Business Records : 1788-1806.

            Henry Magee was a Loyalist who had emigrated to Pennsylvania from Armagh, Ireland, in 1773.  As a result of persecution by the rebels, he was forced to flee to the British in Philadelphia where he became attached to the Engineer's Department.  Lord Cornwallis convinced Magee to settle in Nova Scotia where, in 1778, he received a grant of 500 acres in Wilmot Township.  It was not until 1783 that his wife and two sons, who had been forced to flee overland to New York, arrived in Nova Scotia and the family was reunited. Magee built a home, store and grist mill at Horton Corner (Kentville), the first in Kentville, and lived there during the years 1788-1806.            

            The reel contains the business records of Henry Magee, a general merchant at Horton Corner (Kentville), Nova Scotia. Included are the following items: ledgers, 1788-1806, with indices for several volumes; and day books, 1791-1806. The day books are more interesting than the ledgers as they provide a glimpse into the rural economy during the early years of settlement.  They show how accounts were settled and what disputes were taken to court, the expense involved in constructing and maintaining a dyke, the cost of tutoring children, lawyers' fees, methods of financing, and comments of patrons. 
 
The ledgers and day books were found in the attic of a house in Auburn, Nova Scotia.            

            Brief content descriptions of the ledgers and day books are found at the beginning and at the end of the reel.  Because of illegible sections, date verification is difficult.