Business & Commerce Bibliography

MS 4 F.W. Wakefield Brass Company
Records, 1910-1966.
Vermilion, Ohio
Minutes of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Stockholders, correspondence, reports, subject files, legal and financial documents, scrapbooks, specifications, and printed material. 6 linear ft.

MS 5 Farmers and Citizens Banking Company
Records, 1910-1954.
Milan, Ohio
Minutes, stock certificates, correspondence, and ledgers. 6 linear ft.

MS 10 Wood County Monumental Works
Records, 1907-1954.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Contracts, correspondence, cash books, purchase, check, and sales records. 6 linear ft.

MS 11 Delphos Savings and Loan Association
Records, 1895-1932.
Delphos, Ohio
Minutes of the Board of Directors, journals, ledgers, cash books, and correspondence. 3 linear ft.

MS 12 Trommer Extract of Malt Company
Letter press book, 1879-1889.
Fremont, Ohio
Letter press book of orders, receipts, and correspondence. 2 linear ft.

MS 13 Gibsonburg Co-Operative Oil Company
Records, 1895-1898.
Gibsonburg, Ohio
Stockholders' and Directors' meeting minutes, stock records, journal and ledger. .5 linear ft.

MS 14 Abraham Huffman, M.D.
Records, 1847-1854.
Woodville, Ohio
Account books and day books, in practice with J.A. Walker. .5 linear ft.

MS 15 Schneider Stave and Lumber Company
Records, 1888-1892.
Helena, Ohio
Letter press books, day books, ledgers, stock records, cash books, and account books. Includes records of Schneider, Daub and Company. 1.5 linear ft.

MS 18 Farmers Bank
Records, 1901-1932.
Ohio City, Ohio
Meeting minutes, stock certificates, and registers. 3 linear ft.

MS 20 Fremont Building and Loan Company
Records, 1907-1939.
Fremont, Ohio
Corporation records, minutes, stock certificates, receipts and disbursements. .5 linear ft.

MS 21 Rundle Manufacturing Company
Records, 1921-1925.
Fremont, Ohio
Corporation records, stock certificates, correspondence, and receipts. .25 linear ft.

MS 25 Bowling Green, Ohio Chamber of Commerce
Records, 1940-1970.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Minutes, correspondence, subject files, and financial records. 7 linear ft.

MS 53 Pemberville Leader Business Records
Records, 1889-1975.
Pemberville, Ohio
Correspondence, financial and legal records of the Pemberville Leader.

MS 150 Lonz Winery
Records, 1899-1972.
Middle Bass Island, Ohio
Correspondence, ledgers, Internal Revenue forms, financial papers, and printed material. 13 linear ft.

MS 155 Taylor Funeral Home
Records, 1858-1974.
Oakwood, Ohio
Church record books containing membership records, officers, probationers, pastoral records, class records, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and other miscellaneous records.

MS 177 Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad Company
Records, 1909-1958.
Consists of correspondence between the company and various affiliates, as well as government and legal documents.

MS 183 Lyon, Clement & Greenleaf Company
Records, 1858-1886.
Wauseon, Ohio
Financial ledgers and incoming correspondence. 6.25 linear ft.

MS 202 Professional Secretaries International – National Secretaries Association, Wood County Chapter
Papers, 1954-1991
Proceedings, correspondence, subject/case files, reports, scrapbooks, printed materials, photographs, membership information, treasurer’s and annual reports, the Wood Wind newsletters, Wood Chips reports, giving insight into the organization’s involvement in the Wood County community.

MS 247 Toledo Board of Trade
Records, 1849-1981
Toledo, Ohio
Minutes, correspondence, financial and business reports, printed material, and photographs. 10 linear ft.

MS 266 Harry Edgar Byers
Records, 1917-1942.
Port Clinton, Ohio
Information concerning the Harry Byers Fisheries fishing company, including financial documents and monthly reports revealing the company's sales, customers, number of fish caught, and overall expenses of the company, as well as legal documents regarding legal restrictions and regulations governing the fishing industry.

MS 322 Graves Hardware
Records, 1910-1936.
Oak Harbor, Ohio
Financial records, customer account books, daily journals, and business ledgers. 2 linear ft.

MS 343 Wilbur Hague
Papers, 1907-2001
Photographs, indexes, printed material, and research notebooks centered on the interurban transportation network in Northwest Ohio. 1.5 linear ft.

MS 374 mf Newill-Planson Company
Funeral registers, 1910-1946.
Delta, Ohio
Funeral registers arranged chronologically, with alphabetical surname index; including some vital statistics on deceased. Microfilm

MS 380 Buckeye Traction Ditcher Collection, Garwood Industries
Records, 1900-1988
Findlay, Ohio
Includes sales and instruction manuals, parts catalogs, photographs, customer information cards, and newsclippings dealing with one of the largest tile ditching and construction trenching companies in the world, particularly its ditching machines.

