Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
E. M. Brown Store Records, 1921-1931
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Brown, Erwin Martin, 1889-1965.
- Title
- E. M. Brown Store Records
- Dates
- 1921-1931 (inclusive)19211931
- Quantity
- 1 box, (0.5 linear feet)
- Collection Number
- UUS_COLL MSS 395
- Summary
- This collection contains the invoice records of E. M. Brown's general merchandise co-op in Scipio, Utah, dating from the 1920s.
- Repository
-
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Erwin Martin Brown was born to Jorgen and Annie P. Brown in 1889. In 1911, Brown married Ada Johnson, who was born in 1888. Together they had five children-- Bevan, Mervin, Chloe, Garn, and Coral Brown--while they lived in Scipio, Utah.
Brown probably acquired the general merchandise co-op around 1920. The store in Scipio was likely one of the co-op outlets associated with the Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (Z.C.M.I.), which supplied several co-ops throughout Utah. In E.M. Brown’s correspondence and invoices, Z.C.M.I. refers to Brown’s General Merchandise retail as the “Scipio Co-op”, and the store depended heavily on the Z.C.M.I. for backing and inventory. In 1922 the Z.C.M.I. borrowed and paid out large sums of money in order to help Utah businesses, including the Scipio Co-op, avoid bankruptcy. As a result, E. M. Brown was in debt to Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution almost $10,000 by August 1923. It is not clear how or when Brown got out of debt, though he continued manage of the store throughout the 1920s.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of the invoice records of Brown General Merchandise in Scipio, Utah from 1921 to 1924 and some store coupons from 1931. The materials, organized chronologically in one box of 40 folders, are beneficial to those researching the history of Utah cooperatives and Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution.
Within the invoices are records of Brown’s dry goods and hardware inventory including dresses, overalls, boots, beet sugar, eggs, plungers, rubber tires, chocolate, and batteries. His suppliers included Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (Z.C.M.I), The Salt Lake Hardware Company, Utah Implement Vehicle Company and others. Also in the invoice files are records of E. M. Brown’s affiliation with Z.C.M.I. during the financial crisis of the early 1920s.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the E. M. Brown Store Records must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.
Preferred Citation
Initial Citation: E. M. Brown Store Records USU_COLL MSS 395, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.
Following Citations:USU_COLL MSS 395, USUSCA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged in Chronological order and by document type
Processing Note
Processed in May of 2013
Acquisition Information
This collection was accessioned by USU Special Collections and Archives in 1997, though the donor and donation date are unknown.
Bibliography
>Holabird, Fred N. “Mormon Pioneer Minor Coinage”, Holabirdamericana.com. Holabird-Kagin Americana. 2009. Web. 29 May 2013.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
E. M. Brown's General Merchandise Invoices, 1921-1931Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Invoices |
1921 January |
| 1 | Invoices |
1921 February | |
| 1 | 3 | Invoices |
1921 March |
| 1 | 4 | Invoices |
1921 April |
| 1 | 5 | Invoices |
1921 May |
| 1 | 6 | Invoices |
1921 June |
| 1 | 7 | Invoices |
1921 July |
| 1 | 8 | Invoices |
1921 August |
| 1 | 9 | Invoices |
1921 September |
| 1 | 10 | Invoices |
1921 October |
| 1 | 11 | Invoices |
1921 November |
| 1 | 12 | Invoices |
1921 December |
| 1 | 13 | Invoices |
1922 January |
| 1 | 14 | Invoices |
1922 February |
| 1 | 15 | Invoices |
1922 March |
| 1 | 16 | Invoices |
1922 April |
| 1 | 17 | Invoices |
1922 May |
| 1 | 18 | Invoices |
1922 June |
| 1 | 19 | Invoices |
1922 July |
| 1 | 20 | Invoices |
1922 August |
| 1 | 21 | Invoices |
1922 September |
| 1 | 22 | Invoices |
1922 October |
| 1 | 23 | Invoices |
1922 November |
| 1 | 24 | Invoices |
1922 December |
| 1 | 25 | Invoices |
1923 January |
| 1 | 26 | Invoices |
1923 February |
| 1 | 27 | Invoices |
1923 March |
| 1 | 28 | Invoices |
1923 April |
| 1 | 29 | Invoices |
1923 May |
| 1 | 30 | Invoices |
1923 June |
| 1 | 31 | Invoices |
1923 July |
| 1 | 32 | Invoices |
1923 August |
| 1 | 33 | Invoices |
1923 September |
| 1 | 34 | Invoices |
1923 October |
| 1 | 35 | Invoices |
1923 November |
| 1 | 36 | Invoices |
1923 December |
| 1 | 37 | Invoices |
1924 |
| 1 | 37 | Invoices |
undated |
| 1 | 25 | Letters from Z.C.M.I and other businesses to E. M. Brown |
1921-1923 |
| 1 | 40 | Miscellaneous postage and discount advertisements |
1921-1931 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Cooperative societies--Utah--Scipio--History--20th century.
- Stores, Retail--Utah--Scipio--History--20th century.
Personal Names
- Brown, Erwin Martin, 1889-1965.
Corporate Names
- Scipio Co-operative Mercantile Institution--Records and Correspondence.
- Zions Co-operative Mercantile Institution.
- Scipio Co-operative Mercantile Institution.
Geographical Names
- Millard County (Utah)--History--20th century.
- Scipio (Utah)--History--20th century.
Finding aid/Register created by Elisabeth Cropper and Clint Pumphrey
2013
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
