Saint Leo Community Memory Oral History Collection & Archive: 1894-1899 Cash Ledger St. Leo Military College

Below are sample pages from the hand-written Saint Leo Military College cash ledger that itemizes the college's  expenditures. These purchases provide a glimpse into the lives of the monks who lived and worked at Saint Leo during its early years.

Some of  the interesting expenditures include the following:

1. Tobacco ($1:00) , cigars ($3.65 and $4.50), beer ($1.69 and $8.50), and wine ($3.80 and $5.13) are recurrent expenditures. This chronicles the monks' affinity for the small pleasures of smoking and drinking. March and April 1898

2. A typical grocery list included:

    eggs, wine, beer, coffee, flour, turkey, sugar tea, ice, rice, fish, sauerkraut, beans, spices, butter, and beef

3. Some items that frequently appear in the ledger attest to the fact that the monks had to be self-sufficient, building and maintaining the structures  located on the property:

    paint, nails, postage, roof shingles 

4. Other items that were purchased are necessities that the monks did not or could not easily make themselves:

    books, shoes, stationery, candles, oil, leather, suspenders, alarm clock, telescope

5. Items that pertained to communicating with the world outside of the college grounds include:

   postage, fees for telegrams sent to New York, Jacksonville, Detroit, Tampa, and Asheville

6. Payments were also made for services rendered or for large purchases:

   $5.25 for roadwork completed by A. Barthle

   $300.00 for the Purchase of a 20 Acre tract of land 

   $100.00 for purchase of pear trees from Keiffer

   A payment on a loan taken in 1897

7. Cash was given to the monks for:

    Pocket money  $5.00

    Benedictine allowances $2.00

8. There were many expenditures related to the care of the animals maintained by the monks:

     Feed. 

Groceries and other items

Loan Payment, Purchases of Land and Trees, and payment for Repairs

Payment to Mr. Barthle for Roadwork, Payment for Feed and Postage

Scholarship for Jos Kuagge

Purchase of Sauerkraut for $2.74

Payment for Telegrams to New York, Jacksonville (JAX), Detroit, Tampa, and Asheville