Fantastic 552 page leather bound ledger for the State of Connecticut dating from 1859-1886, with full page entries listing expenses for towns, including "The Out Door Poor," Almshouses, Schools, Highways, Bridges, Railroads, and more.

The first 100 pages list various expenses from 1859-1865, with towns named including Berlin, Bristol, Chester, Cromwell, Durham, East Haddam, Enfield, Glastenbury, Hartford,  Lyme, Meriden, Middletown, New Haven and Portland.

Civil War related expenses noted under the headings "New Recruits or Substitutes" on pages 60, 82-85, 91, and 108-109. The appearance of duplicate names and larger payments suggest agents acting on behalf of the Towns, but individual payments for $300 (such as on page 91) deserve further research. 

Extraordinary find, many detailed expenses, one could spend hours researching the ledger's many entries. A veritable goldmine for the Connecticut Civil War era researcher!

The volume is in very good shape, with expected wear to the leather due to age and use, but its contents are tight and clean. An index of expenses appears on the front few leaves, and pp. 409-552 are blank.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Abraham Lincoln, Paper Ephemera]