Account Booklets with John W. Crist

Collection

Identifier: SC 0285

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The Account Booklets with John W. Crist, 1895-1909, comprise two receipt booklets that document purchases made at John W. Crist’s store in Sangerville, Virginia. One booklet was kept by Rebecca Jane Michael Kiracofe (written as Mrs. William Kiracofe on the booklet) and the other was kept by an unidentified person. Both follow the same basic format, with the month and the year at the top of the page, and all the items they bought from John W. Crist with corresponding prices. Both accounts take up no more than half the pages in the booklet.

In the booklet owned by Mrs. Kiracofe, there are multiple pages with the constitution and written by-laws of the Telephone Company Line No. 26 and 2. There are twelve articles in all. They cover the duties of the company’s executive board, the duties of the shareholders, and the duties of all employed by the company (as noted in Article 10, Section 3: “Business must always have preference to mere pleasure or amusement). There are three names listed at the end of the articles: A. J. Kiracofe, Dr. George S. Fultz, and T. J. Argenbright (1860-1937), a teacher. It is speculated that these three were put in charge of Lines 26 and 2 of the then-developing Farmers Mutual Telephone Company.

Dates

1895-1909

Creator

Kiracofe, Rebecca Jane Michael, 1867-1950 (Person)

Access Restrictions

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Bio/Historical Note

John W. Crist was born on February 27, 1841 in Virginia. He married Mary E. (1844-1903) and had a son named Edwin Geary Crist (1866-1922) and a daughter named Hattie Belle Crist (1874-1959), later Hattie Belle Myers. After serving with the Confederate Army as a Lieutenant, he served as postmaster of Sangerville, Virginia until as late as 1890. During his time as postmaster he also managed a store until his death on October 2, 1913.

The telephone company mentioned in the Kiracofe account booklet is potentially the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company, created February 16, 1903, with the principal office being located in Sangerville, Virginia to serve Augusta County. At the time of creation, the executive office was as follows: A. Senger, President; S. L. Hess, Vice-President; L. V. Miller, Secretary; and A. J. Miller, Treasurer. In 1960, the company service was re-named the Shenandoah Telephone Company, and became a subsidiary of the Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel), which still is in operation today.

Extent

0.06 cubic feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Account Booklets with John W. Crist, 1895-1909, comprise two record booklets, one owned by a patron named Rebecca Jane Michael Kiracofe and the other by an unidentified patron. The booklets document purchases made at John W. Crist’s store in Sangerville, Virginia.

Arrangement

Both booklets are housed in a single letter folder.

Acquisition Information

The account booklets were acquired at Jeffrey S. Evans and Associates’ Winter Americana and Variety Auction on February 16, 2019.

Related Materials

J. W. Crist & Company Records, Mss. 39.2 C87, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Crist & Blakemore Records, 39.2 C875, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Bibliography

Confederate Soldiers from the State of Virginia – Crist, John W – Fifth Infantry, ; Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations,1903 – 1927 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M324, Roll 421); War Department Collection of Confederate Records, 1825 – 1927, Record Group 109.
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company. “History,” https://www.shentel.com/shentel/history (accessed April 22, 2019).
State Corporation Commission, Virginia. Third annual report of the state corporation commission of Virginia for the year ending December 31, 1905: Compilations of returns from canals, railroads, electric railways and other corporate companies. The Commission: Princeton University, 1906.
Virginia: Augusta – Botetourt; Post Office Department Reports of Site Locations, 1837-1950 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1126, Roll 604); Records of the Post Office Department, 1773-1971, Record Group 28.