John Cockey Owings ledger
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- John Cockey Owings ledger
- Date
- 1790-1880, undated (inclusive)
- 1790-1801 (bulk)
- Extent
- 0.2 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Business records -- Kentucky.
- General stores -- Kentucky.
- Merchants.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically (roughly).
- Preferred Citation
- 48M44: [Identification of item], John Cockey Owings ledger, 1790-1880, undated, bulk 1790-1801, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- John Cockey Owings was a businessman in Baltimore, Maryland (1736-1810) who had substantial land holdings and business stakes in Kentucky, specifically in Bourbon and Bath counties. He purchased the Bourbon Iron Furnace in 1791 with partners that included Christopher Greenup, Walter Beall, and Willis Green. Owings added additional partners in 1794, incuding George Thomas, John Breckinridge, and George Nicholas, before becoming the sole owner in 1795. Owings' son Thomas Dye Owings, oversaw Owings' Kentucky holdings and the operation of the furnace.
- Scope and Content
- The John Cockey Owings ledger (dated 1790-1880, undated, bulk 1790-1801; 0.2 cubic feet; 1 item) consists of a ledger which may have belonged to John Cockey Owings. The ledger indicates that profits were paid to John Cockey Owings. The ledger shows various accounts including debits and credits. Some accounts are under people's name and include many early Kentucky names such as Harry Innes, James Wilkinson, Christopher Greenup, George Nicholas, and Samuel McDowell. Other accounts are labelled as tobacco, whiskey, horses, military certificates, horse certificates, spy certificates, cotton, cattle, barter, notes receivable, general charges, pork, sales of salt, and merchandises. A store at Paris, Kentucky, is referenced many times in the book. Additionally, the contra accounts are often paid by barter of merchandise, tobacco, and whiskey. There are often notations made in pencil at a much later date that point out pertinent facts about the people recorded in the ledger. The end of the ledger contains some interleavings, including a letter to Ida Reid in 1879 and partially burned check that is labelled as "check taken from the vault of the Bank at St. Pierre in the ruins causd by the eruption of Mt. Pelee on the Martinique Islands".
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
