To answer one question, it appears that taxes assessed in terms of 'pounds of tobacco' were often actually paid with tobacco. For those who did not grow tobacco, they likely paid with some other crop or equivalency (some apparently even paid with furs or 'bounty-type' pests at times.) Brokers or traders were apparently available who exchanged such commodities 'for cash' or barter. Financial accounting in those days was complex to say the least. See the following for info I have found concerning colonial monetary history: http://www.rootsquest.com/~amhisnet/topic/pamoney.html . (Scroll freely, this article includes other topics such as the VA-PA border dispute, varying land prices, McDonald genealogy and pointers for obtaining books.) As to 'hemp certificates,' such certificates apparently were required of farmers to raise and sell a hemp crop, as marketing of hemp was controlled by the Crown. The Royal Navy used a lot of hemp rope. 'Liquors rated' apparently pertained to the court setting the selling price of various liquors. (I am curious about how liquor was taxed and would like any references to such taxing, the excess of which ultimately led to a so-called 'Whiskey Rebellion' in several areas of frontier states, southwestern Pennsylvania was a primary example.) Following are various responses received to support the above summary. These include interesting information as to the lives and times of our ancestors. (1) Hemp was a crop controlled by the crown, a certificate was required to raise and sell the crop. Hemp was a necessary commodity for shipping and the Royal Navy required lots of rope. (2) In researching for my books on SW Virginia I learned that a night in an inn with meals and transportation was not valued as much as a gallon of whiskey. As you know when the Pilgrims came to New England they had never tasted water; same with those to Virginia; however, there were no land conducive to vinyards, or so they thought; so they raised corn and made corn liquor which they used as currency or for bartering. They sometimes used both methods. Sold the whiskey and used the money, but more often they bartered whiskey for something. I have a letter that one of my ancestors said he would settle the bill if the indebted would just send him so much whiskey. When my mother read the letter she was highly indignant until I explained the monetary system of the 17 and 1800s. (3) PAYMENT FOR TRANSATLANTIC TRIP ABOARD THE SAILING SHIP "AGREEMENT" Be it known to all men by these present that I, John Faulkner of Hogg Pen Neck in the county of Kent in the province of Maryland, Cordwaynder, [A person who makes shoes from Cordovan leather or a shoe maker] **in consideration of three-hundred pounds of tobacco, well and truly paid to me by Richard Fitzallen, the receipt whereof I do acknowledge by these present**, have assigned unto Mr. Daniel Jennifer of St. Maries all my right title, interest claim and demands of and to all those lands and rights to land which are become due unto me for or by reason of the condition of Plan Facon [A french word - fashion, manner, style] of the right Honorable Ceceleus Baltimore, Lord Proprietary Of the province of Maryland, for the transportation of myself and Elizabeth, my wife, and Thomas, Francis, and John, my children, with Eliza Bloxom and Thomas Jones, my servants, into the said Province on or about the twenty-second day of January, 1665, And do hereby, for the considerations aforesaid, assign and make over all my rights, title, interest, claim and demands of, and to all the premises to the said Daniel Jennifer to the only proper use and behold of him, his heirs and assignees forever. As witness my hand and seal this nineteenth day of November, 1665. John Faulkner X /s/ Nicholas Pichard X /s/ Edmond Barton X (4) Counties have Will, Deed, and Order books at their court-houses. The order books tell much info about taxes. Sometimes a road would need to be maintained, the county would tell families who owned land nearby how much they were to maintain, most of the time it was the section that ran along their property. (5) One Jacob Chrisman was fined 2,000 pounds of tobacco for keeping a tippling house without license. (6) The valley Germans differed from their countrymen in the Piedmont also in that they did not grow tobacco as a cash crop. Indeed, as a commodity, tobacco was so uncommon in the valley that the House of Burgesses considered " suffering the Inhabitants therof to pay all public Dues & Officers Fees in Hemp in lieu of Tobacco" (7) They were assessed taxes and fees, and paid in the crops they could or did grow. Sometimes they would pay with such items as even squirrel or crow -- when there were pest-type animals the government wanted to get rid of, it varied from year to year. (8) Chalkey I 1753-4 P.1 To the Worshipful Court of Augusta now sitting: We, the inhabitants of this County, have long felt the smart of the great indulgence the ordinary keepers of this County have met with in allowing them to sell such large quantities of rum and wine at an extravagant rate, by which our money is drained out of the County, for which we have no return but a fresh supply to pick our pockets. We, your petioners, humbly pray your worship to put a stop to the said liquors, which would encourage us to pursue our laborious designs, which is to raise sufficient quantities of grain which would sufficiently supply us with liquors and the money circulate in this County, and lay us under an obligation to pray for your prosperity. ( then follows a list of almost 100 signers) As far as I can figure out, Inns and taverns were regulated by the court. There are numerous reference to "licence to keep an ordinary or tavern" and I have seen lists of prices that can be charged for: a night's stay, an evening meal, stabling and feeding a horse, and various libations. I think this is because the licence made a monoply in a certain area and on his own the licencee might charge exorbident fees to to tired and hungry travelers. Specie of any sort was extremally hard to come by in the colonies. There is a will in Chalkey that mentions both Spanish Dubloons and English pounds. Many debts were settled with the products produced in the area. Someone could then take the product to market and buy what was needed. In Oregon the pioneers had the same problem. They produced a unit called the "Beaver". It was worth the equivalent of one beaver pelt. (9) County courts used to set the price at which certain liquors could be sold. I would think that setting liquor rates would mean setting selling prices.. Soldiers who served during the Indian wars when mustered out about 1754 were paid fifty pounds of tobacco or a specified amount of English money for their service..Apparently there were brokers or traders of some sort who would buy tobacco at any time and ship it to the ports and resell it or ship it overseas at a profit.... -----Original Message----- From: macbd1 <macbd1@arthur.k12.il.us> To: OLD-FREDERICK-CO-VA-L@rootsweb.com <OLD-FREDERICK-CO-VA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Thursday, January 21, 1999 6:08 PM Subject: Tobacco, hemp and liquor... >Our ancestral Virginia frontiersmen and women in the mid-1700's were sometimes taxed in terms of 'pounds of tobacco.' I'm wondering whether our ancestors actually paid 'in tobacco' (barter) or whether they paid 'in cash' after they marketed their tobacco. If 'in cash' this payment was likely made in Spanish milled dollars (coins) from my study. > >I note within Chalkey's Chronicles many court entries of "Hemp Certificates: (then a list of names.)" Does anyone know what these entries mean? Were these possibly to certify certain ancestral farmers were qualified to market hemp, or did these 'certificates' possibly have something to do with the hemp quality or payments, I wonder. Hemp was used for manufacturing rope, was it used for other purposes such as for bags (like burlap) or other products in those days? > >Many court entries simply state: "Liquors rated." (No names.) I doubt the court was conducting anything like today's wine-tasting (rating) parties.... or, did this more likely have something to do with setting the 'tax-rate,' I wonder. Some of our frontier ancestors didn't like the government over-taxing liquor since this was a higher-priced 'value-added' product from corn -- which was much easier to transport to distant markets than grain or flour. There was a so-called 'Whiskey-Rebellion' in the early 1790's as many of you probably know. > >Can anyone shed more light on these topics? Understanding such entries helps us appreciate the lives and times of our ancestors, not just jotting down names. Responding to the list might be helpful to others but I welcome private responses as well. > >Neil McDonald > > >==== OLD-FREDERICK-CO-VA Mailing List ==== >Search this list's archived messages! >http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl >