Collection of Mid-Atlantic account books
Creation: 1806-1920Abstract
Account books were maintained by individuals and business as a way to keep track of financial transactions. This collection includes thirty-eight account books from twenty-five different businesses and individuals in the Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania area, with one additional account book from San Francisco County, California.
Dates
- Creation: 1806-1920
Extent
38 item(s)
Historical Note
Account books document the lives of common people, sometimes the only non-governmental record. A fragmentary or single-volume account book can provide valuable information about the business or industry. The account book can reconstruct the activities, or operations of the merchant. Account books can provide information about what goods and services were available, rates and wages, costs, seasonal changes, yearly price changes, and the names of customers or business partners, all of which can reveal patterns. The information that can be derived from an account book is more than economical, but social and cultural as well. Account books were kept by farmers, artisans, and laborers, as well as by merchants and manufacturers.
Scope and Contents
This collection is an artificially created collection of miscellaneous account books of twenty-five businesses and individuals in the Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania area. There is also one account book from San Francisco County, California.
The account book from California, for the Central Hill Mining and Water Company, documents gold mining operations, including water collector's reports, records of gold dust cleaned, and accounts of the Jordan Hill Mining Company.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Collection of Mid-Atlantic account books
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021: Ashley Williams
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