MS 384 Benajmin Franklin Davis, M.D.
Records, 1864-1906.
Tontogany, Ohio
Patient daybooks and office ledgers, ledgers and registers from drugstore business, and miscellaneous advertising ephemera. Includes Civil War patient register. 3 linear ft.

MS 395 mf Eckhardt Monument Company
Monument order records, 1903-1963.
Tiffin, Ohio
Records include name and address of customer, design and cost of monument, and inscription information including birth and death dates. Microfilm

MS 401 Tiffin Glass Company
Records, 1891-1970
Tiffin, Ohio
Financial records, general, distribution, production, sales, and stock ledgers; glassware photographs, sketches, pattern rubbings, mold designs, and machinery blueprints for Tiffin Glass Company and its predecessor/parent, United States Glass Company.

MS 409 mf Harris Funeral Home
Record Books, 1924-1976.
Columbus Grove, Ohio
Record books containing obituaries, military discharge and enlistment papers, death certificates, and the information that was used to write the obituaries.

MS 434 The Oregon Business and Professional Women's Club
Records, 1950s-1980s.
Oregon, Ohio
Meeting minutes, membership information, treasurer's and annual reports, subject files, scrapbooks, and printed material documenting the activities of this business and professional women's organization.

MS 444 Defiance Broadcasting Company
Records, 1966-1984.
Defiance, Ohio
Correspondence, subject files, legal documents, financial documents, photographic material, and audio recordings, tracing the efforts of a small company to establish a radio station in Defiance, Ohio.

MS 505 mf Nieman-Beckman Funeral Home
Funeral registers, 1893-1986.
Pemberville, Ohio
Funeral registers including information on deceased such as name, age, residence, occupation, date and place of birth and death, name and birthplace of mother and father. Indexed. Microfilm

MS 507 mf Francis Hermann, M.D.
Records, 1857-1866.
New Riegel, Ohio
Patient daybooks and office ledgers, including charges, diagnosis, treatment, prescriptions, amount and type of payment. Microfilm

MS 528 George E. Hersh Lumber Company
Records, 1888-1932.
Grand Rapids, Ohio
Ledgers, day books, and sawmill order books. 1 linear ft.

MS 534 mf Orlo Mapes, M.D.
Records, 1896-1915.
Ottawa County, Ohio
Office ledgers, including charges and type of payment, receipts and bills for medical supplies. Includes ledger from 1914-1915 while serving and company physician at the Kelley's Island Lime and Transport Company. Microfilm

MS 545 Buckeye Pipeline Company
Records, 1932-1945.
Mermill, Ohio
Correspondence, memos, telegrams, work reports, and time records document the network of wells, storage tanks, pipelines, and working conditions long after the petroleum boom of the late 19th century in northwest Ohio.

MS 550 Milton Hersberger (1901-1987)
Papers, 1925-1986.
Ottawa County, Ohio
Correspondence, photographs, log-books, ledgers, and printed material dealing with Hersberger and Island Air Service, a passenger and freight airline operating between Port Clinton and the Erie Islands. 3 linear ft.

MS 571 Michael Tho. Reynolds Upholsterer & Furniture Maker
Papers, 1979-
Bowling Green, Ohio
Correspondence, financial records, printed materials such as catalogs and upholstering journals, books, photographs and artifactual fabric swatches from a Bowling Green business. 24 cu. ft.

MS 576 W. H. Kildow Cigar Company Records
Records, 1908-1969.
Tiffin, Ohio
Correspondence, licensing, financial records, and printed material, including advertising dealing with this long-time Tiffin firm.

MS 604 DeVilbiss Corporation
Records, 1897-1988.
Toledo, Ohio
Minutes, correspondence, contracts, property records, financial records, annual reports, labor related files, product catalogs and manuals, public relations files, scrapbooks and photographs, films and engineering microfilms related to the history and operation of the company. 50 linear feet.

MS 628 The Lathrop Company
Papers, 1965-1999.
Toledo, Ohio
Correspondence, subject files, annual reports, literary productions, scrapbook information, printed materials, and photographs of a Toledo, Ohio construction firm.

MS 637 William & Fuller Dry Goods Collection
Records, 1892-1919.
Perrysburg, Ohio
Includes cash journals, day books, and a ledger. The records are detailed in the company’s expenditures and receipts and would be useful for anyone studying business, economics, or trade in this era.

MS 720 Bentley Family
Papers, 1830-1991.
Toledo, Ohio
Family papers with correspondence and genealogical information related to the Chamberlain, Hascall, Grosh, Ritchie, Perky, Jones, Lewis, and Bentley families. Bentley Construction Company of Toledo, Ohio information is also included. 10 linear ft.

