1880's Wages and Every days expenses

tom · March 02, 2008, 03:21:12 PM

Hello friends,

Do you know wage of major jobs for the 1880"s period ??

And Examples of everyday life routine expenditures, food, health, clothing, etc.......for same period ......

Thank you from france......

alain

River City John · March 02, 2008, 03:54:27 PM

Bonjour mon ami Alain.

This is a sample page out of a ledgerbook I have. The beginning statement describes the agreed wages for a young woman to help out as a live-in house servant.
These are 1877-1878 entries, so are offered as interest. In general prices would not have changed all that much by the 1880's.
There are many entries that give clues as to everyday expenditures from a woman's accountbook for running a household.
The area of the United States is in the state of Illinois. Two towns that are mentioned are Roseville and Galesburg.
I will see what else I can find for additional information, and I'm sure others will contribute also.

Anna Anderson commenced work September 3rd, 1877 at $2.00 per week.

Bought at E. Bliss $ cts

14 1/2 yds print 1.16
10 yds Muslin 1.00
1 nectie (sp) .75
1 collarette .20
1 pound yarn 1.25
muslin 1.80
5 yds cotton Flannel .80
Thread + Buttons .20
Calico at Galesburg 18 1/2 yds 1.11
Hat at Mrs. Gunter's 2.40
Comb " " " .40
Thread .25
Calico .16
1 pair shoes 2.50
Cloth for Cloak 4.05
15 yds Calico 1.00
8 yds Plaid .80
1 pair gloves .75
delaine .25
Trimming for Cloak .75
for cutting " .75
Togs .25
Buttons + Alpacca .60
Binding + Thread .40
2 doz buttons 20cts .40
1 1/2 doz buttons 15cts .22 1/2
2 yds lace 20cts .40
" " " 10cts .20
ribbon .25
cotton Flannel .50
Polonaise + Hoods .50
Fringe for dress 5 yds .25
For Making Cloak 1.00
Togs .25 and rubbers .60 corset 1.00 1.85
-------
28.80 1/2

January 1st 1878 $ cts

for John Peterson 1.00
3 yds Calico .25
mending shoes .15
cash to go to Roseville .80
calico .98
" .89
Plaid 1.50
dress lining .25
dress braid .10
thread, silk, buttons .25
for making worsted dress 2.00
making calico dress 1.50
1 pair fine shoes 3.75
" " coarse " 2.25
1 hat at Mrs. Gunter's 2.60
mending shoes .25
medicine .40
buttons for dress .15
calico at Galesburg .50
Bonnet .95
cards .10
calico .7
buttons + thread .15
making polonaise .60
neck tie at Mrs. Gunter's .65
cash for the Fourth 2.00
3 yds cloth for White sack .15 .45
6 yds trimming .28 1.34 (? haven't figured out this addition)
12 yds calico for dress .6cts .72
making dress .50
cash to go home 2.00
Ticket on quilt .25
(undecipherable) at Roseville 1.00
gloves .40
buttons .20 , trimming .25 .45
making white sack .30

tom · March 02, 2008, 03:59:17 PM

Thank you very much dear John,

It's a good beginning...........

River City John · March 02, 2008, 04:24:08 PM

And here is a transcription of a page from the same ledger that listed accounts with a grocery.

Bought at D. Burrs
1878 $ cts

Jan 1st Coffee 1.00
" " 1 doz pie plates 1.00
" " pickle dish .15

" 2nd Brown Sugar .50
" " Cinnamon .20
" " Kerrosene .40
" " White sugar .50

Jan 8th Crackers .25
" " Oysters .65

Jan 30th Oysters .65
" " Crackers .25

Feb 5th 2 lbs. butter .40
" " 1 bottle Lemon .20
" " Can Oysters .25
" " Box Crackers .25

Feb 7th Brown Sugar 1.00
" " 2 lbs. Raisons (Blank entry in orig.)
" " 1 gal Molasses 1.60

" 10th White Sugar 1.00

" 22nd Sack Flower (sp-flour) 2.25
" " 2 lbs. Raisons (Blank entry in orig.)
" " 2 lbs. Butter .40
" " Box Baking Powder .25
" " 3 Boxes Matches .25

Feb 26th Round Comb .35
" " 5 yds Calico .60
" " Clothes Brush .50
" " Lamp Chimney .10
" " 3 spools thread .25
" " Mirror (Blank entry in orig.)

" 28th Sugar - White + Brown 2.00

March 6th 1 yard Muslin .20

River City John · March 02, 2008, 04:31:19 PM

Here is a menu from a restaurant in an Eastern U.S. city.

