George Nelson Jerauld, 1811-1894, was a merchant with the G. N. Jerauld Merchandise Store of Princeton, Indiana. He was born on December 23, 1811 in Rhode Island, the son of Edward G. Jerauld and Sophia Jerauld. When George was eight years old, his father led the family west to Princeton, Indiana, inspired by George's uncle William Jerauld who had come west in 1816. George Jerauld first worked in his uncle's grocery store before purchasing the store himself in 1832 and transforming it into his own mercantile business in 1846. He ran his business from the same location continuously for over sixty years, earning him the title of "the oldest businessman in Princeton." In 1842 he married his second wife, Nancy Foster Jerauld, 1814-1893, and they had seven children, three of whom survived to adulthood: Mary Jerauld Welborn, Laura Jerauld Owen, and Amelia Jerauld Paxton. He died on February 15, 1894 in Princeton, Indiana.

The Princeton Coal and Mining Company, documented in this collection, existed for only one year.