1847 Housatonic Railroad / Rufus Beardsley Monroe CT Receipt Hauling Wood RR Use
$ 18.48
Description
1847 Housatonic Railroad / Rufus Beardsley Monroe CT Receipt Hauling Wood RR Use. Overview: The Beardsley Family Lineage The Beardsley family was one of the oldest settler families in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with branches extending from Stratford, Monroe, and Shelton north into Newtown and south into Bridgeport. Document Summary Date: March 16, 1847 Location: Monroe, Connecticut Vendor: Rufus Beardsley Customer: Housatonic Rail Road Company Addressed to: C. A. Kirtland, Superintendent Amount: $60.61 Purpose: Hauling wood for railroad use Receipt signed by: Rufus Beardsley Paid: March 25, 1847 (notation on reverse) 🪶 Transcription Monroe, March 16ᵗʰ, 1847 C. A. Kirtland, Superintendent of Housatonic Rail Road Company, Dr. to Rufus Beardsley To carting one hundred & four & ½ cords of wood to the Rail Road from the Asa Beardsley tract — at fifty eight cts per cord — $60.61 [signed] Rufus Beardsley (upper-left corner computation) 104½ × 0.58 = 60.61 (endorsement on reverse) 1847 — Rufus Beardsley — Paid $60.61 — March 25 🧩 Historical Context Rufus Beardsley and Asa Beardsley were members of a prominent Monroe family active in early Connecticut industry and landholding. The Asa Beardsley tract mentioned here was located near the Housatonic Railroad’s right-of-way. C. A. Kirtland, Superintendent of the Housatonic RR, oversaw day-to-day operations in the 1840s — this document confirms direct payments to local contractors for supplies and hauling. The shipment of over 100 cords of wood was likely intended as fuel for locomotives, since the Housatonic line, before the widespread adoption of coal, operated wood-burning engines. The date (1847) situates it in the pre-reorganization era of the Housatonic Railroad, just five years after its completion to Pittsfield, MA (1842). Overview: The Beardsley Family Lineage The Beardsley family was one of the oldest settler families in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with branches extending from Stratford, Monroe, and Shelton north into Newtown and south into Bridgeport. Rufus Beardsley (this document, 1847) — lived in Monroe, where several Beardsleys were landowners, farmers, and suppliers of timber and freight to early railroads and industries. Asa Beardsley, mentioned in the same receipt, was likely a close relative (brother or cousin). Both descend from John Beardsley, one of the early settlers of Stratford (mid-1600s). By the early 1800s, various descendants had migrated south into Bridgeport, becoming merchants, landowners, and civic leaders. 🌳 Bridgeport Connection — James W. Beardsley The Bridgeport Beardsley Zoo traces its origins to James Walker Beardsley (1823–1892) — a wealthy cattle dealer, farmer, and philanthropist who donated over 100 acres of land to the city of Bridgeport in 1878. That land became Beardsley Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same landscape architect who designed Central Park. The zoo within the park was later established in the early 1920s and formally named the Beardsley Zoological Gardens in his honor. 🔗 Probable Family Connection Genealogical records indicate that James W. Beardsley of Bridgeport and Rufus Beardsley of Monroe** were both descended from the same colonial ancestor**, John Beardsley (1620–1719) of Stratford, CT. The Monroe and Bridgeport branches remained geographically close (within 10–15 miles). The name “Asa Beardsley” appears repeatedly in 18th- and 19th-century family records for the Stratford–Monroe line — suggesting that the Asa and Rufus named in your 1847 railroad document were almost certainly from the same Beardsley lineage that produced James W. Beardsley of Bridgeport Park fame. It measures approx. 3" x 7 1/2" **Shipped securely inside a poly sleeve sandwiched in cardboard, inside a rigid mailer via USPS Ground Advantage service w/ tracking** Click HERE to see postcards I have available. Click HERE to see transit and trade tokens I have available. Click HERE to see billheads I have available. Click HERE to see letterheads I have available. For U.S. based orders, the shipping cost for the first purchase is $4.00 and no extra cost for additional similar items such as billheads, letterheads, tickets, patches, post cards, trade cards, stock certificates that can safely be shipped in the same package. I have over 58,000 unique items here on eBay - Click HERE to visit my store & save with combined shipping for multiple buys. For U.S. orders on a PC, use the "add to cart" feature to select multiple items before paying. If the cart does not combine shipping costs, I will refund excess fees as I pack your order the following morning. I have enjoyed buying and selling vintage collectibles for over 40 years. Unless noted otherwise, all items I offer are original and not reproductions. Please review photos for condition issues (if any) as they are part of the description, and contact me with questions before bidding or buying. All items are securely packed and shipped via USPS. Please rely on my 25+ yr. 10,000+ 99.9% feedback rating as a guide to your buying decision. I hope all is well with you and your family — thanks for stopping by! – Jerry
