and bills of sale. It's also useful to see what things were specifically mentioned in wills because it gives you the information concerning what items were valued enough to be included in a bequest. In Elizabethan wills, for example, people are very specific about to whom they left their clothing and bedding. People don't often realize how profound an effect the automation of spinning and weaving had on economics, but you will if you realize that a decent, new suit of clothing was beyond the means for most people unless they were middle class or higher. For someone in those days, unless you had a flock of sheep, a field where one could grow and process flax, a couple of family members who could spin (not an easy thing to do!), a loom and someone who could weave and sew, a suit of clothing represented a pretty big investment and possibly, a trip to a settlement where clothing could be purchased.

One of my biggest crowd pleasers at Civil War reenactments is my Housewife, ...not Diane, my field sewing kit! "Men sewed back then?", is the leading response to it. Go figure. The other is, "what's a sutler?", even though there are three or six of them on site. 21st Centuryites have no clue what "we" went through back in "our" day. I reenact. Therefore I was. Great talk, Jon, thanks!

Love the joy you get from sharing history...thank you for your videos

Really cool listening to this. I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is a treasure, probably Townsends not far from where I grew up.

I Once Worked For A Waterproofing Company That Had The Records Of Projects That Went Back To The 1930s Right Up To The Time Before They Went Out Of Business In The 2000s! Love Going Over The Items For Sale And The Prices They Charged. Great Video!

This is why I love your videos. I think we are kindred spirits when it comes to researching daily life and first-person accounts. What better way to piece together what life was like, than to read inventories, bills of sale, property transfers and survey records. I've been blessed to have a job with a County Surveyor's Office here in Indiana, where digging deep into this sort of information is part of my job description. One of my fascinations is with old, abandoned roadways and trails. Being able to physically retrace and rediscover routes that our ancestors took to get where they were going means searching old maps and having an eye for the "lay of the land." Using historic aerial photography has become a real ally when trying to figure out when and where land changes occurred. Keep up the great work. You always seem to bring a certain passion and excitement that makes me what to dig even more!

5:23 Pudding pans are stamped tins for baking various products standard or individual-sized, in british isles pudding synonym for a dessert.

This is one of those few channels that are informative and fun to watch here on yt. Very nice work, subbed!

I used to have a reprint of a 1908 Sears and Roebuck catalog when I was a kid. More fun than a comic book!

I will never forget my 8th-grade history teacher Ned Beck. You remind me of him. I will never forget our amazing field trip to Sturbridge Massachusetts and all the fascinating stops along the way Furnaces and waterfalls in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and Hyde Park New York and touring FDR's home. There is a corner of the house that has an air vent where you can listen in on any conversation going on in any room.

As an amateur genealogist, I LOVE seeing the inventories in my ancestors' probate records-- fascinating to see what they owned. You'll see beds mentioned a lot because they were worth so much. When William Shakespeare left his wife his second-best bed, he wasn't being chintzy.

I love the enthusiasm in your voice! It is easy to hear (and see) just how much you love what you do! Thanks for sharing. :o)

I love inventories and read more than just my family. I spin and weave so find the fiber tools and cloth most interesting. But the numbers of items compared to the number of people in the home is also fascinating. Such as spoons, forks, knives, plates, etc. seems for most there are fewer items than people.

One of the best channels on RU-vid, love the historical content. Learn something new every episode. Keep it up!

So my Grandmother was raised by her grandmother because her mother died of bloodclots after giving birth. They say she was up and walking around but then she just died. Nanny was my great great grandmother's name or how kids knew her. Anyhow, I remember my grandma's old stories about things seeing she was raised by her grandmother who grew up in the 1800s. I remember the bricks that used to be heated in fire and slid between bedsheets. My grandmother obviously was raised by people who survived the great depression and WWII. FASCINATING how houses were heated and I love examining old items. Old Lang Syne, or times gone by. I understand why Townsends are so into history and if we all have to live somewhere the past is an interesting place to do it. Also educational. I was born in an extremely old town by American standards called Portsmouth, New Hampshire, established 1623, I believe. There is a section of downtown called Strawberry Bank and it's a preserved section of town as it was in the 16 and 1700s. Literally the section is the original houses from the time period. Incredible. It's an experience unlike any other to be able to walk into a town as it was back then. I know you are building a homestead and if you ever come to New England and find yourself in NH you should check out Strawberry Bank 🍓 in Portsmouth, NH.

NUTMEG.

It dispels a lot of myths propagated by conjecturing historians as well. Not particularly relevant to the time period you're focused on, but one such myth was that "medieval swords were expensive and regarded as a status symbol of the nobility" and while that's true in the early medieval period, it is false during the late. We know that because of estate sale records and wills that list the price of old swords, and we can compare it to the wages of certain professions of the time period. Some were valued at no more than a day or two's pay because by then, they were being mass produced and plenty were already in circulation from dead fathers and grandfathers.

