Scope and Content Note
The Longmeadow account book collection contains business records for several local residents including David Trowbridge Smith, Jacob Colton and Gilson Holister, and Daniel Erskine Burbank.

At the core of the collection are 24 volumes belonging to local merchant or “marchant,” Samuel Colton (1727-1784). Colton’s accounts begin with some of his earliest business ventures and continue through to 1794, 10 years after his death. Volumes record sales of white and checkered holland cloth, cambrick, soap, rum, brandy, salt, tobacco, sugar, and molasses. Several volumes document other aspects of his business, such as entries related to the building of “Friendship,” one of two ships owned by Colton and used for trading goods. Many purchases were paid for not in cash but with farm produce, items made in the home, or labor. Other entries include payment to Susan Chandler for “Spining 11 Run of Cotten” (BV 16, p. 208) a payment to Ceasar (sic) for bottoming chairs.(BV16, p. 211), payments to Gordon Perceval for “doctoring my wife,” and charges to neighbors for services rendered by Colton’s slaves.

The collection also includes records for other local businesses and individuals. Daniel Erskine Burbank’s ledgers include entries related to his work as a butcher and as a farmer, though some entries appear to be for legal work performed by Burbank. Jacob Colton and Gilson D. Hollister’s accounts record sales of spectacles and thimbles. David Trowbridge Smith’s volumes record consignments, commissions on sales, accounts of produce sold, and purchases of pigs and hens. Margaret Booth’s accounts include entries related to her dressmaking business and note hiring of women to spin or weave. Other entries note days that were lost to sickness or travel. Mehitable Colton’s personal accounts include entries related to pasturing cows, sales of cider, and use of her chaise for travel. Payments were often in the form of goods or labor, including chopping wood, mowing, shad, cheese, and lamb.
 
Box and Folder Listing

Background Note
From temperance societies to tennis clubs, Longmeadow has a rich history of community service and involvement. This collection documents the various clubs, associations, and organizations of Longmeadow and includes items from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Doane Orphanage, the Longmeadow Country Club, the Longmeadow Improvement Corporation, the Longmeadow Maternal Association, the Longmeadow Temperance Society, the Longmeadow Street Improvement Association, and the Longmeadow Women’s Club.

Much of the collection provides only a snapshot or glimpse of the various activities of these clubs and associations. The Longmeadow Women’s Club, however, has a more complete set of records. Organized in 1893 to “promote improvement in moral, social, and intellectual life,” early endeavors included leading Longmeadow’s effort in aid of the Spanish-American War, providing flowers to the ill, and food baskets to those in need. In 1935 the club began a scholarship fund to assist promising Longmeadow students. Other efforts included working with patients at the Northampton Veterans Hospital and entertaining convalescent children. The club also invited guest speakers, who addressed a variety of topics including literature and the arts, antiques, politics, and ecology. The club disbanded in 1997.

Scope and Content Note
The Longmeadow Women’s Club records include Secretary reports, minutes of Regular and Annual meetings and a nearly complete run of Yearbooks, which include lists of officers, committees, programs, brief biographies of program contributors, and lists of active members.

Other items in the collection include minutes from the Longmeadow Street Improvement Association, 1876-1938, which discuss mowing, sidewalk construction, the Elm tree beetle, and other issues pertaining to maintenance and upkeep. Minutes and a scrapbook from the American Legion Auxiliary provide information on various activities including election of officers, the annual “weenie” roast, poppy sales, suppers, and other activities in support of veterans and their families.
 
Box and Folder Listing

1894 Map of Longmeadow

Scope and Content Note
The Longmeadow maps and atlases collection documents the growth and development of Longmeadow from the early 19th century to the late 20th. Highlights in the collection include an 1831 map of Longmeadow, an 1835 map of Springfield, MA, an 1844 topographical map of Massachusetts, and an 1855 map of Hampden County, Massachusetts. In addition to plans, maps, and atlases for Longmeadow and East Longmeadow, there are plans for Colony Hills, Glen Arden, and Laurel Manor, early 20th century developments in the area. Bound atlases dating from 1894 to 1933 for Longmeadow and the surrounding area are also included. A more detailed item-level listing follows.

Five of the maps of Longmeadow have been photographed and are available as prints suitable for framing: http://www.longmeadowhistoricalsociety.com/category-s/102.htm.
 
Box and Folder Listing: Maps

Box and Folder Listing: Atlases