Compare Constellations

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Statements series, 1918-1951 (bulk 1920-1946)

Title: Statements series, 1918-1951 (bulk 1920-1946)

The Statements series is made up of three subseries. Half of the Bank Statements, Expense Lists subseries, 1918-1920 (0.4 cubic ft.) Acc. 286, consists of fairly routine monthly and weekly statements for Henry's various bank accounts, including agricultural accounts. The other half of the subseries pertains to Stanley W. Finch, a former Department of Justice agent and one of several private detectives hired by Ernest G. Liebold to investigate supposed misdeeds of prominent Jews and liberal gentiles. Finch operated out of New York City from an agency called the General Welfare League and reported to Liebold. These records consist of Finch's expense reports and a few letters discussing plans for further communication by secret code. The Monthly Bank Statements subseries, 1919-1951 (6.8 cubic ft.), Acc. 286, consists primarily of bank statements from various banks nationwide at which Henry and Clara Ford held personal accounts, investment accounts, and business accounts for Henry's non-Ford concerns, including accounts at Georgia banks for the Richmond Hill Plantation. This portion of the subseries is organized by bank name. Also included are insurance policies for many of the Fords' possessions and interests, among them coverage for Clara's jewelry and furs and Henry's musical instrument collection, accident and liability coverage of the Indianapolis Race of 1924 (with a list of drivers), fire insurance on the Wayside Inn, as well as other fire, property, and compensation and liability policies. Additionally, there are a small number of records of employee investment accounts. (More employee investment account records can be found in the Henry and Clara Ford Financial records series, Acc. 254.) Finally, there is a small section of miscellaneous receipts and notes. The Financial Statements subseries, 1919-1947 (4.4 cubic ft.), Acc. 286, perhaps the most informative portion of the series in terms of its systematic organization and presentation, is made up of formal financial statements for Henry Ford's non-Ford interests, including the Botsford Inn, also called Botsford Tavern, 1939-1946; Dearborn Inn, 1939-1946; and Wayside Inn, 1930-1945; along with hotel management company Oakwood Hotel Company, 1933-1939; Dearborn Realty and Construction Company, 1930-1943; Edison Institute, 1937-1950; and Henry Ford Hospital, 1918-1946. Although an inventory for this series exists, its description of the collection is limited to subseries, voucher number, date, and some company names. Further access to or information about some of the statements may be facilitated by card indexes linked to these materials but residing in another collection, the Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate records, Acc. 587.

ArchivalResource: 11.6 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289024391 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Disbursing Vouchers and Remittances series, 1912-1952 (bulk 1919-1947)

Title: Disbursing Vouchers and Remittances series, 1912-1952 (bulk 1919-1947)