I just love your channel. I randomly stumbled across a year ago and watched every episode. Thanks for bringing our history to the forefront. I hope a lot of young youtubers find your channel and appreciate our history.

I've always enjoyed your channel. Your enthusiasm and joy in bringing us these views of another time have always been a delight..Thank You

What's interesting to me is putting the actual cost into today's dollars and how long did they have to work/trade/barter to afford these store items.

1:45 sounds like you're singing a merry tune. "We don't have as much, on the deep frontier"

I love your enthusiasm! Old inventories, newspaper clippings, lists and things like that are so interesting!!

I so enjoy your videos! The calmness of them, the education value of them, and the simple Joy of them!

Yes, you are right, that was very interesting! I love your enthusiasm and your videos!

This is totally fascinating, what a great idea for a video!

A person can definitely see the joy this type of life brings you by the smile it puts on your face when you talk about it. This channel is hands down my go to source for Learning more about this era

This was one of my favorite episodes yet! I liked the visuals that accompanied the video too. John can make any topic fascinating!

I know you normally focus on the British Colonies in mainland North America but i would like to see some videos that cover other areas of the Americas at the time, like say Colonial South America or the European Colonies of the Caribbean. I know that you may be limited on resources from these areas but if you deviate to these other parts of America i would be extremely happy. Keep up the good work!

I really really hope this is seen my 8th great maternal grandfather was Major General Anthony Wayne and one of the reasons i watch this channel.

I so enjoy your enthusiasm for historical things and how they lived way back when!

It always brightens my day when I see how excited you get talking about these subjects in your videos. Just great to watch.❤️

You might want to look for trade journal from old stores. A lot of shopkeepers would list the things people bought and what they receive then balance there inventory at the end of the day. I saw one in a museum and it showed a daily transaction,.

I'm telling ya, you should go to Exchange Place in Kingsport, Tennessee. It's a living history trading post/currency exchange..

i have NO idea how you find this stuff, but it is SO mesmerizing! YOU ARE AMAZING! many blessings to you and yours. luv ya

Mr Townsend, Your positive attitude about living history, is infectious and a breath of fresh air! My Partner and myself have been slowly building our 18th century kits! You have been a great inspiration and always provide a smile for us when the journey gets hard and frustrating! Thank you so much and please continue your wonderful work!

I love your channel so much, I wish I could work any historical kitchen setting that would be so interesting so many awesome delicious Rich recipes I absolutely love your cooking videos keep making them you are the best

Love this kind of video, lots of interesting information on history and the information that was normally overlooked. Thank you!

I just love your positive vibes. Your such a fun person to take a moment to listen to. Thank you

Just discovered this series and am really enjoying it. Much appreciated.

Seems sites like Fort Wayne were the Wal-mart of the 18th century.

Amazing! Loved the bit about nutmeg!

I’m addicted to your channel! I just discovered it the other day and the information you are providing is helping me how my ancestors lived in the early days in Ohio when they settled in Cleveland. It’s been so hard for me to picture what their daily lives were like, but I’m starting to be able to because of you. This is invaluable to me as an amateur genealogist. Thank you so much!

Enjoying this content. Such a lovely presentation in every video. So educational, fun to watch and listen. I've quietly wondered about these things for as long as i can remember and am so blessed that i can incorporate some of it into my life.

We already know! Wagon tongues, sets of clothing, boxes of bullets. Nutmeg broke his arm.

You seem like the coolest dad ever.

Thank you for making a wonderful variety of interesting historical videos.

Always a pleasurable and informative viewing experience. Thanks.

$4.oo for a single person wool blanket sounds rather high for back then. I recently got a good one, brand new, for $85.oo *Edit ~* Just found a reliable conversation rate calculator for 2019, in terms of 1811 prices. A $4.oo wool blanket big enough for one person actually equals $78.20 today. Looks like I got slightly ripped off.

Could you please do some squirrel and deer cooking?

Jon, this was awesome to see and hear your enthusiasm. I thought I would check it out and see if it was like our shoot blankets at our monthly shoot years ago. It sort of was but I was thrilled that it was more of a REAL history lesson added in. I will be passing this on. Thanks for sharing with us.

This is an incredible channel. When I wander here, I always learn so much about Colonial and frontier life.

Excited for the video, very interesting subject!

