George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books

(Mss. 1015, 1091)

Inventory

Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections Special Collections, Hill Memorial Library Louisiana State University Libraries Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University

Reformatted 2007

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

Contents of Inventory

Summary 3 Biographical/Historical Note 4 Scope and Content Note 4 Description of Volumes 5-8 Index Terms 9 Container List 10

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Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Summary
Size.	191 items and 43 volumes
Geographic locations.	Madison Parish, La.
Inclusive dates.	1866-1932
Language.	English
Summary.	Cashbooks, account ledgers and related business papers pertaining to
	Montrose Plantation and several plantations in Madison Parish, La.
Organization.	Arranged categorically
Restrictions on	If microfilm is available, photocopies must be made from microfilm.
access.
Related collections.	N/A
Copyright.	Copyright of the original materials is retained by descendants of the
	creators in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Citation.	George W. Montgomery Account Books, Mss. 1015, 1091, Louisiana and
	Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, La.
Stack locations.	B:18, P:23

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

Biographical/Historical Note

George W. Montgomery was a planter of Montrose Plantation near the town of Tallulah in Madison Parish, La. E. B. Saunders was the plantation manager for F. L. Smith, a resident of Phoenix N. Y., and later owner of Montrose Plantation.

Scope and Content Note

The collection relates to the plantation operations of Montrose, Morgan Fields, Lower Banks, Cape Place, Okalona and Islington plantations in Louisiana and is comprised of business papers, cashbooks, account books and receipt books. Records of plantations operated by George W. Montgomery during Reconstruction and the post-Reconstruction periods include copies of contracts with tenant farmers and laborers, along with leases for land, livestock and equipment.

Papers (1869-1889) consist of correspondence, invoices, accounts, receipts, freight records for the shipment of cotton and labor contracts. A handbill announces a convention in Ruston, La., for Louisiana residents who migrated from other Southern states (1889) after the Civil War.

Record books chiefly contain accounts with tenant farmers but also include stock inventories for the Montrose store and lists of assessed valuation of the various plantations and their equipment.

Entries in the cashbooks include records for house and store expenses, contracts with sharecroppers of E. N. Leonard, tenants’ accounts with E. N. Leonard, and Evans and Dalton for food and clothing (1866-1875), record of cash sales, cash accounts for Montrose store, inventories of stock, copies of names on invoices for merchandise and cash sales.

The ledgers also contain accounts with laborers and sharecroppers for food and clothing. Entries record amount of cotton picked, the cost of ginning, credits and copies of leases. Additionally, they list of the assessed value of land, dwellings and other property located on the plantations for the years 1875-1889.

Additional ledgers include those of Montgomery (1892-1902), cashbooks, account books and receipt books kept by E. B. Saunders, plantation manger for F. L. Smith of New York, owner of Montrose Plantation.

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Description of Volumes
Date		Contents
v. 1	1866-1975	Cashbook: Records of cash, sharecroppers’ accounts with Evans and Dalton at Lower Bank Place. Also contains memorandum of contracts.
v. 2	1890-1892	Cashbook: Records of cash, sharecroppers’ accounts.
v. 3	1892-1893	Cashbook: Records of cash received and paid.
v. 4	1894	Cashbook: Records of cash, merchandise sold to sharecroppers, and a few accounts payable for merchandise.
v. 5	1875-1876	Ledger: Records of sharecroppers’ accounts with Upper Bank Place. Also contains a copy of a letter to Prestige Graham & Co. in reference to the Dalton and Evans business.
v. 6	1876	Ledger: Accounts with sharecroppers on Montrose plantation.
v. 7	1877	Ledger: Records of cotton, accounts with hands, on Montrose, Morgan Fields, and Lower Banks plantations, accounts of sharecroppers, a list of names contracted with W. F. Montgomery.
v. 8	1877	Ledger: Accounts of sharecroppers, a list of names contracted with W. F. Montgomery.
v. 9	1878	Ledger: Record of accounts with hands in Montrose, Morgan Fields, and Lower Banks plantations, accounts with hands and blacksmith on Montrose plantation.
v. 10	1878	Ledger: Record of accounts with hands and blacksmith on Montrose Plantation.
v. 11	1879	Ledger: Record of accounts for Cape Place Plantation by W. A. Bridewell for George W. Montgomery.
v. 12	1879	Ledger: Records of accounts with hands, bank account, leases for 1879 on Montrose, Morgan Fields and Lower Bank plantations. Record of expenses of Cape Place Plantation.
v. 13	1880	Ledger: Account book of hands on Montrose and Morgan Fields plantations with a memorandum of lease contracts for land and mules.

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

Date Contents

v.

14 1880-1888 Ledger: accounts of sharecroppers, lists of rations, and an inventory of mules belonging to Montgomery.

v.

15 1881 Ledger: accounts of sharecroppers and records of affairs of Montrose, Morgan Fields, and Okalona plantations.

v.

16 1881-1882 Ledger: records of accounts of sharecroppers, memorandum of contracts for 1882, and a list of amounts due by hands on September 1, 1881. Montrose plantation.

v.

17 1882 Ledger: accounts and contacts with tenant farmers and sharecroppers on Montrose, Islington, Morgan Fields, and Okalona plantations. Memorandum notes of estimated value of land and dwellings on Okalona plantation.

v.

18 1882 Ledger: Records of accounts with sharecroppers, list of mules and to who assigned, and memorandum of contracts with hands. Montrose plantation.

v.

19 1882-1883 Ledger: Accounts with sharecroppers.

v.

20 1883 Ledgers: Accounts of sharecroppers and records pertaining to affairs of Islington, Okalona and Montrose plantations.

v.

21 1883 Ledgers: Accounts of sharecroppers at Islington and Melrose plantations.

v.

