A window into everyday life, 1758–1787
Store Accounts of John Nelms of Salisbury
Explore the surviving accounts of an eighteenth-century Salisbury merchant. The ledgers preserve names, purchases, payments, family relationships, occupations, debts, and other details that can turn a name on a family tree into a person living in a particular time and place.
Start here
About the Ledgers
Read the background first, or use the definitions page when an unfamiliar eighteenth-century term appears in an account.
Background and context
Foreword
Learn about John Nelms, his Salisbury store, the local economy, credit practices, trade, and the genealogical clues preserved in the ledgers.
What did they buy?
Definitions
A glossary of fabrics, tools, household goods, trade terms, and other items that appear in the eighteenth-century accounts.
Browse the names
Store Accounts by Surname
The accounts are arranged alphabetically in seven sections. Choose the range containing the surname you are researching.
A useful research tip
Do not look only for a direct ancestor. Store accounts can name wives, children, siblings, cousins, people who delivered goods, people who paid another person’s balance, and others connected to the account holder.
Spelling was not standardized, so check plausible variants of a surname as you browse.
About this transcription
Store Accounts of John Nelms of Salisbury, 1758–1787 was compiled by John E. Jacob, Jr. and copyrighted in 1990.
The material was prepared for the web and submitted by Laurie Dykes Fowers with permission from the author/compiler.