Z 2068.000
AIRHEART (J. L.) MERCANTILE RECORDS


Biography/History:

J. L. Airheart was apparently living in Satartia, Yazoo County, Mississippi, by January 25, 1879, as he bought land there valued at about eleven hundred dollars on that date. He opened a mercantile store in Satartia on February 11, 1880, operating it at least until the end of 1881. However, Airheart was in debt to the Louisiana National Bank in New Orleans, so he sold part of his Satartia land in 1880. He sold more land to V. L. Airey, et al., on May 19, 1881. J. L. and Julia T. Airheart were married by September of 1881.

Scope and Content:

This collection includes two bound and paginated account books for the mercantile store of J. L. Airheart in Satartia, Yazoo County, Mississippi. The first is an accounting journal, and the second is an accounting ledger.

Airheart penned his name and the location of the store inside the front cover of the accounting journal, and on the first page is a notation that the stores first day of business was on February 11, 1880. The journal entries are chronological, although some days are omitted. Many customer names are listed, and the products sold include clothing, food, and general merchandise, with the occasional sale of more unusual items such as oysters. The last entries were in 1881.

The accounting ledger has the initials "J. L. A." penned inside the front cover, and it spans the same 1880-1881 period as the accounting journal. Although the entries are daily, with some days omitted, the ledger is organized by customer name, with a listing of their purchases in chronological order. Generally, the only entries are for cash and merchandise. Several pages have notations for merchandise or stock accounts.

Series Identification:

  1. Accounting Journal. 1880-1881. 1 bound volume.
  2. Accounting Ledger. 1880-1881. 1 bound volume.