The collection is open for 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.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], John Garst Account Ledgers, 1844-1850, Ms2023-077, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The John Garst Account Ledgers was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in February 2017.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the John Garst Account Ledgers was completed in July 2023.
John N. Garst (also Gharst; ca. 1796-1875) was the son of Frederick and Magdalena Garst. In 1842, he purchased 130 acres of land on Mason's Creek in Roanoke, Virginia, and built the Garst Mill in 1845. The mill was later renamed the Kesler Mill and operated until 1922.
Garst married Christina Peffley in 1821, and they had several children.
External sources:
U.S. Federal Censuses, 1850-1870
"John N. Gharst I", findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64345556/john-n-gharst, accessed on July 19, 2023.
"Garst/Kesler Mill Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail", Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=15146, accessed on July 19, 2023.
"John Garst" in the Virginia, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/2558/records/742440, accessed February 6, 2025.
"John Garst" in the U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/7836/records/454952, accessed February 6, 2025.
The ledgers in this collection are detail John Garst's carpentry and mill business. The ledger entries include the making of 1100 rails, selling and purchasing planks, and repairing and making wagons. There are many people mentioned throughout the ledgers, including Charles Parrish, Jr., Colonel Abraham Hupp, Robert Paxton, Adolphus Huff, and more.
The collection is arranged chronologically.
See the Henry and John Garst papers, 1830-1867, at Duke University's David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
The guide to the John Garst Account Ledgers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (