Business History Collection

1774-1892
29 linear feet
Financial records, diaries, journals.
Collection Number: MSS 1979-0001

The collections consists of account and daybooks of farmers, dry goods stores, and businesses in Connecticut. Towns include Brooklyn, Hazardville, Mansfield, Norwich, and Preston, and Windham.

undated, 1351-1978
224.5 linear feet
Administrative records, financial records, correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1997-0996

Brass company of Waterbury, Connecticut. Formed in 1899 with the consolidation of Ansonia Brass & Copper Company, Waterbury Brass Company, and Coe Brass Manufacturing Company. Acquired in 1922 by Anaconda Mining Company (of Montana), though it kept its name until it changed to Anaconda American Brass in 1960. The Anaconda Company merged with Atlantic Richfield in 1977, and then became ARCO Metals. Collection consists of general administrative files; historical background notes for a history of the American Brass Company by Clark S. Judd and Russell H. Pope; sales records such as price list books and specification catalogs; photographs of mill exteriors and interiors; and bound volumes such as minute books, journals, ledgers, and cash books.

1859-1953
580 linear feet
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1995-0001

The records consist of financial records associated with the American Hardware Corporation of New Britain, Connecticut, its predecessor companies P. & F. Corbin and Russell & Erwin Manufacturing Company, and divisions Corbin Cabinet Lock Company and Corbin Screw Corporation.

circa 1950-1975
.5 linear feet
Photographs, clippings.
Collection Number: MSS 1989-0084

Manufacturer of bathroom fixtures. Collection consists of photographs of the plants and such products as toilets, sinks, and tubs; and newspaper clippings of the 1973 strike by the International Brotherhood of Potters and Allied Workers, Local 301 at the Wauregan Plant.

1953-1977
1.5 linear feet
Annual reports.
Collection Number: MSS 1998-0302

Manufacturer of thread and worsted and synthetic yarn with, at one time, a mill in Willimantic, Connecticut. Collection consists of twenty-four annual reports of the company.

undated, 1793-1925
12.75 linear feet
Correspondence, administrative records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0037

Iron manufacturing company of Salisbury, Connecticut. Collection consists of correspondence, administrative records, labor records, production records, general accounts, blueprints and patterns for factory equipment, merger records, and the papers of William H. Barnum, who ran the company from 1864 to 1889.

1940-1980
63 linear feet
Administrative records.
Collection Number: MSS 1997-0016

This collection has not yet been organized for unassisted research use. Researchers wishing to access this collection must make prior arrangements with the Curator before visiting Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. Law firm founded in 1919 in Bristol, Connecticut. Collection consists of documents relating to the firm’s representation of Bristol Brass Company and E. Ingraham Company.

1888-1894
. 25 linear feet
Correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1998-0304

Maker of hand and stripper cards, used to separate cotton and wool before spinning, of Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Records consist of a letter copy book of over 400 letters of business correspondence.

1893-1903
.5 linear feet
Correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1989-0076

Silk manufacturers of Rockville, Connecticut. Collection consists of correspondence from A.N. Belding, and between M. M. Belding and W.P. Heterington, their agent in Michigan.

undated, 1911-1982
145.7 linear feet
Administrative records, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1997-0029

Brass manufacturing company of Bristol, Connecticut, founded in 1850 as the Bristol Brass and Clock Company. Produced lamps for railroad passenger cars, sterling silver flatware in the 1800s, and brass cartridge cases, bullet jackets, shells, truck parts and ship fittings during World War I. After the war it produced parts for automobiles until various setbacks brought about the closure of the company in 1982. Collection includes reports, personnel records and employee data, board of directors’ minutes, labor contracts, and secretaries’ files.

1829-1999
112.5 linear feet
Correspondence, reports, administrative, financial and legal records, trademarks, patents.
Collection Number: MSS 2000-0128

The collection contains materials relevant to the production and sale of paper products, including administrative, property, financial, and legal records, in addition to product samples, advertising, publications, reports and photographs. This collection also includes a small number of administrative and financial documents from water and electric companies in the Windsor Locks, Connecticut, area in which Dexter had interests.

