Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Paton and Butcher Business Records, 1803-1838. Local government records collection, Arlington County Court Records/Alexandria (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

Barcode numbers 1100099, 1100100, 1100101, 1100102, 1100103, 1100104, 1100105, 1100106, 1100107, and 1100108 came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Arlington County. Barcode number 1112970 came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the City of Alexandria.

Historical Information

Paton and Butcher was a mercantile business formed in 1775 by John B. Paton and John Butcher and conducted business in Alexandria, Virginia. It sold iron products such as nails, tongs, horse shears, knives, scissors, locks, screws, pots, fish hooks, and kettles. John B. Paton's son William became a partner in the business in 1810. John Butcher died in 1803 leaving his share of the business to his nephew Jonathan Butcher. John B. Paton died in 1819. The surviving partners William Paton and Jonathan Butcher continued the partnership until it was dissolved in 1825 March 11 following the death of William Paton.

Paton and Butcher also owned interest in two other businesses in Alexandria, Virginia, John W. Massie and Company and Ezra Kinsey and Company.

The volumes were used as exhibits in a chancery suit, William H. Irwin and others versus Charles McKnight and others, heard in the Circuit Court of Alexandria County during the 1840's and 1850's.

Arlington County was originally named Alexandria County. It was formed from a part of Fairfax County that was ceded to the U.S. government in 1789 but was returned to Virginia in 1846. The county name was changed in 1920 to Arlington, the name of the Custis family mansion (former home of Robert E. Lee), which is located in the county.

Alexandria, in Fairfax and Arlington counties, was named for John Alexander, an early owner of the tract on the which the town was located. Alexandria was established in 1749. Its site had been known as Hunting Creek Warehouse and as Bellhaven. Alexandria was incorporated as a town in 1779 and in 1789, Alexandria was ceded to the District of Columbia. Formally accepted by Congress in 1801, Alexandria remained under a part of the District until 1847 when it reverted to Virginia. In 1852 Alexandria was incorporatedas a city.

Scope and Content

The business records of Paton and Butcher consist of four daybooks, two ledgers, an invoice book, a letter book, an expense account book, and a cash book.

Daybooks, 1815-1837, record the company's daily transactions. Information found in each entry include date of transaction, name of customer, items purchased, quantity of items purchased, amount owed for each item, form of payment, and total amount owed and paid. Forms of payment include cash, credit, labor, and barter of items such as wine, flour, and clover seed. Each entry also includes a page number where the information listed can be found in a corresponding ledger.

Ledger A, 1803-1826, and Ledger B, 1819-1838, records the accounts of individual customers. Each account lists transactions in chronological order. Information found includes date of transaction, items purchased, quantity of items purchased, cost per item, amount owed for each item, total amount owed, form of payment, and total amount paid. Each entry also includes a page number where the information listed can be found in a corresponding daybook. Ledger A includes an index at the front that lists customers' names in alphabetical order and the page number of their account.

Cashbook, 1825-1831, records cash received and cash paid on an almost daily basis. It includes the names of individuals and accounts the business received cash from and paid cash to.

Invoice book, 1812-1826, records chronologically merchandise shipped to Paton and Butcher. Information found in each entry includes the date merchandise was sent, name of supplier and shipper, location of supplier and shipper, date merchandise arrived, items shipped, quantity of items shipped, cost of each item, and total cash value of shipment. Numerous entries include the name of the ship carrying the merchandise.

Letter book, 1803-1825, records correspondence from Paton and Butcher to individuals and companies. Information found in the correspondence relates to shipment of merchandise, payment of drafts, sale of goods, and legal matters.

Two expense books, 1803-1825, records expenses incurred by Paton and Butcher such as transportation costs, meals, freight costs, postage, and taxes.

Related Material

For additional information see the Arlington County Chancery Cause, William H. Irwin and others versus Charles McKnight and others. It can be found in the Local Records Collection at the Library of Virginia. The index number is 1854-005.

See also John W. Massie and Company Daybook, 1824-1839 and Ezra Kinsey and Company Memorandum Book, 1796-1812 , both of which were also used as exhibits in the Arlington County Chancery Cause, William H. Irwin and others versus Charles McKnight and others. They can be found in the Local Records Collection at the Library of Virginia.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Butcher, John, d. 1803
• Butcher, Jonathan, d. 1841
• Paton, John B., d. 1819
• Paton, William, d. 1825

Corporate Names:

• Paton and Butcher (Arlington County, Va.)

Subjects:

• Barter -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Consumer goods -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Iron industry and trade -- Virginia -- Alexandria.
• Iron industry and trade -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Shipping -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Shipping and trade -- Virginia -- Alexandria.

Geographical Names:

• Alexandria (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.
• Arlington County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Account books -- Virginia -- Alexandria.
• Business records -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Cashbooks -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Daybooks -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Invoices -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Ledgers (account books) -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Letter books -- Virginia -- Arlington County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Alexandria.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Arlington County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data