Prices and Wages by Decade: 1850-1859
Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations.
Wages in the United States, 1850-1859
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In INDIVIDUAL STATES
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ANALYSIS OF WAGE TRENDS
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FOOD
CLOTHING
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HARDWARE & BUILDING MATERIALS
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MISCELLANEOUS PRICES
PRICES in FOREIGN COUNTRIES
WAGES in the UNITED STATES
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Wages by occupation, state/territory and race - 1850See table titled "Average Wages, 1850" for wages given to farm hands, day laborers, carpenters and domestic help. Underneath the table, there is data on wages paid for white labor and slave labor. Source: A Statistical View of the United States...being a Compendium of the Seventh Census, Superintendent of the U.S. Census, 1854.
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Unskilled occupations - Average wages, 1840-1891Shows average daily wage earnings for laborers, yard hands, watchmen, teamsters, quarrymen, coal-heavers, helpers, unskilled factory operatives, without any geographic breakouts. Source: Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 13 (1905).
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Farm laborer monthly earnings, 1818-1948Lists average monthly earnings with board, by geographic divisions. Data for years: 1818, 1826, 1830, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1909, 1919, 1929, 1940, 1948. Read the explanation and historical context for this table.
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Farm labor in Vermont - Daily wages, 1830s-1860sTable 26 shows daily wages for laborers, with board. The complete chart shows wage data for every year from 1780-1937; the explanation begins on page 43. Source: Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station.
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Manufacturing wages by sex, industry, and state - 1850Separate tables for each manufacturing industry (cotton, woolen, mining, iron, fisheries, salt manufacture, etc.) Wages for males and females separately reported. Check the column labels in each tables to find those that report wage data. Tables span pages 180-183 in this source.
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History of Wages in the United States from Colonial times to 1928Extensive tables show average wages paid each year for a variety of occupations, reported by state and sometimes by city, often broken out by sex, in the following industries:
- Building trades, 1840-1900
Listed wages for bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, stationary engineers, stationary firemen, hod carriers, building laborers, marble cutters, stone masons, painters, plasterers, plumbers, stone cutters, granite cutters and tile layers. - Clothing manufacture, 1851-1898
Listed wages for dressmakers and sewing machine operators - Farm labor, 1841-1899
- Glass and clay products, 1841-1898
Listed wages for glass blowers, potters, kiln placers and turners. - Iron and steel workers, 1840-1899
Listed wages for furnace keepers for pig-iron blast furnaces and other jobs in iron and steel. - Laborers, 1840-1900
- Leather products, 1855-1900
Listed wages for shoemakers, leather cutters, stitchers, vampers, lasters and tanners.
- Metal trades other than iron or steel, 1840-1900
Listed wages for blacksmiths in railroad shops, machine shops and other places, boiler makers in foundries and machine shops, core makers, horseshoers, foundry laborers, lathe hands, machinists, millwrights in flour mills and other places, iron molders, pattern makers, tool and die makers. - Mining -- Coal mine and iron mine industries, 1840-1900
Wages for coal mine drivers, loaders, coal miners, iron miners, drilling machine operators, timbermen for the mines - Printing and publishing, 1842-1900
Wages for bookbinders, press feeders, proof readers, compositors for newspapers and other shops, pressmen (operators of the printing press), stereotypers - Textiles - Cloth manufacture, 1842-1900
Wages for doffers, drawing frame tenders, cotton dyers, loom fixers, cotton spinners, cotton weavers - Textiles - Hosiery and underwear manufacture, 1842-1900
Wages for knitters of hosiery and underwear, weavers and winders of silk goods, dressers and dyers of woolen and worsted goods, loom fixers, spinners, wool sorters - Transportation industry wages, 1840-1900
Wages for railroad brakemen, conductors for passenger railroads, conductors for freight railroads, locomotive engineers and firemen, longshoremen, 1-horse teamsters, 2-horse teamsters and teamsters non-specified. - Woodworking trades, 1845-1900
Wages for cabinet makers, coopers, sawyers, loggers, lumber laborers, woodworkers
- Building trades, 1840-1900
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Governors, state officials, legislators and judges' pay by state, 1830-1860Find salary information listed under state names in the tables of contents for this source, the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge. Enter the page number found in the table of contents in the "Jump to page" box. This is not a government document.
