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WILLIAM LECH AND SONS : 1910 - 1911 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LEDGER BOOK OF A PRE CONFEDERATION 146 YEAR OLD FAMILY BUSINESS IN PETERBOROUGH ONTARIO DETAILING A CLASSIC CANADIAN AND FOUNDATIONAL BUSINESS

4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. On offer is an excellent ledger book from the early 1900's of century old Canadian firm. Measuring approximately 12 inches by 7.5 inches, it contains 100 pages and is 100% complete. The hard cover and pages within are all in very good condition and the handwriting is quite legible. William Lech and Sons was a furrier business that operated in Peterborough, ON for 146 years. The business was established in 1861 by William Lech, an immigrant from Prussia and son of a Prussian soldier. The Lech family came from Bremen in the Kingdom of Prussia. William Lech's father was a Prussian soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. After France's defeat of Prussia, he served in Napoleon's Prussian contingent and was present for the Retreat from Moscow and the Battle of Waterloo and the Siege of Paris. Lech left Bremen in 1854 and emigrated to New York City. After sending for his wife, they made their way to Montreal. A furrier by training, he worked in Montreal for some six years. He left Montreal and came to Peterborough where he opened his own furrier business - William Lech and Sons. The business was very successful. They operated from the same address for their entire existence and the building was purpose-built for the fur trade, including the processing of pelts into manufactured goods for both wholesale and retail trade. They had an attractive retail store in front and processing, refrigeration facilities in back and apartments upstairs in their 3-story building. Their business was a local landmark in downtown Peterborough for well over a century. The ledger book covers the period June 2nd, 1910 to May 4th, 1911. It served as an account book, aide memoire and record book. Its entries list many of the residents of Peterborough, noting the amounts they paid on their accounts. Many of those names could be recognized from businesses operating today while others are of long-standing families of the community. As an aide memoire, he notes phone calls to be made, shipments sent and received and duties paid. He record expenses large and small and the record book contains details of local furs being purchased and paid for: "$ 1.25 Miss M. Crossley $45.00 F.H. Gardener $ 2.00 Minnie Coughlan $ 2.00 Mrs. Catherine O'Leary" [Dec 3, 1910]; "63 Fox $358.75, 9 fisher $83.25, 2 fox $2.75, 4 coon (racoons) $8.25, 5 sk (skunk) $5.00, 6 martin $36.00, 18 weasel $1.90" [Nov 18, 1911] Business wasn't just confined to Peterborough. He did business throughout the area, as far away as Toronto and Montreal as well as having business connections into the United States and Europe. "New England Supplier "All Saints" - $25.00" [Jan 18, 1911]; "Germany Bal. Duty Ck $25.00 / Cash $0.20 ... " [Apr 6, 1911]. He did business with expensive fashion retailers and other prominent organizations: "Holt Ren (Renfrew) - $20.00 Holt Renfrew Co. $7.89 + $0.55 = $8.44" [Dec 31, 1910]; "Sick Children's Hospital - $1.00" [Dec 15, 1910]. This is an excellent snapshop into the day-to-day operations of a very successful Canadian family business at the turn of the 20th century. For a historian it offers a detailed picture of the income and expenses and expense items involved with the firms operations as well as its scope of operations. For a genealogist, it is an excellent record of families living in and around the Peterborough area at this time.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good +

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