John Stillé, Jr.: Accounting Records of a Successful 18th Century Philadelphia Merchant

The examination of John Stillé, Jr.'s accounting and business records from his early career in the late 18th century uncovers historical and economic events of the day and how these events impacted the business of a merchant. While each ledger and waste book tells a story of its own, each book also corroborates the story of the others. Stillé's accounting records are described and compared with bookkeeping practices of the time. Even the dual-currency preprinted books and the recordings therein are unusual. As such, this paper represents a microhistory of an important Philadelphia merchant of the 1790s and his attempts at record keeping. A knowledgeable and organized approach to accounting and bookkeeping plausibly played a role in the success Stillé enjoyed in his occupation and his interactions with noted and wealthy citizens of Philadelphia, including at least one signer of the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution.