Secrets of the Ledger - Identity & Shopping

Have you thought about what shopping was like in the past, or even what someone might be able to tell about you based on your purchases? These are important questions that our Secrets of the Ledger history exhibit examines through the use of William Kyle's 1820s Christiansburg general store ledger.

The citizens that lived down the street from Kyle’s store understandably visited often, sometimes making multiple trips a week, while those who lived farther out in the county needed to carefully plan their shopping trip to justify the amount of time that traveling into town required. For example, Gordon Cloyd lived in the western part of Montgomery County, over twenty miles from Christiansburg. For some customers a trip to the store would have been an all day event!

The items purchased by customers reveal information about them. Buying building materials may have meant possible construction of a new home, or a job as a builder or carpenter. Purchases of black fabric may have indicated a family death, as black fabric was used for mourning. There were also clues about how wealthy they were. Some customers were able to purchase expensive imported goods. Others only made small purchases of everyday necessities.

Think about the everyday purchases you make today. What might they indicate about recent life events or your personal identity?