Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
John M. Jackson, Archivist
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The content of this collection is in the public domain. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives ( specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Clement M. Adkisson Account Book, Ms1940-001, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The Clement M. Adkisson Account Book was acquired by the VPI Agricultural Branch Library in 1939 or 1940 and transferred to Special Collections and University Archives in 1955.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Clement M. Adkisson Account book commenced and was completed in February 2011. Initial description was completed in or prior to May 1970.
Please note: This item was originally cataloged as the "C. M. Adkinson & Company Account Book." Because the volume had been rebound at some point, any original identifying information from the binding was lost, and the name C. M. Adkinson was derived from a latter-day label on the volume's front endpapers. The new attribution, changing the name to the "C. M. Adkisson Account book," is derived from an examination of the contents and from research. The first entry in this volume is an agreement entered into by C. M. Adkisson and Samuel T. Wright. Furthermore, though the 1870 census did record a 61-year-old merchant named C. M. Atkinson in Halifax County, other reliable sources, including other censuses, record this man's name as Clement M. Adkisson.
Biographical Note
Clement M. Adkisson, son of Jesse and Jinny Medley Adkisson, was born ca. 1809 in Cluster Springs (Halifax County), Virginia. He married Mary Webb Sydnor (1824-1891) in 1849. The couple seems to have had one child, a son named William S. Adkisson, born in 1857. Adkisson owned and operated a general store at Scottsburg (Halifax County) and appears to have partnered, at least temporarily, with a Samuel T. Wright. Clement M. Adkisson is recorded by the 1860 federal census as a 51-year-old merchant and farmer, living in Scottsburg, Virginia. Also in the household are 35-year-old Mary W. Adkisson, Willie S. Adkisson (2), Synthia Adkisson (62), Mourning Adkisson (53), and several people who were apparently boarders. The family continues to be listed among the inhabitants of Halifax County through the 1880 census.
Scope and Content
This collection contains a single account book, purportedly from the store of Clement M. Adkisson, of Halifax County, Virginia. The ledger's entries commence with January 1859 and end in November 1861. Possibly copied from the store's day book, the entries may represent credit transactions. Each entry provides the customer's name, a description of items purchased, and the dates and prices of purchases.
Related Material
A transcription of the data in the Clement M. Adkisson Account Book may be found in a searchable database. See Mescher, Virginia, Historic Accounts: a Study of Store Ledgers from the Mid-Nineteenth Century with a Searchable Database (Burke, VA: Vintage, Volumes, 2001). Call no. F232 H17 M47 2001 Spec Large.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Account books
- Civil War
- Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Clement M. Adkisson Account Book by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your- work/public-domain/cc0/ ).