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Congressional salaries, 1789-presentHistorical chart shows salaries of members of the U.S. Congress, along with dates of enactment and statutory authority for each pay increase.
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Navy salary and wages by naval base (U.S.) - 1851Shows wages for ship captains, commanders, lieutenants, ship surgeons, boatswains, gunners, pursers, stewards, carpenters, seamen and various workers at navy yards and stations such as storekeepers, porters and clerks. Scroll forward in source to see additional naval locations, pages 569-575.
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Navy pay charts (U.S.) - 1814-1893This is not a government website but it does a good job of organizing a complex topic. If you need original government documents showing pay, contact us.
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Wages by occupation by sex, 1840-1891Reports monthly wages paid to individual, unnamed male and female employees in a variety of jobs at selected establishments in the northeast U.S. Industries covered: agricultural implement manufacture (MA), ale, beer and porter (NY), book and newspaper publishers (CT, NY, MD), building trades (CT, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI), railroad car and ship building (DE), wagon and carriage manufacture (NY), city public works (MA, NY, PA) and cotton milling (MA). Source: 1893 report of the U.S. Congressional Committee on Finance titled "Wholesale prices, wages and transportation."
Wages reported at State and Local Levels, 1850-1859
WAGES in CALIFORNIA, 1850s
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California wages - 1850s to around 1900Bibliography of California state government publications tells what books list wages for various occupations including teachers (1850s-1880s), railroad employees (1870s-1880s), farm workers (1890s), miners and lumbermen (1902), and sailors (1904). If you need assistance tracking down the publications listed in this bibliography, contact us.
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California - San Francisco wages by occupation, 1854Lists wages for bricklayers, stone cutters, ship carpenters, house carpenters, blacksmiths, watchmakers, jewelers, tinners, hatters, painters, longshoremen, tailors, shoe makers, teamsters, firemen on steamships, coal-passers, farm hands, and printers. Source: Annals of San Francisco published 1855. This is not a government document.
WAGES in ILLINOIS, 1850s
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Illinois school teacher pay by gender, 1855-1874Table shows the high, low and average pay received by school teachers in each year from 1855 to 1874 in Illinois. Source: 11th Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Illinois.
WAGES in KANSAS, 1850s
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Kansas (Lawrence) - City officials' and school teachers' pay, 1857Salaries for city officials, police and fire department personnel and school teachers as listed in the City Directory (not a government document).
WAGES in MAINE, 1850s
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Maine - School teacher wages by gender, 1856Male teachers made about ten times more than females. See wage averages for the year 1852 elsewhere in the same volume.
WAGES in MASSACHUSETTS, 1850s
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Massachusetts - Wages by occupation, 1850sClick "More..." to see breakouts for 28 occupations.
WAGES in NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1850s
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New Hampshire wages, 1850sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating from the 1850s; pages 46-48 focus on 1850-1860.
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Clergy in New Hampshire, 1850sThis publication shows the salaries paid to three reverends in Candia, NH who served terms from 1841-1854, 1854-1859, and 1859-1864. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).
WAGES in OHIO, 1850s
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Ohio - Wages for males and females, 1857This source reviews the average levels of farm labor and household domestic wages alongside the price of room, board, and the price of wheat. Source: Ohio Commissioner of Statistics.
Wages in Foreign Countries, 1850-1859
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Canada - Wages and prices, 1853Shows wages and prices in Canadian shillings and pence. "Emigration: papers relative to emigration to the North American colonies" shows wages for each of about 40 occupations in each region of Canda. See first quarter here. Page forward in the source to see tables for additional months of the year.