And a winelist from a Californian Restaurant.

River City John · March 02, 2008, 05:02:43 PM

River City John · March 02, 2008, 05:27:45 PM

And check out this link for various reprints of 19th century catalogs.
http://www.amazon.com/Montgomery-Ward-Catalogue-Buyers-Guide/dp/0486223779

'Monterrey' Jack Brass · March 02, 2008, 10:22:42 PM

RCJ - great info, thanks for posting. This is the stuff I like to see here. Such primary documentation on material culture is important to know about.

YMH&OS,

Brass

tom · March 03, 2008, 02:51:44 AM

Great informations, John

I have Montgomery-Ward-Catalog, Sears roebuck and C° catalog and Bloomingdale's illustrated 1886 catalog.......

We can see many item prices but not every day life services like expenses of medicine , saloon, gambling, death, school, food, drink, etc......

for exemple, medical fees for 1830/50 was:

Urban Philadelphia rural NewYork

Advice giver in office $ 1-10 $ 0.50
Writen advice $ 5-20 ?
House call $ 1-2 $ 0.50

House call per mile $ 1 $ 0.50
Night house call $ 5-10 $ 0.75
Vaccination $ 5 $ 1
Labor and delivery $ 10-30 $ 4
Reduction of fracture $ 5-10 $ 2-10
Hernia, reduction by operation $ 25-100 $ 20

Others 1818/20 tailoring prices:

To making panteloons $ 0.32
To footing stockings $ 0.25
To making vest $ 0.42
To silk and twill for vest $ 0.12
four yards of cotton shirting $ 1.32
two yards of woollen cloth $ 2.66
To trimming and making panteloons $ 0.33
One pair of woollen stockings $ 0.50
two yards and a quarter of woollen cloth $ 3.95
making coat $ 1.50
14 gilt buttons $ 0.50

It is too early for my research, I cannot say how these amounts moved in 1870/90.

An other post spoke about "town jobs", banker doctor shopkeeper school teacher blacksmith bartender undertaker
dentist laundress carpenter lawman gambler dance hall girl bartender station agent beanery owner nurse gunsmith
and "out town jobs"
soldier trapper trader explorer buffalo hunter indian agent wolfer teamster road builder stage driver drummer surveyor
railroader tinker express guard lineman.

What should be their payment/salary ?

Tubac · March 03, 2008, 04:16:41 PM

Tom.
A teacher in the Arizona territory was paid $40. per month, but the money had to be collected from the"district"
i.e. the parents, so not all teachers got what was promised. A Freedman's Bureau Agent received $60. a month,
if he was not killed or fired. A Tombstone miner was paid $24. per month less deductions for board and gunpowder.

Tubac

Steel Horse Bailey · March 03, 2008, 05:37:26 PM

Howdy!

This is all well and good, but let's look at something IMPORTANT. How much was a bottle of Piso's Cure?

Slim

(I lost my ad, but Mr. Google is still around.)

Russ T Chambers · March 03, 2008, 07:36:31 PM

Well, I'm not Slim, but:::

25 cents according to the bottle label (second photo).

http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap15/QPiso.htm

River City John · March 03, 2008, 08:16:25 PM

Excerpts from the Tucker Ledger referenced earlier.
The ledger is all the more interesting in that it was a universal ledger,- it logged real estate deals; running a household and a farm; operating a livestock business; and the kind of entries that were occasioned by such family milestones as deaths and estate probate.
These are offered as insight into real estate valuation and the assessment of property taxes over a period of six-seven years. There was one parcel of farmland sold from an estate, with other parcels being retained for family business.

"1877 State of Illinois County of Knox
An account of monies paid out by J___A. B___________, Admin.
belonging to the Estate of A. B____________.

Jan 25 County Clerk's fee for papers $ 5.00
Feb. 9 Taxes Personal property $ 21.53
March 9 Taxes Real Estate $ 80.37
" " " " " $ 39.84"
-
- (Interspersed here are various fees in relation to settlement of the estate. Some specific to funeral expenses: "For Head & foot stone $15.00"; "Turfing Cemetery lot $ 5.00"; "A.W. A________ for Curbing Cemetery lot $173.75"; etc.)
-
-
"Nov 28 Appraisement fee (C.N. Butt) [Real estate appraisal.] $ 2.00

1878
Nov. 18th
Sold to A________ H___________, farm of 80 acres described as follows. East half of the S.E. quarter of section 23 in Township 11 N of range 1 East of the fourth principle meridian, for the sum of four thousand dollars $4,000.00"

(This left two parcels, a 71 acre "City" plot and a 56 acre "Township" plot of farmland.)

