Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers,

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish material from Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers, Ms2014-003, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
1.2 Cubic Feet 4 boxes
Abstract:
The Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers collection includes 26 ledgers divided that account for the business of John E. Criser, J. S. Kelley, Blakey and Hamilton Co., and Yancey and Faulkner, as well as others in and around the town of Warm Springs. Ledgers date from 1884-1942, but the majority are from 1900-1920. The various companies appear to have done assorted business with each other as they appear sporadically in each other's ledgers.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers, Ms2014-003, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers collection includes 26 ledgers divided that account for the business of John E. Criser, J. S. Kelley, Blakey and Hamilton Co., and Yancey and Faulkner, as well as others in and around the town of Warm Springs. Ledgers date from 1884-1942, but the majority are from 1900-1920. The various companies appear to have done assorted business with each other as they appear sporadically in each other's ledgers.

This collection of ledgers documents small businesses from the late 19th century to the 20th century. The records provide insight not only to the businesses themselves but also a generalization of how business was run, prices for individual items, types of things a business would sell, etc. In addition to the records themselves, many of the items contain other pieces of information of importance to the businesses: wage earnings, population and demographic statistics, currency, tax returns, etc.

Several of the daybooks also historical information on a variety of topics, including general and local history. One daybook has documentation of the 116th infantry and the members of the "Federal Street Bunch" from Petersburg. From information gathered, this "Bunch" was a company from Petersburg, VA with members from across the state that joined the 116th U.S. Infantry, party of the 29th Infantry Division during the first World War. Another daybook contains biographical details of about 20 boys including age, birth place, popular songs, dances, books, sayings, etc. of that time period.

Biographical / historical:

The Blakely and Hamilton Livery appeared to be a prominent business in Warm Springs, VA. The ledger books are very detailed and indicate a booming business in the early 20th century. The first "Day Book" in the collection dated Aug. 27th, 1914 includes historical information on a wide range of topics: list of Presidents, "In Case of Accidents" procedure, "Antidotes for Poisons", Legal Weights: Pounds per Bushel of items, Domestic Weights and Measures, Business Law in Daily Use, Quantity of Seed Required to Plant an Acre, Interest Laws and Statutes of Limitations, Weight per Bushel of Grain, Etc., Carrying Capacity of a Freight Car, Short Method for Calculating Interest, and Compound Interest on One Dollar for 100 Years.

Very little information could be found about John E. Criser, the owner of most of the ledgers in Series II, but his grave was found in Warm Springs, Bath County, Virginia. He was born on July 21, 1877 and died on December 9, 1940, dating him at about 30-40 years old when these ledgers were kept. He was married to Myrtle B. Criser (1876-1953).

Lastly, the Day Book highlighting the 116th Infantry provides much historical information about the formation of Infantry Divisions in Virginia during World War I as well as information on popular culture of the time including songs, dances, books, etc. The 29th Infantry Division, of which the 116th infantry was a member, was deployed to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. They were nicknamed "The Blue and Gray" because the division comprised of soldiers from both previously Union and Confederate states.

Sources: Record of "Hot Springs Automobile and Livery Co., Inc., Hot Springs, Va...July 22, 1909"John E. Criser

Acquisition information:
The Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers were purchased by Special Collections 2014.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Warm Springs, Virginia, Ledgers was completed in May 2014.

Arrangement:

This collection is divided into two boxes containing one series each:

Series I: Hamilon Ledgers: Boxes 1-2 contain 8 ledgers sharing some relation with "J. W. Hamilton" that document farm and livery record keeping. Such businesses involving Hamilton include "Blakely, Hamilton and Co. Independent Livery", "Hamilton and Wright", and "J. W. Hamilton, Warm Springs Livery Acct." This series ranges from 1900-1918.

Series II: Other Ledgers and Daybooks: Boxes 3-4 contain the remaining 18 ledgers in the collection that include an assortment of daybooks, records, and ledgers pertaining to a variety of personnel from Warm Springs, primarily John E. Criser. Criser's ledgers document his farm business including wages owed to workers, prices for items bought and sold, and other business happenings. This series ranges from 1890-1942 with the majority of ledgers documenting from 1900-1920.