[VIRGINIA] [ACCOUNT BOOK] Staunton, Augusta County, Farm and Boarding House

1862-1875. Hardcover. 228 pages. 20 x 13.5 cm. Owner used 3/4 of the lined pages. Staunton, Virginia, located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia (Augusta County), is situated between the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east and the Allegheny Mountains on the west. This account book, written during the Civil War, consists of the day-to-day transactions between the Proprietor and the numerous individuals that either boarded on, made use of the owner's land, or purchased various products and services from proprietor, including $600 for a land bond in 1862. The individual seems to have been a "middleman" in many transactions such as in once instance they "received money for corn from the soldiers". Although there is no "proprietor/proprietress" identified within the ledger, we were able to pinpoint the precise area in Virginia by using the names listed within the account book. These residents were farmers, distillers, millers, blacksmiths, laborers, and coopers. The proprietor boarded individual tenants as well as itinerant passengers from the "stage train". The proprietor also sold loads of wood, pastured cows, various merchandise (even a tomb stone), loaned and borrowed a good deal of money (for the time), and hired out individuals including "Negroes". The account book is disorderly in many ways, as the dates vary and are not in any order, the writing is irregular (but readable), and the subject matter accounts for all aspects of living within a farmstead during the mid 1800's. A sampling of the numerous records: 1862 - "paid for butter, eggs, clover seed, candles." 1863 - "Boarding passengers, Harmons Stage Train. Pasturing Cows, Sending Wheat to mill." 1864 Jan. 5 - Mrs. Colten borrowed 100 dollars from me, returned it Jan. 8." The writer makes reference to a female going off to school in Newport (Virginia) on Oct. 21st, 1862 and returning Nov. 14th. In 1862 the proprietor paid their taxes - $15.75 and paid taxes on Negroes - $14.62. By 1873 the proprietor stated they "have at this time 8 beds, 14 blankets, 53 1/2 barrels of Corn, and 63 bushels of Oats." All in all, an objective look at the daily lives of the citizens in the area during an exceptional time in our country's history. Boards heavily rubbed with loss to spine. Brown embossed leather. Good. Item #4096

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