We are excited to feature this beautiful leather wallet with flap binding and tie closure, originally owned by John Barker Sr. The wallet Includes four slots to hold promissory notes, which are arranged in rough alphabetical order by last name with dates ranging from 1842 to 1869. The slots are labeled in black ink: ABCDE, EGHIKL, MNOPQR, and TUVWXY. The wallet also includes an attached leather envelope with button closure.
John Barker Sr., a 19th-century merchant and grain broker, moved from Andover, Massachusetts to Michigan City, Indiana in 1835. In 1855, Barker bought interest in the passenger and freight car firm of Sherman, Haskell, Aldridge & Company and the firm’s name was changed to Haskell, Barker & Aldridge. In 1858, the firm became known simply as Haskell & Barker.
By the late 1850s, the firm ceased manufacture of passenger cars and devoted themselves to freight cars. The American Civil War brought an increase in business due to government contracts, which made the firm one of the largest employers in Indiana, and one of the wealthiest. In 1871, the firm was incorporated as the Haskell & Barker Car Company.