Burroughs Adding Machine Company

Burroughs Sales Division was expected to keep detailed ledgers and notes about their business deals and business prospects.

The Burroughs Adding Machine Company sent regular "To The Field Force" letters to their salesmen and sales/service managers in the field to notify them of new company decisions, procedures and other various corporate news.

Burroughs was in many court cases, some appealed and some not. Most of the legal court records were not kept, although there does exist information on Laura Miller Boyer v. Standish Backus (and other defendants). Laura Miller Boyer was the daughter-in-law of Joseph Boyer. She was the legatee under the will of her husband Myron L. Boyer. Joseph Boyer had set up a trust specifically for Myron, and also made certain monthly payments to him. After her husband's death in 1929, Laura Miller Boyer wished to see documentation on how much money her father-in-law had set aside for Myron, but that information was in the estate of Joseph Boyer, who had died in 1930. Much of the money left Myron by his father was in the form of trusteeships, and after Joseph Boyer's death, the remaining trustees felt this money should revert back to the father's estate, instead of being awarded to Myron's wife Laura. Such was the basis of the dispute by Standish Backus, other members of the Detroit Trust Company, Burroughs Adding Machine Company, and other descendants of Joseph Boyer. These other family members included Ruby Boyer Miller, Lotta B. (Boyer) Backus, Pearl S. Candler, Gertrude Boyer Chase, and Frank Boyer (deceased).

Burroughs' Sales force was a vital part of the company, and the salesmen (especially those who made or exceeded quota), were treated quite well. Conventions were usually held semi-annually, at different locations around the country. Prior to the Legion of Honor as the ultimate recognition a salesman could get, there was the group known as the All Star Salesmen.

A series of meetings were held between the British Tabulating Machine Company Limited and the Burroughs Adding Machine Company in January and February of 1952. The "HOBO Group" consisted of a select number of members from each company. The self-imposed objectives of the HOBO group were "to develop specifications for equipment to satisfy all of the major economic levels of the world market for business machines; to make recommendations covering current short range and medium range programs, and to make further recommendations suggesting areas of long range research that might prove fruitful."

Burroughs' Sales force was a vital part of the company, and the salesmen (especially those who made or exceeded quota), were treated quite well. Conventions were held semi-annually (usually), at different locations around the country. Prior to the Legion of Honor (the ultimate kudo a salesman could get), there was a group known as the All Star Salesmen.

It was expedient for Burroughs Corporation to have a standardized way to record, and, therefore, understand and compare, their various financial and business records.

Corporate regulations.

The Executive Orders were issued by the top executives at Burroughs, and covered a variety of topics, from sales orders to decisions to company procedures.

Like most companies in the United States, Burroughs was quite affected by World War II. During the U.S. involvement in the war (1942-1945), Burroughs sold office machines only to the government. There was a need for the type of tabulation and math functions that Burroughs adding and listing machines offered. Burroughs also helped the government by producing the Norden bombsight. They received a Army-Navy "E" pennant for their contribution to the war effort.

Collection contains mostly ledger sheets of Burroughs Adding Machine Company's sales agencies, but also includes those of the Atlantic Compress Company (a Burroughs authorized warehouse), and of the General Adding Machine Exchange (a division of Burroughs).

Burroughs was in many court cases, some appealed and some not. Most of the legal court records were not kept, although there does exist information on Laura Miller Boyer v. Standish Backus (and other defendants).

Laura Miller Boyer was the daughter-in-law of Joseph Boyer. She was the legatee under the will of her husband Myron L. Boyer. Joseph Boyer had set up a trust specifically for Myron, and also made certain monthly payments to him. After her husband's death in 1929, Laura Miller Boyer wished to see documentation on how much money her father-in-law had set aside for Myron, but that information was in the estate of Joseph Boyer, who had died in 1930.

Much of the money left Myron by his father was in the form of trusteeships, and after Joseph Boyer's death, the remaining trustees felt this money should revert back to the father's estate, instead of being awarded to Myron's wife Laura. Such was the basis of the dispute by Standish Backus, other members of the Detroit Trust Company, Burroughs Adding Machine Company, and other descendants of Joseph Boyer. These other family members included Ruby Boyer Miller, Lotta B. (Boyer) Backus, Pearl S. Candler, Gertrude Boyer Chase, and Frank Boyer (deceased).

In 1930, Burroughs protested an additional assessment, on basis of Redemption Value of preferred stock being a cash dividend, that was levied on them. In July 1924, Burroughs began purchasing its own outstanding preferred stock. In September 1926, the money acquired this way was called for redemption. All of it was not actually redeemed until 1928, and it was then retired at $105 per share. Burroughs argued the value of the redemption should not have an additional assessment.

"The redemption of the preferred stock of the Burroughs Adding Machine Company appears to fall squarely under the provisions of Section 201(g) of the Revenue Act of 1926."