Scope and arrangement
The administrative correspondence between the mercantile company and the Norfolk office (1914–1968) is arranged chronologically. The bulk of this correspondence is pre-1940 and includes some correspondence with major suppliers and mercantile company distributors.
The mercantile company's alphabetical subject file (1892–1957) is primarily post-1940 and concerns specific interests and activities of the Tarboro office.
The papers related to N.C. Royster companies (1919–1965) includes companies that the mercantile company dealt closely with either in a supervisory fashion or in a mutual supplier relationship. Also included are personal files for L. D. Hargrove, secretary of the mercantile company; C. A. Johnson; and the records of the Tarboro Merchant's Association.
The mercantile company's customer records are arranged alphabetically (1895–1961). This includes records of individual farmers, suppliers, and distributors. These papers are more specific to the mercantile company's daily activities even though to some extent distributors and suppliers also appear in the administrative correspondence.
The financial records include correspondence (1893–1968); financial topics arranged alphabetically; and ledgers. Economic topics are the major points of discussion in the collection. Correspondence with dealers throughout indicates both price of goods according to availability and also market ups and downs for specific goods handled. Economic conditions were monitored steadily by the Norfolk office which repeatedly urged the mercantile company to collect on their accounts, watch their customers' ability to pay off their notes, and not become overextended themselves. In lean years the mercantile company was encouraged to cut expenses on futures (12 November 1920). In 1932, E. O. Burroughs was sent from the main office to Bethel, N.C., to help coordinate collections. There was a constant interchange of correspondence between Johnson and C. F. Burroughs in Norfolk, assuring that company policy be maintained and that the main office understood the local situation. They discussed economic philosophy (February 1921) and the possibility of using co-ops as distributors of fertilizers (19, 21 February 1923). Fertilizer-related bills in the Legislature were closely watched (1921, 1923, 1937) as were bills concerning the Federal Intermediate Credit Banks (1931) and the 1934 $.12 government loans on cotton (1936) in the depression years. Johnson had been president of the Farmer's Banking and Trust Company and was able to provide local economic information to the Norfolk office.
All aspects of the business relationships between the main office, the mercantile company, and local subsidiary companies are reflected. The mercantile company capital stock was increased in 1920 and dividends were regularly declared except during the early depression years. Monthly funds for the Tarboro office expenses were sent from Norfolk and procedures for ordering, shipping, accounting, and contracting were worked out and refined. Bookkeeping for several of the subsidiary companies was done by the mercantile company and was then reported to the Norfolk office. Accounting practices were decided in Norfolk and then kept by the associated companies.
World War I is reflected mainly in the war tax that was applied to goods shipped (1917, 1918). A broadside from the National War Savings Committee (1918) concerns pledges to purchase war stamps and correspondence discusses Victory Bonds (1920). World War II is reflected as an agricultural war effort in mimeographed regulations fromthe Office of Price Administration (1941–1942), the War Production Board (1942–1943), and the War Food Administration (1943–1945).
Adverse weather conditions including hail, rain, drought, and flooding are reported in correspondence to the Norfolk office (1919, 1920, 1924), as is money paid by insurance companies for crop damage (1942–1946). Insurance is noted in the crop lien books of individual accounts for each farmer (1932–1944, 1948–1960).
Concern for scientific agriculture appears with the use of special formula fertilizers (1920), the employment of a former N.C.D.A. specialist in pesticides to speak at farmers' meetings (1923), and the employment of a chemist (1926). Napthalene was used in 1933, corn test plots were encouraged in 1939, anhydrous ammonia (NH3) was begun in 1955, and in 1961 a nitrogen tank was close to operation. From the mid-1930s the mercantile company joined various agricultural organizations such as the National Cottonseed Products Association, the N.C. Ginners Association, the National Fertilizer Association, and the National Cotton Council to keep current.
A personal file for L. D. Hargrove concerns his family's landholdings in Kinston, N.C. Also included are two of his father's medical ledgers (1919–1925) related to his practice in Kinston. A personal file for C. A. Johnson reflects his activity as president of the Farmer's Banking and Trust Company in Tarboro, N.C. As president of the bank, Johnson was involved in school board arbitration, funding bonds for Edgecombe County, and the town of Tarboro Sinking Fund (1927).
Information on the Tarboro Merchant's Association (1930–1937, 1943–1951) includes notices and a Weekly Bulletin which lists deeds, liens, chattels, and notes for Edgecombe County.