The Disbursing Vouchers and Remittances series, which was administered primarily by secretaries E. G. Liebold and L. J. Thompson, consists of six subseries. The National Bank of Commerce subseries, 1912-1919 (3.6 cubic ft.), Acc. 286; the Dearborn State Bank subseries, 1919-1947 (160 cubic ft.), Acc. 286; and the Miscellaneous Banks subseries, 1919-1947 (8.4 cubic ft.), Acc. 286, all consist of disbursing vouchers drawn from the banks named and various other banks. Vouchers within each subseries are arranged by voucher number (which is also generally chronological). The Dearborn State Bank became the Manufacturer's National Bank of Detroit in 1933. The three banks subseries consist of vouchers and related invoices and correspondence pertaining to Henry Ford's many activities and assets outside of Ford Motor Company. They provide a window into Henry Ford's avocations and by extension, the man himself, that though patchy and at times lacking in context is often surprisingly rich in detail. Vouchers are for a variety of expenditures relating primarily to Ford properties, including the Dearborn Country Club, Edison Institute Schools, Fair Lane Estate, Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum, Henry Ford Farms, Wayside Inn, and Richmond Hill Plantation, as well as the Botsford Inn, the Phoenix Mill, and the Fords' Fort Myers, Florida, residence. A brief sampling of concerns at those properties and others includes supplies and operating expenses for the Dearborn Country Club, in particular the stocking of food and beverage; insurance; salaries of personal employees; expense reports for office employees including Frank Campsall; reimbursement of Ray Dahlinger's working and living expenses; personal travel expenses for Henry Ford; purchase, maintenance, and repairs of personal vehicles; photographic art prints of the Ford factory; publishing fees for various booklets, including the antismoking pamphlet The Case Against the Little White Slaver; various publicity expenses, including sizeable newspaper advertising expenses from 1916 that coincide with Henry's anti-preparedness, antiwar campaign on the heels of his Peace Ship expedition; books, mainly reference and applied sciences; charitable contributions; season box seats at the Detroit Opera; Edison sheet music orders; hardware and tools; agricultural equipment and supplies such as feed and seeds; garden supplies; and sporting goods such as shotguns and shells. The level of description and justification for transactions varies, with most of it in the invoices accompanying the vouchers. The Payments Made to Ford Motor Company subseries, 1929-1947 (32 cubic ft.), Acc. 286, consists of vouchers and related materials such as reports, invoices, and a small amount of correspondence, arranged by voucher number (i.e. chronologically), documenting payments made by the Office of Henry Ford to Ford Motor Company in reimbursement for goods and services rendered or procured by the latter for the former. A sampling of these goods and services includes legal expenses; taxes; insurance policies; antiques purchases, including items for the "Antique Village" at Dearborn (later to become Greenfield Village), purchases of and repairs to locomotive and steam engines; architectural services, building and repairs at the Fords' residence, the Fair Lane Estate; orders for and maintenance on the Ford's personal vehicles; and interplant transfers of goods and labor (in particular to the Tecumseh Welfare Commission). Like the banks subseries, the records provide little organization, varying degrees of context, but a considerable amount of detail regarding Henry Ford's non-Ford Motor Company financial transactions, and by extension his interests and activities. The Payroll Vouchers, Georgia, subseries, 1937-1952 (5.2 cubic ft.), Acc. 286, consists primarily of payroll vouchers along with related invoices and correspondence and covers payroll activities at the Ford Farms at Ways Station, Georgia, later known as Richmond Hill Plantation in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Information in the vouchers includes name, race, hours, any applicable classification codes (although no key could be located), hourly rate, taxes, amount due, and sometimes indication of type or location of work. In addition to labor, some of the invoices deal with goods and outside services ordered for the plantation. Some of the vouchers in the preceding subseries are linked to card file indexes in another collection, Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate records, Acc. 587. The Remittances, Henry Ford Office subseries, 1941-1946 (0.4 cubic ft.), Acc. 790, consists of one ledger containing remittance advices (i.e. documents accompanying payments listing the payee and the particular invoices being paid) for personal accounts of Henry Ford. Like the rest of the series, it covers a wide range of Henry Ford's avocational and non-Ford business activities. Materials vary widely in terms of detail and order. Although an inventory for most of this series exists, its description of the collection is limited to subseries, voucher number, and date.

ArchivalResource: 209.6 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289019676 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Engineering Laboratory Office records subgroup, 1920-1952.

Title: Engineering Laboratory Office records subgroup, 1920-1952.

