<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet href="marmota.xsl" type="text/xsl"?>
<!DOCTYPE ead PUBLIC "+//ISBN 1-931666-00-8//DTD ead.dtd (Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002)//EN" "ead.dtd">
<ead>
<eadheader langencoding="iso639-2b" countryencoding="iso3166-1" dateencoding="iso8601" repositoryencoding="iso15511" scriptencoding="iso15924" audience="internal" id="head" relatedencoding="MARC21">

<eadid publicid="-//us::mu//TEXT us::mu::mums220.xml//EN" countrycode="us" mainagencycode="mu">mums220</eadid>

<filedesc>
<titlestmt>
<titleproper encodinganalog="245$a">Ebenezer Akin, Jr., Account Books, 1842-1869
</titleproper>
<subtitle>Finding Aid</subtitle>
<author encodinganalog="245$c">Finding aid prepared by Ken Fones-Wolf.</author>
<sponsor>Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.</sponsor>
</titlestmt>
<publicationstmt>
<publisher encodinganalog="260$b">Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst</publisher>
<address>
<addressline>Amherst, MA</addressline>
</address>
<date encodinganalog="260$c" normal="2003">2003 </date>
<p>University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.</p>
</publicationstmt>
</filedesc>
<profiledesc>
<creation encodinganalog="500">Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Eric Cartier.
<date>2003-05-08</date>
</creation>
<langusage>Finding aid written in
<language encodinganalog="546" langcode="eng" scriptcode="latn">English.</language>
</langusage>
</profiledesc>
<revisiondesc>
<change encodinganalog="583">
<date normal="2005-09-23">2005-09-23</date>
<item>mu17 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15).</item>
</change>
</revisiondesc>
</eadheader>

<frontmatter id="front">
<titlepage>
<publisher>Special Collections and University Archives<lb/>W.E.B. Du Bois Library<lb/>University of Massachusetts Amherst

</publisher>
<titleproper>Ebenezer Akin, Jr., Account Books, 1842-1869
</titleproper>
<subtitle>Finding Aid</subtitle>
<num>Manuscript Number<lb/>
 220
</num>
<author>Compiled by<lb/>
 Ken Fones-Wolf
</author>
<date>September 1988
</date>
    
<sponsor id="encoding_sponsor">Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.</sponsor>
<p>2003  University of Massachusetts Amherst. All rights reserved.</p>
</titlepage>
</frontmatter>

<archdesc relatedencoding="MARC21" level="collection">
<did id="main">
<origination label="Ebenezer Akin, Jr.">
<persname encodinganalog="100" source="lcnaf">Akin, Ebenezer, Jr.</persname>
</origination>
<unittitle label="Title:" encodinganalog="245$a">Ebenezer Akin, Jr., Account Books</unittitle>
<unitdate encodinganalog="245$f" type="inclusive" normal="1842/1869">1842-1869</unitdate>
<unitid label="Collection Number:" encodinganalog="099" repositorycode="mu" countrycode="us">MS 220</unitid>
<physdesc label="Quantity:">
<extent encodinganalog="300$a">1 volume</extent>
<extent encodinganalog="300$a">(0.25 linear ft.)</extent>
</physdesc>
<repository label="Location:">
<corpname>Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst</corpname>
</repository>
<abstract label="Abstract:" encodinganalog="520$a">Businessman, town clerk, owner or part-owner of many ships, merchant, lawyer, and involved citizen in the town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Includes activities as town clerk, accounts for ships he may have owned, entries made as the executor of several estates, accounts of expenditures for clothing and incidentals, and accounts of lot purchases and loans.  Also contains genealogical information about the Blossom family of Bridgewater and the family of Benjamin and Eunice Akin.
</abstract>
<langmaterial label="Language of Material:">
<language langcode="eng">English.</language>
</langmaterial>
</did>

