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From: <>
Subject: [PIATT] John Piatt's "Cobbler's Census," 1765-1772
Date: Wed, 1 Jan 1997 00:08:18 -0500

This is one of the items I picked-up at the Somerset libary.

Dave Piatt





Somerset County Historical Quarterly

Page 92-94

John Piatt's "Cobbler's Census," 1765-1772

By John J. DeMott, Metuchen, N.J.The Eighteenth century shoemaker was an important man in his neighborhood. Practically all boots and shoes were made by hand, and masters and servants, parents and children, had to be provided with new footwear as well as have old pairs mended.

Now and then John Piatt went to the homes of his customers, This was apt to be the case especially in the Fall, when half a dozen pairs, or even more, might be turned out. At other times new shoes were made and old ones fixed at his home.

All sorts of products were accepted on account. In fact, these payments in "kind" were much more frequent then those in cash.

John Piatt was the cobbler for the Three-Mile Run district of Somerset County and the surrounding country. One of his account books, covering the period 1765-1772, is still extant. From it this "Census" has been constructed, which gives quite a full list of the families in the neighborhood in that early day. In each case names have been grouped in parentheses after the head of the family, as in the original account. Often these names are obviously of servants, and, sometimes, when only Christian names are given, they are certainly those of slaves.

The names are as follows:

Simon Addis (Wife; Bill, Richard, Sarah Merril, Thomas Van Duser, Abe White)
John Andrew (Mis (Mrs.?) Andrew, Betsey, Jane, John, Maka)
Malcolm Andrew.
Thomas Babcock
John Bebrige (also Bebbarige)
Abraham Bennet
Cornelius Bennet (Wife; Nelly Williamson)
John Bennet (Isaac)
Cornelius Booram (Wife; Girl (may mean servant), Charity, Femmetje, Herty Booram).
Toby, Annie Bennet, Esther Horn, Abram -also called Brom -Messaler.
Phebe Booram.
Nicholas Bordine.
John Colter (Wife; Daughter; John).
Thomas Cayhod (Wife; James Cayhod, John Cayhod, Frank (also Francis), Gershom, Nancy, Thomas, Polly Whitlock).
Cornelius DeHart (Wife; Abraham, Anney DeHart, Antye DeHart, Brom, Cornelius DeHart, Giosbart, Jack, Phil, Sarah DeHart, William).
John Drake (Wife; Nicholas Boorom).
Jasper Farmer (Wife; Wife's sister; Wife's sister's child; Wench).
Peter Farmer (Wife; Son; Boys; Girl; Wench; Fite (or Tite), Jack, Polley, Jacob Suydam, The Schoolmaster, Girl who lived with him).
John Fry (Nelly, Peter, Thomas).
John Funk (Wife; Son, Daughter, Joseph).
Rem Garretson (Wife; Abe White).
Samuel Garretson (Wife; Daughter; Albert Garretson, Garret Garretson, Jeney Garretson, Peter Garretson, Elbart, Honce, Luke, Jane Voorhees, Little Samuel).
Samuel Gruendike (Wife; Daughter; Leanah Gruendike, Mary Gruendike, Jack, Jacob, Maria, Peter, Rynear, Betsey Bowman).
Hendrick Gulick.
Simon Hagaman (Wife; Adrian, Antoney, John, Maria, Prince (evidently a slave), Sime).
Thomas Hatfield.
Joseph Kethen.
John Lite (Wife (also called Yeffrow); Maria Lite, Mary Lite, Matthew Lite, Will Lite, Bet, Cattalinah Light, Elizabeth Lite, George Lite, Grete, Harry, Honce Lite, John, Lisey, Peter Lite, Tave, Tom, His Negro, Lena Voorhees).
Elias Lovbery (Wife).
Richard Macdonald.
John Manly (Wife; Anne, Betsey, Charity, Jack, Polly Manley, Richard Manley).
Cornelius Mesaler.
Bety Messerol.
James Obriand.
Jane Patterson (John).
Abraham Piatt (Wife; Annie).
Daniel Piatt (Wife; Nancy, Richard, John Brokaw, George Van Nest).
Frances Piatt.
Jacob Piatt (Dan).
Robert Piatt.
Christopher Probasco (Jacob Probasco, Rynear, Betsey Bowman).
Derrick Probasco.
Rynear Probasco.
Sarah Probasco.
Peter Pumyea (Wife; Children, Caesar, Sam).
William Runyon.
George Rye (Wife; Son; Daughter; John).
George Scomp.
----- Sullivan.
Humphrey Thomas (Nelley).
William Shanks (His boy; Printer; Elias, Thomas Lovebery, John Patterson, Obadiah Write).
William Sheys.
Jaques Simonson.
Annie Slover.
Jacob Slover (Wife; Child).
John Sperling.
John Sperling.
John Stanley (Father; Wife; Son; Son Isaac).
William Steel (Peggy)
Frank Stryker.
John Stryker.
William Sutphin (Wife; Anne, Esther, Mitye, Peter).
Peter Suydam.
John Van Cleef (Wife; Grety, Johanna, Maria, Rebecca).

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