Guide to the Singletary & Carmichael
Records Group 153
Date Span: 1915 - 1951
Extent: ca. 4 cubic feet
Organizational History: In 1913, A.D. Whiddon and William Singletary purchased John Sanders & Co., a dry good and farm supply store in Dothan, AL. They established Singletary and Whiddon to provide those same goods to farmers of the Wiregrass. In 1923, the store was located on the 132-140 block of South Foster Street, Dothan. In 1936, the store became Singletary and Carmichael, owned by William Singletary and his nephew Archie Carmichael. (Stepp, Wendell H., and Pamela A. Stepp. Dothan: A Pictorial History. The Donning Company/Publishers, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, 1984.)
Recently, the company has undergone name and ownership changes; it is now Carmichael Electronics. In 1998, Larry Cable purchased the store from Archie Carmichael, IV. The current (2013) owner, Steve Crisp, acquired the assets of Carmichael Electronics from the bank in 2000 and renamed the business Wiregrass Electronics.
Scope/Content: Collection documents the finances of Singletary & Whiddon as well as Singletary & Carmichael, including: general account ledgers, fertilizer ledgers, accounts receivable ledgers, purchase orders, and receipt books
Collection Organization: Organized into four series:
- 1. Daily Cash Journals – 21 journals, 1915 - 1951. Includes cash balances and business transactions, showing date of transactions, names of customers, quantities, costs and descriptions of merchandise purchased. Cash journals reconciled the till.
- 2. General and Sub-Ledgers – 12 ledgers, 1916-1945. Three general account ledgers, 1916 – 1923. The general account ledgers report balances for expenses, including: accounts for purchased merchandise, freight and express accounts and account with First National Bank of Dothan. This series contains two types of sub-ledgers (extracts from the general ledgers): Fertilizer Ledgers (7), 1916 – 1945 and Accounts Payable Ledgers (2), 1919 - 1926. Because the state taxed fertilizer, the store kept separate fertilizer ledgers that list customers' names and postings of amounts and prices of fertilizer sold. Also, the store extended credit to customers, so it kept separate accounts payable ledgers that list customers' names with amounts they owed.
- 3. Receipts - Contains 3 items. One receipt books from 1946 – 1948, consisting of a copy of sale receipts given to customers. Two purchase order books from 1943-1948 consisting of copies of cash paid out for items purchased by store.
- 4. Miscellaneous – Contains blank receipt book, blank insurance ledger, and ephemera.
All series are arranged chronologically
Provenance: Archie Carmichael, IV, donated collection to William Holman, Executive Director of Dothan Landmark Foundation, Inc. Holman donated the collection to The Wiregrass Archives.
Processing Notes: No original order, so The Wiregrass Archives staff divided the collection into four series to facilitate access.
Preferred Citation: [Item], Historical Collections: Singletary & Carmichael Records, Dothan Landmarks Foundation, Inc. Records, RG030. Wiregrass Archives, Troy University--Dothan Campus, Dothan, AL.
Access Limits? Open
Proc Date 4/1/2008
Processor B. Strickland
INVENTORY
Series 1: Daily Cash Journals - 21 journals, 1915 - 1951. Includes cash balances and business transactions, showing
date of transactions, names of customers, quantities, costs and descriptions of merchandise
purchased. Cash journals reconciled the till.
