Ephraim Jenkins Account Ledger (1925)
Archival ID: omhi-ledger-1925-ephraim-jenkins
Date: 1925 | Subject: Daily Provisions & Credit | Format: Transaction Ledger
Why This Document Matters
The Ephraim Jenkins ledger is a “high-resolution” record of daily household survival. It documents the sheer frequency of store interactions required to sustain a family in 1925. Beyond agricultural supplies, this ledger tracks the essential retail items—clothing, food, and kerosene—that defined the quality of life. For grant reviewers, this serves as raw data for price-indexing and the “cost of living” for Black families during the mid-20s economic shift.
Archival Note: Granular Micro-Economy
Note the recurring charges for “Mdse” (Merchandise) totaling small but frequent amounts ($0.25 to $4.00). This illustrates a “pay-as-you-go” life within a credit system, where every small necessity—from a pair of socks to a bag of sugar—was meticulously recorded and carried over.
Note the recurring charges for “Mdse” (Merchandise) totaling small but frequent amounts ($0.25 to $4.00). This illustrates a “pay-as-you-go” life within a credit system, where every small necessity—from a pair of socks to a bag of sugar—was meticulously recorded and carried over.
Archival Citation
“Ephraim Jenkins Account Ledger, 1925.” Store & Daily Transaction Collection. Digitized by OMHI, ID: omhi-ledger-1925-ephraim-jenkins.
