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Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Moore and Kerlin Store Records, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally processed by Benjamin Bromley in June 2011. This collection was further arranged by Rachel Hiscox, SCRC Staff, in September 2011.

Biographical / Historical

Owners of a store, circa 1820-1920, in Shenandoah County, Virginia near Forestville. This store consisted of a general merchandise store, a blacksmith shop, post office (1841-1859), and a mill. Earlier ledgers suggest that the store was started by Adam Miller and later sold to the Moore family. The Moore and Kerlin families are connected through marriage.

Scope and Contents

Records circa 1820-1920 of a store in Shenandoah County, Virginia near Forestville run by the Moore and Kerlin families.  This store consisted of a general merchandise store, a blacksmith shop, post office that ran 1841-1859, and a mill.  Earlier ledgers suggest that the store was started by Adam Miller and later sold to the Moore family.  The Moore and Kerlin families are connected through marriage.  Records include store accounts of purchases and credits, receipts, broadsides, and publications related to voting and the Democratic party.  The ledgers, in addition to store accounts, accounts of the blacksmith, and accounts of the lumber mill, have amusing doodles, evidence of someone practicing grammar, sentence diagramming, and penmanship, and various newspaper clippings and notes on such topics as soap making, snake bite and frostbite remedies and tips for successful farming. The publications include a pamphlet from the Democratic Committee of Shenandoah County referring to the race between Cleveland and Harrison, a notice of forfeiture from the W.B. Mutual Aid Society of Pennsylvania 1881, a summons from the state of Virginia, Le Grande's Arabian Catarrh Remedy Advertisement, Catalogue of Fruit 1860, Broadside for Bashaw horse race, Advertisement for Sheetz Brothers, Voter's Registration 1896, Castoria baby formula advertisement, Democratic Committee of Shenandoah County Minutes, Dupont Powder and Shells Advertisement, and an Arm and Hammer Soda Advertisement.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Ledgers (Accounting)
• Merchants--Virginia--Shenandoah County
• Shenandoah County (Va.)--History
• Shenandoah County (Va.)--History--19th century