The Engineering Laboratory Office records subgroup is comprised of the following series: Business and Personal Correspondence series, 1920 (13.2 cubic ft.), Acc. 284; Business and Personal Correspondence Addendum series, 1920 (2.8 cubic ft.), Acc. 284; the In-House Subject and Name Filing System series, January-June, 1921 (7.6 cubic ft.), Acc. 285; Library Bureau Filing System series, July 1921-1929 (429.6 cubic ft. and 4 oversize boxes), Acc. 285; Amberg Filing System series, 1930-1949 (781.6 cubic ft.), Acc. 285; In-House Name File with Subjects Filing System series, 1950-1952 (14 cubic ft., 1 oversize box, and 1 oversize folder), Acc. 285. Basically, this subgroup contains an unbroken run of Henry Ford office correspondence from 1920 through 1952. During these years however, filing systems changed, which is reflected in the names of the series into which the subgroup has been broken. The finding aids for the collections contain detailed descriptions of the filing systems and how to access them. The Engineering Laboratory Office records subgroup is a remarkable collection of material that documents a period of more than thirty years of activity of one of the world's great industrialists and his company. The records are arranged by year and then alphabetically according to the filing system used during that year. Typically for each year files can be found for most domestic and foreign Ford Motor Company branches, including Highland Park and the Rouge plant, as well as most company departments such as accounting, advertising, auditing, disbursement, employment, chemical laboratory, chemical and metallurgical, engineering, medical, purchasing, sociological, service, the President's office, general sales, and traffic and for other ventures pursued by Henry Ford, especially those that were managed by his secretary E.G. Liebold, such as Henry Ford Hospital, Dearborn Publishing Company, Dearborn State Bank, Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad and Dearborn Realty and Construction Company. Additional subjects that have multiple folders through the years include antiques, Dearborn Water Works, Dearborn Inn, Dearborn Country Club, Berry Schools, Edison Institute, Boreham House Estate, Michigan Bell Telephone Company, Michigan Central Railroad Company, Michigan Public Utilities Commission, Henry Ford Flour Mill, Henry Ford and Son, Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln and Lincoln-Mercury Divisions, Botsford Inn, Wayside Inn, Michigan Iron Land and Lumber Company, Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company, Henry Ford's yacht Sialia, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and various Village Industries. Also included in the collection is material about the Edison Botanic Research Corporation, a corporation formed by Henry Ford and Firestone in 1927 to research sources of domestic rubber, based out of Thomas Edison's Fort Myers Laboratory. Accident reports and insurance information from the firms Lucking, Helfman, Lucking and Hanlon; Kelly, Halla, Peacock and Hughes and Johnson and Higgins are found in multiple years as well. Individuals with multiple folders include Henry, Edsel and Clara Ford, newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane, Jens Jensen, Herbert Hoover, Ford real estate agent William T. Gregory, John Burroughs, G.K. Chesterton, Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Edison, Sialia captain Perry T. Stakes, Harvey Firestone, Albert Kahn, and missionary Joseph Bailie. There is one letter from Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen inviting Henry Ford to expand automobile industry work in China. The records also include hundreds of thousands of letters from individuals asking Henry Ford for financial assistance, employment, donation of a vehicle, wanting to donate or sell something to him for his museum, providing opinions on Ford products, or opinions on projects and ventures Henry Ford was involved with or supporting; the letters offer insight into the social conditions of the period. While there is no way to access this particular material by subject, as it is filed by the last name of the correspondent, almost any box in the collection contains these types of letters. The records are worth checking if the name of an individual or subject is known as well as a general time period. Office staff and later archivists handling the collection have provided extensive cross-reference sheets in the boxes to aid in subject access.

ArchivalResource: 1,248.8 cubic ft., 5 oversize boxes, and 1 oversize folder.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289024411 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Henry and Clara Ford Financial records series, 1912-1946 (bulk 1919-1942)

Title: Henry and Clara Ford Financial records series, 1912-1946 (bulk 1919-1942)

