Clerks Trade Items at Settlement Ross

There were many trade items that were brought into the Ross Settlement for trade with company employees, as well as with the residents of Spanish or Mexican California. These items came from far, far away. The American or British trade ships brought goods from China and other ports; the Russian ships brought goods from Russia and traded with Spanish and Mexican missions. These lists were compiled from two books written by Kirill Khlebnikov: The Khlebnikov Archives and Colonial Russian America, 1817-1832. Khlebnikov was a Russian American Company Agent, who fortunately tracked the company business in great detail.

Clothing –

• Stockings – These are up to the thigh for men and women, generally cotton, woolen, silk black, knit
• Handkerchiefs – General, cotton, from Bengal, Serge (blue), indigo
• Scarves – Canton, black, half silk (black)
• Shawls – General, from Canton, Silk, Cotton, Half Silk and half cotton
• Hats – General, fur, lambs wool, tricot, Eiderdown, silver from Canton
• Vests – General
• Miscellaneous Clothing – Trousers, jackets, greatcoats – hooded, suspenders, gilets, silk leggings, cotton dress, suit

Footwear –

• Boots – general and with Siberian leather soles

Cloth –

• Blue ticking – linen, blue and green nankeen
• Broadcloth – madder red, deep blue, raw wool
• Camelot – unglazed
• Chinese cotton – cream and white, black
• Cotton – sunflower print, calico (turkey red, Canton calico, cream white, red striped)
• Carpet baize – indigo and red (coarse woolen or cotton fabric napped to imitate felt)
• Bengal – rose
• Dutch wool – eggplant
• Flannel – cream and white
• Flemish cloth – walnut brown
• Frieze – forest green
• Linen – red and yellow
• Osnaburg -brown
• Sailcloth – hemp
• Serge – olive brown
• White bombazine – a silk fabric of twill weave
• Wool – gray
• Blanket materials

Tools –

• Axes
• Blades – including reaping blades
• Chisels
• Drills – including big drills
• Files – flat files
• Iron shovels
• Paint – green and white
• Plowshares for California
• Resin and Pitch
• Saws – Tempered saws, big saws, small saws
• Scales
• Spades
• Spanish (hoe)
• Tar and Pitch
• Turpentine
• Weights – various

Metals –

• Copper – general, sheet
• Door Hardware – door locks of iron and brass, bronze keys
• Flue dampers
• Nails – various sizes, copper, iron
• Iron – general, treated, palatinate, semi-platinated, sheets, wire
• Tin – general, sheets, wire

Ammunition and Armament –

• Cartridge pouches
• Flints
• Gun powder
• Rifles – made in St. Petersburg, English and French
• Sabers
• Shot – lead balls, lead grapeshot, various sizes

Glass, Ceramics, and Metal ware –

• Brass – samovar
• China – table china, yellow crockery, tureens, small coffee pot, big white platter, China tea sets, plates, tea service
• Copper – coffee pot, chocolate pot, ware, funnels, teapots, utensils, drinking cups
• Crystal – glassware of medium quality
• Iron – kettles (various sizes), cast iron kettles, pans, cast iron utensils
• Pewter – spoons, decanters, table plates, dishes, teapots, platters, plates
• Tinware – chocolate pot, pitchers, funnels, oil lamp chimney

Household items –

• Armchairs – Canton
• Blankets – Frieze, English Large, English Medium, Large and small American, flannel, tablecloth, bedspread general, percale (fine woven cotton), Canton cloth
• Bottles
• Chalk
• Combs – various, made of bone, and horn
• Lanterns
• Material for decorating a carriage
• Medicine cabinet
• Mirrors – various sizes
• Paintings
• Razors and Razor blades
• Sewing supplies – needles (various sizes), buttons (various sizes), scissors, penknife (used for mending quill pens)
• Soaps – general, Kazan, California tallow
• Table clocks
• Wax – candles (various sizes), sperm candles (made from sperm whale oil), candles from California (tallow), sealing wax

Paper, Books, Pencils –

• Books – plain, white books from China; Notebooks with covers of China (tissue) paper; nautical calendars for 1825; books of navigation
• Pencils
• Reams of paper – English, paper florets

Miscellaneous items –

• Glass – sheets, window panels, glass beads
• Hand Bells
• Rope – various sizes, jute rope, twine, logline out of white flax, cable rope