This collection contains the financial records and many catalogs of the Joseph W. Vestal Co., a retail and wholesale florist and nursery business of North Little Rock.
Joseph Wysong Vestal was born at Harveyburg, Ohio on November 9, 1833. He married Miss Josephine C. Lonbarger of Philadelphia in 1856, and they had five children, Charles, Elizabeth, Ellen, George and Frank.
In 1860 Mr. Vestal established a florist business at Cambridge City, Indiana. After hard work he built his business into a success.
In 1880 he decided to seek a warmer climate and purchased one hundred thirty acres of land from the Iron Mountain Railroad Company for $4,000. The land was located on the Arkansas River. He established his business and saw it grow until his death in 1917.
His son, Charles, took over the business in the early nineteen hundreds. He married Charlie Walters of Tennessee, and they had four children, Joseph Walter, Charles Howell, Ruth and Mildred. Charles died in 1928.
Joseph Walter, Sr. married Bess Thompson of Wynne, Arkansas, and they had three children. Their names were Joseph Walter, Jr. (Buddy) and Josephine Wanda, who were twins, and Joyce.
Charles Howell Vestal married Marguerite Greer of Little Rock, they had three children, Charles Howell, who was killed in World War II, Shirley and Kent.
Joseph Walter (Buddy), Jr. married Ann Hanks of Stuttgart. Their children were Mickey Ann, Becky and William Edward.
The Vestal Nursery was one of the more prominent businesses in the state. It shipped plants and flowers all over the country. Today it is primarily a wholesale company.
In the Retail Catalogs are many helpful gardening hints. Some examples are: How to grow roses, How to plant and care for evergreens, How to build a back yard lilly pool, etc.
NOTE: When requesting material, please specify collection number (M86-3), series number, box number, and file number.
Arrangement
The records are divided in two series including (1) Financial Records and Catalogs (2) Oversize.
Series 1 – Financial Records and Catalogs: This series contains the few surviving loose financial records, whole- sale price lists, catalogs and other miscellaneous material from the Joseph W. Vestal and Sons Co.
Series 2 – Oversize: The oversize series contains accounting books, journals and sales receipt books from 1929- 1967.
Tracings: Business and Industry, Cities and Towns – North Little Rock, Horticulture, Joseph W. Vestal and Son Nursery, Trees, Vestal, Charles, Vestal, Walter (Buddy), Jr., Vestal, Joseph Walter, Sr., Vestal, Jospeh Wysong, Vestal, William Edward
Series I – Financial Records and Catalogs
Box 1
File 1A – Financial Records, 1927-1928
File 1B – Financial Records, 1936-39
File 2 – Financial Records, 1940-1944
File 3 – Financial Records, 1945-1954
File 4 – Financial Records, 1955-January 1960
File 5 – Wholesale Price List, Fall 1903
File 6 – Wholesale Price List, Fall 1904
File 7 – Wholesale Price List, Spring 1905
File 8 – Wholesale Price List, Fall 1906
File 9 – Wholesale Price List, Spring 1907
File 10- Wholesale Price List, Spring 1908
File 11- Wholesale Price List, Fall 1908
File 12- Wholesale Price List, Spring 1924
File 13- Wholesale Price List, Spring 1934
File 14- Wholesale Price List, Fall 1948 – Spring 1949
File 15- Wholesale Price List, Fall 1951 – Spring 1952
File 16- Wholesale Price List, Fall 1952 – Spring 1953
File 17- Wholesale Price List, Fall 1953 – Spring 1954
File 18- Wholesale Price List, Fall 1955 – Spring 1956
File 19A- Copy of Book, Directions for Sprouting, Raising ands Keeping Sweet Potatoes by Aaron H. Vestal (1854)
File 19B- Retail Catalog, 1892
File 20- Retail Catalog, 1892 (Bound Zerox copy)
File 21- Retail Catalog, Fall 1905
File 22- Retail Catalog, 1910
File 23- Retail Catalog, 1911
File 24- Retail Catalog, 1912
File 25- Retail Catalog, Spring 1922
File 26- Retail Catalog, Fall 1922
File 27- Retail Catalog, Spring 1924
File 28- Retail Catalog, Fall 1924
File 29- Retail Catalog, Fall 1925
File 30- Retail Catalog, Fall 1926
File 31- Retail Catalog, Spring 1927
File 32- Retail Catalog, Spring 1928
File 33- Retail Catalog, Fall 1928
File 34- Retail Catalog, Spring 1929
File 35- Retail Catalog, Fall 1929
File 36- Retail Catalog, Spring 1930
File 37- Retail Catalog, Fall 1930
File 38- Retail Catalog, Spring 1931
File 39- Retail Catalog, Fall 1931
File 40- Retail Catalog, Spring 1932
File 41- Retail Catalog, Fall 1932
File 42- Retail Catalog, Spring 1933
File 43- Retail Catalog, Fall 1933
File 44- Retail Catalog, Spring 1934
File 45- Retail Catalog, Fall 1934
File 46- Retail Catalog, Spring 1936
File 47- Retail Catalog, Fall 1937
File 48- Retail Catalog, Spring 1938
File 49- Retail Catalog, Fall 1938
File 50- Retail Catalog, Spring 1939
File 51- Retail Catalog, Fall 1939
File 52- Retail Catalog, Spring 1940
File 53- Retail Catalog, Spring 1941
File 54- Retail Catalog, Spring 1943
File 55- Retail Catalog, Spring 1945
File 56- Retail Catalog, Spring 1946
File 57- Retail Catalog, Spring 1948
File 58- Retail Catalog, Spring 1949
File 59- Retail Catalog, Spring 1950
File 60- Letter – Victory Tax, 1942; Letter, Thanksgiving 1948
File 61- Copy of Act 116 of 1959 signed by Governor Orval E. Faubus; Permit, Seventh consecutive day – 1959 (Permits women to work seven consecutive days)
File 62- Newspaper article on Vestal home being leveled. (copy)
File 63- Statement with notice of “Vestal’s Program of Entertainment” (A radio program), 1939; Samples of order sheets and return envelopes; Postcard 1912; Photograph of Vestal Nursery c.1930; Figures for cubic feet of various nursery buildings; Sheet on flower dyeing; Formula to prevent mildew; How to care for white Callas.
