OLD LEDGERS

A number of old books and documents have survived the years and these have all been scanned  and many have been transcribed and links to them are provided below, for the benefit of a wider audience, to whom they may be of interest and also to increase the chance that they will continue to survive for many years to come.

Thomas Andrews School Book dated 1801 - Part 1

Thomas Andrews School Book dated 1801 - Part 2

Thomas (1790-1870) suffered from epilepsy, a fact disclosed in a prayer he wrote in his latter years. Clearly that made him unsuitable for a life at sea and it is something that he may have actually been grateful for, as his brothers and many of his cousins went to sea and many perished as  a result. Thomas was the youngest of twelve children but was the only one to eventually, produce grandchildren. Hence, the extensive Andrews family descendants alive today, owe him a great debt of gratitude, for but for him, we would not exist.

He was therefore educated for a career in commerce and his study books linked above, show that at only 11 years old, he was capable of carrying out all manner of calculations relating to trade and finance. His calculations in the worked examples are meticulous and his handwriting very neat and stylish.

In 1816, when he was 26 years old he started recording his business activities in a 'Day Book'. In the book, which runs from 1816 until 1848, he records all manner of things, including, copies of letters written, copies of bills of exchange drawn and even recipes for human ailments, as of course there were no proprietary medicines in those days. There are also details of people hired for employment and cropping plans for the fields of the two farms which he and his father owned at Simonside, near Jarrow and at Wolsingham. The book provides an interesting insight into middle class farming life at the time. It is in parts difficult to read and there a transcribed copy is also provided, which makes for easier reading.

Thomas Andrews Ledger 1816-1848 - Part 1

Thomas Andrews Ledger 1816-1848 - Part 2

Thomas Andrews Ledger 1816-1848 - Part 3

Thomas Andrews Ledger 1816-1848 - Part 4

Thomas Andrews Ledger 1816-1848 - Transcription

Thomas was obviously a meticulous man and much trusted by his father, to the extent that he gradually took over his father's enterprises and when his father died in 1824, he inherited it all, despite the fact that he was the youngest son. His older brother Newark, of whom little is known was left £200, (equivalent to about £16,000 at todays value) , his sister, Indiana was left a pension of £20 p.a (£1,600) with the interest on the sum of £600 (£48,000) to provide for the education of her daughters and Thomas's aunt Zebra was bequeathed the sum of £10 (£800).

In 1830, when Thomas was 40 years old he married Isabella Todd, of Wolsingham, who was 17 years his junior. Here is an account of their wedding feast,  written by Isabella. Regrettably, it is the only event recorded in the notebook:

A Description of our Wedding Feast - 1830

Thomas & Isabella were married for 40 years, Thomas passing away in 1870 and Isabella, in 1889. They produced five children of whom three survived and two married and had children.

The earliest family book which survives (other than the Family Bible) is an expense ledger for the Ship, 'Charlotte', owned (probably Captained) by Newark, Thomas's father. There are entries from the 1780's onward and there will be an analysis of it's contents in due course. For the time being, it can be viewed here:

Expense Log of the ship, 'Charlotte'

The following are some sundry old books:

Rate Book for Harton, Jarrow

Rate Book for Wolsingham

Agreement for the sale of Claremont Place, Gateshead

Thomas and Isabella lived in Claremont Place for 10/15 years, until the move to Yorkshire in the early 1840's. The house still stands today, although it is now quite a run down area and a far cry from the 'Gentleman's residence' that it was in the 1820s, when it was built.