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The James Wilson ledger is a volume of approximately 660 pages, made up of accounts for individuals and corporations, mostly in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, between 1794 and 1816. The collection also includes about 50 small items, mostly receipts relating to Wilson's business, that were originally enclosed in the ledger.

Wilson divided the ledger into three sections, for which he hand-numbered the pages. In the third section, beginning around 1802, he not only listed the names of his customers, but also frequently recorded their residences or occupations. Women tended to be identified as "daughter of," "wife of," or "widow of" a male relative.

Wilson's customers occupied a spectrum of social statuses. Many of the patrons were listed as farmers or artisans, but the ledger also includes accounts for professionals and gentleman as well as newly freed African Americans, household servants, and apprentices. Most of these customers seemed to reside in the towns of Lebanon, Bethlehem, and Kingwood, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, but Wilson also traded with merchants from Trenton and Philadelphia.

In the earliest entries, dating from 1794, Wilson seems to have traded mostly in wines and spirits, including whisky, spruce beer, port, sherry, rum, cider, and claret. Most of his early customers paid in cash or "bottles returned." Further in the ledger, Wilson's sales broaden to include household goods (chiefly tea, coffee, and sugar), fabric, and clothing. In return, he received services and goods, as well as cash.

This collection also consists of approximately 50 small items, mostly receipts, at one time enclosed in the ledger. Items of note include 2 contracts, dated 1807, for schoolmaster James Hill, an undated note addressed to "Mrs. Wilson" from Theodosia Coxe about household goods, and some basic sketches in the front and end papers of the ledger. An index of the approximately 100 accounts listed under women's names may be found in the control file.

The minute book of the United Sons of Salem Benevolent Society describes the business proceedings of a mid-19th century African American self-help organization. A hybrid of an insurance agency and charitable operation, the United Sons bound together members of the African American community of Salem, New Jersey, providing a social network, a financial safety net, and support in the event of illness or death.

The minute book of the United Sons of Salem Benevolent Society is a rare survival of a mid-19th century African American self-help organization. A hybrid of an insurance agency and charitable operation, the United Sons bound together members of the African American community of Salem, New Jersey, providing a social network, a financial safety net, and support in the event of illness or death. The Society also made small, usually short-term loans to its members to assist in their business endeavors.

The first 18 pages of the minute book contain the constitution of the United Sons, including a preamble and 25 articles, plus the signatures of eighteen founding members. Six of these men appear to have signed, the other twelve making marks. Thereafter, typical entries in the minute book are very brief, including notice that meetings began with "singing and prays," and tersely summarizing the business at hand -- the election of officers, the induction of new members, society discipline, and the disbursement of funds to compensate sickness and death.

The constitution of the Society is of considerable historical value in explicitly laying out the reasons for forming the Society and providing a highly detailed overview of its structure, ideology, and operations. Providing the names of many of its members and their contributions and roles within the organization, the remainder of the book is a valuable key to examining the social and financial relationships among members of the African American community during a critical period of history.