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United Kingdom - Wages, 1810-1886Extensive, 437-page government report indicates detailed wages by occupation in many locations throughout the UK. Wages are reported in British currency.
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Australia - Wages for female domestic servants, 1852-1856Shows average wages for females working as house maids, laundry maids, nurse maids, cooks, and servants in general. Source: A History of Prices by Thomas Tooke.
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Wages in foreign countries - early 1850sIn 1854, the U.S. federal government sent surveys to foreign consuls asking the wage rates, currency exchange rates, prices, duties, and more in each port city (see questions). Most reported wages for jobs related to shipping, and some included wages for additional occupations.
Important: Find wages reported in question #7 of the "second series":
Wages, 1850s - Analysis
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Nineteenth Century Wage TrendsBrief 30-page booklet reviews overall wage trends from 1800-1899. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Staff Paper #2.
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"How Much is that in Real Money? A Historical Price Index..."Provides explanations and charts to help users calculate the current value of historic dollar amounts. Source: Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Association, Vol. 101 #2. Source
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Measuring Worth (website)Website provides online calculators, guides and tutorials to help researchers understand the modern value of historic money in America, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Prices in the United States, 1850-1859
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Food prices by town in 15 states, 1851-1880Shows a progression of changing retail prices over time in about 65 towns for items such as wheat flour, beef, veal, mutton, pork, codfish, mackerel, cornmeal, cheese, butter, milk, eggs, beans, rice and other provisions. Source: 1890 Census. Click "MORE" for direct links to states and towns:
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Coffee, tea and sugar prices by town in 15 states, 1851-1880Shows a progression of changing retail prices over time in about 65 towns. Also includes price of molasses and syrup. Source: 1890 Census.
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Ohio cities - Prices of food, fuel and provisions, 1825-1892Shows high, low and average "selling prices" for food items such as eggs, dairy, grains, flour, coffee, sugar, salt, etc. as well as non-food items such as soap, hay, cotton, coal and more.for each year during the 1850s. Prices for Cincinnati are shown on pages 804-806. Prices for Columbus are on pages 818-821. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th annual report.
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Ohio prices, 1830-1862Table shows the price of coffee, sugar and tallow candles by the pound; corn and wheat by the bushel and hogs per each 100 pounds for each of these years: 1830, 1832, 1835, 1838, 1840, 1845, 1847, 1850, 1853, 1855, 1858, 1860, 1862. Source: Ohio Commissioner of Statistics, 7th Annual Report (1863).
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San Francisco food price inflation, 1849The 1855 book Annals of San Francisco by Soule, Gihon and Nisbet gives examples of price inflation in San Francisco at the height of the Gold Rush.
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New York market - Prices of staple items, 1850sThis U.S. Treasury document shows prices for each month as well as yearly averages from 1825-1863 for flour, rice, fruits, fish, pork, beef, butter, cheese, salt, sugar, molasses, whiskey, brandy, wine, gin, rum, coffee, tea, tobacco and other non-food items. Items sold in large quantities usually indicate wholesale prices.
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Meal plan rates by city for men and women, 1851-1880Weekly boarding rates by selected cities and small towns in CT, IL, IN, KY, NY, OH, PA and TN.
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Restaurant prices in Boston, 1858Menu from the Parker House restaurant in Boston MA shows prices.
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Massachusetts historical retail prices for foodReported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living, Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 1885.
- Dairy products
- Price per pound of butter back to 1760s; eggs and cheese back to 1750s; quarts of milk back to 1770s.
- Food preparations
- Prices for individual biscuits back to 1770s, sugar, salt and tea back to 1750s. Bread, lemons, chocolate, coffee, crackers, raisins, lard, macaroni, molasses, and more. Tea is extensively subdivided by type and priced by the pound.
- Flour and Meal
- Flour, buckwheat flour, graham flour, "Indian Meal," rye meal, oatmeal, wheat bran and more priced by the pound or bushel.
- Agricultural products (Fruits, vegetables, grains)
- Reported for almost every year as far back as the 1750s.