What is a day's pay in the 18th century, about a shilling a day? So twelve pennies, if going by the US/GB exchange rates at the time. 454 grams per pound, average nutmeg is about 4 ounces. That's about 112 nutmegs per pound. I'm assuming that's about three days pay for one nutmeg? One nutmeg yields about two teaspoons, and you're dropping at least a teaspoon of nutmeg in these recipes. That's quite the expensive habit.

Fascinating, your channel is a tremendous platform for fleshing out the every day lives of people in our past.

Amazing work. I've been checking into this channel more regularly. Very fascinating.

Tomahawks @ 67¢? I love America so much!

Jon, Is there anyway of getting a copy of this inventory list ? Would they have it for sale ?

I love that your talking about my home town and it's historical contribution. Thank you!

i love learning stuff like this. If you were my history teacher I wouldn't have fallen asleep at my desk, knocked off all the books and fallen on the floor...True story.

Spanish Florida recipes please.

hello trading of goods daddy

Fascinating video! My grandfather was a trapper/trader who especially dealt in Indian artifacts. Their lives hadn't changed all that much over the years, it seems.

I do some writing, and one particular story I'm working on takes place in a frontier. This channel has been a godsend for random bits of information about that type of day-to-day living.

Whenever i turn one of these videos on and see Jon's smile i just get the biggest grin! The enthusiasm and atmosphere created in these videos always makes me feel so good. I just want to give the entire channel a big hug!

I found a collection of general store/hardware store receipts from my great(x4) grandfather’s farm. He was a soldier in the American Civil War, and it was fascinating to see the things he bought to keep his farm going.

I completely understand being fascinated by "boring history" documents. I'm moving soon and have been researching the neighborhood and wound up reading a State of Wisconsin department of Agriculture report from 100 years ago, because it had some stuff that is relevant to the development of the place I'm going to live. For example, I finally figured it out why a street that seemed to be nowhere central is named Main Street when there's no big business district there. (It's actually the main street that runs through the State Fair Park. So I always wondered this thing and I found out because of an old state report. I wound up reading most of the report. Thank you for your channel. It's one of the best for sure.

This bloke loves what he does and is a happy chappy! So entertaining and educational, cheers mate!

Idk how I stumbled upon this channel but I have absolutely loved it since. Great work guys. Keep it up

When I was hunting many years ago, I came across an old house which had been abandoned many years before. The people had used newspapers to insulate their walls, the papers were from the 1920's , I found the advertisements to be one of the most interesting parts. So, in a very small way I know what you mean.

You are the best history maven EVER!!!! You make the most regular items seem absolutely mesmerizing. Ty. 🙌🙌🙌

I really enjoy your enthusiasm, and love of history.

Hands down the most wholesome channel on youtube! Ever since our teacher took us on a field trip to a pioneer village, I've been hooked. Cheers Jon and Co.

I grew up in Fort Wayne. I would love your videos regardless of where they were filmed, but especially love seeing these in a familiar place. I moved far away, but seeing these videos always brings me back. Thank you for these videos!

I'm not a big frontier nerd but you're making me one. Your channel is wonderful. Thanks for all you do

A pudding pan is usually square, 12"×12"×2" deep. A pudding is a white cake with a layer of berries (wild strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or plums) on the bottom, and served with a sauce made of carmelized butter and brown sugar, and (this is key) plenty of brandy or rum. That's how my great-aunt Katie Moreau used to make it. Through my Moreau side I'm a descendant of Ezekiel Solomon, fur trader and owner of a general store, first at Ft. Michillimackinac, and later on Mackinac Island, from 1761-1806.

Your enthusiam is infectious, always a good story, thankyou.

Your passion and fascination is contagious! Thanks for uploading and being awesome! Keep it up!

Thank you for all of the research that you do and for these great video productions.

I found this video super exciting! I find that kind of information to be pure gold. My imagination was running wild visualizing everything I would have wanted to purchase for starting a homestead in the frontier if I had the money to do so. Records of our history is a real treasure. Thanks for doing this video!

Thank you for the inventory list. I miss the Ft. Massac, Il Rendezvous in October. Always looking at the trade beads, fire making kits and period clothing.

Some of the earliest examples of writing and language we've found have been inventory lists: "On the 5th year of the Pharaoh's reign, 20 bushels of wheat were given in tribute" ... stuff like that. Inventories are great sources of historical information.

Many of us limit our knowledge of history to exploration, wars, discoveries, etc. and pay little attention to what happened day-to-day with the “every man” population (90% of what 90% of the people did 90% of the time). Thank you bringing us these videos that remind us the folks in the 18th Century lived lives very similar to what most of us live today without the modern conveniences. There is so much more to recreating history (the fun part of history) than discovering Kentucky, crossing the Delaware with Washington, landing on the Moon.

Your passion and excitement is awesome and contagious, you are the perfect guy for this kind of content! Thanks!