The creator of this mercantile ledger is unknown. However, the headings at the top of each page place the owner in Canton, Madison County, Mississippi. A name penciled on the inside back cover suggests that the ledger may have once belonged to John G. Powell. Local government records indicate there was a John G. Powell who owned and operated a plantation in Madison County between 1855 and 1860.

This collection consists of an accounting ledger, dating between 1854 and 1856, from an unidentified Canton, Mississippi, mercantile store and miscellaneous business cards. The ledger is arranged by month, beginning with September 1854. Individual entries for each month are arranged alphabetically by the customer’s last name. Items sold included gloves, needles, pins, shoes, soap, teaspoons, thread, tobacco, and wash basins. Of particular interest are the prices recorded for individual items along with the customer’s full name.

1. Accounting Ledger. 1854-1856. 1 bound volume.