- Meats and Nuts
- Prices by the pound for bacon, beef, ham, lamb, mutton, pork, etc. in some cases dating to the 1750s. The table for nuts includes prices by the pound for almonds, filberts and walnuts.
- Poultry and game
- Price per pound of goose, turkey, and poultry back to 1758.
- Fish
- Prices for halibut, herring, haddock, salmon, codfish, eels, etc. by the pound.
- Liquors and Beverages
- Prices by the quart or gallon for beer to 1812, brandy to 1782, cider to 1755, wine to 1783, gin to 1784, rum to 1761, and more. Prices indicate source in some instances, for example, Gin from Holland or Rum from the West Indies.
- Spices and condiments
- Prices by the pound or ounce for wide variety of spices. The earliest spice prices date to 1780s. Price of vinegar dates to 1760s.
- Dairy products
PRICES for CLOTHING and SEWING SUPPLIES, 1850s
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- Men's heavy boots, priced by the pair in dozens of U.S. towns and cities. This table spans two pages; see the town names on the first page and the 1850s prices on the second page.
- Boots, shoes and leather prices in Massachusetts. Detailed prices for style and type of shoe, boot, sandal, slipper, rubber overshoe, etc.
- Ready made clothing prices in Massachusetts: prices for hats, handkerchiefs and stockings, gloves, breeches, pantaloons, hose and coats, shawls and vests, mittens and waistcoats.
- Fabric prices in dozens of U.S. towns and cities, including prices for shirtings, cotton flannel, ticking, prints, and more.
- Cloth and dress goods in Massachusetts: prices for alpaca wool and calico by the yard, as well as batiste, cambric, cashmere, crape, gingham, gauze, lawn, muslin, linsey woolsey, plaid, poplin, satin, silk, velvet and many other fabric types. More fabrics are listed under the Dry goods heading which also shows prices for blankets, cotton flannel, damask and denim, diaper cloth, shirtings, ticking, and more. Also find prices for buttons and dress trimmings, ribbons and laces and small wares such as yarn, needles, pins, embroidery silk, cotton and linen thread.
PRICES for HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, 1850s
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- Historical retail prices in Massachusetts: furniture, carpetings, cutlery (table knives and forks and pocket knives); paper: letter paper, priced by the sheet, tallow, candles, soap, etc.; oils for illumination, to light lamps and lanterns; fuel: charcoal, oak wood, pine wood, coal, etc.; tobacco and snuff: prices for cigars by the dozen, and tobacco and snuff by the pound or (sometimes) ounce. Miscellaneous household items: prices for brooms, brass kettles, brick, matches, tubs, tumblers, clocks, candlesticks, silver watches, feathers, wine glasses and more.
- Price of soap and starch in dozens of U. S. cities. Scroll forward in the source to see tables for each city.
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Steamship, steamboat, stagecoach and RR ticket prices, 1851Disturnell's travel guide shows ticket prices and time tables. Lists railroad rates in cents per mile, alphabetically by the RR company. Steamship fare from New York to San Francisco via Panama in 1851 ranged from $165-330 depending on accommodation. Lists other travel costs such as cab or carriage fares between hotels and railway stations or wharfs in major cities. It may be necessary to use the text search feature to find any particular city or town.
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Railway, steamship and steamboat fares, 1851The American Railway Guide (1851) shows railroad, steamship and steamboat fares. See also the 1854 edition.
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Steamship, steamboat, stagecoach and RR ticket prices, 1853Source: Disturnell's American and European railway and steamship guide, 1853.
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Railroad passenger fares by RR company, 1850-1897Source passenger fares expressed in cents per mile. The tables extend from pages 65-77. See title page of this source.
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New York City area - Transportation prices, 1850sAnnual editions of The Great metropolis: or New-York almanac give hackney coach, carriage, and cab fares in New York City: 1850, 1851, 1854. Hackney and carriage fare for 1857 is in Dinsmore's thirty miles around New York, by railroad, stage, steamboat, express and telegraph; or, How to get in and out of the metropolis... The latter source has a list of destinations with fare prices to reach many of them.
