I find it interesting every so often to review public expenses. The old ledgers of towns, businesses, physicians, tradesmen and just plain farmers sit on shelves (if they are fortunate enough to have survived at all) unread and unnoticed, and yet they will reveal a wealth of information if given half a chance.
It is comforting to know that poor Mrs. Sweet, although a ward of the town, probably through no fault of her own, receives her gin and tobacco, and there was no public outcry by holier-than-thou residents as to the expenditure of public funds for such a purpose.
Wages were low almost to the point of being nonexistent. The town allowed 68 cents to be deducted from property taxes for spending a 10-hour day working on the highways, but when you read these figures, it becomes understandable. And before you think of these as “the good old days,� remember that most of the graves Seth Whiting dug for $1.67 each, probably were for someone who would have easily survived if living today.
The following list of expenses dates back to the early 19th century in Colebrook. There was a previous ledger alluded to, but we don’t have it. When the entries cease in this volume, expenses were kept in the selectmen’s journals.
1814 John Tyler received for services as selectman for 1814 $15.59
Tyler, for carting and putting on planks on the bridge near his house .83
Seth Whiting, on Nov. 8, for planking a bridge .75
1815 Seth Whiting, for opening six graves in 1815 and 1816 10.00
Selah Treet, on Apr. 10 for 3/4 of a bu. of rye 1.00
For Mrs. Sweet [ward of town], 1 pint of gin .36
Enoch Horton, by building bridge over Farmington River 235.00
By two string pieces extra 10.00
By drawing timber for bridge 12.58
$257.58
1816 Elijah Grant, for six days as selectman 6.00
9 yards of flannel for John Wright and Reuben Bobbs’ child 6.68
Mrs. Holcomb, for keeping your child up to the 15th of Sept. @ $55.00 per year 41.25
Bildad Seymour by work and plank for bridge near Couets 2.60
Daniel Stillman, by pair of shoes for Rowley Burnham 1.00
1817 (June) 137 1/2 lbs. rye flour @ 4 1/2 ¢ 6.19
2 bu. potatoes 1.00
For repairing Forge Bridge 10.76
By 13 lbs. of mutton for Solomon Moor .65
By 3 pecks of rye and 54 1/2 lbs. flour 2.66
By 1/2 bu. turnips .12
By moving Solomon Moore and family from Winsted 2.75
By 1 1/2 lbs. tobacco for Mrs. Sweet, plus postage for one letter .23
Daniel Phelps by plank for the bridge east of our house and putting on .50
(Sept. 15) By 215 feet of plank for Sandy Brook Bridge 2.50
By 3 1/2 days work at bridge 3.50
By oxen to draw timber for the same .68
By 4 strong pieces for the bridge 2.00
By 375 feet of plank for bridge 3.75
By 2 quarts of brandy .40
(Sept. 18) Erastus Seymour, by building a bridge by Elisha Sage’s
shop. [The bridge at the Center on Rt. 183.] 21.00
1818 (January) Levi Hitchcock, by boarding Thomas Simons and wife
and child 3 weeks and 2 children 4 days 7.00
(Sept.) John Minor, by building part of the bridge near
Capt. Phelps with Alpha Simons 8.55
By making an abutment to road west of the river in
company with A. Simons 7.50
(Oct. 19) Jesse Carrington, for doctoring the Town poor to date 50.00
1819 Martin Rockwell, by building Mill Brook Bridge 15.00
1820 Jan. 1820 thru Jan. 1821, Mrs. Holcomb’s son kept one year 64.67
1823 (May 11) by 245 feet of plank and putting on 2.80
(Sept.) Jonathan Stillman, by work at Viets Brook Bridge 1.00
(Oct.) Henry Bass, by 121 lbs. of pork @ 4 3/4 ¢ 6.12
1824 (Jan. 10) by repairing Simons’ Bridge 5.75
1825 (Jan. 4) Nathan Bass, by building a bridge across Wright’s Brook 5.00
(Jan. 5) By repairing bridge 5.00
(July) by labor, plank and timber for bridges 18.70
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