MS 754 Harp Family
Papers, 1899-1934.
Sandusky, Ohio
Family correspondence of a traveling salesman and his wife in northern Ohio. Some transcripts are available online.

MS 759 Toledo Edison Company
Papers, 1853-1989.
Toledo, Ohio
Operational, financial, and organizational materials of the Toledo Edison Company and its predecessors, including the Toledo Railways and Light Company. Included are correspondence, financial audits, annual reports, company publications, and photographs.

MS 761 First Ladies Investment Club
Papers, 1961-2003.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Proceedings, correspondence, financial records, printed material and audio-visual material documenting the activity of a women's investment club.

MS 847 Roger Chapman Collection 
Records, 1831-2001.
Wood County, Ohio
Include letters, manuscripts, research notes, news clippings, pictures, and photographs.

MS 978 mf American Railroad Steam Locomotives Nickel Plate Road
Papers, 1934-1958.
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York
Blueprints, drawings and tracings, 1934-1958. A full inventory is located on the microfilm reels.

MS 985 mf Libbey - Owens - Ford Glass Company
Papers, 1899-1955.
Toledo, Ohio
Articles of incorporation and meeting minutes, forming part of the collection available at the Ward M. Canaday Center of the University of Toledo: MSS-066.

MS 1025 Virginia Uhlman Nader Papers
Papers, 1860s-1998
Bowling Green, Ohio
Letters, genealogical materials, and other documents as well as a collection of books, printed material, and photographs centered on the Uhlman, Millikin, and Baldwin families, who were active in business in the northwest Ohio area. The bulk of the collection exists in an extensive grouping of letters sent and received by various members of the family.  50 linear feet, 11 bound volumes.

MS 1031 Chidester-Baldwin
Papers, 1878-1920.
Financial records of Bowling Green attorney and businessman Frank A. Baldwin and the related Chidester & Company dry goods store, highlighting the economic growth of northwest Ohio during the gas and oil boom era of the late 19th and early 20th century. 9 linear feet.

MS 1045 William Insull
Papers, 1922-1942.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Photographic albums, printed material, and reports of the Western Division Manager of the Northeastern Public Service Corporation, including views of the community and utility properties in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

MS 1056 Orlie Weaver
Papers, 1974-2000.
Grand Rapids, Ohio
Photographs of the birds at the Winged Feet Game Farm, with some minor correspondence, news-clippings, and award certificates of this business dedicated to the breeding of wild and endangered waterfowl.

MS 1057 Diehl Incorporated
Records, 1922-2006
Defiance, Ohio
Corporate registers, photographs, blueprints, reports, certificates, and statements of a northwest Ohio business variously involved in brewing, soft drinks, and milk products.

MS 1064 Deshler Land Company
Records, 1872-1876
Deshler, Ohio
Correspondence written between land agents, prospective property purchasers and members of a land company established to found Deshler, Ohio. The focus of the collection, however, is on improving and "building up" the budding speculative town.

MS 1076 mf Latty Family Papers
Papers, 1840-1945
Paulding and Defiance Counties, Ohio
Correspondence and other family papers of Common Pleas Judge Alexander Sankey Latty of Paulding and Defiance Counties and his family. The collection includes political, business and personal correspondence.

MS 1110 Dr. Thomas M. Lea Dental Practice Collection
Papers, 1902-1904
Bowling Green, Ohio
Patient registers and financial records of a Bowling Green dentist practicing during the early years of the twentieth century.

MMS 1 Lima Dime Savings Bank
Records, 1924-1927
Lima, Ohio
Executive Committee Minutes, Dec 8, 1924-Dec 2, 1925; Dec 6 1926-Dec 14, 1927

MMS 2 Delphos Woolen Mills
Records, 1873-1879
Delphos, Ohio
Account journal, 1875-1879; weaving rates and cash book, 1873-1879

MMS 3 Golden Rule Aid Company
Ledger, 1880-1895.
Allen County, Ohio
Capital stock records

MMS 4 Star Woolen Manufacturing Company
Ledger, 1875-1876.
Spencerville, Ohio
Wool account, expense account and cash book

MMS 5 Klay Manufacturing Company
Records, 1909-1910.
Bluffton, Ohio
Articles of incorporation, code of regulations, minutes, stock issues, and dividend book

MMS 6 Mount Victory Bank
Records, 1904-1918.
Mount Victory, Ohio
Charter, stockholder's minutes, Board of Director's minutes, stock records

MMS 7 Curtice State Bank
Records, 1919-1931.
Curtice, Ohio
Charter, stockholder's minutes, Board of Director's minutes

