John and Anna Stofella immigrated to the United States sometime in the mid to late 19th century from Europe (their precise point of origin differs between sources). John spent some time as a miner in California before opening a general store and saloon in Yuma. Built near the railroad, the saloon was a popular place for railroad workers. In addition to his mercantile efforts, John Stofella also loaned money and took mortgages as security. John Stofella died in 1914 leaving the store to his wife, Anna, who managed the store until her own death in 1925.
This collection contains materials concerning John and Anna Stofella focusing on the general store that was operated from 1899 to 1925. The biographical material includes photocopies of a Stofella family scrapbook, as well as materials relating to historical preservation of the Stofella store building. The financial folder contains an assortment of bills and checks. The collection also contains a number of ledgers used in the operation of the general store. Materials are organized by document type and chronologically within.