Container list
Box 1
Administrative Correspondence, 1914-1924
Box 2
Administrative Correspondence, 1925-1929
Box 3
Administrative Correspondence, 1930-1933
Box 4
Administrative Correspondence, 1933-1936
Box 5
Administrative Correspondence, 1936-1940
Box 6
Administrative Correspondence, 1941-1945
Box 7
Administrative Correspondence, 1946-1968
Box 8
Administrative Correspondence, 1961-1968; Correspondence, F. S. Royster, Jr., 1928-1941; Correspondence, W. S. Royster, 1928-1941. Mercantile Company, Alphabetical Subject File: Cotton Account, 1920-1923; Cotton, 1956-1958; Cotton Classification Sheets, 1950; Cotton Statistics, 1928-1963; Diary, 1965; Fertilizer Correspondence, 1955-1965; First National Bank of Richmond, 1920-1922
Box 9
Mercantile Company, Alphabetical Subject File: History; Insecticides, Cotton; Legal Documents, 1892-1953; Market Quotations, 1920-1924; A. H. McNair, 1950; Miscellaneous; Miscellaneous Agriculture Catalogs
Box 10
Mercantile Company, Alphabetical Subject File: NH3 Operators, 1955-1962; National Fertilizer Association, 1942-1946; Nitrogen Tank, 1961-1962
Box 11
Mercantile Company, Alphabetical Subject File: Office of Price Administration, 1942-1944; N.C. Unemployment Compensation, 1940-1945; Price Lists, 1927; Register of Deeds, 1925-1951; Sales Department, 1954-1960; S. F. Thornton--Soil Tests, 1956-1957; Tobacco; U.S./N.C. Dept. of Agriculture, 1920-1957; U.S./N.C. Dept. of Agriculture, Printed Matter
Box 12
Mercantile Company, Alphabetical Subject File: U.S.D.A., Printed Matter; War Production Board, 1942-1943; War Food Administration, 1943-1945; Warehouse, 1965. Mercantile Company, Related N.C. Royster Companies: Atlantic Chemical Company, 1922; Consumers Cotton Oil Company, 1919-1939
Box 13
Mercantile Company, Related N.C. Royster Companies: Cotton Belt Land Co., 1933-1943; Farmers Supply and Gin Co., 1937-1950; Royster Ginning Co., 1920-1946; Tarboro Ginning Co., 1927-1965
Box 14
Mercantile Company, Related N.C. Royster Companies: Tarboro Ginning Co., 1927-1965; L. D. Hargrove, 1925-1932; C. A. Johnson, 1926-1928; Tarboro Merchant's Association, 1930-1948
Box 15
Mercantile Company, Related N.C. Royster Companies: Tarboro Merchant's Association, Weekly Bulletin, 1936-1937, 1943, 1945-1946, 1949-1951; Photographs
Box 16
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: A–B
Box 17
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: B–C
Box 18
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: C–D
Box 19
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: Dixie Jute Bagging Co., 1923-1957–Theodore G. Empie, 1920-1922
Box 20
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: F–Franklin Sugar Refining Co., 1920-1928
Box 21
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: G–George A. Holderness, 1920-1938
Box 22
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: I–Lyon and Greenleaf Co., 1942-1945
Box 23
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: M–National Cotton Council, 1938-1941
Box 24
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: National Fertilizer Association, 1940-1941
Box 25
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: P–A. M. Pullen Co., 1922-1926
Box 26
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: A. M. Pullen Co., 1927-1936 -Smith Douglas Co., 1923-1932
Box 27
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: Charles M. Struvent Co., 1920-1932 -Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corp., 1924-1943
Box 28
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: W–Z. Financial Records, Financial Correspondence, 1893-1931
Box 29
Financial Records, Financial Correspondence, 1932-1968
Box 30
Financial Records, Financial Topics: Audits, 1920-1966; Collections, 1923-1964
Box 31
Financial Records, Financial Topics: Collections, 1950; Credit Department, 1956-1964; Crop Liens, 1948-1958
Box 32
Financial Records, Financial Topics: Crop Liens, 1959-1960; Federal Crop Insurance Corp., 1957; Insurance, 1920-1965; Journal Entries, 1931-1934; Miscellaneous Financial Information, 1888-1920
Box 33
Financial Records, Financial Topics: North Carolina Bank and Trust, 1931-1934; Taxes, 1919-1965; Trial Balance, 1936-1967
Box 34
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co., 1921-1924, 1958-1967; Tarboro Ginning Co. Trial Balance, 1936-1937; Cotton Book, 1932; Cotton Storage Book, 1931 (1930-1933); Mill Offices, 1908-1909; Consumers Cotton Oil Company—Architectural Survey, 1919
Box 35
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co., 1925
Box 36
Financial Records, Ledgers: Consumers Cotton Oil Co. Architectural Program, 1919
Box 37
Financial Records, Ledgers: Consumers Cotton Oil Co. Cash Book, 1916-1929
Box 38
