The general store in late-nineteenth-century America was often the
economic heart of a small town. Merchants sold goods necessary for
residents' daily survival and extended credit to many of their
customers; cash-poor farmers relied on merchants for their economic
well-being just as the retailers needed customers to purchase their
wares. But there was more to this mutual dependence than economics.
Store owners often helped found churches and other institutions,
and they and their customers worshiped together, sent their
children to the same schools, and in times of crisis, came to one
another's assistance. For this social and cultural history, Linda
English combed store account ledgers from the 1870s and 1880s and
found in them the experiences of thousands of people in Texas and
Indian Territory. Particularly revealing are her insights into the
everyday lives of women, immigrants, and ethnic and racial
minorities, especially African Americans and American Indians. A
store's ledger entries yield a wealth of detail about its
proprietor, customers, and merchandise. As a local gathering place,
the general store witnessed many aspects of residents' daily lives
- many of them recorded, if hastily, in account books. In a small
community with only one store, the clientele would include white,
black, and Indian shoppers and, in some locales, Mexican American
and other immigrants. Flour, coffee, salt, potatoes, tobacco,
domestic fabrics, and other staples typified most purchases, but
occasional luxury items reflected the buyer's desire for refinement
and upward mobility. Recognizing that townspeople often accessed
the wider world through the general store, English also traces the
impact of national concerns on remote rural areas - including
Reconstruction, race relations, women's rights, and temperance
campaigns. In describing the social status of store owners and
their economic and political roles in both small agricultural
communities and larger towns, English fleshes out the fascinating
history of daily life in Indian Territory and Texas in a time of
transition.
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