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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 4.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 900 items) |
| Abstract | The Bernhardt-Seagle Company was a family-owned store that operated under the ownership of members of either the Harper or Bernhardt families from 1829 to 2008 in Lenoir, N.C. It sold general merchandise, furniture, household appliances, and hardware. The collection chiefly contains records, 1831-1989, of the operation of the Bernhardt-Seagle Company. Included are day books with information about the store's daily transactions, cash books recording cash on hand and cash paid out each day, and ledgers containing lists of transactions organized under individual accounts. There are also records of store inventory, banking materials, certificates for stock both owned and sold by the Bernhardt-Seagle Company, and deeds and leases related to the various locations the store occupied and to the personal real estate of Harper and Bernhardt family members. Also included are letter press books with letters from James and George Harper to various individuals and companies; personal and business correspondence for the Bernhardt family; invoices for personal purchases made by the Bernhardt family; and photographs of the exterior, 1900s-1990 and undated, and interior, 1929-1962 and undated, of the buildings occupied by the Bernhardt-Seagle Company. There are also photographs, 1882-1961 and undated, of unidentified places and persons, some of whom may have been employees of the company; journals, 1875-1882, kept by George L. Bernhardt recording his life from ages 16 to 23, with entries that discuss school, chores, the weather, and life in Lenoir, N.C.; and a ledger from the Caldwell County Bible Society, 1865-1888. Ledgers, 1911-1950, from an unidentified church, with entries about church income from the offering plate and various church activities, are also included; the connection of these ledgers to the Bernhardt-Seagle Company is unclear. The Addition of October 2015 contains a promotional videotape on the Bernhardt-Seagle Company's community relations. |
| Creator | Bernhardt-Seagle Company. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: John Blythe and Megan Bricker, November 2009
Encoded by: Megan Bricker, February 2009
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, November 2020 and February 2021; Anne Wells and Melanie Meents, August 2021
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Historical Information
The Bernhardt-Seagle Company was a family-owned store in Lenoir, N.C. The store opened in 1829 and closed in 2008. During its 179-year history, the store operated under the ownership of a member of either the Harper or Bernhardt families and sold general merchandise, furniture, household applicances, and hardware. The store's founding predates the actual settlement of Lenoir.
The business started by James Harper and John Waugh in a log cabin as Harper and Waugh sold general merchandise. Waugh left the partnership several years after its founding, and the store operated under the sole ownership of James Harper as the Harper Store. In the mid 1840s, James Harper's son George (also known as "Major") joined the business, and the two ran the store together until James Harper's death in 1879.
The Bernhardt family added its name to the business in 1884 when George L. Bernhardt and John M. Bernhardt bought shares from George Harper. The store operated as Harper and Bernhardt until 1893 when George Harper left the business. The business was renamed Bernhardt Hardware and Furniture Company. The name change reflected a growing trade in furniture and household appliances.
In 1905, J.C. Seagle joined the business, and the store became known as the Bernhardt-Seagle Hardware Company. The name was later shortened to the Bernhardt-Seagle Company; it was operated by various members of the Bernhardt family for the next 103 years. During the 1900s, the Bernhardt family also began investing in rental property and commercial real estate.
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Scope and Content
The collection chiefly contains records, 1831-1989, of the operation of the Bernhardt-Seagle Company of Lenoir, Calwell County, N.C. Included are day books with information about the store's daily transactions, cash books recording cash on hand and cash paid out each day, and ledgers containing lists of transactions organized under individual accounts. There are also records of store inventory, banking materials, certificates for stock both owned and sold by the Bernhardt-Seagle Company, and deeds and leases related to the various locations the store occupied and to the personal real estate of Harper and Bernhardt family members. Also included are letter press books with letters from James and George Harper to various individuals and companies; personal and business correspondence for the Bernhardt family; invoices for personal purchases made by the Bernhardt family; and photographs of the exterior, 1900s-1990 and undated, and interior, 1929-1962 and undated, of the buildings occupied by the Bernhardt-Seagle Company. There are also photographs, 1882-1961 and undated, of unidentified places and persons, some of whom may have been employees of the company; journals, 1875-1882, kept by George L. Bernhardt recording his life from ages 16 to 23, with entries that discuss school, chores, the weather, and life in Lenoir, N.C.; and a ledger from the Caldwell County Bible Society, 1865-1888. Ledgers, 1911-1950, from an unidentified church, with entries about church income from the offering plate and various church activities, are also included; the connection of these ledgers to the Bernhardt-Seagle Company is unclear.
The Addition of October 2015 contains a 15 minute promotional videotape, circa 1989, on the Bernhardt-Seagle Company's community relations. It provides a brief history of the company and primarily focuses on the impact of Bernhardt in western North Carolina's economy, employee benefits and career options, and local community programs supported by the company.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Day Books, 1831-1913.
