Clement M. Adkisson Account Book,
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains a single account book, purportedly from the store of Clement M. Adkisson, of Halifax County, Virginia. The ledger's entries commence with January, 1859 and end in November, 1861. Possibly copied from the store's day book, the entries may represent credit transactions. Each entry provides the customer's name, a description of items purchased, and the dates and prices of purchases.
Dates
- Creation: 1859 - 1861
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from Clement M. Adkisson Account Book must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Note
Clement M. Adkisson, son of Jesse and Jinny Medley Adkisson, was born ca. 1809 in Cluster Springs (Halifax County), Virginia. He married Mary Webb Sydnor (1824-1891) in 1849. The couple seems to have had one child, a son named William S. Adkisson, born in 1857. Adkisson owned and operated a general store at Scottsburg (Halifax County) and appears to have partnered, at least temporarily, with a Samuel T. Wright. Clement M. Adkisson is recorded by the 1860 federal census as a 51-year-old merchant and farmer, living in Scottsburg, Virginia. Also in the household are 35-year-old Mary W. Adkisson, Willie S. Adkisson (2), Synthia Adkisson (62), Mourning Adkisson (53), and several people who were apparently boarders. The family continues to be listed among the inhabitants of Halifax County through the 1880 census.
Full Extent
0.5 Cubic Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Ledger from Halifax County, Virginia general mercantile store, with entries listing customer names, together with descriptions of items purchased and dates and prices of purchases.
Acquisition Information
The Clement M. Adkisson Account Book was acquired by Newman Library prior to 1941.
Physical Characteristics
0.5 cu. ft. 1 box
NOTE:
This item was originally cataloged in Special Collections as the "C. M. Adkinson & Company Account Book." Because the volume had been rebound at some point, any original identifying information from the binding was lost, and the name C. M. Adkinson was derived from a latter-day label on the volume's front endpapers. The new attribution, changing the name to the "C. M. Adkisson Account book," is derived from an examination of the contents and from research. The first entry in this volume is an agreement entered into by C. M. Adkisson and Samuel T. Wright. Furthermore, though the 1870 census did record a 61-year-old merchant named C. M. Atkinson in Halifax County, other reliable sources, including other censuses, record this man's name as Clement M. Adkisson.
Processing Information
The processing and description of the Clement M. Adkisson Account book commenced and was completed in February, 2011.
- Title
- A Guide to the Clement M. Adkisson Account Book, 1859-1861
- Subtitle
- A collection in Special Collections.
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- ©2011 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu