Northampton Furnace Daybook, 1793-1795

Colonel Charles Ridgely records

Colonel Charles Ridgely (1702/3-1772) was a merchant in Patapsco, Maryland. His records (1732-1755) consist of 10 volumes of ledgers and daybooks from his store.

Northampton records

These records (1772-1827) are ledgers, journals, daybooks, time books, and ironware record books recording output. There is one ledger (1782-1785) labelled Ridgely's Forge and possibly refers to Northampton Furnace. It is in Box 2.

Most records deal with the furnace's management, but some reveal information about the workers. The time books (1775-1827) are monthly records of amounts of time worked. There is also a description of white servants which was written in 1772 to aid identification of runaways. An account (1772-1775) records clothing alotted workers. There are also 3 account books (1784-1788) for a blacksmith and carpenter.

The workers' accounts for food and liquor [at a company store] might be the accounts in 7 ledgers (1785-1821) in Boxes 25 and 26. A similar ledger of groceries and liquor (1780-1782) is in MS. 1127 Box 5, and 2 other ledgers (1787-1791) are in MS. 716, Box 6. Account books in Capt. Charles Ridgely's hand were separated from the Northampton Furnace Records, but some of these ledgers (Boxes 19-24) might belong with the grocery ledgers mentioned above.

Captain Charles Ridgely records

In addition to Ridgely's partnership in Northampton he imported large quantities of English goods to Maryland. He bought the goods from English merchants through various agents especially James Russell, William Molleson, and Mildred and Roberts. He repaid the agents with cargoes of pig iron, tobacco, and lumber.

While the records of Ridgely's Northampton furnace activities are in the Northampton Furnace record books (Boxes 3-15), the account books listed in his name (Boxes 16-24) appear to refer solely to his mercantile activities and his personal accounts. (There is a chance, however, some of the Charles Ridgely ledgers, Boxes 19-24 do deal with furnace accounts.) The mercantile records consist of daybooks, journals, ledgers, and cashbooks. He formed several partnerships over the years, and there are records of his final partnership Ridgely and Lux. These account books seem to record Ridgely's business transactions, but some ledgers list the number of hogs slaughtered annually and others list personal transactions.

Nicholas G. Ridgely

Nicholas G. Ridgely (1771-1829) was the father of Eliza E. [Ridgely] Ridgely. He was a grocery merchant in the Baltimore firm of Macdonald and Ridgely. The account books of this firm consist only one one ledger (1797) and 3 journals (1797-1801, 1821-23). There are 2 letterbooks (1819-1839) which shed more light on the firm's extensive business especially with customers in Ohio and Tennessee. These letterbooks complement Nicholas G. Ridgely's incoming letters in MS. 692.

Eliza E. Ridgely records

Eliza E. [Ridgely] Ridgely (1803-1867) married her distant relative John Ridgely of Hampton (1792-1867). Her records consist of a clothing record for servants at Hampton and 3 volumes (1838-1848) of personal and household expenses. One of these volumes (travel account book, 1846-1847) has a brief description of her treatment at a water cure establishment in Austria.

John Ridgely records

The records of John Ridgely (1792-1867) are 2 ledgers (1829-1870) of accounts with [Hampton] workers and 2 memoranda books (1830-1871) listing cash he spent 1830-1867. The second memoranda book appears to have been kept for John by his son Charles and is continued by Charles until 1871.

Charles Ridgely records

Charles Ridgely was the son of Eliza E. and John Ridgely. His records are a memoranda book (1850-1865) and an account of farm [Hampton] expenses (1864-1870).

Samuel Sterett records

Samuel Sterett (1756-1833) was a [nephew] of Captain Charles Ridgely and was a notary public. His records are 12 volumes of notarized documents. They deal with protested bank notes for the Bank of Maryland, Bank of Baltimore, the Office of Discount and Deposit, and the Mechanics Bank.