What was advertised in a colonial America newspaper 250 years ago today?

“He now performs all Sorts of Writing and Scrivening Business as usual.”

Silas Downer, a scrivener, went out of town on business for some time, making it necessary to place an advertisement announcing his return once he was again in Providence. Downer did not give too many particulars, though he indicated that he was “returned from one of the Southern Colonies, where he hath been a few Weeks transacting some Business of Consequence.” This may have disrupted the services he usually provided to the residents of Providence; he explained that the business that called him out of town “unexpectedly demanded his Presence.” Whatever the cause of his absence, Downer was back in town, open for business, and ready to work with clients.

As a scrivener, he penned a variety of documents, including legal documents. He promised to do so “with Secrecy, Fidelity, and Dispatch.” Perhaps he intended for the first portion of his advertisement to testify to the “Secrecy” that was part of his profession. After all, he offered a substantial explanation for his departure without revealing any specific information. He demonstrated his ability to discuss his own affairs without disclosing any of the other parties involved, the nature of the business that called him away from Providence, or even his destination in “one of the Southern Colonies.” In so doing, he exhibited both “Fidelity” to his clients and “Dispatch” in handling matters so quickly. He also brought his work to a successful conclusion, having “executed his Commission,” whatever it may have been. Without explicitly stating the quality of his own character, Downer provided evidence for potential customers to assess whether he possessed the virtues that made for an effective and trustworthy scrivener.

To supplement that appeal, Downer also acknowledged his “Old Customers” while inviting them and new clients “to favor him with their Business.” Anyone uncertain about hiring the scrivener could put stock in the fact that others had previously trusted his “Secrecy, Fidelity, and Dispatch.”

An unexpected departure may have disrupted and damaged Downer’s services in Providence, but the scrivener crafted an advertisement that transformed his temporary absence into an opportunity to demonstrate the various virtues he brought to his occupation. He conducted “Business of Consequence” and clients could depend on him to do the same when it came to the documents he composed for them as well.