Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
[identification of item], [box #, folder #], J. E. R. Lightfoot Grocery Daybook, 1913-1926, SC 0375, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Purchased at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates' Americana Auction on March 22, 2024.
From the estate of Larry Derrer, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
James Edward Russell Lightfoot (1878-1946), son of Henry and Mary Lightfoot, was an African American merchant and civic leader in Culpeper, Virginia. Lightfoot took over as owner/proprietor his father's store, Lightfoot Grocery, upon his retirement. The grocery was located on Davis St. in Culpeper and according to the store's billheads specialized in "staple and fancy groceries" including mill feed, canned goods, meats, butter, eggs, vegetables, assorted tobacco products, and soft drinks. Lightfoot was active in the Mt. Olive Baptist Church, the Orange Horse Show and Racing Association, the local Masonic lodge, and the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks.
The daybook includes daily entries for payments made by Lightfoot's store primarily to other vendors and distributors including Culpeper Grocery Company, Orange Grocery Company, Chesapeake Baking Company, Culpeper Pharmacy, Standard Oil Company, Peoples Grocery Company, Merchant Grocery Company, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Works, The Leib Packing Company, Alexandria Coffee Company, National Biscuit Company, and others.
Loose papers were removed from the front of the daybook and include receipts for taxes and levies paid and receipts from Lightfoot's store as well as other local businesses. A 1924 deed between J.E.R. and Martha P. Lightfoot and James L. Garfield documents the sale of two parcels of land adjacent to the town of Culpeper and known as "Lightfoot's Addition" to Garfield.