Register, Cash

Object Name:

Register, Cash

Object ID:

2004.039.02

Date:

1830-1850

Description:

Cash register, 1830-1850, used at Asa Fox & Son general store in Milton Mills, NH. Wooden box containing 122 clay and marble balls. Vertical divider creates two compartments. 0.5" diam. hole at midpoint of one side. Removable sliding cover with thumb notch and funnel-shaped wooden piece, 1.8" diam., into which balls are dropped. Cover has piece of paper adhered to top, with printed headings: "NAMES.", "Amount.", "$", and "Cts." Written in script in brown ink: "The following colored balls / represent the Sums as below / Brown -- 1 / Blue -- 2 / White -- 3 / Green -- 6 / Yellow -- 15" (the numbers are written in the Cts. column).

A. Box, 3" high
B. Cover, 7.1" x 4.5" x 1.3" high with funnel. Funnel rises 1" above surface.

122 balls: 78 white (most with red veins), 19 blue, 12 brown/gray, 5 yellow, 4 green, and 4 large white (not intended for this use as they are too large to fit through hole).

Also in box: graphite marker and strip of wood.

Material:

Wood
Ceramic
Stone

Dimensions:

H-4 W-7.3 D-4.8 inches

Provenance:

Used at Asa Fox & Son general mercantile store, operated by Asa Fox (1809-1887) and his son Elbridge Wood Fox (1834-1912) in Milton Mills, NH. After death of Asa Fox, store was run by Elbridge W. Fox and his son, Everett F. Fox (1856-1927).

Came with large collection of papers of Helen Gertrude (Fox) Carmichael (donor's mother) and Elbridge Wood Fox (donor's great-grandfather), including letters, diaries, account books, photographs, and ephemera.

Margaret Emerson died 06/07/2005.

Credit Line:

Gift of Margaret Emerson

People:

Fox, Asa (1809-1887), Fox, Elbridge Wood (1834-1912), Fox, Everett F. (1856-1927)

Subjects:

Cash, Cash Register, Register