Conley and Son general store account books
Collection
Identifier: V321
Scope and Contents
This collection includes 366 account books, daybooks and ledgers of the Conley and Son general store of Rosedale, Indiana with entries ranging from 1893 to 1975. The bulk of the collection consists of over 300 order books used by the store staff. Also included are a cash book, a receipt book, want books, incidental expense books, Rosedale National Bank Check books and record book, an old accounts book, bill ledgers, daybooks for receipts and expenditures, and goods sold ledgers. The receipts and expenditures account book (Volume no. 10) containing entries from 1959 to 1975 also includes a few notes written in the back of the book about storms and damage from a car running into store front on October 5, 1969.
Dates
- 1893-1975
Creator
- Conley, Thomas, 1856-1934 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Thomas Conley was born December 12, 1856 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In his youth, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri then later to Paradise, Muhlenburg County, Kentucky. He married Magdalene (Kipling) Pilon on October 27, 1881. Magdalene was born September 9, 1858. The Conleys moved from Kentucky and lived in Grape Creek and Danville, Illinois before moving to Williamsport, Indiana in August 1886. In April 1887, the family moved to Rosedale in Putnam County, Indiana. In December 1895, Conley opened a general store and the business was known as Conley and Son. Besides his merchantile business, he was also president of the Florida Perpetual Building and Loan Assocation for 42 years and was president of the Rosedale National Bank for 19 years. Thomas Conley died at the age of 77 on March 13, 1934 and Magdalene Kipling Pilon Conley died at the age of 81 on April 15, 1940.
Robert William Conley was the son of Magdalene Conley and her first husband, John William Pilon. He was born February 19, 1876 and took the last name of Conley following his mother's marriage to Thomas Conley. He married Laura Ellen Barnes (1879-1934) on April 27, 1902 and they had four children: Sarah Magdalene, Ellen Elizabeth, William Thomas, and Robert Henry. Like his father, Conley was an active Mason and belonged to Rosedale lodge No. 59, the Royal Arch Masons of Rockville and the Masonic Council of Terre Haute. He died at the age of 62 on July 9, 1938. His daughter Magdalene had become his business partner and she continued to own and operate the store following the deaths of her father and grandfather. Sarah Magdalene Conley died at the age of 72 on February 7, 1975.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Magdaline Kipling." Kentucky, U.S., Count Marriage Records, 1783-1965. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.ancestry.com.
FindaGrave.com. "Robert William 'William' Conley." Find a Grave Memorial ID 48344854. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48344854/robert-william-conley.
"Magdalene Conley." Obituary. Rockville Republican (IN), February 10, 1975.
"Robert William Conley." Obituary. Terre Haute Tribune (IN), July 10, 1938.
"Thomas Conley." Obituary. Rockville Tribune (IN), March 21, 1934.
Robert William Conley was the son of Magdalene Conley and her first husband, John William Pilon. He was born February 19, 1876 and took the last name of Conley following his mother's marriage to Thomas Conley. He married Laura Ellen Barnes (1879-1934) on April 27, 1902 and they had four children: Sarah Magdalene, Ellen Elizabeth, William Thomas, and Robert Henry. Like his father, Conley was an active Mason and belonged to Rosedale lodge No. 59, the Royal Arch Masons of Rockville and the Masonic Council of Terre Haute. He died at the age of 62 on July 9, 1938. His daughter Magdalene had become his business partner and she continued to own and operate the store following the deaths of her father and grandfather. Sarah Magdalene Conley died at the age of 72 on February 7, 1975.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Magdaline Kipling." Kentucky, U.S., Count Marriage Records, 1783-1965. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.ancestry.com.
FindaGrave.com. "Robert William 'William' Conley." Find a Grave Memorial ID 48344854. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48344854/robert-william-conley.
"Magdalene Conley." Obituary. Rockville Republican (IN), February 10, 1975.
"Robert William Conley." Obituary. Terre Haute Tribune (IN), July 10, 1938.
"Thomas Conley." Obituary. Rockville Tribune (IN), March 21, 1934.
Extent
30.3 Cubic Feet (366 volumes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Buss Lee Wood on 1991/12/07.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed in June 2021 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2021/06/29 by Laura Eliason.
Creator
- Conley, Thomas, 1856-1934 (Person)
- Conley, Sarah Magdalene (Person)
- Title
- Conley and Son general store account books
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