1817-1980
132 linear feet
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 2000-0076

Manufacturer of manicure sets, crochet hooks, and knitting needles in Chester, Connecticut. Founded by Carlton J. Bates (1848-1941) in 1907. Collection consists of financial ledgers, purchase books, share certificates, and account summaries.

1846-1854, 1903
.25 linear feet
Correspondence, Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1998-0138

Orwell S. Chaffee (1807-1887) was a silk manufacturer in the Mansfield/Willimantic area of eastern Connecticut. Son-in-law to Joseph Conant, he worked in, and later managed, Conant's silk mill until 1838 when he purchased property in Chaffeeville and established his own silk mill.

1818-1842
.5 linear feet
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0001

Brownstone quarry located on the Connecticut River near the towns of Portland, Chatham, and Middletown, Connecticut. Stone used extensively in buildings local structures as well as many building on the Wesleyan University campus. Quarry controlled and managed by the local towns until Brainerd Quarry Company and Middlesex Quarry Company purchased it in 1884. Records consist of ledger sheets and financial documents detailing daily sales and expenses.

undated, 1734-1979
136.25 linear feet
Administrative records, financial records, correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1984-0026

Silk manufacturers of Manchester, Connecticut. Established in 1836 as the Mount Nebo Silk Company; changed name to Cheney Brothers in 1843. Grew into the largest and most profitable silk manufacturing firm in the United States by the 1880s, pioneering the waste-silk spinning method. By the 1910s the firm employed 4700 workers, many foreign born, and built many community structures for its workers, including churches, schools, and recreation centers. The company reached its peak in 1923 but soon declined in response to industry-wide overproduction and competition from new synthetic fibers such as rayon. Although considered a benevolent employer, the company resisted labor unionization until 1934, when it was forced to accept the United Textile Workers as the bargaining representative of the workers. While World War II, and its call for silk parachute production, brought a temporary recovery to the company, the Cheney family sold the company to J. P. Stevens in 1955, who eventually sold the firm to Gerli Inc. of New York. The records consist of administrative, personnel (in particular, material documenting the relationship of Cheney Brothers with its union, Local 63 of the Textile Workers Union of America), arbitration, and production records, as well as general accounts and blueprints. Special conditions apply for use of employee record cards (consult inventory and area staff for more information)

1 linear feet
Newspaper and magazine clippings.
Collection Number: MSS 1999-0114

This collection has not yet been organized for unassisted research use. Researchers wishing to access this collection must make prior arrangements with the Curator before visiting Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. Resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, and historian of Connecticut business and industry. Collection includes collected literature about the early iron industry in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

1852-1886
2.5 linear feet
Financial records, payroll accounts.
Collection Number: MSS 1991-0041

Hat manufacturer of Bethel, Connecticut. Records consist of general accounts, payroll and employee accounts, and sales records.

1919-1947
85 linear feet
Publications, ledgers
Collection Number: MSS 1979-0004

Professional organization based in Hartford, Connecticut, for milk producers in the state. The association provided its members with a monthly newsletter and kept tract of prices and production of milk in Connecticut and neighboring states. Records consist of ledgers with information about milk purchased and copies of the association's newsletter, the Bulletin.

1920-1949
271.5 linear feet
Administrative records, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1979-0005

Cooperative of tobacco growers which operated in Connecticut and Massachusetts in the early 1900s. Collection consists of production records, warehouse reports, sales analyses, expense accounts, stock ledgers, and production cards. Journal holdings have been removed for cataloging.

undated, 1963-2004
130 linear feet
Correspondence, publications, blueprints, photographs, financial and administrative records.
Collection Number: MSS 2006-0202

Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company was a nuclear power plant located in Haddam Neck, Connecticut. It began commercial operation in 1968 and produced over 110 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in its 29 years of service. In 1996 the CY Board of Directors voted to permanently close the plant and decommissioning of the plant has been underway since then. The records consist of plant design drawings, plant historical records, employee newsletters, scrapbooks, plaques, photographs, and other audiovisual materials.

n.d., 1891-1986
20 linear feet
Blueprints, administrative records, correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1988-0024

