ACCOUNTING ON THE OLD PLANTATION: A Study of the Financial Records of an Ante-bellum Louisiana Sugar Planter

Very little information exists on the accounting methods and procedures of the great cotton and sugar plantations in the Southeastern United States during the period preceding the Civil War. Fortunately, one sugar planter, William J. Minor of Natchez, Mississippi and Houma, Louisiana, maintained a detailed set of records, among which are two ledgers. From these we learn that a hybrid accounting system, using elements of cash and accrual and single and double-entry bookkeeping, was in use. While such a system might seem strange today, it appears to have served its purpose in its particular operating environment.