File I.D. File Label
153-08-0307-Item-001 Cash Book [June 12, 1915 - March 10, 1916]
153-08-0307-Item-002 Cash Book [March 11, 1916 - September 07, 1916]
153-08-0307-Item-003 Cash Book [September 09,1916 - January 01, 1917, July 19 - 21, 1917, August 19 - 25, 1919]
153-08-0307-Item-004 Cash Book [December 02, 1916 - July 16, 1917]
153-08-0307-Item-005 Cash Book [January 01,1917 - October 22, 1917]
153-08-0307-Item-006 Cash Book [May 01, 1918 - March 29, 1920]
153-08-0307-Item-007 Cash Book [August 19,1919 - September 25, 1920]
153-08-0307-Item-008 Cash Book [October 27, 1921 - October 13, 1922]
153-08-0307-Item-009 Cash Book [September 06, 1923 - October 18, 1924]
153-08-0307-Item-010 Cash Book [October 18, 1924 - October 07, 1925]
153-08-0307-Item-011 Cash Book [November 14, 1925 - November 03, 1926]
153-08-0307-Item-012 Cash Book [May 31, 1928 - May 06, 1929]
153-08-0307-Item-013 Cash Book [March 09, 1939 - April 06, 1940]
153-08-0307-Item-014 Cash Book [April 08, 1940 - April 26, 1941]
153-08-0307-Item-015 Cash Book [April 28, 1941 - July, 31, 1942]
153-08-0307-Item-016 Cash Book [August 03, 1942 - May 22, 1943]
153-08-0307-Item-017 Cash Book May 24, 1943 - July 31, 1944]
153-08-0307-Item-018 Cash Book [August 01, 1944 - July 31, 1945]
153-08-0307-Item-019 Cash Book [August 01, 1945 - March 01, 1947]
153-08-0307-Item-020 Cash Book March 01, 1947 - July 31, 1949]
153-08-0307-Item-021 Cash Book [August 01, 1949 - February 14, 1951]
Series 2: General Ledger - 12 ledgers, 1916-1945. Three general account ledgers, 1916 – 1923. The general
account ledgers report balances for expenses, including: accounts for purchased merchandise,
freight and express accounts and account with First National Bank of Dothan. This
series contains two types of sub-ledgers (extracts from the general ledgers): Fertilizer
Ledgers (7), 1916 – 1945 and Accounts Payable Ledgers (2), 1919 - 1926. Because the
state taxed fertilizer, the store kept separate fertilizer ledgers that list customers'
names and postings of amounts and prices of fertilizer sold. Also, the store extended
credit to customers, so it kept separate accounts payable ledgers that list customers'
names with amounts they owed.
File I.D. File Label
153-08-0307-Item-022 General Ledger [September 01, 1916 - June 30, 1917]
153-08-0307-Item-023 General Ledger January 01, 1918 - December 27, 1920]
153-08-0307-Item-024 General Ledger [January 01, 1921 - December 28, 1923]
153-08-0307-Item-025 Fertilizer Ledger [1916 - 1917]
153-08-0307-Item-026 Fertilizer Ledger [1918 - 1919]
153-08-0307-Item-027 Fertilizer Ledger [1920 - 1923]
153-08-0307-Item-028 Fertilizer Ledger [1923 - 1924]
153-08-0307-Item-029 Fertilizer Ledger [1925 - 1930]
153-08-0307-Item-030 Fertilizer Ledger [1938 - 1941]
153-08-0307-Item-031 Fertilizer Ledger [1943 - 1945]
153-08-0307-Item-032 Accounts Payable [November 01, 1919 - May 23, 1919]
153-08-0307-Item-033 Accounts Payable [May 21, 1925 - March 19, 1926]
Series 3: Receipt books – Contains 3 items. One receipt books from 1946 – 1948, consisting of a copy of sale receipts given to customers. Two purchase order books from 1943-1948 consisting of copies of cash paid out for items purchased by store.
File I.D. File Label
153-08-0307-001-001 Cash Receipts [1946 - 1948]
153-08-0307-001-002 Purchase Order Book [1943 - 1944, 1947 - 1948]
Series 4: Miscellaneous - Contains blank receipt book, blank insurance ledger, and ephemera.
File I.D. File Label
153-08-0307-001-003 Blank Receipt Book
153-08-0307-Item-034 Blank Northern Assurance Insurance Ledger
153-08-0307-001-004 Ephemera - Ad for Plow
Contact Us
Wiregrass Archives
Troy University Dothan Campus
Everett 128
502 University Dr.
Dothan, AL 36303
Phone: 334-983-6556 x21327
Email: wiregrassarchives@troy.edu