Electrical power plant located in Greenwich, Connecticut, part of a pioneering venture in mainline railroad electrification. With the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad designed an efficient system using ac electrification that facilitated railroad traffic into urban areas after the New York legislature passed laws prohibiting the use of steam locomotives in New York City south of the Harlem River. Construction of the Cos Cob Power Plant was completed in 1907 and was the generating station for power to the trains. Collection consists of blueprints and wiring diagrams for the electrical systems of the New York to New Haven line, with architectural drawings, foremen's log books, records of coal received, and administrative correspondence.

undated, 1909-1997
14.5 linear feet
Publications, floorplans, newsletters.
Collection Number: MSS 1998-0297

Company founded in 1909 by Charles T. Davis and Fred A. Geck in Brooklyn, New York, specializing in surgical sutures. The company was purchased by American Cyanamid in 1950 and moved their factory operations to Danbury, Connecticut. After subsequent sales the company was renamed Sherwood, Davis and Geck. In 1998 the company was sold to Teiko Corporation and plant operations moved to Mexico. When the company began production of surgical sutures they used catgut; in 1913 they introduced the Calustro-thermal process for heat sterilization of suture tubes after the sutures were sealed, thus providing hospitals with a reliable and antiseptic suture that would not cause infections after surgery. The collection consists of histories of the company prepared by members of the Davis & Geck administration, promotional literature describing the companies products, newsletters, customer service guidelines, floorplans of the Danbury factory, and a plant supervisor’s manual.

1922-1981
35.5 linear feet
Administrative records, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1990-0002

Lace manufacturer of Deep River, Connecticut. Collection consists of lace patterns, business and financial records, and sample books and design drafts.

n.d., 1840-1979
95 linear feet
Correspondence, administrative records, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1996-0001

Manufacturers of witch hazel, originally founded in the 1860s by Alvin F. Whittemore of Essex, Connecticut. By 1870 Thomas N. Dickinson was running production of the witch hazel and oversaw the creation of several mills and distilleries, with facilities in Middletown, Durham, Guilford and Higganam, Connecticut. In 1875 Thomas Dickinson sold his interest in the company to his son, Edward E. Dickinson, and the company then came to be known as E.E. Dickinson Company. Control of the company was turned over to Dickinson’s son, E.E. Dickinson, Jr., in 1929. The company was sold in 1983 to Merz, Inc. Collection consists of company correspondence, travel files, personal correspondence of E.E. Dickinson, Jr., sales correspondence, correspondence with Gould Witch Hazel Company of Boston, administrative and promotional material, and publicity and financial information.

n.d., 1840-1967
268 linear feet
Correspondence, administrative records, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0034

Clock and watch manufacturer of Bristol, Connecticut, founded in 1831 by Elias Ingraham (1805-85). Descendents of Elias Ingraham served continuously as presidents of the company until 1956. The company was sold to McGraw Edison Company in 1967 and its name changed to Ingraham Industries. Collection consists of administrative records; correspondence of company officials; general accounts; labor, production and sales records; and photographs, maps, and blueprints.

1883-1989
23 linear feet
Administrative files.
Collection Number: MSS 1989-0085

Manufacturing company of Farmington, Connecticut, established in 1912 when the American Hardware Company of New Britain, Connecticut, merged with Hartford-Empire Company, a glass factory, to create the Emhart Manufacturing Company. In 1976 the company merged with United Shoe Machinery Company of Boston, Massachusetts, to create Emhart Corporation. Products included machines for the manufacture of glass bottles and shoes; filling, sealing, and packaging machinery; security systems; electronics; chemical products; metal fasteners; rubber processing equipment; and consumer and do-it-yourself products. Brand names products included True Temper hardware and sporting goods and Price Pfister plumbing fixtures. Emhart Corporation dissolved in 1989 when it merged with Black & Decker Corporation. Records consist of administrative files; records of subsidiaries, affiliates, and acquisitions; and shareholders files with information about subsidiary companies including American Hardware Corporation, Hartford-Empire Company, Hill Corporation, Plax Corporation, Savage Arms Corporation, and United Shoe Machinery Corporation.

n.d., 1800-1989
152 linear feet
Administrative files, correspondence, sales and marketing records, general accounts, production records, labor records, newspaper clippings and publications, audio-visual records (including photographs, reel-to-reel tapes, plans and blueprints, and memorabilia), and historical papers.
Collection Number: MSS 1989-0053

