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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Snell Grocery and Hardware Company Ledger, 1913-1916, SC 0196, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Purchased from a private seller in November 2007.
The ledger was sold at Green Valley Auctions, Inc. on June 26, 2004.
In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in 2017-2018.
Using the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for Harrisonburg, Virginia, from 1891 to 1930, it was determined that this ledger belonged to the Snell Grocery and Hardware Company. The 1891 Sanborn map shows Yancey, Snell & Company, Wholesale Grocer's plaster mill and warehouse at 541 North Main Street. By 1907, the company was known as Snell & Berry Grocery Company. By 1918, the company was renamed J.M. Snell Grocery. The company is known to have operated from at least 1891 to 1924. Sometime between 1919 and 1924, J.M. Snell Grocery was acquired by Merchants Grocery and Hardware. An additional warehouse was located at 135 West Market Street, but was acquired by Merchants Grocery and Hardware Company between 1919 and 1924, the structure of which still stands. The main warehouse on North Main Street near Kratzer Road has since been demolished.
The Snell Grocery and Hardware Company ledger consists of one book, 1913-1916. The ledger contains a list of all customers during that period, detailed lists of their purchases, whether their purchases were by cash, credit or check, as well as expenses of the company per month. The company sold grocery items such as: dairy products, meats, grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as fertilizer, cement, coal and livestock feed. The Long's Store Records (SC 0218) includes bills and receipts for items purchased from Snell Grocery Company in 1908.