Definitions

From Voices of Raritan Landing

bark mill - a machine to grind large pieces of bark into small bits

battalion - a military unit, composed of one headquarters company and four companies of foot soldiers, called infantry, each under the command of a captain
regiment a military unit of two or more battalions

causeway - a raised roadway, as across water or marshland

Commissary of Issues - an army officer in charge of providing supplies, especially food

freight - to carry or transport goods as a business

freshet - a sudden overflow of a stream or river, especially resulting from a heavy rain or thaw

hinterland - back country, inland from a coast or river

inventory - a detailed fist of goods owned by someone, often prepared at a person's death, to determine value

merchant - a person who buys and sells goods

molasses - a thick, sweet syrup produced in refining sugar, used in cooking

née - born, used when identifying a married woman by her maiden name

pewter - a silver-gray alloy of tin with various amounts of antimony, copper, and lead, used to make kitchen utensils and tableware, such as spoons and mugs
earthenware coarse porous pottery

schooner - a ship with two or more masts, with fore and aft-rigging

shipping - the business of transporting goods

sloop - a ship with a single mast, with fore and aft-rigging

stoneware - heavy nonporous pottery

tanner - a person who tans hides, converting animal skin into leather by treating hide with tannin, extracted from the bark of trees

trade - to buy and sell goods for profit In the 1700s, a merchant imported and exported goods; knew customs, tariffs, and exchange rates; and often owned ships that transported goods. A shipper transported goods from place to place. A trader bought and sold goods locally, often keeping a shop where goods were sold to the public for money or for other items, as in a barter

vestryman - a member of a church congregation that administers church affairs

will - a legal document that specifies how a person's possessions are to be distributed at death