"1879 Taxes
Feb. 13th Personal property $ 9.78
March 1st Real Estate Township $ 34.47
" 19th Real Estate City $ 72.24

1880 Taxes
Jan 16 Real Estate Township $ 11.39
Feb. 17 Personal property $ 6.87
" 19 Real Estate City $ 65.03

1881 Taxes
Jan. 6th Real Estate Township $ 11.73
" 29th Personal property $ 9.00
March 1st Real Estate City $ 54.24

1882 Taxes paid on
Jan 6th Real Estate 56 acres Township $ 13.92
" 12th Personal property $ 6.77
March 31 Real Estate City $ 52.63

1883 Taxes paid on
Jan 4- Real Estate 56 acres Township $ 12.24
Feb 9th Personal property $ 6.90
" 20th 71 acre Real Estate City $ 51.04

1884 Taxes on Real
Jan 8th Estate 56 acres township $ 14.09
Feb 14th Personal property $ 4.39
March 29- 71 acres City Tax Real estate $ 51.95

1885 City Tax Real Estate $. cts
Jan 23 71-acres $ 62.97
Jan 31 Township Tax on Real Estate $ 21.05

1886 Tax on Personal property $ 5.07
Jan 13 City Tax on Real Estate $ 57.25
March 13 Township Tax on Real Estate $ 18.17"

River City John · March 03, 2008, 10:25:13 PM

And a sale entry for livestock:

"Sale Bill
Oct. 29, 1874

1 Brindle cow (?) $14.25
1 Heifer $14.75
1 Cow $14.50
4 Hogs $7.00 ea $28.00
12 pigs $3.20 ea $38.40
12 pigs $1.90 ea $22.80
12 pigs $1.20 ea $14.40
7 calves $ 9.50 ea $66.50
1 Blue cow (?) $18.00
5 2 yrs old heifers $18.25 ea $91.25
10 yearling steers $13.00 ea $130.00
1 Horse $60.00
1 white horse $50.00
1 sorrel mare $60.00
6 Shoats $18.00
1 Shoat $ 3.00"

This from another entry (sorry, no date, but ca. 1875):

"Expenses on Rye

Cutting Rye $11.25
Twine " $ 4.06
Harrowing Rye $ 3.50
Coal for Threshing $ .70
3 days shocking $ 4.25
J. Wilson Threshing $ 1.65
Wm Cooper " $ 1.00
Walter Parry " $ 1.00
Truman Stice " $ 1.00
Tmo Barns " $ 1.50
Howard Simpson " $ .50
Wm Reed " $ 1.00
Wm Beebe " $ .65
Dan Vanwinkle " $ .65
John Liberger " $ .50
Ball " $ 1.00
H Holdin " $ .75
Threshing 258 35/60 bushel Rye $ 7.75
__________
$42.71
222 bus
.40
____
$ 88.80
- 42.71 Expense
_______
$ 46.09"

There is a two and a half page accounting from 1878 with one merchant for sundries that I will transcribe later tonight. Some entries I found interesting was a cocoanut for .25 and a mouse trap for .40.

Steel Horse Bailey · March 03, 2008, 10:32:31 PM

Quote from: Russ T Chambers on March 03, 2008, 07:36:31 PM
Well, I'm not Slim, but:::

25 cents according to the bottle label (second photo).

http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap15/QPiso.htm

Right!

tom · March 04, 2008, 02:01:13 AM

Thank you all and especially to John,

Very interesting, dont hesitate to tell more......

Please, see my reenactment group in France...

Dr. Bob · March 04, 2008, 08:17:54 PM

Howdy Tom,

Your group looks very authentic! Well done! Thanks for sharing your pictures.

River City John · March 04, 2008, 11:01:37 PM

This will be the final transcript of entries from the Tucker Ledger,. . . . the balance of the book is just more of the same.

