[Grocery ledger], April 7, 1859 - July 25, 1860

This collection consists of two ledger books recording transactions at a grocery business presumably employing a member of the Grenell family in Rochester in 1858-1860. The two ledgers provide a detailed register of sales starting on May 20, 1858 and ending July 25, 1860. The scale of the transactions suggests the business engaged in both wholesale and retail trade. The collection also includes an account book and a letter, which confirm the creators of this collection as Francis Springsteen, Cornelia Ireland Grenelle and Eliza Grenelle.

[Originally, the provenance of this collection was unclear. The original description included the following information: Unfortunately, no business or creator name can be found in the books; they come from the former home of Albert Grenell, a member of the long-established Grenell family of Rock City Falls, New York (Saratoga County). While family tradition holds that there are Rochester connections - confirmed by the identities of the customers in these ledgers - the exact identity of the family members who lived and operated this business in Rochester have proved impossible to determine. See the biographical/historical note, below, for a discussion of the most likely origin of these ledgers.]