This volume is a detailed account of how a Pennsylvania dressmaker operated her shop, managed local labor, and maintained her business viability in the community after the Civil War. The account book documents the later years of her dressmaking business. She earned additional money by selling tomatoes and soap. The account records contain detailed entries from 1866 to 1873, covering her work and the wide range of materials used in the final years of her life. Appleton hired numerous local women--often listed by full name or initial. For example, Mrs. Rebecca Verlinden worked from May 1866 to August 8, 1866. During those three months, Verlinden made two calico dresses and two suits. Another local woman, Mrs. Ellen M. Serrill, began in April 1866 and completed her work in April 1867. The account book indicates that Serrill created a range of dresses for various clients. Margaret Powell made a "traveling suit."

Other entries detail garment construction by piece and task. For example "silk dress gored and made over," "2 dresses gored and collars turned," "brown silk skirts bound fresh," "Blk [Black] alpaca ripped and gored," "grey dress and ack gored and turned with folds," "cloth sacks ripped and made tight fitting," and "white dresses altered skirts sewn on."