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Daybook, 1919-1922
Box 39
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co., 1929-1932
Box 40
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Cash Book, 1922-1923
Box 41
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Cash Book, 1926-1929
Box 42
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Cash Book, 1934-1938
Box 43
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Cash Book, 1943-1949
Box 44
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Trial Balance, 1941-1947
Box 45
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Journal, 1919-1921
Box 46
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Journal, 1922-1933
Box 47
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Journal, 1933-1946
Box 48
Financial Records, Ledgers: Tarboro Ginning Co. Journal, 1925-1928
Box 49
Financial Records, Ledgers: Index to Materials Arrival, 1909-1917
Box 50
Financial Records, Ledgers: Materials Arrival, 1909-1917
Box 51
Financial Records, Ledgers: Index to Ledger, 1900-1906
Box 52
Financial Records, Ledgers: Ledger, 1900-1906
Box 53
Financial Records, Ledgers: Index to Ledger, 1912-1919
Box 54
Financial Records, Ledgers: Ledger, 1912-1919
Box 55
Financial Records, Ledgers: Ledger, 1902-1917
Box 56
Financial Records, Ledgers: Ledger, 1940
Box 57
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal, 1900-1921
Box 58
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal, 1922-1931
Box 59
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal, 1939-1942
Box 60
Financial Records, Ledgers: Guano Account, 1936
Box 61
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal- Guano Account, 1944-1946
Box 62
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal- Guano Account, 1946-1947
Box 63
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal- Guano Account, 1950
Box 64
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal- Guano Account, 1951
Box 65
Financial Records, Ledgers: Journal, 1962-1963
Box 66
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1915-1921
Box 67
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1922-1929
Box 68
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1934-1935
Box 69
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1936-1937
Box 70
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1938-1939
Box 71
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1940-1941
Box 72
Financial Records, Ledgers: Trial Balance, 1963-1968
Box 73
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1913-1915
Box 74
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1917-1919
Box 75
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1923-1925
Box 76
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1915-1921
Box 77
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1919-1921
Box 78
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1931-1932
Box 79
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1932-1934
Box 79a
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1934-1935
Box 80
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1935-1936
Box 81
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1937-1939
Box 82
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1940-1941
Box 83
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1941-1942
Box 84
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1942-1944
Box 85
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1947-1948
Box 86
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1948-1949
Box 87
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1949-1950
Box 88
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book, 1956-1959
Box 89
Financial Records, Ledgers: Cash Book--Guano Sales, 1960-1962
Box 90
Financial Records, Ledgers: Insurance Register, 1909-1911
Box 91
Financial Records, Ledgers: Crop Liens, 1934
Box 92
Financial Records, Ledgers: Crop Liens, 1938
Box 93
Financial Records, Ledgers: Physicians Ledger, 1919-1922
Box 94
Financial Records, Ledgers: Peanut Book, 1931-1933; Crop Liens, 1932-1936
Box 95
Financial Records, Ledgers: Crop Liens, 1937-1944. Journal, 1922-1925; Miscellaneous Correspondence List; Physicians Ledger, 1924-1925
Box 96
Administrative Correspondence, 1934-1962. Mercantile Company, Alphabetical Subject File: U.S./N.C. Department of Agriculture, printed matter; Tarboro Merchants' Association, weekly bulletin, 1944. Mercantile Company, Related N.C. Royster Companies: Cotton Belt Land Co., 1937-1941. Mercantile Company, Customer Records: Bone Dry Fertilizer Co., 1936-1947
Box 97
Mercantile Company, Customer Records: Chas. W. Priddy and Co., 1921-1936. Financial Records, Financial Topics: Insurance, 1937-1941; Crop Liens, 1947, 1949