MMS 10 Port Clinton Canning Company
Records, 1900-1903.
Port Clinton, Ohio
Charter, stockholder's minutes, Board of Director's minutes, stock records

MMS 11 Scioto Land Company
Records, 1927-1936.
Hardin County, Ohio
Cash and account books, including the period of the Onion Pickers' Strike of 1934

MMS 12 Sawmill Account
Records, 1877-1882
Wood County, Ohio
Account book for sawmill, probably located in Portage Township, Wood County, Ohio

MMS 13 f Phillips House Hotel
Register, 1875.
Lima, Ohio
Guest register, oversize volume

MMS 14 mf Perrysburg, Findlay, and Kenton Turnpike Road Company
Records, 1844.
Northwest Ohio
Capital stock subscription and articles of incorporation. Microfilm

MMS 15 Oil Well Salvage Company
Records, 1902-1908.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Correspondence, clippings, Director's minutes, and stock records

MMS 17 R. M. Strow, M.D.
Records, 1904-1936.
Milton Center, Ohio
Account book and narcotics record book

MMS 18 f Lake View Summer Resort Hotel
Registers, 1891-1914.
Catawba, Ohio
Guest register, oversize volumes

MMS 24 Sandusky Street Railway Company
Records, 1881-1893.
Sandusky, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, articles of incorporation, stockholders list, and correspondence

MMS 25 West Huron Sporting Club Company
Records, 1888-1895.
Sandusky, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, articles of incorporation, capital stock list, and constitution

MMS 26 f Bay City Building and Loan Association
Records, 1868-1877.
Sandusky, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, articles of incorporation, capital stock list. Oversize volume

MMS 27 Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company
Records, 1917.
Ohio
Car and seal record

MMS 28 R.J. Dann Flavoring Company
Records, 1916-1918.
Sandusky, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, articles of incorporation, capital stock list, ledger, accounts and cash book

MMS 29 Sandusky Improvement and Investment Company
Records, 1894-1895.
Sandusky, Ohio
Letterpress books

MMS 30 Eureka Manufacturing Company
Records, 1922.
Sandusky, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, articles of incorporation, and stock records

MMS 32 Findlay Tooth-Pick Company
Records, 1893-1894.
Findlay, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, articles of incorporation, capital stock list, and financial records

MMS 33 Rising Sun Investment Company
Records, 1904, 1920-1921.
Risingsun, Ohio
Cash book

MMS 35 Beecher P. Brown Construction Company
Records, 1905-1906.
Sandusky, Ohio
Account ledger

MMS 36 Sorgel, Dorn and Raibel Company
Records, 1866-1868.
Sandusky, Ohio
Cash book from Sandusky brewery

MMS 37 Sloan House
Records, 1927-1934.
Sandusky, Ohio
Hotel account books

MMS 38 Second National Bank
Records, 1930-1931.
Sandusky, Ohio
Cash book

MMS 40 f S.M. and Company
Records, 1852-1854.
Sandusky, Ohio
Grocery account and invoice book. Oversize volume

MMS 41 f M.E. Kriss Company
Records, 1899-1905.
Huron, Ohio
Hardware store account and cash records. Oversize volumes

MMS 42 f S.L. and C. Company
Records, 1897-1898.
Bowling Green, Ohio
Freight ledger and shipping records

MMS 43 f Smith and Bartlett Sash and Blind Company
Records, 1854-1873.
Green Springs, Ohio
Cash ledger. Oversize volumes

MMS 44 Fostoria Foundry and Machine Company
Records, 1904-1905.
Fostoria, Ohio
Articles of incorporation, stock subscriptions, and Board of Director's minutes

MMS 45 E.I.B. & Company
Records, 1860-1862.
New Riegel, Ohio
General store journal, ledger and correspondence

MMS 46 John K. Rohn
Records, 1882-1901.
Tiffin, Ohio
Account ledger of a Tiffin, Ohio attorney

MMS 47 Green and Heilman Company
Records, 1890-1892.
Fostoria, Ohio
Hardware store cash book

MMS 48 Central Ohio Traction Company
Records, 1901-1903.
Tiffin, Ohio
Board of Director's minutes, stock list, articles of incorporation, and correspondence

MMS 49 Republic Banking Company
Records, 1917-1919.
Republic, Ohio
Cash book

MMS 50 Hardware store cash journal
Records, 1902-1905
Sycamore, Ohio
Hardware store, possibly in Sycamore, Ohio

MMS 1316 mf Neidecker-Crosser Funeral Home
Funeral registers, 1907-1986
Funeral registers include information on deceased, such as name, age, residence, date and place of death, date and place of burial. Indexed. Microfilm.

MMS 1718 f W.K. Evans Hardware
Ledger, 1906-1925.
Grand Rapids, Ohio
Business ledger from a Grand Rapids, Ohio hardware store.