Ansonia and Derby, Connecticut, foundry and manufacturer of heavy machinery. Founded in 1848 as Almon Farrel and Company in Ansonia, changing its name to Farrel Foundry in 1850. Reorganized in 1857 as the Farrel Foundry and Machine Company; merged with the Birmingham Iron Foundry (founded in 1836) in 1927 to form Farrel-Birmingham Company, Inc. Acquired Consolidated Machine Tool Corporation in 1951; changed its name again to Farrel Company in 1963. Became a division of United Shoe Machinery and was part of the merger of that company with Emhart Corporation in 1976. Emhart Corporation dissolved in 1989 when it merged with Black & Decker Corporation. Collection consists of administrative files, correspondence, sales and marketing records, general accounts, production records, labor records, newspaper clippings and publications, audio-visual records (including photographs, reel-to-reel tapes, plans and blueprints, and memorabilia), and historical papers.

undated, 1912-1959
13.75 linear feet
Financial records, Legal documents, Blueprints, Drawings, Newspaper clippings and photosgraphs.
Collection Number: MSS 2005-0066

The collection contains financial records, legal documents, blueprints, drawings, newspaper clippings and photographs of the houses built by the Frederick G. Holland Company between 1923 and 1959. The houses were constructed primarily in a housing development in East Hartford, Connecticut, although additional properties in Bloomfield, Hartford, Wethersfield and South Windsor are included.

n.d., 1880-1940
57 linear feet
Financial records, invoice books.
Collection Number: MSS 1985-0005

General merchandise and grocery firm of Litchfield, Connecticut, founded in 1880 as Ganung and Elmore. Name changed to Granniss and Elmore in 1882, to W.G. Granniss Company in 1907, and then to Birk and Company in 1925. In the late 1940s the business was converted to a self-service store known as Superior Foods. Collection consists of general accounts, inventories, and invoice books.

1892-1924
3 linear feet
Correspondence, administrative files.
Collection Number: MSS 1999-0066

Silk manufacturing company established prior to 1892 as Hammond, Knowlton and Company; changed name to HKH Silk Company in 1918, and then again to Heminway Silk Corporation in 1925. Company had mills in Putnam, Watertown, New London, and Woodbury, Connecticut, and Haverstraw, New York, with its company offices in Watertown, Connecticut. Collection consists of correspondence and administrative files of Clarence Asahel Hammond-Knowlton, treasurer and general manager of the company in the early 1920s. Includes personal correspondence with Hammond-Knowlton’s adoptive father, Clarence Clark Knowlton, who was president of the company, and information about a patent Hammond-Knowlton created for a method of producing a filled bobbin. Also includes a medallion awarded to Hammond, Knowlton and Company by the 1892 World Columbian Exposition and letters, 1894 and 1897, from George Asahel Hammond to his cousin C.C. Knowlton.

1854-1955
5 linear feet
Financial records, administrative records, inventories, correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1988-0027

Manufacturer of molded hard rubber for small office and household items such as parts for mechanical pencils and fountain pens, established in 1902, in Seymour, Connecticut. Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Waterman Pen Company in 1946. Collection consists of information about the company’s property transactions and financial accounts, with information about the H.P. & E. Day’s predecessor company, Austin G. Day Caoutchouc Company (maker of insulated telegraph cable), and successor firm, Waterman Pen Company.

1876-1962
40 linear feet
Charters, contracts, financial records, legal records, maps, correspondence, photographs, publications.
Collection Number: MSS 1996-0010

This collection has not yet been organized for unassisted research use. Researchers wishing to access this collection must make prior arrangements with the Curator before visiting Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. Electric power company of Hartford, Connecticut.

