[Ledger from a blacksmith and carriage maker]. Dating from 1877-1891, the ledger belonged to George E. Lambert, who joined the firm of Chapman and Lambert in 1879.
"Messrs. Chapman & Lambert conduct a large blacksmith and carriage establishment on Cross street, employing at times eight or ten men. They have been in business for over thirty years, and their carriages and wagons have been shipped to nearly all parts of the State. Their plant covers a half acre of ground." (see History of Chestertown, Kent County, Maryland, 1650-1899 by Frederick G. Usilton, 1899, p. 58). Fascinating volume contains innumerable handwritten entries pertaining to blacksmith and carriage-making activities. Among the many activities found here include making braces for shafts, making bolts and clips, changing springs, stretching, cutting, and welding bands, hooping wheels, lengthening bolts, sharpening bars, cutting and welding rods, tracking axles, fixing wagons, plows, chains, hoops, seals, picks, and springs; sharpening bars. setting forks, putting on tires, welding bolts, shrinking collars, putting new links in chains, welding hooks on end of chains, putting bolts on whiffletrees, sharpening oxen toes and heels, straightening scales, repairing sleds, making rods for sleighs, welding pieces on pump irons, putting nails in shoes, shoeing horses, etc. Also entries here for various parts and supplies such as bolts, washers, chisels, pole grips, rings, staples, coal, iron, etc. Occasional entries for trips to places such as Baltimore and Wilmington can also be found here, along with a list of London carriage parts obtained at Wilmington and hand-drawn sketches of those same parts. Verso of front cover contains a handwritten list of various parties with whom Chapman & Lambert did business. A few entries for sundries other activities can also be found here such as cider, wood, chicken, stove grate, killing hogs, etc. The vast majority of entries however, pertain to carriage-making, blacksmith, and farrier activities.