Historical Collections of the Great Lakes

GLMS 1 Chicago Shipbuilding Company
Chicago, Illinois
The records of the Chicago Shipbuilding Co. span the years from 1890 to 1962 and document early twentieth-century shipbuilding on the Great Lakes. The bulk of the materials in the collection fall between 1900 and 1950. The most significant record series include dry dock ledgers and reports, legal and labor correspondence, South Yard surveys, financial records, and World War I shipbuilding activities. 13.0 c.f.

GLMS 2 Toledo/Lucas County Port Authority
Toledo, Ohio
The records in this collection document the activities of the Toledo/Lucas County Port Authority from 1935 to 1983. The collection includes: minutes, monthly reports, annual reports, correspondence, shipping statistics, engineering reports, financial records, and newsletters. The collection provides excellent sources for the study of the operations of a major port authority and the importance of the St. Lawrence Seaway to the economy of an inland port. 14.0 c. ft.

GLMS 3 Dunbar and Sullivan Dredging Company
Cleveland, Ohio
This collection includes the records of the Dunbar and Sullivan Dredging Co. of Cleveland and its predecessors: Whitney Brothers; Merritt, Chapman, and Whitney; and Merritt, Chapman, and Scott. The materials in the collection span the years 1902-1964 and document dock, dam, and bulkhead construction around the Great Lakes and along the Mississippi River. Types of materials include: correspondence, contracts, blueprints, specifications, and an extensive series of photographs. The photographs are especially valuable since they depict major private and public port construction projects throughout the Great Lakes, Canada, New York, Boston, and the Mississippi River system. 11.5 c.f.

GLMS 5 Great Lakes Towing Company
Buffalo, New York
In 1899 the Great Lakes Towing Co. was organized to provide tug service at important harbors on the Great Lakes. By combining the fleets of several smaller tug operators, the company assembled a fleet approaching two hundred tugs and became the largest tug operator on the Great Lakes. The bulk of the materials in this collection pertain to the Port of Buffalo from 1902-1966. Types of records include: winter storage and mooring, vessel arrivals and departures, vessels in port, winter storage cargoes, and winter moorings throughout the Great Lakes. 7.5 c.f.

GLMS 6 Paisley and Morrow Steamship Companies
Cleveland, Ohio
The records in this collection partially document the activities of two subsidiaries of the Oglebay Norton Co.: the J.A. Paisley Steamship Co. and the Morrow Steamship Co., both of Cleveland, Ohio. The bulk of the collection consists of vessel expense records for the Paisley firm for 1952 and 1953. An additional volume includes labor costs, 1943-1953. Records available for the Morrow Steamship Co. include labor costs, 1943-1953 and a general ledger, 1922-1947. 2.5 c.f.

GLMS 8 Ship Owners' Dry Dock Company
Chicago, Illinois
The brief corporate history (1901-1912) of the Ship Owners' Dry Dock Co. is documented in this collection. The company purchased the assets of the Miller Brothers Dry Dock Co. which had started a shipbuilding and ship repair business in 1855. The business of both companies centered on work from local repairs and building tugboats. The collection includes financial records, minutes, and stock certificates. 1.0 c.f.

GLMS 9 Sault Sainte Marie Collection - Port Mackinac Papers
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
This collection is composed of shipping documents from the Sault Ste. Marie area and nearby ports from 1802-1866. Among these documents are shipping manifests, clearance documents, bills of sale, enrollment bonds, Treasury Department circulars to custom collectors at the Port of Sault Ste. Marie and nearby ports, and personal and business correspondence. Early documentation includes significant material dealing with the American Fur Company. 11 rolls of microfilm.

GLMS 10 Jesse Wells Church
Sugar Island, Michigan
This collection is composed of a business journal maintained by Jesse W. Church and other family members to record financial and other aspects of shipbuilding activities operated at Sugar Island, Michigan. The entries date from 1853-1895 and 1903. Cost figures for supplies, design plans, sketches of boats, and brief histories of some of the vessels are included. The Church boatyard specialized in sailing vessels of under fifty feet in length. Many Mackinaw boats were built at the Sugar Island work site. Some steam vessels were also designed by the Church family. Floor plans and elevations for some of the houses on Sugar Island are also included. .5 c.f.

GLMS 11 Great Lakes Waterways Development Association
Hamilton, Ontario
The Great Lakes Waterways Association functions primarily as a lobbying and educational tool for Canadian shipping interests. Types of records available in the collection are membership records, member correspondence, correspondence with government agencies, news releases, reports, position papers, and speeches for the years 1972-1986. The collection contains excellent information on the contemporary Canadian shipping industry and its efforts to deal with significant changes in the international shipping industry. .5 c.f.