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Transportation options, prices and traveling conditions, 1851The Irish Emigrant's Guide for the United States, published in Boston in 1851, lists official prices for passage by ship from Liverpool to New York or Boston, alongside prices that Irish emigrants actually paid (apparently the fares were negotiable). Chapter 6 lists prices for traveling from New York or Boston to U.S. states further west. Compares traveling conditions for passengers taking railways, steamboats, and stagecoaches, and discusses typical prices for lodging and board during layovers near stations.
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Hotel, lodging and meal rates for travelers, 1850sLodging and meal prices for travelers can sometimes be found in city directories' ad sections and in travel guides. Some examples include rates in San Francisco's What Cheer House and Central Hotel for 1854, and this page showing 1852 rates for two New York City hotels. Detroit's city directory showed the price for meals at hotels in 1850. The Arcade Hotel Guide describes travelers' expenses in Philadelphia for 1856.
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Michigan - Stage and railroad fares, 1859George W. Hawes' Michigan state gazetteer, and business directory is filled with routes and fares for travel in and from Michigan. (Tip: use the 'search in this text' tool to look for the word 'fare.')
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Average value of farm land and buildings per acre by U.S. region, 1850Average dollar value per acre for farm land (along with any buildings on the land), broken out by U.S. region. Source: 1930 Census of Agriculture.
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Average value of farm property per acre, for counties in New England, 1850-1930Shows average value of land and farm buildings per acre for counties in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island. Source: 1930 Census of Agriculture.
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House rent by city, 1851-1880Average monthly rents by number of rooms in selected cities across 15 states. Note: House rents for the 1850s and 1860s fall on pages 105 and 107. Source: 1890 Census.
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Hospital rates - South Carolina, 1856-1861(?)The Plan of Organization of the Roper Hospital in Charleston, SC, adopted in 1856 shows the rate of board per day and per week in public and private wards. Publication date: 1861.
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Physicians fees in Massachusetts, 1858The Hampden District Medical Society in Springfield, MA adopted this tariff of fees for its physicians' services in 1858; it includes medical, obstetrical, and surgical services.
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Doctor fees, Los Angeles in 1850This fee table of 1850 for Los Angeles, CA, includes charges for prescriptions, visits, bleeding, and cupping. Source: A history of the medical profession of southern California by George H. Kress (1910).
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Doctor's fees in San Fransisco, 1850This is the fee bill established by the San Fransisco Medical Association in 1850 as found it their constitution and by-laws.
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Physician fees in Sacramento, CA - 1855This fee bill of the Sacramento Medical Society established price ranges for member physicians to charge for their services.
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Physician fees in Chicago, IL - 1854Shows the rate of charges adopted by the Cook County Medical Society in 1854; it includes a price range for day and night visits, physical examinations, obstetrical attendance, vaccinations, and attendance on Small Pox cases.
PRICES for HARDWARE and BUILDING MATERIALS, 1850s
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- Retail prices in Massachusetts for tools and implements: hoes, shovels, spades, files, etc. priced by the dozen or when sold individually. Lumber prices for boards, plank, shingles, timber, clapboards, etc. by the foot. Tacks, brads and nails priced by the pound.
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Cost of items needed by new settlers - ca. 1855Itemized prices for items necessary to live on timbered land: span of horses, yoke of oxen, cow, double wagon, plough, shovel, axe, saw, etc. Source: Emigrant's guide published in 1856.
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New Hampshire prices, 1850sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating from the 1850s; pages 46-48 focus on 1850-1860.
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Price of a newspaper or newspaper subscriptionWe recommend using the Library of Congress' "Chronicling America" website to find prices and subscription rates for individual newspaper titles in specific years. Click into the site and set the year boxes to your date range. Click "GO" and then check the "Show only front pages" box. If the price is not in the masthead, search for publisher's information somewhere in the body of the paper - often in the left column of the front page. Annual subscription rates are likely to be described there.