22 1883 Ledgers: Accounts of sharecroppers and a list of freight received. The freight consisted of general merchandise.

v.

23 1884-1885 Ledgers: Accounts of sharecroppers, list of invoices and supplies, record of cotton on Montrose and Okalona plantations. A list of accounts due Montgomery July 1, 1885.

v.

24 1884-1885 Ledgers: Accounts of sharecroppers at Montrose, Okalona and Islington plantations.

v.

25 1885 Ledger: Accounts of sharecroppers, list of sharecroppers, on Montrose, Okalona, and Islington plantations. A list of the number of bales of cotton harvested in 1885 on the Montrose, Morgan Fields and Okalona plantations.

v.

26 1887 Ledger: Accounts of sharecroppers, record of cotton, Montrose, Okalona and Morgan Fields plantations.

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

Date Contents

v.

27 1888 Ledger: Records of accounts, record of cotton, list of the assessed value of the property for 1888, Montrose, Morgan Fields and Okalona plantations.

v.

28 1889 Ledger: Records of accounts with hands on Montrose, Okalona, Lower Banks and Morgan Fields plantations.

Note: previous volume number in parenthesis.

Date Contents

v. 29 1915- Cashbook: Trinidad Plantation: record of cash paid tenants and day hands

(v.1)

1916 and miscellaneous expenses. Entries are approved by E. B. Saunders, plantation manager.

v.

30 1923 Cashbook: Record of cash paid out including amount given to F. L. Smith,

(v.2) amount paid for E. B. Saunders’ salary and amount paid to tenants and hands.

v.

31 1924 Cashbook: Record of cash paid out including expenses, amount paid for E.

(v.3)

B. Saunders’ salary and amount paid to tenants and hands.

v. 32	1928-	Cashbook: Record of cash paid out including amount given to F. L. Smith,
(v.4)	1929	amount paid for E. B. Saunders’ salary and amount paid to tenants and
		hands.
v. 33	1927-	Cashbook: Record of cash paid out including expenses, amount paid for E.
(v.5)	1930	B. Saunders’s salary and amount paid to tenants and hands.
v. 34	1892-	Ledger: Montrose store accounts at Montrose store, particularly those of
(v.6)	1893	George W. Montgomery consisting of charges to his account by tenants
		and hands.
v. 35	1893-	Ledger: Montrose store accounts, particularly those of George W.
(v.7)	1894	Montgomery consisting of charges to his account by tenants and hands
		(March 6, 1893-Jan. 4, 1894)
v. 36	1897	Ledger: George W. Montgomery plantation ledger for tenants and laborers
(v.8)		recording amounts paid them, supplies charged and bills paid for them.
v. 37	1900-	Ledger: George W. Montgomery plantation ledger for tenants and laborers
(v.9)	1902	recording amounts paid them, supplies charged and bills paid for them.
v. 38	1922	Ledger: plantation record of laborers, entries give amount of cash paid,

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Mss. 1015, 1091			1866-1932
	Date	Contents
(v.10)		type of work performed and supplies charged.
v. 39 (v.11)	19251926	Ledger: plantation record of laborers, entries give amoutype of work performed and supplies charged.	nt of cash paid,

v. 40	1927	Ledger: entries give name of account and amount of cash debited or
(v.12)		credited. A few entries give type of service performed, and amount of
		supplies charged.
v. 41	1929-	Ledger: entries of accounts with laborers and tenant farmers. Entries are
(v.13)	1930	for cash, supplies, or labor.
v. 42	1926	Montrose Plantation Ginner receipt book. Record cotton receipts at
(v.14)		Montrose Plantation Ginner, giving names of farm, tenant, cotton storage
		room number, bale number and weights.
v. 43	1932	Montrose Plantation Ginner receipt book. Record cotton receipts at
(v.15)		Montrose Plantation Ginner, giving names of farm, tenant, cotton storage
		room number, bale number and weights.

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

Index Terms George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

George W. Montgomery Papers and Account Books Special Collections, LSU Libraries

Terms	Volumes
Absentee landlordism--Louisiana.	v. 29-43
Agricultural laborers--Louisiana.	v. 1-2, v. 4-8, v. 13-26
Blacksmithing--Louisiana.	v. 9-10
Cape Place Plantation.	v. 11-12
Cotton gins and ginning--Louisiana.	v. 14, v. 42-43
Cotton growing--Louisiana.	v. 7, v. 23, v. 25-27, v. 42-43
Islington Plantation (La.)	v. 17, v. 20-21, v. 24-24
Lower Banks Plantation (La.)	v. 1, v. 7, v. 9, v. 12, v. 28
Montgomery, George W.	v. 1-28
Montrose Plantation (La.)	v. 6-7, v. 9-10, v. 12-13, v. 15-18, v. 20,
	v. 23-28, v. 34-34, v. 42-43
Morgan Fields Plantation (La.)	v. 7, v. 9, v. 12-13, v. 15, v. 17, v. 25-28
Okalona Plantation (La.)|	v. 15, v. 17, v. 20, v. 23-28
Plantation owners--Louisiana.	entire collection
Cotton plantation workers--Louisiana.	v. 1-2, v. 4-8, v. 13-26
Plantations--Louisiana.	entire collection
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)--Louisiana.	v. 1, v. 5-8
Saunders, E. B.	v. 29-43
Sharecropping--Louisiana.	v. 1-2, v. 4-8, v. 13-26
Trinidad Plantation (La.)|	v. 29

Mss. 1015, 1091 1866-1932

Stack Location B:18	Box1	Folders1a-3c	Container List Contents Papers, 1869-1899, undated.
P:23		v. 1-43	Manuscript volumes, 1866-1932.