Spence Family Ledger and Diary
Collection contains a bound notebook used by the Spence family from 1813-1862. Half of the book is a ledger for Porter & Spence, a middle Tennessee company partly owned by John Spence. The ledger contains receipts, copies of invoices, and a comprehensive inventory of merchandise for the company from 1813-1821. Later, after John passed away, the back portion of the book was used by John's widow, Rebecca, as a diary from 1833-1862. Rebecca wrote poetry and also documented her expenses in a financial ledger of her own within the book. Much of Rebecca's writings center around the loss of her only child.
Dates
- 1813-1862
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
Collection contains a bound notebook used by the Spence family from 1813-1862. Half of the book is a ledger for Porter & Spence, a middle Tennessee company partly owned by John Spence. The ledger contains receipts, copies of invoices, and a comprehensive inventory of merchandise for the company from 1813-1821. Later, after John passed away, the back portion of the book was used by John's widow, Rebecca, as a diary from 1833-1862. Rebecca wrote poetry and also documented her expenses in a financial ledger of her own within the book.
Biographical / Historical
John Spence was born on November 20, 1784. He owned and operated Porter & Spence, a Murfreesboro-based dry goods store. No biographical information is available for his business partner, Porter. John was married to Rebecca Spence, who was born on October 5, 1793. Rebecca also went by "R. B. C. Spence." The two had a daughter, Sarah Louisa Spence, but John died on December 24, 1824, when she was just a year old. Tragically, Sarah Louisa "Lillie" died of a sudden unknown illness on December 4, 1832, at the age of nine. Rebecca stayed in Tennessee and never remarried. She died on February 11, 1876. The family of three is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.
Arrangement
This collection is in one folder.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository