A Guide to the Houff & Holler Business Records, 1904-1908
A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Barcode number: 1178211
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000
USA
Phone: (804) 692-3888 (Archives Reference)
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Email: archdesk@lva.virginia.gov(Archives)
URL: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/
© 2008 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Bari Helms
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Preferred Citation
Houff & Holler Business Records, 1904-1908. Local government records collection, Augusta County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
Acquisition Information
These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Augusta County under the accession number 43658.
Historical Information
Houff & Holler, conducted a general mercantile business in Roman, Augusta County, Virginia. The managing partners of the business were J. W. Houff and Michael Holler. The business operated for only a few years until their entire stock was consumed by fire on 6 November 1908.
Scope and Content
Houff & Holler Business Records, 1904-1908, consists of a ledger, inventory and stock book, account book, correspondence, and receipts that record the general store's business dealings in Augusta County, Va.
Ledger, 1904-1907, records the accounts of individual customers. Each account lists transactions in chronological order. Entries include date, type of transactions, and monies debited and credited. Since most of their sales were nearly all for cash, Houff & Holler did not keep records of daily sales. The mercantile sold a variety of goods including clothing, shoes, cloth, soap, candy, eggs, sugar, coffee, beef, cigarettes, peanuts, liniment, morphine, and hardware items.
Inventory and Stock Book, 1907, records the amount of goods in stock. The book includes a single entry dated 7 January 1907, which records the inventories of items such as shoes, hats, gloves, dry goods and notions, groceries, tobacco, produce, and eggs.
Account Book, 1907, is a record of Houff & Holler's account with Planters Bank located in Bridgewater, Virginia. The book only documents deposits into the company's bank account.
Correspondence, 1907-1908, documents Houff & Holler's business dealings with other companies. The correspondence consists primarily of solicitations from other businesses such as Sumter Telephones and Peerless Buggy Company. The businesses offer free or discounted merchandise in exchange for promotion of their items in the general store. Included in this correspondence is information from Sumter Telephones on purchasing, installing, and using their telephones. In order to promote the organization of new lines, Sumter Telephones offered their No. 356-B Mammoth 5-Bar phone complete with installation equipment for $11.25.
Receipts, 1907, record the general store's accounts with other companies in Virginia. Items purchased included paint, dry goods, glassware, lamps, shoes, hardware items, and produce.
Index Terms
- Houff & Holler.
- Consumer goods--Virginia--Augusta County.
- Dry-goods--Virginia--Augusta County.
- General stores--Virginia--Augusta County.
- Merchants--Virginia--Augusta County.
- Augusta County (Va.)--History--20th century.
- Accounts.
- Business records--Virginia--Augusta County.
- Ledgers (account books)--Virginia--Augusta County.
- Letters (correspondence).
- Local government records--Virginia--Augusta County.
- Merchandise inventories.
- Receipts (financial records).
- Holler, Michael.
- Houff, J. W.
Corporate Names:
Subjects:
Geographical Names:
Genre and Form Terms:
Added Entry - Personal Name:
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- Augusta County (Va.)--History--20th century.