Keller, Miller, and Co. records

Collection

Identifier: Ms-0531

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Keller, Miller, and Co. records collection consists of records documenting the daily transactions of a mercantile store between the years of 1883 and 1921. It is comprised of seven series which include: Day Books and Journals, 1883-1922, Cash Books, 1895-1923, Ledgers, 1887-1919, Order Books, 1893-1918, Want Books, 1902-1930, Catalogs and Magazines, 1929-1938, and Miscellaneous Business Books, 1883-1919. Items identified as "unspecified" indicate that there is no description on the item (the front and back are blank). Items that are placed inside quotation marks (e.g. "Day Book") indicate that the item is specified, and the description was hand written onto the item. Titles without quotation marks indicate that the item is specified, and the description was printed onto the item at the time of manufacturing. Over-sized items are housed in separate containers and locations, as are fragile items, and items with questionable health hazards (e.g. mold, rodent feces). Items identified as "unspecified" indicate that there is no description on the item (the front and back are blank). Items that are placed inside quotation marks (e.g. "Day Book") indicate that the item is specified, and the description was hand written onto the item. Titles without quotation marks indicate that the item is specified, and the description was printed onto the item at the time of manufacturing.

Note - If there are prominent people listed within the ledgers feel free to point that out here in the series. You can state something like...Within the daybooks individuals such as Joe Smith is recorded in the business records and it is evident that the business provided services to locals and to people not from the area.

Dates

1883 - 1938

Conditions Governing Use

TBD

Biographical / Historical

Keller, Miller, and Co. was a large wholesale and general mercantile store established in Lake Valley, New Mexico by D.S. Miller, S.F. Keller, and Henry Herrin in 1884. Originally, it was the Herrin, Keller, Miller, and Co until 1887 (three years after its establishment) when Henry Herrin's share was bought out by Isaac Knight. The business was renamed to Keller, Miller, and Co. There were two other branches in Hillsboro and Kingston, New Mexico, but in 1892 the Kingston store was discontinued. The bulk of this collection is comprised of records from the Lake Valley branch. The store provided goods to towns and ranches in neighboring regions, and due to its proximity to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF), it was able to obtain a wide variety and great quantity of goods. Lake Valley was a "premier" mining town which also accounted for the store's success. In 1895 a fire broke out and destroyed many buildings in Lake Valley resulting in a reduced population. Following its sale in ca. 1914(?) the store (which one?) was reorganized as the Miller-Knight Mercantile store/Miller and Knight General Merchandise (1919). After Isaac Knight's death in 1918(?) the Hillsboro store was renamed Knight and Slease, but it is unknown who "Slease" is. The terms "Day Books" ("Day" for short) and "Journals" are synonymous and are used interchangeably. They are records of daily transactions in which the date, the name of the purchaser, what was purchased, and the price, are recorded. In this collection it is surmised (*surmised by me) that two Day Books and/or Journals were kept simultaneously, for which the reason is unknown. Hence, the series is arranged based on the sequence of time the items follow. Day Books and Journals are differentiated from Ledgers in that Ledgers are a log of transactions entered under individual accounts as debits ("Dr.") or credits (Cr."), while Day Books and Journals are original entries in which transactions were entered in chronological order. Information from the Day Books/Journals were eventually transferred to a corresponding ledger. Cash Books were records of the amount of money available in the store at any given time. Cash "on hand" and cash received were entered on the left page (or debit side) as debits ("Dr."), along with the date, reason for the debit, and the amount. Cash paid out was entered on the right page (or credit side) as credits ("Cr."), along with the date, reason for the credit, and the amount. A Cash Book can be differentiated from a Day Book/Journal or Ledger by two means: 1) the first page of the book is always left blank so that the debit side and credit side are always available, and 2) periodically you will see "cash on hand" or "on hand" written throughout the book. Ledgers are a record of transactions in which either a credit (Cr.") or debit (Dr.") was entered under individual accounts. A ledger is arranged by accounts in alphabetical order with a table of contents at the beginning. The flow of the book from page to page is not in chronological order, but is within each account. An example of an account specific to this collection might be: "The Sierra County Bank" or "D.S. Miller." The items purchased along with the price and date were then recorded under the corresponding account.

Most hisotrical and biographical information comes from exerpt of unknown article possibly written by Homer Milford.

https://www.abandonedspaces.com/towns/lake-valley-new-mexico.html

see: http://blackrange3.org/the-human-history-of-the/hhs-newsletter/august-2017-vol-10-no-3.pdf (see page 3 for further info on Co.)

Extent

*63.25 Linear Feet (Boxes 1-14: Day Books and Journals. Boxes 15-17: Cash Books. Boxes 18-28: Ledgers. Box 26: Order Books. Box 29: Want Books. Box 30: Catalogs and Magazines. Boxes 31-36: Miscellaneous Business Books. Boxes 37-39: Fragile Items. Box 40: Questionable Items.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Keller, Miller, and Co. records collection consists of financial records from a general mercantile store with locations in the New Mexican towns of Lake Valley, Hillsboro, and Kingston, though the majority of the collection comes from the Lake Valley branch. The records date back from 1882 and extend into 1938. The collection is comprised of various book keeping records divided into series which include: Day Books and Journals, Cash Books, Ledgers, Order Books, Want Books, Catalogs and Magazines, and Miscellaneous Business Books. The Day Books and Journals, Cash Books, Ledgers, and Order Books series are books meant to keep track of merchandise, accounts, and money. The Want Books series contains... The Catalogs and Magazines series contains catalogs and magazines related to mining. The Miscellaneous Business Books series contains records of personal business transactions for the store such as a budget book, receipt books, invoices, and small "petty" ledgers for specific individual accounts.

Physical Description

Most materials are in good condition, some are in fair condition. Some items have loose or damged pages and damaged spines, which are kept separately and need to be handled with care. A few items are kept separately for health concerns. Reseachers should wear gloves and a mask when handling these materials.