Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

James Compton and Son Daybook and Ledger, 1856-1862. Rockbridge County (Va.) Reel 203, Local Government Records Collection, Rockbridge County Court Records, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Theses volumes were microfilmed in 2013 by Backstage Library Works in Bethlehem, PA.

Historical Information

James Compton and Son was a general store that conducted business in Lexington, Virginia during mid- nineteenth century. Virginia Military Institute was one of its customers.

Scope and Content

The daybook and ledger of James Compton and Son, a general store, consist of a daybook and a ledger.

Daybook, 1859-1861, records transactions monthly and then alphabetically by customers' surnames within each month. Each entry includes name of customer, date of transaction, items purchased, quantity of items purchased, cost per item, amount owed, form of payment, and total amount paid. Items sold include books, spices, dry-goods, nails, clothing, paper, matches, pens, and toiletries. Forms of payment include cash, credit, and barter of items such as butter, cherries, soap, and chickens. Entries include page numbers where information was transferred to the customer's individual account in the corresponding ledger.

Ledger, 1856-1862, records the accounts of individual customers. Each account lists transactions in chronological order. Information found in each entry includes month of transaction, total amount owed for items purchased that month, total amount paid for items purchased made that month, and amount paid. Entries include page numbers where information was transferred from the corresponding daybook. The volume includes an index listing the names of customers in alphabetical order and the page number where their accounts can be found.