Chiefly account books, 1899-1936, of Grant Arledge of Flat Rock, N.C, in which Arledge kept farm records, including notes on crops grown (tobacco, potatoes), livestock (calving, breeding, pasturing of cows), and other farm activities (wood cut and sold, fertilizers applied, beehives maintained). Also included are notes, some in the style of short diary entries, that include documentation of daily activities; recipes; and general facts and useful information. There is also much information that falls under the title "wet goods sold." Arledge was an active bootlegger, producing and selling wine and liquor; the books list ingredients purchased, recipes for various concoctions, and when and to whom products were made and sold. Almost all of the books are account/memo books given away by banks, fertilizer companies, and other institutions. Most of these books include printed advertisements for goods and services offered by the company that distributed them. Many of Arledge's books were kept in Pierce's Memorandum and Account Books, distributed by R. V. Pierce's World's Dispensary Medical Association of Buffalo, N.Y. These books include advertisements for Pierce's patent medicines (especially the "Golden Medical Discovery," which claimed to be effective against any number of ailments) and other services, including Pierce's Invalid's Hotel and urine analysis labs. Also included are general health and beauty tips and testimonials from satisfied customers, many with photographs.
