Caroline County (Va.) Business Records, 1802-1906, undated

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

Many of these business volumes are fragile. Please handle these volumes with extreme care..

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Caroline County (Va.) Business Records, 1802-1906, undated. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Summary

Extent:
9 volumes
Creator:
Caroline County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Caroline County (Va.) Business Records, 1802-1906, undated. Local government records collection, Caroline County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Caroline County (Va.) Business Records, 1802-1906, undated, are comprised of various records created by individuals and companies in pursuit of documenting business activities in and around Caroline County (Va.) Represented records consist of bound volumes such as ledgers and a daybook.

Historical Information:William and Henry H. Dickenson and Company was a mercantile partnership that conducted business during the early nineteenth century in Caroline County.

Scope and Content:William and Henry H. Dickenson and Company Ledgers, 1802-1810, records the accounts of individual customers. Each account lists in chronological order the amount owed for merchandise purchased and the amount paid.

Historical Information:L. C. Sale General Merchandise was a general store owned by Lewis Cephas Sale located in Guinea, Virginia in Caroline County.

Scope and Content:: L. C. Sale General Merchandise Ledgers, 1902-1906, record the accounts of individual customers. Each account lists in chronological order items purchased, amount owed, and amount paid. Payments made by cash, barter such as hay and corn, or labor such as building a roof and hauling wood. Items sold include vinegar, fruit, coffee, clothing, farm tools, and meat.

Historical Information:: Solomon and Davidson Dry Goods and Notions was located in Baltimore, Maryland. Sigmund Solomon and R. C. Davidson were partners in the business.

Scope and Content:Solomon and Davidson Dry Goods and Notions Ledgers, 1885-1887, undated, records chronologically payments for goods received from other businesses. It also records the amount owed and paid by businesses and individuals to Solomon and Davidson Dry Goods and Notions. The store sold fabric, clothing, and small items used for sewing such as needles, pins, thread, and buttons.

Scope and Content:Unidentified Merchant Daybook, 1826-1830, notes a business conducted on a daily basis in Bowling Green, Virginia. This business is located in Caroline County. The volume records the name of the customer, merchandise purchased, and the amount owed or paid. Merchandise sold include whiskey, farm tools, knives, sugar, candles, and silk.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: Business Records, both volumes and loose records, are in some cases transferred to the Library of Virginia as components of court record transfers. These business records in some cases were simply stored in the local court building for safe keeping by business owners. In other cases, business records (particularly ledgers, account books, etc.) may have been filed in a court case as an exhibit. These business record exhibits appeared both in chancery causes and in judgments, these records serving as exhibits for business dissolution cases, debt suits, and contract disputes.

Locality History: Caroline County was named for Caroline of Anspach, wife of King George II. It was formed from Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties on 1 May 1728, and additional parts of King and Queen County were added in 1742 and in 1763. The county seat is Bowling Green. Area: 532.5 square miles. Population: 22,121 (2000), 24,300 (2005 estimate.)

Lost Records Locality: Created in 1728. Most loose records and deed books prior to 1836 and will books prior to 1853 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse in May 1864. A near-complete run of order books exists.

Acquisition information:
These records came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Caroline County in an undated accession.
Processing information:

Prior to 2024, the various business records in this collection were originally described as individual records, but they have been consolidated into one large business record for the locality.

Encoded by C. Freed, October 2024

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged

  • Series I: William and Henry H. Dickenson and Company Ledgers, 1802-1810
  • Series II: : L. C. Sale General Merchandise Ledgers, 1902-1906
  • Series III: Solomon and Davidson Dry Goods and Notions Ledgers, 1885-1887, undated
  • Series IV: Unidentified Merchant Daybook, 1826-1830

Physical location:
State Records Center