John Goddard Carts Supplies to Concord
1000 candles; 100 hhds. [hogsheads] salt; a suitable supply of wooden spoons; 20 casks of raisins; 20 bushels of oatmeal; 1500 yards Russia linen; also 2 barrels Lisbon oil; 6 casks of Malaga wine, and 9 casks of Lisbon wine, to be lodged at Stow.The committees had already started to amass other supplies, including some with no other purpose but to wage war. The congress needed someone to move all that stuff around, so on that same day the committees
Voted, unanimously, that Mr. John Goddard, of Brookline, be waggon master for the army, and that Capt. [Benjamin] White inform him of his choice by the province.Goddard (1730-1816) had been one of Brookline’s three representatives to the first Massachusetts Provincial Congress, convening in October 1774, but for the February session the town had sent only White.
In 1898 the Brookline Historical Society printed John Goddard’s expense book, listing these entries for the beginning of the year 1775:
The Committee for Supplies to John Goddard of Brookline Dr. for his Expense of Time —In Nathaniel Goddard: A Boston Merchant, 1767-1853 (1906), Henry G. Pickering wrote that on the trips to Concord, “One of these teams was driven by John Goddard himself, and another by his son Joseph, then a lad of fourteen.”
March 4th 1775 to one day going to Boston & engaging Team £0.. 5 .. 4
[etc. etc.]
March 8th 1775.
The Committee for Supplies to Sundry Persons under ye Direction of John Goddard Dr. —
To carting fifty five Barrels of Beef from Boston to Concord @5/ Pr Barrel £3..15..0
18th
to carting two Hogsheads of Flints & other articles from Boston to Brookline 0..6..6
20th to carting 74 C:3/4 of Rice from Boston to Concord @1/2d pr C 4..19..8
22. to carting 15 C:1/4 of weights 1..0..2
to carting sheet Lead and three Barrels of Linen 0..8..0
24. To carting 2 casks of Leaden Balls 0..2..8
April 10th 1775. to carting two Ox Cart & two horse cart loads of canteens to Concord £3..6..8
to ye assistance of 3 Men in removing canteens 0..3..0
14th to carting 1 ox cart & 1 horse cart load of Canteens to Concord 1..13..4
2 comments:
What an interesting list. Any idea if the references to Russian (linen), Lisbon (oil), and Malaga (wine) indicate the origin of each, or were names that had been attached to a type or style of product without regard to where it was currently manufactured?
If it's the former, it's another reminder of the interconnectedness of nations and trade--then as now.
The (olive) oil and wine were almost certainly from Portugal because the British Empire didn't have the climate for growing those. I think the linen was likewise from Russia, probably thick cloth for tents. Yes, that does show the network of global trade reaching to Concord—even in a province whose main port had been closed for almost a year.
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