Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. 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], James Tarter Ledgers, 1879-1941, Ms2022-061, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in two accruals in 2020.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the James Tarter Ledgers was completed in October 2022. The ledger for 1879-1881 was added in October 2023.

Biographical Note

James Ephraim Tarter was born to Elijah Tarter and Catherine (Baker) Tarter in Wythe County, Virginia, on March 14, 1857. He married Letitia Virginia "Lettie" Gose in Wythe County on December 28, 1882, and they had at least 10 children. Tarter worked as a doctor in Southwest Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was a member of the Southern Medical Association. He died in Wytheville on May 31, 1921.

Sources:

United State Censuses, 1900, 1910

"James E. Tarter", Virginia, U.S., Marriage Registers, 1853-1935. Wythe County, 1882. Ancestry.com Database. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/1012304:60214 .

Dr James E. Tarter. FindAGrave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195794386/james-e.-tarter .

Scope and Content

This collection contains financial documents, personal records, and ephemera related to the medical practice of Dr. James E. Tarter of Wytheville, Virginia, from roughly 1879 to 1941. Materials include ledgers, doctor's record books, textbooks, receipts and checkbooks, medical publications, medical equipment, and one photograph. Tarter's record books list patients treated and some include information about diseases as well as records of patient treatments, births, and deaths.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by material type:

Series I: Ledgers, 1879-1887, 1890-1920, undated, includes ledgers and large record books.

Series II: Textbooks and Publications, 1885, 1890, 1906, 1910, 1920, includes textbooks and medical publications.

Series III: Account Books and Receipts, 1888-1931, includes account books and receipts.

Series IV: Physician Records and Personal Papers, 1889-1941, undated, includes other physician records and documents.

Series V: Ephemera, undated, includes medical ephemera and one photograph.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Bland County (Va.)
• Folk, historical, and patent medicine
• Ledgers (account books)
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Medicine
• Wythe County (Va.)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the James Tarter Ledgers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).