Trade: Making Sense (or Pence!) of Bull's Competition

Getting Started | Gunsmithing | Economic Downturn | Bull's Trade | Bull's Competition

Compared to Deerfield, Northampton was a thriving metropolis. Yet, Bull managed to survive, even to thrive, in Deerfield from the business that came his way. By comparing John Partridge Bull's shop to the shop of his mentor, Seth Pomeroy of Northampton, we can get a sense of how the two communities compared in terms of commerce.

Shop Income: Bull vs. Pomeroy

Roughly how much difference is there between the income received by the Pomeroy shop and the income received by John Partridge Bull?

Shop Production:
Bull vs. Pomeroy

When compared with the table above, do you see any discrepencies between the number of goods produced and the relative income received?

Does working in a larger town affect the amount of income received? Or are there additional factors that you believe should be taken into account before drawing conclusions?

Why do you think that there is such a large difference between production and income in 1774 and in 1786? What evidence would you look for to bear out your hypotheses?

-- data compiled from the account book of John Partridge Bull, collections of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association and the account book of Seth Pomeroy, collections of the Northampton Historical Society.

After exploring this section, please proceed to the next section: Family.

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