John Pott business records
Creation: 1799-1828Abstract
His business records consist of four time and board books and one day book from the Greenwood Iron Works and a single day book from the District Forge.
Dates
- Creation: 1799-1828
Creator
- Pott, John, 1759-1827 (Person)
Extent
6 volume(s)
Biographical Note
John Pott or Putt was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1759, the son of Wilhelm Pott, who had emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1734. Around 1799, Pott acquired the second or "New" District Forge in District Township, Berks County, between Reading and Allentown. The District Forge had been built by Jacob Lesher in 1795.
Pott purchased several tracts of land near the headwaters of the Schuylkill River around 1806. The tract included the small Greenwood Furnace, built by Lewis Reese and Isaac Thomas in 1796. Pott replaced it with a new Greenwood Forge and Furnace (also called the Greenwood Iron Works) in 1807. Apparently the works were forced to close during the War of 1812 and again in the Panic of 1819. Pott laid out the town of Pottsville on his land around 1816-1817. It later became the seat of Schuylkill County and the center of the Schuylkill anthracite coal trade.
Scope and Content
The time and board books show tasks performed by various employees, but not the amounts of wages paid. They also include rye accounts with the flour mills of Jacob and George Dreibelbis and Henry Weaver, and agreements with Daniel Focht, manager of the works. The 1817-1819 volume includes accounts of bar iron made by John Walter, Benjamin Anfield and others, agreements with workers and accounts of "coal" and wood received for use in the forge.
The Greenwood day book includes general purchases, wages, supplies and some sales; also household expenses, boarding expenses, time lists of days worked and two agreements to work at Greenwood.
The District Forge day book also includes lists of holloware made by Jacob and John Ginder.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- John Pott business records
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