GLMS 17 Charles T. Harvey Papers
The Charles Thompson Harvey Papers consist of the personal correspondence between Harvey and his wife, Sarah Van Eps Harvey spanning the years 1858 to 1872. Harvey was superintendent of construction and engineer for the St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron (1853-1855) and was responsible for the construction of an experimental section of the world's first elevated railroad (1868) located in New York City. The bulk of the correspondence deals with the 1858 to 1865 period. In addition to family matters, the letters often deal with Harvey's business activities, especially railroad projects, as well as national politics, and Harvey's inventions. 7 reels of microfilm.

GLMS 19 Bay Port Fish Company
Bay Port, Michigan
The papers and records of the Bay Port Fish Company and its subsidiaries, the Saginaw Bay Fish Company and the Lake Huron Fish Company, provide sources of information concerning the fishing industry on the Great Lakes during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection is of particular value in documenting the activities and problems of commercial fishermen from the late depression years (from 1936) through the 1960's, including the decline of commercial fishing in Saginaw Bay, Michigan, and Lake Huron in American waters. The collection includes correspondence, reports, legal documents, and financial records. The entire collection spans the years 1894 to 1970, but the correspondence and financial records are complementary only for the years 1936-1967. 29 c.f.

GLMS 22 Ohio and Western Pennsylvania Dock Company
The records of the Ohio and Western Pennsylvania Dock Company partially document the history of the company from 1882-1963. The collection consists of safety committee minutes (1945-1960), company improvement files (1904-1925), vessel lists (1927-1935), labor agreements and grievances (1897-1963), ore shipments (1889-1936), reprimand lists (1905-1907), and operation reports (1908-1913). The operation reports are daily logs of the dock operators and include ore unloading times, references to union activities, transcripts of local union meetings, and copies of various union charters and contracts. 4 c.f.

GLMS 26 Lorain Electronics Corporation
The Lorain Electronics Corporation was established in 1928 to supply wired music to homes. The company shifted to development work on ship-to-shore telephone communications in 1933. The collection consists of four scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, magazine and journal articles about the company, photographs, and a small quantity of correspondence. The material spans the years from 1931 to 1976. 1 reel of microfilm.

GLMS 27 Wilson Marine Transit Company
Included are files of the Wilson Marine Transit Company and its predecessors, the Wilson Transit Line and the Wilson Transit Company for the years 1884-1970. Coverage is most extensive in the post-World War II era. Correspondence, subject files, meeting minutes, policy circulars, reports, financial documents, and legal files are all present. This collection is of particular interest to researchers examining the growth of the transportation network on the Great Lakes. Subsidiary companies are represented in the files of the Wilson Marine Transit Company recording the development of new traffic patterns for shipment of goods around the Great Lakes region. 53.5 c.f.

GLMS 29 Wilford G. Bartenfeld
Cleveland, Ohio
This collection contains marine architectural subject files regarding vessel construction and conversion projects from 1901 to 1976. Most files are from the period 1940-1960. Many of Bartenfeld's projects involved vessels being converted to and from military uses in the World War II era. The technical aspects of shipbuilding are documented through files on technology and products related to vessel design. Bartenfeld's numerous patents on unloading devices for cargo vessels reflect his significant contributions to marine architecture. 22.0 c.f.

GLMS 30 Delmar R. Webster Collection
This collection contains material compiled by Captain Delmar R. Webster during his career on the Great Lakes. The largest series in the collection contains deck logs from the J. BURTON AYERS for 1945-1973. A log for loading information from the EDMUND FITZGERALD is also included for 1972-1973, as well as meeting information for the 1982 and 1983 conventions of Columbia Transportation Company fleet officers and a subject file on the vessels ARMCO and J. BURTON AYERS for 1976-1987 A loading manual for the ARMCO presents the guidelines used by Captain Webster when monitoring how cargo was stored in the holds of a Great Lakes vessel. 2 cubic feet.

GLMS 32 Paul J. Ranahan
Cleveland, Ohio
This collection contains records of vessel damage surveys conducted by Paul J. Ranahan in his career as a marine consultant. Ranahan, a marine engineer, surveyed damage done to vessels involved in accidents to assess the cost of repairs. These records, along with correspondence regarding marine salvage operations, provide a view of the role surveyors like Ranahan played in identifying revenue sources for repair facilities and the expense such accidents caused for vessel owners. The collection contains approximately 730 cases spanning the years 1946-1980. 4.0 c.f.

GLMS 33 Marsh and McLennan Marine Underwriters
The Marsh and McLennan Marine Underwriters company provides insurance for a number of Great Lakes vessels and fleets. The files in this collection document the procedures followed by Marsh and McLennan when investigating damage claims filed by vessel owners, showing the cost of vessel insurance and of the repair of damaged vessels. In addition, the collection contains a short series of files on personal injury claims, one of hull loss records for individual vessel owners, and an analysis of claims paid from 1967-1972 which provides a profile of accident types and monetary damages claimed. 26.5 c.f.