1792-1976
350 linear feet
Business and financial records, correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, signature books, newspaper clippings, memorabilia.
Collection Number: MSS 1995-0030

Founded in 1792 as the Hartford Bank, the first bank in the state of Connecticut to be granted a charter. Merged with Farmers and Mechanics National Bank in 1910 and numerous other banks in the years after that. Name changed to Hartford-Aetna National Bank in 1915 after it merged with Aetna National Bank in 1915. In 1927 it merged with the United States Security Trust Company and changed its name to Hartford National Bank and Trust Company. In 1969 it became a subsidiary bank of the Hartford National Corporation. Collection consists of the records of the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company plus those from twenty banks and trust companies consolidated between 1910 and 1970. The materials include minute books, correspondence, ledgers, scrapbooks, photographs, signature books, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia.

n.d., 1792-1995
180 linear feet
Financial, corporate, loan, and customer records, advertisements and promotional publications, reports of bank examiners, memorabilia.
Collection Number: MSS 1998-0300

Created in 1969 with the purchase of Hartford National Bank and Trust Company. Merged with Connecticut National Bank in 1982 and Shawmut National Corporation in 1988. Purchased by Fleet Bank in 1995. Collection consists of records from the Hartford National Bank, the Hartford-Aetna National Bank, the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, the Hartford National Corporation, and the Shawmut National Corporation. Also includes records associated with Connecticut National Bank, including the Bridgeport National Bank, the First Bridgeport National Bank, and the First National Bank and Trust Company of Bridgeport. Materials consist of financial, corporate, loan, and customer records, advertisements and promotional publications, reports of bank examiners, and memorabilia.

1918-1925
.25 linear feet
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1998-0376

Official quotation book of stock prices from businesses in the Hartford, Connecticut, area.

1831-1888
.75 linear foot
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1996-0011

General store owner of North Madison, Connecticut. Collection consists of account books, business ledgers, and bills and receipts of Hill’s business, as well as legal papers documenting Hill’s work as a constable.

n.d., 1847-1933
75 linear feet
Correspondence, administrative records, financial records, sales records, labor records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0028

Lakeville (town of Salisbury), Connecticut, firm which produced pocket cutlery and related products from 1844 to 1946. Founded by Alexander Hamilton Holley and George Merwin as Holley and Merwin; named changed to Holley & Company and then to Holley Manufacturing Company in 1854 when Alexander Holley became president. The company office and factory were located in Lakeville until 1925 when the office moved to Torrington, Connecticut (the factory remained in Lakeville). In the 1860s and 1870s the company produced table and butcher cutlery, silver and iron tableware, razors, skates, firearms, ammunition, and wallets, in addition to pocket cutlery. Collection consists of correspondence, administrative records, general accounts, production records, sales records, labor records, and the business records of Griggs and Chapin, a general store used by the Holley Manufacturing Company to pay employees in kind. Includes information about Malcolm D. Rudd, treasurer and general manager of the company from 1901 to 1942.

1852-1979
26.5 linear feet
Correspondence, personal papers, and business records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0036

President (1954-56) of E. Ingraham Company, manufacturer of clocks and watches in Bristol, Connecticut. Served successively as director, treasurer, and vice-president of the company from 1927 to 1954 and was involved in several organizations in Bristol, including the Bristol Boys Club, the Board of Education, and the Chamber of Commerce. Collection consists of correspondence , personal papers, and company records of E. Ingraham Company.

n.d., 1787-1971
12 linear feet
Correspondence, business records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0035

President (1927-54) of E. Ingraham Company, manufacturer of clocks and watches in Bristol, Connecticut. Collection consists of the personal and business papers of Edward Ingraham, including correspondence, company records, materials concerning the National Association of Clock and Watch Manufacturers, and his writings about Connecticut clockmaking, Ingraham family genealogy, personal reminiscences, and other topics. Also includes information about the establishment of the American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol.

n.d., 1853-1916
48 linear feet
Financial records, correspondence, catalogs, memorabilia.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0008

Company formed through the purchase of twelve silver and cutlery companies in Connecticut, including Holmes & Edwards Silver Company of Bridgeport, Meriden Britannia Company of Meriden, Norwich Cutlery of Hartford, and William Rogers Manufacturing Company of Hartford; and the Manhattan Silver Plate Company of Lyons, New York. Collection consists of financial records, correspondence, time records, advertisements, catalogs, and memorabilia.

1888-1898
1 linear foot
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 2008-0024

Toy company of Cromwell, Connecticut, specializing in the manufacture of cast iron toys, especially mechanical iron banks and cap pistols. Collection consists of one financial ledger of the company listing expenses, suppliers and customers, including Montgomery Ward and Gimbel Brothers.