Arrangement: chronological.
Day books listing daily transactions in chronological order.
Note that, for the most part, original volume titles have been retained.
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Series 2. Cash Books, 1854-1920.
Arrangement: chronological.
Cash books recording daily cash on hand and cash paid out.
Note that, for the most part, original volume titles have been retained.
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Series 3. Ledgers, 1854-1923.
Arrangement: chronological.
Ledgers containing lists of transactions organized under individual accounts. There is often an index of customers at the beginning of the ledger. Ledgers correspond to day books, but cover a greater length of time for specific customers.
Note that, for the most part, original volume titles have been retained.
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Series 4. Other Bernhardt-Seagle Company Materials, 1837-1989.
Arrangement: chronological.
Materials relating to services provided by the Bernhardt-Seagle Company, such as hauling, shipping, and barter trading. Also included are records of store inventory, banking materials, certificates for stocks both owned and sold, deeds and leases related to the various locations the store occupied, and the personal real estate of Harper and Bernhardt family members.
Note that, for the most part, original titles have been retained.
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Series 5. Correspondence and Related Materials, 1870-1989.
Arrangement: chronological.
Letter press books with letters from James and George Harper to various individuals and companies, personal and business correspondence and invoices of Bernhardt family members, and other items.
| Folder 53 |
Letter Press Book, 27 August 1870-2 October 1871Business letters from James and George Harper to various individuals and companies. |
| Folder 54 |
Letter Press Book, 26 April 1873-8 August 1874Business letters from James and George Harper to various individuals and companies. |
Folder 55-57
Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57 |
Correspondence and Invoices, 1898-1944Personal and business correspondence of Bernhardt family members and invoices for personal purchases. |
| Folder 58 |
Other MaterialsChurch bulletins, pamphlets from organizational meetings, event flyers, receipts, and other items. |
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Series 6. Photographs, 1882-1962 and undated.
Photographs of the exterior and interior of buildings occupied by the Bernhardt-Seagle Company; photographs of unidentified persons, possibly employees of the company; and photographs of other unidentified people and places.
| Image Folder PF-5393/1 |
Bernhardt-Seagle Company interiors, 1929-1962 and undated |
Image Folder PF-5393/2-3
PF-5393/2PF-5393/3 |
Bernhardt-Seagle Company exteriors, 1903-1990 and undated |
| Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-4393/1 |
Bernhardt-Seagle Company exteriors, 1900s |
| Image Folder PF-5393/4 |
Unidentified persons, possibly employees of Bernhardt-Seagle Company, and others, 1882-1961 and undated |
| Image Folder PF-5393/5 |
Unidentified places and people, undatedThe connection to the hardware store is unclear. |
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Series 7. George L. Bernhardt Journals, 1875-1882.
Arrangement: chronological.
Journals with almost daily entries from George L. Bernhardt's life from the ages of 16 to 23. Entries document school, chores, the weather, and life in general in Lenoir, N.C. The 1 January 1875 to 31 December 1876 journal contains entries that are more narrative than the others and includes greater description of local life.
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Series 8. Church Ledgers, 1906-1950.
Arrangement: chronological.
One Caldwell county Bible Society ledger, 1865-1888, and eleven ledgers, 1906-1950, from an unidentified church. The treasurer of that church is identified as C.D. Rabb, and the ledgers contain records of church income from the offering plate and document various church activities, such as home and foreign mission projects. The connection to the Bernhardt-Seagle Company is unclear.
| Folder 65 |
Caldwell County Bible Society Ledger, 1865-1888 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/83 |
Collection Register, 27 August 1906-28 February 1911 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/84 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 5 January 1913-31 December 1915 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/85 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 1916-1918 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/86 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 5 January 1919-25 December 1921 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/87 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 1 January 1922-31 December 1930 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/88 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 6 January 1924-31 December 1925 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/89 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 3 January 1926-30 December 1928 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/90 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 6 January 1929-31 December 1930 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/91 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 1 January 1933-30 December 1935 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/92 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 3 January 1943-29 December 1946 |
| Oversize Volume SV-5393/93 |
Church Treasurer's Ledger, 5 January 1947-1950 |
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Series 9A. Promotional videotape, circa 1989 (Addition of October 2015).
Acquisitions information: Accession 102325
A 15 minute promotional videotape, circa 1989, on the Bernhardt-Seagle Company's community relations. It provides a brief history of the company and primarily focuses on the impact of Bernhardt in western North Carolina's economy, employee benefits and career options, and local community programs supported by the company.
| Videotape VT-5393/1 |
Bernhardt Furniture Company: Community Relations, Lenoir, N.C., circa 1989VHS |
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Items Separated