The collection is open for research.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Blacksburg, Virginia, General Store Day Book, Ms1968-010, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Blacksburg, Virginia, General Store Day Book was acquired by Newman Library in 1968.
The processing and description of the Blacksburg, Virginia, General Store Day Book commenced and was completed in April, 2011.
Evidence suggests that this ledger may have been maintained by Blacksburg merchant James P. Harvey. While the great majority of transactions in the day book identify customers by full name, a number are marked to the account of an individual with initials "J. P. H.," indicating that the store owner felt comfortable in not providing the entire name and would immediately recognize the initials.
Various sources note that J. P. Harvey was a store merchant in Blacksburg during the 1890s, and the 1900 census describes 39-year-old Blacksburg resident James P. Harvey as a merchant. He is listed again as a dry goods merchant in the 1910 census. An obituary for James P. Harvey, appearing in the June 15, 1915 edition of the
There is also a Harvey family buried in Westview Cemetery, Blacksburg: James Patton Templeton Harvey (1861-1915), Margie S. Effinger Harvey (1860-1928), Jerry Effinger Harvey (1893-1915), and James Richard Harvey (1896-1916).
Sources:
U.S. Censuses, 1900, 1910.
University Catalogs, 1893/1894-1913/1914.
"James Patton Templeton Harvey" entry, Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74334899/james-patton_templeton-harvey, accessed Nov. 29, 2022.
Obituary for James P. Harvey,
This collection consists of a single day book from an unidentified general store. The names of the customers would seem place the business in the Blacksburg, Virginia area. The ledger includes customer names, dates of purchase, goods purchased, and prices. Among the customers are a number of students and professors from the Virginia Agriculatural & Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech).
The guide to the Blacksburg, Virginia, General Store Day Book by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).