1853-1956
85 linear feet
Administrative, general, purchasing, sales, and labor records.
Collection Number: MSS 1967-0001

Maker of men’s fine toiletries, including shaving cream, talcum powder, toilet soaps, and other toilet preparations. Established in Glastonbury, Connecticut, in 1848 by James Baker Williams (1818-1907), maker of Williams’ Genuine Yankee Soap, the first manufactured soap for use in shaving mugs. After Williams’ death his family continued to manage the company until it was sold in 1957 to Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and then again, in 1971, to Nabisco. Collection consists of administrative, general, purchasing, sales, and labor records, as well as records from the company’s London, England, division.

1860-1900
2.5 linear feet
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1979-0007

General merchants of Collinsville, Connecticut. Founded in 1860 by Jarvis P. Harrington; name changed to Harrington and Hotchkiss in 1876 and Harrington and Hart in 1878. Firm again named J. P. Harrington and Company in 1883. Collection consists of general accounts and inventory books and invoices from suppliers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

1832-1882
12.5 linear feet
Administrative records, labor records, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1979-0009

Formed in 1864 by a group of residents of Kent, Connecticut, on the site of the region’s first blast furnace built in 1826. The iron was used extensively in the manufacture of railroad locomotives and other heavy industrial machinery. Company shut down in 1892 when its supply of iron ore dwindled. Collection consists of administrative records, labor records, production and sales records, and general accounts. Finding aid available.

1864-1944
5 linear feet
Financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 2000-0081

Screw eye and screw manufacturer of Chester, Connecticut, founded in 1848 by Simeon Brooks. Collection consists of twelve ledgers of customer and cash accounts, including a volume (1908) of scale drawings of products sold by the company.

undated, 1842-1962
83 linear feet
Production ledgers, melting reports, inventory and shipment books, order books, salesbooks, correspondence, payroll books.
Collection Number: MSS 1982-0004

Branford, Connecticut, metal foundry, founded by Joseph Nason in 1841 as the Joseph Nason Company. Name changed to Walworth and Nason Company of Boston, Massachusetts, to manufacture equipment for and install steam heating, and then to Malleable Iron Fittings Company in 1864, which produced malleable iron castings. In time Emil and Thorvald Hammer and their descendants were instrumental in managing, heading, and owning the company. In 1963 the company consolidated with Detroit Brass and Malleable Company to become MIF Industries. In 1969 the company became a subsidiary of Waltham Industries, a Delaware-based corporation, and closed in 1971. Collection consists of administrative records, including production ledgers, melting reports, inventory and shipment books, order books, salesbooks, correspondence, and payroll books.

undated, 1881-1934
4 linear feet
Financial records, correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1986-0005

Company established prior to 1841 by Erastus McCollum and his sons Julian and Henry of Rockville, Connecticut. Known prior to 1871 as McCollum Brothers; in 1871 the named changed to Mansfield Organ Pipe Works when the company moved to Mansfield Depot, Connecticut. The company specialized in making wooden pipes and other wooden organ parts such as stoppers, trackers, rack pins, and pipe feet. Company taken over by the Organ Supply Company of Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1979. Collection consists of early business records of the company, including printed material, correspondence, credit ratings, bills, and receipts; and personal papers of the McCollum family, including family accounts, correspondence, and drawings written by and for children.

undated, 1867-2008
2.5 linear feet
Photocopies, DVD
Collection Number: MSS 2008-0098

The Mechanical Bank Research Collection consists of copies from scrapbooks compiled about the Mechanical Bank Collectors of America and mechanical banks, copies of patents and advertising, publications created and compiled for the MBCA annual conventions, newsletters, an issue of "Mechanical Music: Journal of the Music Box Society International," and a DVD comprised mostly of lectures done at the MBCA meetings. The collection also includes an index created by Mr. William Jones of accounting ledgers of the mechanical toy company J. & E. Stevens Company of Cromwell, Connecticut, that he holds in his personal collection.

n.d., 1912-1961
3.25 linear feet
Correspondence, shipping orders, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0030

Niantic, Connecticut, manufacturer of locomotive and air brake gauges and parts. Collection consists of correspondence, shipping orders, and bills. Also includes records from its predecessor company, the Technical Equipment Company.

