Collection of Handwritten Receipts and Dockets, The Schooner Mertie and Delmar, 1904-1906

A diverse group of fifty receipts – all of them handwritten between 1904-1906, many of them relating to shipping around the West Indies, Caribbean, and Antilles. A variety of goods and services are represented, in a variety of formats, and from many different places. Some are illustrated, some are elaborately calligraphic, and some are simple lists and prices on ledger paper. Recurring family names include Brown, Delmar (often in relation to the merchant schooner Mertie and Delmar, of Nantucket), Lynch, and Johnson. Examples: Driscol, Church & Hall, Wholesale Grocers – of New Bedford, Massachusetts / 1 pound, 13 shillings, and 7 pence received at Portsmouth District Dominica, for 20 tons of cargo / St. Kitts, B. Rodrigues & Co., The Myrtle Bank, Commission and General Merchants / Handel- en Industrie-Maatschappij, Curacao (carpenter’s wages, pitch, and more). All housed in archival sleeves, in a binder. As expected, some age-toning, foxing, flattened creases, and the occasional chip and tear – but a perfectly legible collection, in good condition overall. An interesting group, worthy of further study, as it reflects many facets of a thriving industry. Also includes two small ledger books, dated 1911-1912. Cloth-backed wraps, each about 150 pages; one about 3-by-5 inches, the other 3.5-by-6 inches. Both are nearly full with handwritten lists, prices, checks and balances, and inventories (for example, "Amount of Provisions Taken on Board Valkyria, Sept 20th, 1912.") Recurring names include Joquine Nancet, Manuel Teque, Joseph John, Charles Celestin, and more. A few pages chipped in the gutter and neatly repaired. Two nice, legible volumes.…