This single volume is all that survives as a record of his business. It is a blotter used during the first nine months of 1872 in which Brown made rough entries to be transferred later into a formal journal and ledger. Transactions reflect the groceries, oil, ready made clothing, piece goods, notions, powder, shot, shoes, coffin trimmings, and so forth that made up his stock in trade.

Previously the volume had belonged to the Orange County Common School Board where it had been used as a ledger (Ledger B) for the years 1869-1863 by Brown's father, William H. Brown, chairman of the Orange County common school system. The elder Brown's death in 1866 occurred the year after the common school system had been abolished following the war. His son, seeing that his father had used only 79 pages in the volume, and that it would no longer be needed by the abolished school system, glued together the first 54 pages, cut out another 7 pages, and proceeded to use it as a blotter in his store.