Local History by Dede Terns-Thorpe - Civil War Prices

These Civil War Era prices were found in an old-day book.

Below is an abbreviated history of everyday objects purchased during the Civil War Era. It was shared by Historian James Ayers, and taken from a 1939 Catskill Mountain News. 

An old leather-covered "day- book" of Roxbury’s first general store was recently loaned to the Roxbury correspondent by Mrs. Ida Powell. The day book, with its delicate old-fashioned penmanship, dates from 1863, at which time the store was managed by Mrs. Powell's father-in-law, "Billy" Powell, and his partner, George C. Preston. It was built and managed by Hamilton (Ham) Burhans.  

In 1863, a general store was just exactly that. It took the place of a drug store, clothing store, hardware store, and meat market, as well as a grocery and dry goods store. Hoop skirts, overcoats, molasses, butter tubs, and axe helves were dispensed over the counter with paregoric, spelling books, candlewick, mackerel, and muslin. 

For the more frivolous there were parasols, fans, perfume, etc., while the practical-minded bought plough-points, butcher knives, and pitchforks. 

The book dates from October 2, 1863, through October 12, 1864. It was during the Civil War, and commodity prices soared. Flour barrels varied from $7.75 in October 1863 to $10.25 in May 1864 and back to $7 in October 1864. Prices were in both old-fashioned "shillings" and the dollars and cents of the American decimal system.  

Sugar varied from 19 cents to 28 cents a pound in May 1864, when prices were the highest.  

Men's and women's clothing were both made entirely by hand. Materials sold included cassimere (cashmere), calico, linen, muslin, alpaca, "bed ticking" sheeting, and others. Hoop skirts sold at prices from $1.25 to $1.88. In several places "skeleton skirts" were sold and these were found to be the same as "hoopskirts." 

Chauncey Burroughs, father of the famous naturalist “John,” shopped there frequently. Chauncey's sons, Curtis and Eden Burroughs were frequent customers, but John's name is not mentioned as he left home quite young.  

There were several "tailors" buying materials at the store to made men's clothing, 

One Roxbury woman says that her mother was an expert tailor as a young girl. One day her father had an entire suit of clothes made by her; this developed into a romance, and the suit became his wedding outfit.  

In the line of drugs, "castor oil" takes the lead in the day book entries. Also were "arnica," "paregoric," "camphor," "gargling oil," and surprisingly, opium. 

Candles were used for lighting. People made candles, sold by the pound, and other items, and traded them in for store credit. Curtis Burroughs was credited with 32 pounds of lard the same day he bought an assortment of products. 

 Bars of "toilet soap" were sold for personal use, but housewives made their soap for household purposes. "Butter tubs" or firkins play an important part in the day book, as butter making was the chief occupation of farmers. A typical entry is " butter tubs for $6."—Roxbury Cor. 

Thank you to James Ayers for the story.  

Thanks for reading, have a good day, and stay safe (and warm). 

Dede Terns-Thorpe / Hunter Historian