This collection is made up of 3 letters (2 pages each) that Nelson Selkirk of Conneaut, Ohio, wrote to his brother-in-law, Asahel Clark of Waterbury, Connecticut, from December 7, 1842-June 5, 1843. Selkirk primarily wrote about his intention to sell clocks to residents of northeast Ohio and his prospects for success. He requested that clocks be sent to him via Albany, New York, and by way of the Erie Transportation Company when navigation became possible in the spring. He was confident that local demand for clocks would be high and he mentioned his hesitation to hire a salesman because of low supplies. Selkirk's final letter reflects his difficulty making sales, which he blamed partially on the availability of "thirty hour" brass timepieces and his desire to try to meet a perceived demand for alarm clocks. He also reported prices for flour and pork, commented on a storm on Lake Erie, and reflected on his mother's death.
Connecticut native Nelson Selkirk worked as a carpenter and sold clocks. He and his wife, Lovinia, had three daughters: Chastelette, Harriet, and Jane. The Selkirk family lived in Conneaut, Ohio, in the mid-1840s and early 1850s and later moved to Valparaiso, Indiana. Nelson Selkirk had at least one sister, Ruth, who married Asahel Clark of Waterbury, Connecticut. They had at least three children, Charles, Martha, and Flora.
