Guide to the Gantert's Furniture Company Financial Records, 1866-1901

MSS X

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Historical Note

Scope and Contents

Administrative Information

Controlled Access Headings

OCLC Number

Collection Inventory

Summary Information

Abstract

Records of Gantert's Furniture Company consist entirely of financial materials which include daybooks (1866-1900), ledgers (1866-1880), accounts of workmen (1866-1877), order books (1874-1901), accounts of sales (1867-1874), accounts of invoices (1877-1898), a receipt book (1874-1877), and miscellaneous financial documents (1866-1872; 1900-1901). The La Crosse, Wisconsin, company was founded in 1861 by Stephen Gantert and closed in 1981.

Collection Title

Gantert's Furniture Company Financial Records

Date of Materials

1866-1901

Creator

S. Gantert (Firm: La Crosse, Wis.).

Call Number

MSS X

Amount

3.0 cubic feet

Physical Description

8 archives boxes

Language of Materials

English

Repository

La Crosse Public Library Archives

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Historical Note

Gantert's Furniture Company was founded in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1861 by Stephen Gantert, an immigrant from Baden, Germany. At the time of its founding, the company was known as S. Gantert's Furniture Hall. A partner, Mr. R. Schwartz, was bought out by Gantert in 1874. Gantert remained head of the business until 1903 when poor health forced him to turn over operation of the store to his sons and daughters. Gantert died on March 8, 1905.

In 1915, two of his sons, J. George and F. Albert Gantert, purchased the business and ran it as Gantert Brothers. In 1926 J. George Gantert died and left F. Albert Gantert as the sole proprietor until his death in 1949. His son, Albert P. Gantert, became the manager and held that position until the store closed in March 1981.

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Scope and Contents

The Gantert's Furniture Company records are made up entirely of various financial records. They have been categorized into eight groups: day books, ledgers, accounts of workmen, order books, accounts of sales, accounts of invoices, receipt book, and miscellaneous financial records.

The day books cover Aug. 1866-Oct.1871, 1875-1876, 1879-July 1880, 1882-June 1888, and 1894-1899. Each book shows what was purchased on each day of business for that year, who purchased the merchandise, how much it cost, and when payment was received.

The ledgers show transactions carried out between Stephen Gantert and various businesses and individuals during 1866-1867 and 1869-1881. At the beginning of each ledger is an alphabetical listing of all the businesses and individuals in that particular ledger and the page number on which the transactions with each person or business appear.

The accounts of workmen are records of the employees of Stephen Gantert. They give the name of the employee, what kind of work he did, how much in wages he earned, and when and how he was paid. These accounts cover the years 1866-1873, and 1877.

The order books cover July 1874-Oct. 1878, Aug. 1879-Sept. 1881, 1896-Oct. 1898, and 1899-Oct. 1901. They deal primarily with the orders Gantert made to other companies for supplies used in his furniture store. The order books show the name of the company dealt with, what Gantert ordered, and how much it cost.

The accounts of sales are similar to the day books. They show what items were sold and for how much on each business day for the years 1867-1868, 1870, and 1872-June 1874.

The accounts of invoices cover the years 1877-June 1881, and Nov. 1885-March 1898. These accounts list the name of the company that Gantert ordered materials from, how much he owed them, and how and when payment was made.

The receipt book is a book of receipt stubs from receipts written out between 1874-1877. On the stubs the name of the person or business the items were sent to is given as well as what kind of items were sent, the date they were sent, and the name of the railroad the items where shipped on.

The miscellaneous financial records include a book that covers the years 1868-1872. This book has many different types of records in it, including orders, bills, and pages of name with dollar amounts listed next to them. There are two other books in this section that cover the years 1900-1901. In these other books can be found several types of financial records such as purchase ledgers, accounts received, commissions, and sale ledgers.

A note to researchers: many of the records in this collection have been crossed out but are still legible. Also, several of the books have a few pages of miscellaneous financial records that follow the pages of main entries.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

La Crosse Public Library Archives 1987 December

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Acquisitions Information

Donated by Carl Schneider via Ed O'Meara, Sept. 1987 (Accession No. 1987.013)

Processing Information

Processed by Bill Petersen, Dec. 1987

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

• Gantert & Schwarz (La Crosse, Wis.).
• S. Gantert (Firm: La Crosse, Wis.).
• S. Gantert's Furniture Hall (La Crosse, Wis.).

Personal Name(s)

• Gantert, Stephen, d. 1905

Subject(s)

• Business records--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• Furniture industry and trade--Wisconsin--La Crosse

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OCLC Number

28418498

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Collection Inventory