During October 1806, William Clark settles ‘sundry accounts’ in St. Louis. He purchases shirts, pants, a coat, and perhaps a gun and eight pairs of socks.
Sundry Accounts of William Clark
Written in Clark’s Hand
Courtesy Missouri State Historical Society, collections.mohistory.org/resource/1012732.
| $ | Cents | ||
| To 2 Shirts, 2 flannel Shirts & 2 pair Draws[?] ? P. W. Deloney paid by Cap. Lewis in My behalf |
5 | — | 00 |
| To Sunderies at J. W. Hunts account do. [W. Deloney] | 79 | – | 50 |
| To do [Sunderies] at J. W. Wilkinsons do [W. Deloney] | 192 | – | 16 ½ |
| To do do do [illegible] | 4 | – | 37 ½ |
| To a Gun &c. [purchased?] at public vendur | 13 | – | 00 |
| To Cash | 5 | – | 00 |
| To Cash receved at Sundary times do | 200 | —— | 00 |
| 499 | – | 4 | |
| To 2 Coats one of which was assumed to be paid by me for Shields as he Says |
30 | — | 83 |
| – |
Clark’s list of accounts, while difficult to accurately transcribe, gives the overall impression that he is purchasing clothing, settling debts, and paying for a coat for Pvt. John Shields. Why the blue overalls—high-waisted pants commonly worn during the expedition—and socks were crossed-out is unknown. The list may have been written from memory in early November while Clark was in Louisville.
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Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
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