GLMS 34 E.B. "Skip" Gillham
This collection contains items pertaining to waterborne commerce on the Great Lakes and the history of the Welland Canal. The collection includes articles written by Skip Gillham, author and coauthor of numerous books on Great Lakes history, for his weekly column "Ships that Ply the Lakes" in 1991. The column, appearing in the St. Catharines, ONT Standard, details a specific vessel, providing information about recent events and past incidents from its years of service. A file of correspondence concerning the Welland Canal compiles information on its history for readers. The collection also contains a file of cargo reports from the Quebec and Ontario Transportation Company fleet for 1968-1983, recording cargo data and loading and discharge ports for individual vessel trips. .5 c.f.

GLMS 36 Salvage Association (London)
The records document investigative activities involved in assessing repair costs for damage done to or by Great Lakes vessels. The files include vessel survey reports, damage reports, and movement reports from 1919-1982. 11 c.f.

GLMS 43 Alberta M. Fraley
This collection contains fleet logs from the Great Lakes Steamship Company and the Wilson Marine Transit Company for the years 1937-1966. These logs include fleet officers' names, positions held, vessel assignments, dates of employment, and performance evaluations. Also present are course materials used by students at the U.S. Maritime Service Officers' School, the Lake Carriers' Association Engineers' School, and the West Side Institute of Technology. 1.0 c.f.

GLMS 44 Lake Carriers' Association
Cleveland, Ohio
The Great Lakes shipping industry is documented through the files of one of the principal vessel owners' organizations for issues concerning the lakes and one of the primary benevolent associations for persons employed on lake vessels. Subject files on issues from diverting water out of Lake Michigan for the Illinois canal system to pollution control form most of the files in this collection. Records of death beneficiary payments offer information to genealogists tracing family members who worked on lake vessels. Navigation topics are discussed through files on the Coast Guard for 1932-1975. Lake Carriers' Survey for Harbor Improvements records address navigation on such matters as straightening tight turns in harbor ship channels (1927-1951). Communications technology designed to improve navigation is detailed in files on the Radio Technical Commission for Marine Services (1936-1979). The complete collection contains material in scattered form from 1860 to 1910. The majority of the files are from c. 1910 to 1985. Numerous cartographic materials supplement the files. 88. c.f.

GLMS 45 Paasch Marine Services, Inc.
Erie, Pennsylvania
This collection contains files of naval architect Harold Paasch. Subject files and rolled drawings for projects appear consistently for 1947-1976 and in scattered form for 1906, 1927, and 1932. The files in this collection generally apply to vessels of under 100 feet in length. Many survey and patrol boats for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were built by Paasch. The increased use of aluminum after World War II for ship construction can also be studied. 2.5 c.f.

GLMS 47 Columbia Transportation Company Collection
This one-half cubic foot collection provides information on the operation of the Columbia Transportation Company. Data on vessels and officers is available, including information on wages, labor costs and company earnings.

GLMS 52 Nicholson Transit Company
This collection provides information on the business transactions of the Nicholson Transit company for the years 1923-1925. Daily correspondence and financial papers document the relationship of the Nicholson Company with customers and product suppliers from whom company purchases were made. Automobile manufacturers and dealers appear in many of these files. Correspondence and financial papers for two of the company's subsidiaries are also included. 6.5 c.f.

GLMS 53 Triad Salvage Company
This collection records details of maintenance activities conducted on ten vessels on which the Triad Salvage Company performed salvage and repair work. The records in this subject file date from 1902-1981. 2 c.f.

GLMS 54 Transportation Company Timetables and Brochures
Various Great Lakes Ports
Literature from Great Lakes transportation companies promotes the use of the lake vessels at their disposal by the casual tourist traveler. Items date from 1859 to 1991 and reflect the mass marketing of the idea that travel in the Great Lakes region is feasible on regularly scheduled routes from ports readily accesible to much of the United States and Canada by rail or highway. The Lake Michigan routes from Ludington and Muskegon, Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois are well documented. Ferry service at the Straits of Mackinac is also represented. Travel in Canadian waters is promoted with timetables for voyages into Georgian Bay and the St. Lawrence River valley. 1.5 c.f.

GLMS 56 Hans Hansen Welding Company
This collection reflects the activities of the Hans Hansen Welding Company in Toledo, Ohio through nearly four decades of vessel repair and construction projects, from 1942 to 1979. These project files document the work performed by a company representing marine repair businesses in the Great Lakes region. 5 c. f.

