A Guide to the Bedford County (Va.) Business Records, 1884-1943 Beford County (Va.) Business Records, 1884-1943

A Guide to the Bedford County (Va.) Business Records, 1884-1943

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia


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Library of Virginia

The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/

© 2025 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.

Processed by: Greg Crawford

Repository
Library of Virginia
Title
Bedford County (Va.) Business Records, 1884-1943
Physical Characteristics
29 volumes .
Collector
Bedford County (Va.) Circuit Court
Location
State Record Center-Archives Annex, Library of Virginia
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Bedford County (Va.) Business Records, 1884-1943. [include volume title]. Local government records collection, Bedford County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Bedford County in an undated accession.

Processing Information

Prior to 2024, the various business records in this collection were originally described as individual records, but they have been consolidated into one large business record for the locality.

These records were processed by Greg Crawford in 2000.

Encoded by J. Taylor: March 2025.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: Business Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These business records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by business owners. In other cases, business records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. These business record exhibits appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for business dissolution cases, debut suits, and contract disputes.

Locality History: Bedford County was named probably for John Russell, fourth duke of Bedford, who served as secretary of state for the southern department from 1748 to 1751 and had general supervision of colonial affairs. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1753, and parts of Albemarle and Lunenburg Counties were added in 1755. The county court first met on 5 May 1754. The county seat is the town of Bedford.

Scope and Content

Bedford County (Va.) Business Records, 1884-1941 is comprised of various records created by individuals and companies is pursuit of documenting business activities in and around Bedford County (Va.). Represented records largely consists of bound volumes such as ledgers, daybooks, minute books, cashbooks, certificates of deposits, registers of discounted bills, policy books, and a contract book.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into eleven series:

Series I: Business Records of the Bedford County Bank, 1910-1931
Series II: Business Records of the Citizen's National Bank, 1929-1941
Series III: Business Records of the Citizen's Bank of Huddleston, 1925-1943
Series IV: Business Records of the Farmer's Savings Bank, 1925-1940
Series V: Business Records of the Great Americans Insurance Company of New York, 1911-1920
Series VI: Business Records of the Nichols Supply Company, 1923-1934
Series VII: Business Records of the People's National Bank of Lynchburk, 1916-1930
Series VIII: Business Records of the Shanklin, Campbell, and Company, 1884-1887
Series IX: Business Records of the Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, 1921-1924
Series X: Business Records of the Unidentified Bank, 1910-1923
Series XI: Business Records of the Unidentified Business, 1920-1930

Related Material

Additional Bedford County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Contents List

Series I: Business Records of the Bedford County Bank, 1910-1931
Physical Location: State Records Center
17 volumes

Scope and Content: The records of the Bedford County Bank are arranged into four series. The records consists of general ledgers, registers of discounted bills, a ledger, and a minute book.

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Series II: Business Records of the Citizen's National Bank, 1929-1941
Physical Location: State Records Center
2 volumes

Scope and Content: The business records of the Citizen's National Bank consist of two ledgers.

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Series III: Business Records of the Citizen's Bank of Huddleston, 1925-1943
Physical Location: State Records Center
1 volume

Scope and Content: The business records of the Citizen's Bank of Huddleston consist of a ledger. The leder was kept by Hunter Miller, receiver for Citizens Bank of Huddleston located in Bedford County, Virginia. It recorded loans given to customers and the payment, or the failure of payment, of said loans. Entries include brief handwritten notes detailing receiver's efforts to recover past due loan payments for bank. Ledger also records individual deposits and overdrafts of customers as well as the bank's assets and liabilities.

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Series IV: Business Records of the Farmers Savings Bank Incorporated, 1925-1940
Physical Location: State Records Center
1 volume

Scope and Content: The business records of the Farmers Savings Bank, Incorporated consist of a ledger. The volume recorded the loans, loan payments, overdrafts, certificates of deposit, and deposits of individual customers. It also records the general liabilities and expenses of the bank such as legal fees, audit fees, and interest payments.

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Series V: Business Records of the Great American Insurance Company of New York, 1911-1920
Physical Location:
1 volume

Historical Information: Formerly known as the German American Insurance Company of New York, the insurance company changed its name in 1918 to the Great American Insurance Company of New York.

Scope and Content: The business records of the Great American Insurance Company of New York consist of a policy book. The volume belonged to R. A. Gilliam, a local insurance agent in Bedford County, Virginia for the Great American Insurance Company of New York. It records pertinent information of individual customers who purchased homeowner's insurance such as the policy number, length of policy, amount insured, rate of insurance, and amount of premium. Also included are copies of the insurance policies and some correspondence related to individual policies. Pages 50-69 are missing.

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Series VI: Business Records of the Nichols Supply Company, 1923-1934
Physical Location: State Records Center
2 volumes

Scope and Content: The business records of the Nichols Supply Company consists of two ledgers. The volumes recorded the individual accounts of customers. The accounts show items purchased, amount owed, and payment of debts. Items sold include flour, field seeds, fertilizer, and farm implements.

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Series VII: Business Records of the People's National Bank of Lynchburg, 1916-1930
Physical Location: State Records Center
1 volume

Scope and Content: The business records of the People's National Bank of Lynchburg consists of a draft register. The volume recorded payments made to other institutions, most of which are banks.

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Series VIII: Business Records of Shanklin, Campbell, and Company, 1884-1887
Physical Location: State Records Cener
1 volume

SCope and Content: The business records of Shanklin, Campbell, and Company consists of a cashbook. The volume recorded the payments received from individual customers for purchases of merchandise and payments of the company's expenses (advertising, freight transportation, commodities, etc.,). Examples of merchandise sold include chickens, ham, butter, and stove eyes.

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Series IX: Business Records of the Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, 1921-1924
Physical Location: State Records Center
1 volume

Scope and Content: The business records of the Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association consists of a contract book. The volume recorded the marketing agreement made between the cooperative and its members in Bedford County and contracts signed by the individual members acknowledging this agreement. Information contained in the contracts include the name and address of the member; date contract was signed; amount of tobacco produced in a given year; number of acres planted; and the type of tobacco grown (dark or bright).

Historical Information: The Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association was first organized in North Carolina in February 1922. It was a cooperative marketing association composed of tobacco producers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

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Series X: Business Records of an Unidentified Bank, 1910-1923
Physical Location: State Records Center
1 volume

Scope and Content: The business records of an unidentified bank, perhaps Bedford County Bank, consists of a register of certificates of deposits. The volume recorded chronologically the certificates of deposit issued to individual customers. Information contained in the register includes the date the certificate of deposit was issued; the name of the individual the certificate was issued to; the value of the certificate; the rate of interest on the certificate; and the date when the certificate was paid.

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Series XI: Business Records of an Unidentified Business, 1920-1930
Physical Location: State Records Center
1 volume

Scope and Content: The business records of the unidentified business consists of a certificate of stock reigister, possibly from a bank. The volume recorded the name and residence of individual shareholders, the number of shares issued, the date they were issued, and the certificate number.

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