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Spencer Funeral Home

 Item
Identifier: RH-A-3886

Scope and Contents

This collection is composed of one green S. E. Ledger, which was owned by Spencer Funeral Home in Athens, MI and was used from 1949 – 1954. The ledger is 76 pages long.Purchases recorded in the ledger include item such as cards, flowers, casket sprays, dinners, and the services themselves. There are three (3) receipts pinned in the ledger for flowers, wheat, and something from Wolfe Grain & Feed Co. The entries often include which church the funeral took place at and the family member who paid for the funeral.

Dates

  • Creation: 1949 – 1954

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Spencer Funeral Home is located at 310 South Capital Avenue in Athens, Michigan (49011). It is a privately held company and only has a single location. The funeral home was established in 1932 and incorporated in Michigan. The funeral home staffs four (4) people. Spencer Funeral Home now seems to be owned by Lighthouse Funeral and Cremation, which has been in operation since 2013. Spencer Funeral Home now also goes by the name “Spencer Lighthouse of Athens.”

Extent

.05 Cubic Feet ; 12 in. x 7 ½ in

Language of Materials

English

Physical Description

The collection amounts to 0.05 cubic feet and is composed of one green S. E. Ledger – Sterling Account book 12 in. x 7 ½ in., which was manufactured by Woolworths. The ledger has red corners and a black decorative border on the front and back. The front cover has writing and scribbles all over it in pencil and some water damage. The back cover is less severe, but sustains the same type of damage as well as a speckling of what seems to be paint. The cover and binding are completely detached from the pages of the ledger, though the pages are well bound to each other. The ledger also has a very sour smell.

Most of the used pages of the ledger have been scribbled on and scratched out to convey that the transaction listed has been paid, often with a large “Pd” written over top. The entries are written fairly sloppily and can be very difficult to read. The ledger appears to begin sometime in 1949. Entries get much more neat and organized on page 13, which begins in May of 1954. Page 14 is the last active page of the ledger apart from the last two pages, making pages 15 through 74 blank. Page 75 is not dated, but 76 seems to also be from 1954.

Title
Spencer Funeral Home Finding Aid
Author
Brianna Jarczynski
Date
2017-07-11
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections Repository

Contact:
Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center
1650 Oakland Drive
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5307 US
(269) 387-8490