The Conrad Seabaugh & Company: How Store Records Expand Our Understanding of Antebellum Hinterland Life
Highland Park, IL —- The Highland Park Historical Society presents ‘The Conrad Seabaugh & Company: How Store Records Expand Our Understanding of Antebellum Hinterland Life,” by Wayne Duerkes, PhD on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:00 PM via Zoom.
This presentation explores how to utilize the financial records of general stores and businesses to amplify the narrative of rural communities and the relationships between producers and suppliers. I utilize records from my case study of north central Illinois in the 1830s and 40s to focus on these relationships. In the presentation, I first explain the different types of store records that are typically found in local archives. Then I utilize a 629-page day book from a general store and the ledger book from a grist mill from LaSalle County in the late 1830s as examples for delving deeper into local-level commercial relationships. I use these records to discuss family-level consumer consumption, the role of gender in commercial relationships, and to breakdown conceptions of subsistence cultures in the hinterland regions of northern Illinois. I will also discuss how these records are tied to aspects of public history in several ways. They can bring historical perspective to these nascent communities that are often overshadowed by larger urban areas and supply invaluable genealogical information to the public.
This presentation explores how to utilize the financial records of general stores and businesses to amplify the narrative of rural communities and the relationships between producers and suppliers. I utilize records from my case study of north central Illinois in the 1830s and 40s to focus on these relationships. In the presentation, I first explain the different types of store records that are typically found in local archives. Then I utilize a 629-page day book from a general store and the ledger book from a grist mill from LaSalle County in the late 1830s as examples for delving deeper into local-level commercial relationships. I use these records to discuss family-level consumer consumption, the role of gender in commercial relationships, and to breakdown conceptions of subsistence cultures in the hinterland regions of northern Illinois. I will also discuss how these records are tied to aspects of public history in several ways. They can bring historical perspective to these nascent communities that are often overshadowed by larger urban areas and supply invaluable genealogical information to the public.
Dr. Wayne Duerkes is a professional historian and author with over 30 years of experience on Illinois history with emphasis on the northern tier of the state and the Illinois & Michigan Canal. He works at Illinois Valley Community College. He is on the Board of Directors for the Illinois State Historical Society. His first monograph is under contract with the University of Illinois Press concerning market development in north central Illinois in the Antebellum period
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‘The Conrad Seabaugh & Company: How Store Records Expand Our Understanding of Antebellum Hinterland Life,’ will be viewed via Zoom. For further information, please contact the Highland Park Historical Society: 847.432.7090 or archives@highlandparkhistory.org. Admission is free.