<scopecontent id="scope">
<p>Ebenezer Akin, Jr. (born 1816), was a Massachusetts-born businessman, the great-grandson of the tanner Benjamin Akin (See MS 204).  In the 1850 census, Akin was still in the home of his father and was listed as the town clerk.  Pages 5, 36 and 37 detail many of his activities in that position from 1850 to 1855.  Akin was also the owner or part-owner of a number of ships, Fairhaven being a maritime town.  Accounts for the Napoleon, the William Rotch, and two barks - the Hesper and the Winthrop - are included, covering the years 1848 to 1862.  By 1860 Akin was listed in the census as a merchant; he had married and had a four-year-old son.  In the 1871 Beer's County Atlas, Akin lived in the village of Oxford in Fairhaven.</p>

<p>Of particular interest are the various personal accounts of Akin, shedding light on the activities and lifestyle of a prominent local citizen of the mid-19th century.  Among items included are his purchase of several lots which he rented, his payments for his pew rental, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, his involvement as a trustee for the Riverside Cemetery, his evaluations of Fairhaven's schools as a member of the committee to investigate schoolhouses, and his accounts of money he loaned to other Fairhaven citizens, some amounting to substantial sums.  There is also a detailed accounting of Akin's expenditures for clothing and incidentals, spanning more than a decade. </p>

<p>Akin may also have been a lawyer.  In his accounts are entries he was made the executor of several estates.  There are inventories of the estates of Bartholomew Akin and Capt. James Allen, along with an accounting of Akin's expenses administering the estates. </p>

<p>Also included in the rear of the book is genealogical information of the Blossom family of Bridgewater (perhaps the family of his mother or wife) and the family of Benjamin and Eunice Akin.
</p>
</scopecontent>
<descgrp type="admininfo" id="admin">
<head>Information on Use</head>
<descgrp type="admininfo">
<accessrestrict encodinganalog="540" id="admin-use">
<p>The collection is open for research.</p>
</accessrestrict>
</descgrp>

<prefercite id="admin-cite">
<p><emph render="italic">Cite as</emph>: Ebenezer Akin, Jr., Account Books (MS 220). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst. </p>
</prefercite>
<descgrp type="admininfo">


<acqinfo id="admin-acqinfo">
<p>Acquired from Charles Apfelbaum, 1987
</p>
</acqinfo>
</descgrp>
</descgrp>

<processinfo><p>Processed by Ken Fones-Wolf, September 1988.</p></processinfo>


<controlaccess id="subj">
<persname encodinganalog="600" source="lcnaf">Akin, Ebenezer, b. 1816--Finance, Personal.</persname>
<persname encodinganalog="600" source="lcnaf">Akin, Benjamin.</persname>
<persname encodinganalog="600" source="lcnaf">Akin, Eunice.</persname>
<famname encodinganalog="600" source="lcnaf">Blossom family--Genealogy.</famname>
<corpname encodinganalog="610" source="lcsh">Napoleon (Ship)</corpname>
<corpname encodinganalog="610" source="lcsh">William Rotch (Ship)</corpname>
<corpname encodinganalog="610" source="lcsh">Hesper (Bark)</corpname>
<corpname encodinganalog="610" source="lcsh">Winthrop (Bark)</corpname>
<subject encodinganalog="650" source="lcsh">Merchants--Massachusetts--Fairhaven (Town)--History--19th century--Sources.</subject>
<subject encodinganalog="650" source="lcsh">Shipowners--Massachusetts--Fairhaven (Town)--History--19th century--Sources.</subject>
<subject encodinganalog="650" source="lcsh">Shipping--Massachusetts--Fairhaven (Town)--History--19th century--Sources.</subject>
<subject encodinganalog="650" source="lcsh">Clothing and dress--Prices--Massachusetts--Fairhaven (Town)--History--19th century--Sources.</subject>
<geogname encodinganalog="651" source="lcsh">Fairhaven (Mass. : Town)--Economic conditions--19th century--Sources.</geogname>
<geogname encodinganalog="651" source="lcsh">Fairhaven (Mass. : Town)--Politics and government--19th century--Sources.</geogname>
<geogname encodinganalog="651" source="lcsh">Bridgewater (Mass.)--Genealogy.</geogname>
<genreform encodinganalog="655" source="aat">Account books.</genreform>
<genreform encodinganalog="655" source="aat">Genealogies.</genreform>
<subject encodinganalog="650" source="lcsh">Inventories of descendants' estates--Massachusetts--Fairhaven (Town)</subject>
</controlaccess>
</archdesc>
</ead>