McBride’s General Store (Clinton, Pa.), Daybooks, 1882-1886
- Repository
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- McBride's General Store (Clinton, Pa.), Daybooks
- Creator
- McBride's General Store (Clinton, Pa.)
- Collection Number
- AIS.1973.02
- Extent
- 3 Linear Feet (2 oversize boxes)
- Date
- 1882-1886
- Abstract
- William Wilson McBride (1844-1917) owned a general store in the town of Clinton, which is located in the western portion of Allegheny County, Pa. Operating from 1866 to 1886, McBride sold a variety of products, including dry goods, groceries, and farm supplies. The records consist of three daybooks which span the years 1882- 1886 and includes records of daily transactions, including customer names, account numbers, products purchased, and associated costs.
- Language
- English .
- Publisher
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Address
- University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of WQED via Ruth Weisberg on January 19, 1973.
Arrangement
These records are arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical
From 1866 to 1886, William Wilson McBride operated a general store in Clinton, Pa. where he sold groceries and dry goods, among other items. Clinton, Pa. is located west of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County and had a population of approximately 200 people in the 1890s.
McBride appears to have operated the retail establishment in Clinton until 1886. By 1890, he went on to purchase a large stake in the Pittsburgh paper company, Morrison, Cass & Company. McBride ultimately bought out the company in 1894 and in 1902, the business was officially incorporated as the W. W. McBride Paper Company. The W. W. McBride Paper Company was located in downtown Pittsburgh, at the corner of Ross Street and Third Avenue until the company's closure in 1909.
William Wilson McBride was born in 1844 on a farm in North Fayette Township, Allegheny County, Pa. McBride was married three times and had four children with his third wife, Mary Zeigler. Their children were Edwin (who died in infancy), Dorothy, Mary Louise, and William Wilson Jr. On August 10, 1917, William W. McBride died at the age of 73.
Preferred Citation
McBride's General Store (Clinton, Pa.), Daybooks, 1882-1886, AIS.1973.02, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Caroline E. Berry on June 10, 2022.
Scope and Contents
Records consist of three daybooks spanning the years 1882 to 1886, from William W. McBride's general store in Clinton, Pa, located in western Allegheny County. The daybooks record daily transactions, which include customer names, account numbers, and a list of products purchased, in addition to their prices. Items sold include produce, meat, clothing, and tobacco, as well as various other goods, such as matches, horse feed, and toiletries.
On a typical day, McBride recorded between 15 and 30 transactions. Large accounts included William Cummings, A. M. Buchanan, and Mrs. M. McClintock.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Subjects
- McBride's General Store (Clinton, Pa.)
- Daybooks
- Accounts
- Business records
- General stores -- Pennsylvania -- Clinton
- Stores, Retail -- Pennsylvania -- Clinton
- Dry goods -- Prices -- Pennsylvania -- Clinton
- Groceries -- Prices -- Pennsylvania -- Clinton
- Commercial products -- Prices -- Pennsylvania -- Clinton