Taylor and Moore Store Ledger


The Taylor and Moore Store, operated by Henry Taylor, served the citizens of Valle Crucis, North Carolina in the 1860s to 1870s. It is believed to have been located across the road from the present-day Mast Store. Henry Taylor was a farmer and merchant in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. He was born in 1819 in Davidson County and came to Watauga County in 1849. He married Emaline Mast in 1851, daughter of John Mast of Sugar Grove. The Taylors moved to Valle Crucis and started two country stores, including the one which became Mast Store. In 1861, he co-owned the Taylor and Moore General Store with Martin V. Moore. The items in this collection include the Taylor and Moore Store ledger with materials dating from 1853 to 1917.

The ledger and some loose documents include various advertisements, handwritten notes, cancelled checks, letters, legal documents, and account records (possibly from a day book), dated 1853-1917, and undated. The 616-page ledger documents the business activity of the Taylor and Moore General Store of Valle Crucis, North Carolina, primarily during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, with some early twentieth-century notations as well. Entries indicate payments were made in cash or by bartering goods. Products sold include dry goods, groceries, shoes, and hardware.

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