The Henry and Clara Ford Financial records series, 1912-1946 (33.2 cubic ft.), Acc. 254, is made up of various financial records documenting Henry and Clara's personal finances and Henry's non-Ford activities. Much of the Fords' financial dealings covered by these records were managed by the Fords' secretaries Ernest Liebold, Frank Campsall, H. R. Waddell, and Leslie J. Thompson. The records are organized primarily by type of material (bank statements, checks, etc.). Organization within these sections is generally either alphabetical by creditor name or chronological. A collection inventory lists material type and date, with sparse mention of specific creditors or account holders. The records consist mainly of bank statements, bank deposit books, and cancelled checks of Henry and Clara Ford; vouchers, checks, invoices, and credit memos for various Henry Ford accounts, including numerous special accounts, filed alphabetically, and contractors' agreements for construction on the Fair Lane Estate. The bank statements, bank books, and to some extent cancelled checks are routine in nature and do not provide in-depth information about Henry and Clara's financial affairs. The vouchers, invoices, and credit memos, though lacking in organization and context, offer a more detailed view of the Fords' interests and activities. There are also cancelled invoices and credit memos from 1919 to 1932. Included in the cancelled checks are payments to the Fords' agent at their Fort Myers, Florida, winter residence, 1922-1923, and to architect and construction manager W. H. Van Tine for work on the Fair Lane Estate and its service buildings, 1914. Best represented within the vouchers, invoices, and credit memos are construction and operating costs for Fair Lane Estate; expenditures on food and supplies for the Dearborn Country Club; and Henry and Clara Ford's personal living expenses. A small sampling of the other numerous concerns covered by the vouchers, invoices, and credit memos are labor and materials at various Henry Ford Farms, including Macon Farms and Snell Farm; Village Industries operating expenses, including those at Sharon Mills in Manchester, Michigan; Deaborn Water Works expenses; supplies, wages, and operating expenses for Valley Farm, Inc., a home for orphaned boys in Dearborn; maintenance expenses and slip fees for the yacht Sialia; antiques purchases and restoration, including travel expenses, labor, supplies, and materials; other expenses for purchases and work on Greenfield Village (then called the "Antique Village"), Henry Ford Museum, and the Wayside Inn; expense reports and correspondence with European purchasing agent Herbert Frederick Morton concerning his acquisition of Rose Cottage in Gloucestershire, England, on Henry's behalf (it later became the Cotswold Cottage at Greenfield Village); work on Ford Athletic Park (also called Ford Athletic Field); acquisition of dance music for Henry's old-fashioned dances; and touring expenses for the Ford Hawaiian Quintet, a ukulele band that performed for Ford Motor Company functions across the Midwest. Small amounts of correspondence are occasionally included with the invoices. Also included in the series are Ford Investment Plan records for Henry Ford employees (including accounts for farm manager Ray Dahlinger and dancing instructor Benjamin Lovett), 1920-1942, and Dearborn Country Club employees, circa 1926-1928. The employee investment plan records are split between this accession and another accession, Accession 286. Additionally, there is a check register for Henry Ford & Son tractor company, 1918-1920, and two oversize ledgers, one for accounts payable on Henry Ford Special Accounts, 1927, and the other a ledger of contractors' accounts for Hamilton & Rossville Hydraulic Company and Fair Lane estate service buildings, 1919-1925. Among the contractors are Dearborn Realty and Construction Company and Henry Ford Construction Department. The accounts include descriptions of construction work.

ArchivalResource: 33.2 cubic ft. and 27 microfilm reels.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289024394 View

Liebold, Ernest Gustav, 1884-1956. Ernest G. Liebold papers, 1906-1951 (bulk 1918-1933)

Title: Ernest G. Liebold papers, 1906-1951 (bulk 1918-1933)

The papers are comprised of copied documents that Liebold offered the Ford Motor Company Archives after he was interviewed by Ford Archives staff as part of an oral history program conducted in the 1950s. The only original material in the collection are bank books dated 1918-1927 which Liebold kept as treasurer of the Dearborn Publishing Company. The papers include a file of correspondence covering the years 1925 to 1928 detailing the arrangements made by Liebold, Thomas Edison, and others for the movement of Edison's Fort Myers, Florida, laboratory to Dearborn, Michigan; a folder of material with copies of an agreement entered into in 1912 between Ford and Edison on the production of storage batteries; and a copy of the letter of apology sent to Louis Marshall, President of the American Jewish Committee, June 30, 1927. Other items of interest include a diary kept by Liebold when he accompanied Ford on a European trip in the fall of 1930; transportation arrangements for guests attending the Light's Golden Jubilee celebration at the Henry Ford Museum in October, 1929; documents concerning the establishment of a rubber plantation in South America in 1927; a 1933 interview with Henry Ford by George Sylvester Viereck; a summary of an interview with A. Y. Malcolmson, 1919; and a report on the potential for development of hydroelectric water power in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, undated. There is also a folder of correspondence in German and folders of routine correspondence, such as Liebold's resignation letters from banks where he worked prior to joining the Ford Motor Company.

