Scrap Paper

This piece of paper was not used for it's original intended purpose.

It was meant to be a receipt for items purchased at the J.B. Smith store.

But before we look at how it was used let's look at the design and format.

It is an example of a largely lost art of job printing.

put detail first, then overall or vice versa?

click on images to enlarge them

largely obsolete art of the receipt

now it is all done with lasers and the internet, emailed receipts, tests, cell phones,

printed on the right in cursive, Conway, N.H., and hand written in the date, June 10, 1891

printed in red on the left a ladder, example of their product

(what is a clothes horse?)

what does this have to do with coffins, covered bridges, village park, hay scales, etc.

explains, records that the "Conway Park Co." Bought of J.B. Smith a list of items...

This booklet can be found at the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room here.

This piece of paper was not used for it's original intended purpose.

It was meant to be a receipt for items purchased at the J.B. Smith store.

as intended, created designed for how it was actually used (click on images to enlarge them).

the purpose it was actually used

It's original function/purpose was ignored and it was used simply, more as a piece of scrap paper to write out an invoice instead of the receipt the form was designed for.

to understand this one needs to take a look back at 19th century business practices before the use of computerized records and business machines, digital receipts, to a time when everything was done on paper.

It was also not intended to be preserved for over 130 years,

or for the function it can serve us now.

combining with other clues, old photos, maps, physical/forensic evidence, artifacts and other archival records sheds light on

it helps lead us to some interesting places, which is now a pleasant park a short walk from the Conway Public Library.

once it had served its intended/original purpose. and saved for a reasonable amount of time, most receipts like this would be discarded, disposed of when the accounts were closed at the end of a fiscal year.

The people involved in this transaction certainly not intended imagined it would be used to shine a light on history of a specific spot that serves a civic duty today.

So what is it?

well let's look more closely at the top part first.

Notice the format and design.

learn about how business practices different from then and now, today, the past and the present, today

start with a close examination of the image itself, unveil

civic pride

It is a printed billhead, with hand written notations, It is a receipt

how long do you keep receipts from the hardware store, once bill is paid, accounts are settled

compare the imagery, do your hardware store receipts look anything like this? We have lost the classy flourish and style,

It was printed/intended to be a receipt for items bought of or at the hardware, drygoods, J. B. Smith's store in Conway NH

On the left it shows an image in red of one of its products

it explains the "terms" as "cash" so no credit from J.B. Smith.

It lists the location as Conway N.H. in wonderful script letters and has a place to fill in the month and date. The "18" is printed so it could not be used for more than 99 years. It is handwritten "91" so the date is June 10, 1891 for the transaction.

The next row uses another great font to indicate "Bought of J.B. Smith" so this was intended to be provided as a receipt to someone who brought from J.B. Smith presumably one of the products listed in the next two rows.

The tiny writing at the bottom reads "A.G. Brown Steam Job Printer, Malden, Mass."

explain job printing and steam press

However, that is not how it was used. Now let's look at the bottom part to see how it was actually used.

It was in fact used as In fact it was used as "scrap paper" for an invoice by J.B. Smith to the Conway Park Co (company).

I suggest it details services that J.B. Smith paid to four other parties, people on behalf of the Conway Park Co. for which J.B. Smith is seeking reimbursement.

But if you read it closely, and put it into context, you discover, realize, It is a receipt for services that J.B. Smith provided and for which he was paid $22.65 ...

those services listed include

To 2 days Work ...

While the invoice is dated June 10, it was not paid until October 1

It was approved by Fred Eaton.

More clues can be found on the back of the paper

The only reason is survives is because another receipt written on the back,

insert that pic here
x

Note the ways that the paper has been folded. It has in fact been folded several different ways over time.

this bit about the pigeonhole, have you heard the term pigeonhole?

folded to fit into pigeonholes and wrapped with red tape desks of the time period

see previous blog/s on that (pigeonholes) here and (red tape) here.

my experience with secret drawers in desk (pin money) here.