1802-1980
linear feet
Administrative files, legal records, financial records, annual reports.
Collection Number: MSS 1991-0009

Railroad company formed in 1872 through the merger of the New York and New Haven Railroad and the Hartford and New Haven Railroad, which resulted in a rail link between New York City and Boston. Through its early history the New York, New Haven and Hartford (also known as the New Haven Railroad) grew through the consolidation and acquisition of dozens of small lines. At its peak in 1929 the New Haven Railroad owned and operated 2,131 miles of track throughout New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The railroad also purchased a myriad of steamboat lines and trolley companies in its quest to dominate transportation in the region. A series of financial mismanagement and struggles for control weakened the company and put it into receivership. By 1969 the New Haven Railroad was absorbed in the Penn Central system and later, after the collapse of that system, parts of it were run by Amtrak, Metro-North Commuter Railroad, and the Connecticut Transit Authority. The collection contains the central administrative and financial records of the New Haven Railroad and approximately 300 predecessor and subsidiary companies.

undated, 1909-1983
28 linear feet
Administrative records, financial records, correspondence.
Collection Number: MSS 1988-0039

Map and atlas company based in Springfield, Massachusetts, founded in 1925 by Nathan Nirenstein (1890-1973). Nirenstein was also a prominent realtor and developer in Springfield, and owned and operated the Kellogg Buildings Realty Trust Company. Collection consists of administrative records, including personal and business records of Nathan Nirenstein and his son David Nirenstein; map records, including sales records and correspondence of the company; records of the realty company; and financial records of both companies.

1945-1950
.25 linear feet
Annual reports, correspondence, business records.
Collection Number: MSS 1988-0057

Established in 1832 as the Rogers Paper Manufacturing Company in Manchester, Connecticut. Maker of insulated paperboard for electrical transformers in the early 1900s but have since developed a myriad of paper, plastic, laminates, moldable composites and other specialty materials used in wireless communication, computer, automotive, imaging and consumer products. Collection consists of a history of the company, which added an additional headquarters in Goodyear (now Rogers), Connecticut, after they acquired a plant in 1936, as well as annual reports, correspondence, and a catalog of Rogers products.

undated, 1796-1939
4.5 linear feet
Correspondence, family papers.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0033

Resident of Salisbury, Connecticut, and treasurer and general manager of the Holley Manufacturing Company from 1901 until his death. Collection consists of Rudd’s personal correspondence; family papers, including information about and correspondence of John Holley, Rudd’s ancestor and a descendant of Alexander Holley, who founded the Holley Manufacturing Company; and local history papers, with information about the history of Salisbury and its iron industry.

undated, 1720-1955
188 linear feet
Administrative, legal, and labor records; financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0038

Manufacturer of locks and hardware, established in 1842 by Joseph B. Sargent (1822-1907), with headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. By 1900 the company was one of the preeminent manufacturers in the field and employed 2000 workers. In the early 1900s the company pioneered new patents and processes, but rising manufacturing costs and a decline in profits led the company to its 1938 decision to sell its New York sales office to the City of New York. In 1972 Sargent and Company became a division of Walter Kidde & Company of Belleville, New Jersey. The records consist of administrative, legal, and labor records, sales and general correspondence, production records, general accounts, and Sargent family papers.

undated, 1839, 1905-2004
76.65 linear feet
Administrative Records, Audio visual materials, Correspondence, Financial Records, Histories, Minutes, Newsletters, Posters, Press releases, Publications.
Collection Number: MSS 2004-0048

The Savings Bank of Manchester was founded in 1905 as a mutual savings bank, owned by and serving its depositors in the Manchester, Connecticut, community. SBM existed for 99 years, opening a total of 28 branch offices in the eastern half of Connecticut. In 2004, SBM merged with New Haven Savings Bank to become part of NewAlliance Bank. The collection, the bulk of which ranges from 1905 to 2003, contains administrative and financial records, including the original ledgers and account books, as well as a rich collection of advertisements, public relations records, photographs, and audio/video of commercials.

