The collection is open to 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.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], William Smith Account Book, Ms1988-103, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The William Smith Account Book was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1988.
The processing and description of the William Smith Account Book commenced and was completed in May, 2021.
The front cover of this account book bears the name of William Smith. The front cover verso bears, in a latter-day hand, the words "Lancaster Co. Pa." The 1900 census lists a 55-year-old grocer named William M. Smith living in the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania home of Milton Wenges, his brother-in-law. William M. Smith, son of William and Elizabeth Ringwalt Smith, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on May 29, 1845. He died in Lancaster County on December 2, 1917, and was buried in Saint Stephen United Church of Christ Cemetery, Lancaster County.
This collection consists of a single, small account book maintained by William Smith, a resident of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the early twentieth century. The structure and contents of the book suggest that it may have been the cash book of a grocery merchant. The entries, in chronological order, list names and prices of goods sold. The items consist overwhelmingly of foodstuffs (frequently listed items are bread, fruit, pretzels, salt, butter, and cheese), though household items are occasionally listed.
The guide to the William Smith Account Book by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).