W. Elwood Chipman business records
Creation: 1925-1961Abstract
W. Elwood Chipman (1893-1977) was a grain, feed, and hardware dealer in Laurel, Delaware, between 1925 and 1961. The collection consists of the business records of Chipman & Penuel (later Elwood Chipman). The records of W. Elwood Chipman's agricultural mercantile business largely consist of ledgers of accounts receivable; sales; orders; purchases; and expenses of produce, sweet potatoes, feed and grain supplies, packaging materials, broiled chickens, and other operational necessities.
Dates
- Creation: 1925-1961
Extent
13 Linear Feet
Biographical Note
W. Elwood Chipman (1893-1977) was a grain, feed, and hardware dealer in Laurel, Delaware, between 1925 and 1961.
Walter Elwood Chipman was born in Laurel, Delaware, on July 17, 1893, to a prominent Sussex County family. He operated a general mercantile business in Laurel serving the local Delmarva Peninsula farming community, which specialized in providing chickens and "truck" produce to nearby urban markets. Chipman dealt in feed, grain, hardware, and other supplies needed by farmers, as well as in the products of the country. Between 1925 and 1944, he operated in partnership with Howard Joseph Penuel (1890-1977), later a director of the Southern Delaware Truck Growers Association. Chipman died at Laurel on December 27, 1977.
Scope and Contents
The records of W. Elwood Chipman's agricultural mercantile business largely consist of ledgers of accounts receivable; sales; orders; purchases; and expenses of produce, sweet potatoes, feed and grain supplies, packaging materials, broiled chickens, and other operational necessities.
Chipman kept a ledger of personal expenses, as well as his business expenses from 1945 to 1961. There are bank account books with two banks, the Sussex Trust Company and the People's National Bank. Additionally, there are petty cash books, an insurance register, a record of accounts from the International Harvester Company for 1935, and two credit rating books compiled by the Peerless Fertilizer Company, one dated 1935, the other dated 1937.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- W. Elwood Chipman business records
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021: Laurie Sather
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