6 linear feet
Administrative records, plans.
Collection Number: MSS 1993-0078

This collection has not yet been organized for unassisted research use. Researchers wishing to access this collection must make prior arrangements with the Curator before visiting Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. Textile business records; engineering plans for tools.

1920-1990
47.6 linear feet
Administrative records, personnel records.
Collection Number: MSS 1993-0039

This collection has not yet been organized for unassisted research use. Researchers wishing to access this collection must make prior arrangements with the Curator before visiting Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. Wire and lock company of Seymour, Connecticut, established in 1888. Collection consists of administrative, personnel, and other records.

1795-1892
147.25 linear feet
Administrative records, labor records.
Collection Number: MSS 1979-0017

Textile manufacturer of Jewett City (town of Griswold), Connecticut. Established in 1809 as the Jewett City Cotton Manufacturing Company by John W. and Lafayette Tibbitts, producing cotton yarn for warp and filling and dyed and finished thread for weaving. The company was sold to Samuel and John Slater in 1823 and run by John Slater’s sons John Fox Slater and William S. Slater after the 1840s. Collection consists of administrative, production, labor, and general records of the Jewett City Cotton Manufacturing Company and the Jewett City Mill (as it was called after it was purchased by the Slater brothers), as well as general accounts of the Jewett City Store (the textile company store) and the Hopeville Mill (another textile enterprise purchased by the Slaters in 1825 located three miles from Jewett City) and Store.

undated, 1877-1998
631 linear feet
Financial records, photographs, publications.
Collection Number: MSS 1997-0122

Established in January 1878 as the District Telephone Company of New Haven [Connecticut]; opened the world's first telephone exchange that same year. Reorganized as the Connecticut District Telephone Company in 1880 and as Southern New England Telephone Company in 1882. Merged with SBC Communications in 1998. Collection includes historical photographs of buildings, employees and equipment; town "telephone" histories; public relations and promotional materials; minutes of board of directors and stockholders' meetings, including the first meeting of the National Telephone Exchange Association Convention in Niagara Falls in 1880; financial records, including early cash books beginning in 1880; annual reports; audio visual materials; artifacts; and correspondence.

undated, 1837-1937
246.05 linear feet
Correspondence, inventories, labor records, business directories, financial records.
Collection Number: MSS 1980-0040

Brass manufacturer of Waterbury, Connecticut, founded in 1851 as the Waterbury Jewell Company; name changed to Steele and Johnson Manufacturing Company in 1875. Ceased business operations in 1933 and was purchased by the Waterbury Button Company in 1941. Collection consists of correspondence, inventories, labor records, business directories, and financial records.

4 linear feet

Collection Number: MSS 1998-0015

This collection has not yet been organized for unassisted research use. Researchers wishing to access this collection must make prior arrangements with the Curator before visiting Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center.

1918-1987
10 linear feet
Annual reports, newsletters, catalogs and price lists, photographs and negatives, memorabilia.
Collection Number: MSS 1989-0098

Manufacturer of vacuum bottles founded in 1907 as the American Thermos Bottle Company by William Walker in Brooklyn, New York. Company moved to Norwich, Connecticut, in 1913 and the name changed to Thermos Company. A second plant opened in the late 1940s in the Taftville section of Norwich. Company sold in 1969 to Household International, Inc., and operations ceased in Norwich in 1988. Collection consists of materials gathered by former employees after 1988. Materials include annual reports, newsletters, catalogs and price lists, photographs and negatives, memorabilia, and information about the company history.

1795-1979
206 linear feet
Administrative records, correspondence, general accounts, labor records, sales and shipping records, photographs, architectural drawings, fabric samples.
Collection Number: MSS 1981-0010

Textile mill formed by the merger of Wauregan Mills of Wauregan, Connecticut, and Quinebaug Mills of Danielson, Connecticut, in 1932. Originally formed in 1849 as the Williamsville Mill by John Atwood, and continuously owned and run by descendents of Atwood throughout the company’s lifetime. Mill production stopped in 1958 and the company completely ceased operations in 1979. Collection consists of records from the Wauregan Company, the Quinebaug Company, and the Wauregan and Quinebaug Company, which include administrative records, correspondence, general accounts, labor records, sales and shipping records, photographs, and architectural drawings.