"1878 Bought at Kenter $ cts

Nov 19 Stove 30.00
" Milk pans 2.25
" Coffee .25
" Lamp chimney & shade .40
" Mouse Trap .40
" Flour cornmeal & buckwheat 1.60
" Kerosene .25
" Coffee & sugar 1.00
" Thread .25
" Molasses .20
" Beef 1.50
" Kerosene .25
" Pepper .15
" 1 pr shoes 2.25
" Sugar .50
Dec Molasses .60
" Postage Stamps .25
" Crackers .25
" Lye .15
" Baking powder .25
" Crackers and Oysters .50
" 2 pr Slippers 1.25
" stove pipe .60
" Matches .25
" Coffee .50
" Kerosene .25
" C Flannel & Thread .75
" lamp Chimney & wicking .25
" (undecipherable) Magazine .25
" Zephyr & paterns (sp) .25
" Card board .20
" 2 yds red Flannel .80
" red sugar .25
" shoes 3.00
" Carret 1.35
(new page)
Dec Cotton Flannel .75
" 4 yds Calico .25
" Books 1.00
" Boiler 2.50
" (undecipherable) .45
" 2 buckets .40
" Oysters & Crackers .75
" Watch Chain 3.00
" Brooms .35
" Suit Clothes 18.00
" Tin Banks .25
" sugar .50
" Coffee .70
" Gloves 1.25
" Cocoanut .25
" peanuts .25
" linen busoms (sp) .80
Jan 1879 window pane .05
" 1 yd plaid .35
" linen .15
" Carrie's paper .35
" Calico & Thread .65
" Coffee & sugar & soap 2.50
Feb 3 doz Chickens 6.00
" 1 hog 3.25
" 4 hogs 20.00
" 1/2 hog 2.00
" 2 hogs for meat 14.97
" Flour 2.50
" Kerosene & sundries .50
" knife .80
" pinchers .75
" sugar .50
" Coffee .50
" Starch .121/2
(new page)
" Linseed oil .10
" Indigo .10
" August Flower .75
" Clothes pins .15
" Stamps .25
" Dress Goods 1.00
" expenses to Illinois 10.00"

River City John · March 05, 2008, 12:33:36 AM

One of the useful, and reliable, series of books that are mentioned often in CAS City are the Time-Life series THE OLD WEST, -with individual titles pretty much divided by occupations, i.e The Cowboys; The Soldiers; The Railroaders; The Rivermen, etc.

Quickly scanning through some of the volumes tonight turned up these bits of information.

From The Railroaders: pp. 182-189, describing the jobs of a typical Brakeman, Fireman and Engineer on a railroad engine crew in the late 1870's:

(describing if the Brakeman caused damage to a train wheel by applying brakes so hard it caused the wheel to lock and slide along the rail):
"The price of the wheels, usually about $45.00 apiece, was deducted from his paycheck - and at that time a brakeman's pay was exactly $45.00 a month."

(as to the Fireman):
"No American ever worked harder for $2.40 a day than a fireman on the Western railroads."

(later on down the same page a clue that an Engineer earned $4.00 a day):
"A malicious or incompetent engineer, sitting on 'the four-dollar (a day) side of the cab', could make the job a lot harder for the $2.40 side."

From The Rivermen: p 149, it shows a steamship's company ledger from the time after the railroads had started to take away some of their business:

"Pilots were earning $125.00 a month, compared with $725.00 in the flush 1860's"

The same ledger shows the various jobs and wages paid in a month, such as:
the steamship engineer earned $100.00
the watchman earned $35.00
the mate and cook each earned $50.00
the many 'rousters' or stevedores, each earned $30.00

From The Miners: p. 27, talking about panning for gold during the heyday of some of the boomtowns:

"In a long day spent squatting in a cold mountain stream, a miner could process about 50 panfuls of sand, and he would make ends meet at high boomtown prices if he averaged 10 cents worth of gold per pan. In rich placers, miners sometimes washed panfuls of sand worth $50.00 each, and on rare claims in the Klondike, individual pans yielded as much as $800.

Another very informative book is PEDDLERS and POST TRADERS; The Army Sutler on the Frontier by David M. Delo, 1998, Kingfisher Books. The post trader often sold goods to the surrounding civilian and Indian populations at any given post, in addition to his army contracts.

Here are some snippets:
p. 173
"He freighted supplies and hired out teams of horses to the army. (Two four-horse teams for a three week period went for $252." [This in 1886]
p.177
"Peck of Durfee & Peck told an 1876 congressional investigating committee that the gross value of goods sold to soldiers at Fort Sully came to between $50,000 and $75,000 per year - $250 per man. When it was pointed out that the per-man amount was more than twice what a soldier made, Peck said he meant sales to everyone at the post." [my italics]

p. 178
"In 1870, the army used 125,762 cords of wood. Prices per cord, which ranged from $111 at Fort Sedgewick in 1865 (but only $67 per cord in 1867) to a low of $8 at Forts Fetterman and Washakie, Wyoming Territory, in 1880, reflected the cost of transportation."

Irish Dave · March 05, 2008, 09:59:22 AM

Good looking group, Tom. A pleasure to see your photos.
Thanks.