GLMS 58 J.S. Morton
Benton Harbor, Michigan
J. Stanley Morton, cofounder of the Graham & Morton Company involved in Great Lakes shipping, recorded observations about the business climate in southwestern Michigan in his diary. A photocopy of his diary for the years 1920-1932 is included as the principal component of this collection. A scrapbook and clippings files provide biographical information on Morton and discuss his career in lake transport. Copies of publications discuss the history of the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph, Michigan region. 1 c.f.

GLMS 60 WLC Marine Radio Company
Rogers City, Michigan
Included in this collection are 11 cubic feet of daily log books from the marine radio station WLC in Rogers City, Michigan for the years 1923-1930. Vessels traveling in Lake Huron received weather data and other navigational assistance from the radio telephone operators at WLC. The daily entries over an eight-year period provide a detailed account of how such a station operated. This time capsule is of interest to researchers studying the development of aids to navigation and safety on the Great Lakes. 11.0 c.f.

GLMS 62 Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company
Cleveland, Ohio
This collection contains files of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company that are primarily concerned with discussions of extending the length of the navigation season occurring from 1935-1981. Subject files, log books, symposia papers, and news clippings offer a number of perspectives on the movement among shipping companies toward implementing longer navigation seasons. The logbooks are from the S.S. CADILLAC for 1944-1948, 1972-1973, and 1976-1981. 2.0 c.f.

GLMS 63 R.A. Stearn, Inc.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
This collection contains files on vessel construction design projects completed by Richard A. Stearn's naval architecture firm. Projects are generally from the period 1940-1950. Stearn participated in the design phase of numerous military vessels during World War II and in their postwar conversion to civilian uses. Correspondence and architectural drawings are the principal components of the project files on each vessel. 11.0 c.f.

GLMS 75 American Ship Building Company and Predecessors, 1867-1920
Architectural drawings for vessels built by the American Ship Building Company and its predecessors were microfilmed to create this collection. Ten standard drawings such as profiles and deck plans were selected for filming. Most drawings date from 1886-1920. Post-1900 sets tend to be more complete than earlier sets of drawings. Nearly all types of wooden and steel vessels built on the Great Lakes between 1870 and 1920 are represented. 33 reels of microfilm.

GLMS 77 McLean Brothers Fisheries Co.
Wheatley, Ontario
This collection documents the activities of the McLean Brothers Fisheries Company, a Canadian Lake Erie fishing company, for the years 1908-1960. Included are 48 Fish Account Books, recording the sale of fish to customers; 31 Day Books, recording daily office expenses; and 6 Wage Books, listing employees and wages earned. Income tax returns, gasoline tax refund information, company correspondence and miscellaneous employee and supply purchase records provide additional insight into the expenses faced by a Great Lakes fishing company. 7 reels of microfilm.

GLMS 78 W.H. Wheeler Fish Company
Selkirk, Ontario
The W.H. Wheeler Fish Company collection documents financial transactions of the company for the years 1905-1938 and 1950-1951. Account records for fish sales and company expenditures provide information on the profits and expenses facing a Lake Erie fishing company, while employee wage information aids in examining Ontario labor conditions. Ecological shifts in Lake Erie marine life can be traced in the records of the species and quantity of fish caught by company vessels. 3 reels of microfilm.

GLMS 94 Lay Brothers Fisheries, Inc.
Sandusky, Ohio
The operation of a Lake Erie fishing company from 1889 to its closing in 1961 is documented in this collection. Financial and legal papers form the largest part of the collection. A drawing series (1894-1960) show plats for company property and plans for company buildings and equipment. 6.5 c.f.

GLMS 95 Craig Ship Building Company Collection
Collection documents business and personal elements in the life of Great Lakes shipbuilder John Craig. Includes 93 black and white photographs. 4 c.f.

GLMS 100 Inland Steel Company Collection
Engineer's logs, Official Logs, Rough Deck Logs, crew lists and articles of agreement for six freighters owned by the Inland Steel Company, 1978-1981. 3.5 c.f.

GLMS 101 Kenneth R. Hall Collection
Research material for study of the vessels owned by the shipping interests headed by Eber Brock Ward and his family. Events covered in the collection date from 1782-1987. Most information in the collection is concentrated between 1840 and 1910. 2 c.f.

GLMS 109 Anthony Bocconcelli Collection/FitzSimons & Connell Dredge & Dock Co.
Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
Provides photographic documentation of many of the projects of the FitzSimons & Connell Dredge & Dock Co., 1911-1976. The collection includes photographic material (approximately 2700 images) as well as a minimal amount of motion picture film, transferred to DVD. It offers an excellent representation of the work environments of manual laborers, operating in varying weather and safety conditions, in the construction of significant structures, many of which still exist today. The photographs also document the evolution of construction techniques and equipment.

Updated: 06/05/2023 09:28AM