E. M. Brown Store records
Scope and Contents
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.
Dates
- Creation: 1921-1931
Language of Materials
Material in English
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
Conditions Governing 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 and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives Department Head.
Biographical Note
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.
Extent
1 box (0.5 linear feet)
Abstract
This collection contains the invoice records of E. M. Brown's general merchandise co-op in Scipio, Utah, dating from the 1920s.
Arrangement
Arranged in Chronological order and by document type
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was accessioned by USU Special Collections and Archives in 1997, though the donor and donation date are unknown.
Processing Information
Processed in May of 2013.
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the E. M. Brown Store records 1921-1931
- Author
- Finding aid/Register created by Elisabeth Cropper and Clint Pumphrey
- Date
- ©2013
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid encoded in English.
Revision Statements
- 2009: Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines.
Repository Details
Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)
scweb@usu.edu