File 64- Vestal family biography by Amelia (Chudy) Vestal
File 65- Yearbook containing utility records (coal, electricity and water) 1932-1950; information about catalogs and plants.
File 66 – Misc. Nursery/Family Materials
Series II – Oversized record books – not in a box
Item 1 – Trial Balance, January 1, 1929 – February 1934
Item 2 – Journal, November 1, 1928 – February 9, 1929
Item 3 – Journal, February 10, 1929 – April 20, 1929
Item 4 – Journal, April 19, 1929 – October 5, 1929
Item 5 – Journal, October 18, 1937-August 18, 1938
Item 6 – Journal, August 19, 1938-June 16, 1939
Item 7 – Journal, June 17, 1939 – March 15, 1940
Item 8 – Journal, March 16, 1940 – June 29, 1941
Item 9 – Journal, July 1, 1941 – May 11, 1943
Item 10- Journal, May 15, 1943-September 27, 1945
Item 11- Sales Book, Vestal Greenhouse, September 26, 1945 – July 31, 1946
Item 12- Sales Book, Vestal Greenhouse, August 1, 1946- February 9, 1949
Item 13- Sales Register, November 1, 1928-May 14, 1929
Item 14- Sales Register, May 16, 1929 – February 28, 1930
Item 15- Sales Register, March 1, 1930 – October 31, 1930
Item 16- Sales Register, November 1, 1930 – April 12, 1932
Item 17- Sales Register, April 12, 1932 – March 31, 1934
Item 18- Journal, July 1, 1931 – June 30, 1932
Item 19- Journal, July 1, 1932 – December 30, 1932 (front pp. 1-56) Sales Register, April 1, 1934 – April 17, 1935 (back pp. 57-149)
Item 20- Sales Register, April 19, 1935 – August 31, 1936
Item 21- Sales Register, September 1, 1936 – September 22, 1937
Item 22- Sales Register, September 23, 1937 – September 14, 1938
Item 23- Sales Register, September 15, 1938-June 10, 1939
Item 24- Sales Register, June 11, 1939 – March 28, 1940
Item 25- Sales Register, March 29, 1940 – December 25, 1940
Item 26- Sales Register, December 25, 1940 – June 30, 1941
Item 27- Sales Register, July 1, 1941 – February 10, 1942
Item 28- Sales Register, February 11, 1943 – August 13, 1942
Item 29- Sales Register, August 12, 1942 – March 20, 1943
Item 30- Sales Register, March 20, 1943 – November 19, 1943
Item 31- Sales Register, November 19, 1943 – June 12, 1944
Item 32- Sales Register, June 12, 1944 – February 17, 1945
Item 33- Sales Register, February 16, 1945 – September 26, 1945
Item 34- Sales Register, March 9, 1946 – November 7, 1946
Item 35- Sales Register, November 7, 1946-May 9, 1947
Item 36- Sales Register, May 9, 1947-January 5, 1948
Item 37- Sales Register, January 5, 1948-June 22, 1948
Item 38- Sales Register, June 23, 1948 – January 10, 1949
Item 39- Sales Register, January 10, 1949 – February 7, 1949
Item 40- Journal, January 1, 1954 – September 30, 1956
Item 41- Journal, October 1, 1956 – June 30, 1958
Item 42- Journal, July 1, 1958 – February 29, 1960
Item 43- Journal, September 1, 1961 – February 28, 1963
Item 44- Journal, March 1, 1963 – January 30, 1964
Item 45- Journal, January 2, 1964 – July 30, 1965
Item 46- Journal, August 1, 1965 – January 28, 1967
Item 47- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, October 18, 1937 – June 30, 1939
Item 48- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, July 1, 1939 – November 14, 1940
Item 49- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, November 15, 1940 – December 21, 1941
Item 50- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, December 22, 1941 – December 31, 1942
Item 51- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, December 31, 1943 – November 30, 1943
Item 52- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, December 1, 1943 – October 31, 1944
Item 53- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, November 1, 1944 – August 25, 1945
Item 54- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, August 27, 1945-June 17, 1946
Item 55- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, February 19, 1948-December 22, 1948
Item 56- Sales Register, Vestal Flowers, December 22, 1948 – February 26, 1949
Item 57- Register of Plants and Flowers bought and sold, September 1, 1943 – April 13, 1944
End of Series II
End of Collection