Now the people involved in these transactions, could never have imagined

the people involved probably never imagined it would serve a different purpose just over 130 years later

now serves a higher history purpose for history.

it that makes it extremely rare, and valuable for a historic perspective

helps provide a unique insight, window into a time past

to a specific place, spot that you can visit today

yields insight than at first glance, or for its intended/original purpose/function.

combined with maps, photos, unveil

the cpl hhr has thousands of such records, loose papers like this billhead and other in bound ledgers, account books, inventories, list... titles, tax records, voter lists, etc.

list a few examples,

how many oxen in Conway in x year, #

the next went down/up to x

why do we now keep these scraps of paper?

we spend a lot of time carefully sort them, a lot of money properly store them in special acid free boxes that cost a lot more than a shoe box, scan them, catalog them so can be found and read online, preserve and provide easy access

no legal or financial reason to keep them anymore

certainly not as then as proof that the bill was paid, or to deduct it from our taxes or to prove something in case they are audited by the IRS, those options functions have passed long ago.

its original function is obsolete, long since passed,

takes on a new purpose, a new identity

becomes part of a different story

tied together with photos, maps, and other archival records, as well as items preserved in local museum and perhaps in private homes, in the attic or cellar, find a place in the local museum

perhaps in your attic or cellar, check you ladders and clotheshorses to see if stamped with a made in Conway logo.

well we do lots of family history people all over the country contact us to find these kinds of records later we will look at some of the names,

Clark

Evans

Smith

the role they played in Conway's history

tiny tidbits when combined with other bits of info,

window into a different time

style of the image, bit about mustang here

the original 1964 Ford Mustang and the current version,

illustrated, decorated, decorative, shows a ladder, one of the products listed

what an interesting range of items,

It was in this envelope along with x other papers. Note that the envelope is printed at the top left with "Return in 5 days to the Conway Savings Bank, Conway, N.H." (we will come back to this company/bank later).

this "return to sender"

if you have not opened the parcel, you can return it at no charge, just scratch through the addressee name and write "return to sender" on the front

x

Returned to sender more than just an Elvis Presley song, it is a common policy used by post carriers to handle items that could not be delivered. If an item could not be delivered for any reason, the item would be sent back to the indicated return address. in this case after 5 days.

The following are common reasons for items returned to sender:
The address does not exist or is incorrect
The item contains insufficient postage
The addressee has moved without providing a forwarding address
The item is refused by the addressee
x

In this case however, it was used just as a holder for the papers and really had nothing to do with bank business, however as we will see, they meet at the bank, and one of the associates owned the bank, it is interesting to see where the bank was, but more on that later

while scrap paper not intended to be preserved, we curators have a few techniques to extend the life, this has what is known in the field as "inherent vice" nature of paper due to its manufacture,

notice it is tattered, torn, creased, folded, thesaurus those terms through handling so we carefully put it in plastic sleeve so can be handled no oils in hands

it is also yellowed with age, due to acid and tannins, before that cotton fibers, that paper lasts longer, papyri, parchment, etc. but today's newspaper will not last long if left out in the sun.

scrap paper and scribbles ephemera, not intended to be preserved, accidental, reveal aspects of history not otherwise recorded, ephemeral becomes eternal

an example of this is the return address printed on the top left, printing styles change over time and just as you can tell a 1968? Ford Mustang from a 198? curators can use the font style to approximate date

the style of handwriting, cursive handwriting changes, taught Spencerian, etc. the flourish, flare of the ink from the quill pen, changes in width, later look at signatures, still used today to authenticate official identity

we offer free advice, programs on preserving your family papers.

or scribbles and scrap paper

type of paper, laid, wove

watermarks

printing, bill head, lines, ruled tie bill heads to photos, maps, artifacts in museum collections

folds, pigeon hole

stamps, marks, embossings

The envelope was tucked into a booklet

see previous blog here.

insert pic,