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Provenance

From the estate of Larry Derrer, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], J. E. R. Lightfoot Grocery Daybook, 1913-1926, SC 0375, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Purchased at Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates' Americana Auction on March 22, 2024.

Biographical / Historical

James Edward Russell Lightfoot (1878-1946), son of Henry and Mary Lightfoot, was an African American merchant and civic leader in Culpeper, Virginia. Lightfoot took over as owner/proprietor his father's store, Lightfoot Grocery, upon his retirement. The grocery was located on Davis St. in Culpeper and according to the store's billheads specialized in "staple and fancy groceries" including mill feed, canned goods, meats, butter, eggs, vegetables, assorted tobacco products, and soft drinks. Lightfoot was active in the Mt. Olive Baptist Church, the Orange Horse Show and Racing Association, the local Masonic lodge, and the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks.

Scope and Contents

The daybook includes daily entries for payments made by Lightfoot's store primarily to other vendors and distributors including Culpeper Grocery Company, Orange Grocery Company, Chesapeake Baking Company, Culpeper Pharmacy, Standard Oil Company, Peoples Grocery Company, Merchant Grocery Company, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Works, The Leib Packing Company, Alexandria Coffee Company, National Biscuit Company, and others.

Loose papers were removed from the front of the daybook and include receipts for taxes and levies paid and receipts from Lightfoot's store as well as other local businesses. A 1924 deed between J.E.R. and Martha P. Lightfoot and James L. Garfield documents the sale of two parcels of land adjacent to the town of Culpeper and known as "Lightfoot's Addition" to Garfield.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• African American businesspeople -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century
• Account books -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century
• Business records -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century
• Culpeper (Va.) -- 20th century
• Culpeper County (Va.) -- 20th century
• Daybooks
• Derrer, Larry, 1944-2022
• Food prices -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century
• General stores -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century
• Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
• Merchants -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century
• Retail trade -- Virginia -- Culpeper -- 20th century