Prospect Mills Daybook from (1870-1872) by Joel Smedley contains an index of clients and what pages they appear on, an itemized list of their profits and expenses, an index of sales and where they are found, the employees of the mill and what they were being compensated for, and lists of how much cider and sausage was made. The profits list ranges from selling molasses, corn, wheat, bran, oats, and flour, as well as sawing boards, turning trundle posts, and rejoining carriage shafts. The recorded expenses for the mill include employee wages and transportation costs.
Admin/Biographical History
Joel Smedley was born in 1799 to parents Joseph Smedley and Rebecca Lewis Smedley. Joel married Martha Wildman and fathered six children including Charles, Mary, John, Lewis, Anne, and Ellwood. Joel inherited the mill from his father in 1833 and expanded it by building a sorghum factory. Joel died in 1872.
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.