The collection is open for research.
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], William Thomas Account Book, Ms1940-031, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The William Thomas Account Book was donated to Newman Library in October 1975.
The processing and description of the William Thomas Account Book commenced in October 2011 and was completed in November 2011.
The 1860 census records only one William Thomas in Blacksburg: a 64-year-old Maryland-born farmer. According to various sources, a Blacksburg merchant named William Thomas was born in Maryland on May 25, 1796. The son of Giles T. and Nancy Ann Wheeler Thomas, William Thomas moved to the Blacksburg area while in his late teens. In 1819, he married Rachel Montgomery Hoge (1800-1828), and the couple had three children. Following Rachel's death, Thomas married Lucretia Howe (1806-1889), with whom he had five children. Thomas served as Montgomery County sheriff and operated a successful mercantile business and tanyard, as well as a farm. He also had an interest in Montgomery White Sulphur Springs and served in Virginia's General Assembly, as clerk for Blacksburg's Presbyterian Church, and as a trustee of the Blacksburg Female Academy. William Thomas died on February 14, 1863 and is buried in Blacksburg's Westview Cemetery.
This collection consists of a single account book maintained by William Thomas, a merchant in Montgomery County, Virginia around the middle of the 19th century. It includes names of customers, itemized lists of goods purchased, dates of puchases, and amounts paid.
The guide to the William Thomas Account Book by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).