The Dupui General Store Ledger: 1743-1793HOME • HISTORY • COMMODITIES • CUSTOMERS • RUM & WHISKEY • SLAVERY • WAR • ACCOUNTS • MAPS • ESSAYS
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____________ Rum & Whiskey  While historical documents attest to the fact that Nicholas Dupuiwas the owner of at least two slaves, [1] there is r Alcoholic beverages certainly had their place on the Pennsylvania frontier. No other single commodity was purchased in Dupui's ledger more often than rum. Taverns, inns, yaugh houses and brothels alike all catered to the demand for rum, whiskey and other salubrious intoxicants. |
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RUM
-- THE FRONTIER'S When shopping at Nicholas Dupui's establishment, men and women alike would set their sights upon rum. One ledger entry tacitly states: "To a Quart of Rum your wife had." The cost? A mere two shillings. Quite affordable. But just how much rum was sold at Dupui's store? Prepare to be shocked... |
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RUM The sale of rum to the Indians was a contentious matter. Indian traders routinely sold rum to the natives, and chiefs routinely complained about such sales. Both William Penn and the Quakers had issues with the practice, but the selling of rum was highly profitable (engendering profits in excess of 400%)... |
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WHISKEY -- From the earliest days, area farmers bought, sold, and grew a lot of rye. It was only to be expected that sales of rye whiskey would soon begin to flourish at Dupui's establishment. Cheaper than rum, but equally intoxicating, locally-produced whiskey generated desparately needed income as well as enjoyment. |
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TAVERNS -- With rum and whiskey sold at Depui's store by the pint, quart, half-gallon and gallon, one has to wonder if Nicholas Dupui also maintained a tavern. What can his ledger tell us about this possibility and about other area taverns? Were they all legally licensed? ...or did some turn a blind eye to such matters on the frontier? |
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1733 -- Infuriating the colonists, the British passed a law that imposed a tax on molasses (six pence per gallon), sugar, and certain types of imported rum. The first of many abominable taxes, this tax had a deleterious side-effect -- it engendered a considerable amount of smuggling in ever increasing quantities. |
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1755 -- Rum, in the amount of one Gill per day (4 ounces), was provisioned to military men during the French & Indian War. They also received a weekly allotment of 3 lbs. of beef, 3 lbs. of pork, 1 lb. of fish and 10 lbs. of bread or meal. Officers were required to have rum, not whiskey, dispensed daily. Nicholas Dupui exploited this situation. |
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S Benjamin Franklin, founding father and printer of the Pennsylvania Gazette was known to be a rather clever man. He once advised a Presbyterian minister struggling to encourage his congregation to attend to their prayers. His solution... |
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