Finding Aid of the George Williamson and Co., 1816-1829; 1834-1840, PC.AB.512
Abstract
George Williamson & Co. was founded in Yanceyville, Caswell County by Williamson, a businessman and high sheriff long prominent in his county's affairs.The ten manuscript volumes comprise an invoice book (1816-1820); one volume of cash sales (1816-1819) and five volumes of credit sales (1817-1819, 1821, 1825); one blacksmith shop ledger of accounts of debts (1823-1826), prefaced by miscellaneous financial memorada; and two blacksmith shop journals (1827-1829; 1834-1840) that appear to function as a rough account from which entries were to be posted in ledgers not present in the collection. Seven of the volumes relate to Williamson's mercantile business, while three relate to his blacksmith shop (with one of the latter relating to the financial side of Williamson's duties as sheriff.)
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- George Williamson and Co., 1816-1829; 1834-1840
- Call Number
- PC.AB.512
- Creator
- George Williamson & Co.
- Date
- 1816-1829; 1834-1840
- Extent
- 10.00 volumes
- Language
- English
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], PC.AB.512, George Williamson and Co., State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Collection Overview
The surviving financial records of this firm include an invoice book, May 1816-December
1820; 5 journals comprised of one volume of cash sales and five volumes of credit
sales, 1816-1825; and 3 volumes of a blacksmith shop records, 1823-1829; 1834-1840.
George Williamson (c.1789-1856) was long prominent in Caswell County affairs. As a
businessman in Yanceyville, Williamson formed a partnership with Nathaniel Lea in
a general Mercantile concern and in a blacksmith shop. In addition, Williamson owned
a flour and grist mill, and farmed. The volumes in this collection have a greater
importance than the historical information they contain relating to Yanceville and
its immediate area. The transactions of the firm with merchants in Petersburg, Philadelphia,
and New York, are probably representative of mercantile practices of other firms of
similar standing in all those counties of North Carolina bordering on the Petersburg,
Va., area. They are relevant to any student or scholar interested in the economic
and social life of a fairly large area of the state's northern piedmont region.
Seven of the volumes in this collection relate to Williamson's mercantile business,
and three of them to his blacksmith shop (one of the latter relating, too, to the
financial side of his duties as sheriff). The ten manuscript volumes comprise an invoice
book (1816-1820); one volume of cash sales (1816-1819) and five volumes of credit
sales (1817-1819, 1821, 1825); one blacksmith shop ledger of accounts of debts (1823-1826),
prefaced by miscellaneous financial memorada; and two blacksmith shop journals (1827-1829;
1834-1840) that appear to function as a rough account from which entries were to be
posted in ledgers not present in the collection. Seven of the volumes relate to Williamson's
mercantile business, while three relate to his blacksmith shop (with one of the latter
relating to the financial side of Williamson's duties as sheriff.)
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged into three broad headings or series: Invoice Book, May 1816-Dec. 1820; Journals, 1816-1825; Blacksmith Shop Books, 1823-1829, 1834-1840.
Biographical Note
George Williamson (c.1789-1856) was long prominent in Caswell Countyaffairs. He was high sheriff from 1815 to 1831, and was one of the justices of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for more than twenty years prior to hisdeath. As a businessman in Yanceyville, Williamson formed a partnership with Nathaniel Lea in a general mercantile concern and in a blacksmith shop. Inaddition, Williamson owned a flour and grist mill, and farmed.
Contents of the Collection
1. Invoice Book, 1816-1820, May 1816-Dec. 1820
2. Journals, 1816-1825, 1816-1825
scopecontent:
These include one volume of cash sales and five volumes of credit sales. Apart from the obvious difference of method of payment, the journal of cash sales (June 1816-Dec. 1819) does not include the names of purchasers, recording only the daily record of what items were sold for ready cash, and for what amount. The journals of sales on account (1817-1819, and 1821-1825) are in the ordinary form, giving the date of the transaction, name of purchaser, item purchased, and amount to be posted to the purchaser's account in the appropriate ledger. None of the ledgers for the firm have survived.
3. Blacksmith Shop Books, 1823-1829, 1834-1840, 1823-1840
scopecontent:
The first of these three volumes contains a 93-page ledger of accounts of debts owing to the shop. Preliminary to the accounts in the ledger are financial memoranda relating to Williamson personally, 1817-1819; to the firm of George Williamson & Co., 1817-1819; and to Williamson as high sheriff, 1819-1822. The remaining two volumes are arranged by month and year and appear to function as a rough journal from which entries were to be posted in ledgers that are not present in the collection.
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Deposit, Robert L. Graham, Lincolnton, N.C., 1997; gift, 2003.