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], Bergen County, New Jersey, General Store Account Book, Ms1978-012, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Bergen County, New Jersey, General Store Account Book was acquired by Special Collections in 1978.
The processing and description of the Bergen County, New Jersey, General Store Account Book commenced and was completed in May 2011.
The item was accessioned and originally cataloged as "General Store Day Book," but a closer examination of the piece during processing revealed it to be an account ledger, rather than a day book. Research through a census check of the customer names revealed that the volume probably originated from Bergen County, New Jersey. Because the item includes several loose items, receipts issued to a Benjamin Post, it seems likely that Post was the store's proprietor.
An examination of the account ledger indicates that it may have been maintained by Benjamin Post of Bergen County, New Jersey. A Benjamin Post married Margaret Maysinger (1802-1866) ca. 1820 in Bergen County. The 1850 census lists a 60-year-old carpenter named Benjamin Post living in Bergen County's Hohokus Township. Also in the household were 58-year-old Margaret Post and children Sarah (18), William (14), Adaline (8), Matilda (6), and Hannah Jane (2). The census record indicates that all had been born in New Jersey. No further record could be found.
This collection consists of a single account ledger from an unidentified store, surmised to have been located in Bergen County, New Jersey, and possibly operated by Benjamin Post. The ledger contains customer names; dates of purchases; lists of goods purchased; prices paid; credits in cash, trade, and labor; and balances.
The guide to the Bergen County, New Jersey, General Store Account Book by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).