Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508140020
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: C10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY SUE GRIGG
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
My book is 10x14 inches with 600 pages bound in heavy cloth-covered boards. The first page is dated July 24, 1896, which turned out to be a Friday. There were 37 transactions that day totaling $15.59. Here are some examples:
"Ben Jinkins/son sugar 10 cents, J.B. Harvey/self tobacco 10 cents, L. Butler/daughter starch 5 cents, L. Butler/wife one chicken 15 cents."
Beside each name is a number - like "396/L. Butler." This served as a record of each transaction made. The name after the number denotes who made the purchase. The number of transactions the Butler family made was 575.
On July 25, which was a Saturday, there were 73 transactions totaling $113.80. I found that Thursdays and Saturdays were the busiest shopping days.
I started looking at transaction No. 396 to see how many people were in the family and what type of items they purchased. I see that on July 27 "L. Butler/self" came into the store and purchased some stuff for 10 cents. Then on July 28 "L. Butler/mother" purchased 10 yards of calico for 50 cents, soap for 5 cents and oil for 10 cents. "L. Butler/son" also bought 25 cents worth of sugar under the same transaction number. On July 29, "L. Butler/wife" bought more cloth - five yards of satin - for 63 cents, a spool of cotton for 5 cents and three fans for 5 cents. After looking through all these transactions, I now know that Lawrence Butler had a wife, daughter, son and mother (probably all living in the same house).
Who is missing from the list on the account book? Women! All members of a household bought under one account and female heads of household were definitely rare.
The ledger also reveals the variety of goods for sale at a general store: food, clothing, dry goods, household supplies, patent medicines, oil and lard.
I saw that on Oct. 5 someone in the Butler family was sick. "L. Butler/wife" bought 3 oz. of medicine No. 2 for 75 cents and a new pair of shoes for $1.10.
On Dec. 17, the following transactions were made by "L. Butler/self": apples, 15 cents; corset, $1; a pair of shoes, $3.50; a comb, 10 cents; Roman candles, 8 cents; two handkerchiefs, 5 cents; candy, 5 cents; two pairs of socks, 20 cents; a lamp, $1.50; and a box of shells, 35 cents. It appears that Lawrence Butler did some Christmas shopping on that day.
On Dec.19th, "L. Butler/wife," bought coconut, 5 cents;
a dozen eggs, 20 cents; a doll, 35 cents; tobacco, 25 cents; nuts, 30 cents; and four cream pitchers, $1.
This was the last entry for the L. Butler family.
I hope their life was as full as their Christmas stockings were.
by CNB