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Telegraph message rates in California, 1854Rates to send messages by telegraph from Sacramento to other cities in California. Source: Sacramento Directory, 1854-55.
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Postage rates for letters mailed in the U.S., 1792-1863Chart from the Historian of the United States Postal Service shows price to mail a domestic letter. Not included are postage rates for ship and steamboat letters and "drop letters" (for local delivery), which were assigned different rates.
Prices in Foreign Countries, 1850-1859
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Les Ouvriers Européens: études.This French language work by Frédéric Le Play is considered an excellent source for European workingmen's family budgets from the 1830s-1850s.
Prices in BELGIUM, 1850s
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Belgium - Working class family expenses, 1853 and 1867Shows weekly expenses for families of 5 or 6 individuals in Belgium in 1853. Clothing expenses not included. Figures for 1867 are estimated by adding 20% to the 1853 data.
Prices in CANADA, 1850s
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Canada - Prices in an emigrants' guide, 1853Source shows both prices and wages in Canadian money. Also alludes to system of working off the cost of the passage from Europe to Canada.
- Prices for Upper Canada for May-July 1853 and July-Sep 1853.
- Prices for Eastern Canada for May-July 1853 and September-November 1853
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Saloon food and drink prices in Toronto, 1856This is a menu for Mart Ackerman's Saloon, Toronto Canada, 1856.
Prices in GREAT BRITAIN, 1850s
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England - Food prices and rent for cottages and land - 1770, 1850 and 1878Table at bottom of page 531 compares the price of bread, meat and butter, as well as the rent for a laborer's cottage and rent of cultivated land per acre. Includes farm labor wages as well. All amounts expressed in shillings.
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Average house rent in Great Britain, 1821-1881Also calculates average house rent per house inhabitant. Does not include Ireland. Amounts shown in British currency. Source: Mulhill's Dictionary of Statistics, p. 236.
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England - Prices of leading commodities in London, 1851-1856Table shows prices in pounds and shillings for food, fibers, raw materials, and metals purchased in large quantities. Source: A History of prices and of the state of the circulation during the nine years 1848 to 1856, by Thomas Tooke. Published in London. This is not a government publication.
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England - Bread prices, 1847-1880Shows average prices of bread in England for each year from 1660-1899 on pages 27-35. Source: Three Centuries of Prices of Wheat, Flour and Bread (not a government document). The introduction to this table explains that these prices are for the type of bread consumed by lower middle classes, not the "fancy bread." Price sources are provided on page 21-22.
Prices in HAWAII, 1850s
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Hawaii, Honolulu -- Retail Prices, 1853-54Retail prices for sugar, coffee, potatoes, beef, salt, wool, hides and more.
Prices in ITALY, 1850s
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Italy, Milan - Prices of wheat, bread, etc., 1801-1908Source: Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 87, Volume XX. Published March 1910.
Prices in MOROCCO, 1850s
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Morocco - Retail prices of selected export items - 1853-54Retail prices of almonds, dates, hides, sheep skins, goat skins, wool, wax and more.
Prices in SPAIN, 1850s
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Spain, Malaga - Retail food prices, 1853Prices for wine, olive oil, fruits, nuts.
Prices in SWEDEN, 1850s
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Cereal (wheat, rye, barley, oats) prices in Sweden, 1836-1900This table shows average prices for wheat, rye, barley, and oats in Sweden for 1836 to 1900. Yearly consumption per inhabitant for wheat and rye can be found in another table on page 156 of this book.
Prices in TURKEY, 1850s
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Turkey - Average retail price of commodities exported to U.S. - 1853-54Shows average retail prices of Turkish carpets, wool, nuts, tobacco, leeches and more in the city of Smyrna. Also lists wholesale price of opium per 100 pound case. Another table shows retail prices of items on the island of Candia, Turkey (modern day Crete)
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