ArchivalResource: 0.4 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/308528512 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. General Personal records series, 1823-1984 (bulk 1920-1947)

Title: General Personal records series, 1823-1984 (bulk 1920-1947)

The General Personal records series, Acc. 23, consists of eleven subseries. The Name Files subseries, 1886-1948 (2.8 cubic ft.), is comprised largely of correspondence, telegrams, publications, postcards and greeting cards sent to Henry Ford or his secretaries (mainly Frank Campsall or E. G. Liebold) in regards to topics of interest to Mr. Ford or as congratulatory messages for various birthdays or anniversaries. Most of this material is related to interests outside of the manufacture of automobiles, but there are some materials that cover that topic as well, such as Ford Motor Company correspondence and correspondence from Percival Perry and Gaston Plantiff. Also included are General folders which cover various topics of interest to Henry Ford during the 1900s and 1920s. Documents of note in this subseries include a few letters from George Washington Carver, a brief presented by Ford Motor Company of Canada to the Tarriff Inquiry Commission with production and employment figures for the Walkerville plant for the 1910-1920 period, monthly statistics from 1920 such as age, nationality, marriage status, pay rate and length of service for those entering and leaving the employ of Ford Motor Company, copies of the 1932 radio address of Henry Ford in support of Herbert Hoover, photos and itinerary for the 1941 visit of the Duke of Windsor, data on Central and South America relative to prospective business by Ford Motor Company and a paper from the 1926 meeting of Roadmen and Department heads of the Ford San Francisco branch that gives insight into the sales and advertising methods of the time period. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by correspondent or subject name. The Subject Files subseries, 1823-1944 (4.4 cubic ft.), contains clippings, photographs, cards, telegrams, publications and sheet music for subjects of interest to or relating to Henry Ford including personal notes, birthday and holiday greetings, a copy of the 1896 payroll log for the Edison Illuminating Company with an entry for Ford, and collected material on interests such as dancing, food and diet, and rubber. There are several documents and maps in the Georgia folders ranging in date from 1823 to 1880 that presumably document the area that would later become his Richmond Hill property in Georgia. Included with that material is an 1823 slave list from White Hall and correspondence of G. L. Appleton and R. J. Arnold. Other items of interest include 1942 lists of salaried and hourly employees with the company 20 or more years from plants such as Highland Park, the Rouge, the Lincoln plant, Willow Run and the Village Industries. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by subject term or by name of individual. The Ford Genealogy Files subseries, circa 1834-1947 (2 cubic ft. and 1 oversize box), and Bryant Genealogy Files subseries, 1886-1927 (1.2 cubic ft.), consist mainly of information compiled by genealogical researcher Gladys M. Salta about the lineage of the Ford and Bryant families. The Anti-Cigarette Literature subseries, 1912-1915 (0.4 cubic ft.), includes several copies of the four-volume series "The Case Against the Little White Slaver," correspondence regarding that publication and printed material about cigarettes. The remaining subseries offer insight into the interests and activities of Henry Ford and his place in society in the first half of the twentieth century. The Article Files subseries, 1870-1950 (0.8 cubic ft.) includes articles by or about Henry Ford and topics or persons of interest to him including children, agro-industry and world affairs. It is arranged alphabetically by article title. The Bound Financial Records subseries, 1914-1925 (0.4 cubic ft.) includes three ledgers of varied accounting information on such entities as the Ford Hawaiian Quintet and Yacht Sialia. The ledgers are not very complete nor do they provide an abundance of information. The Framed Documents subseries, 1928-1947 (0.4 cubic ft.), contains four items: a 1947 resolution by the Board of the Wayne County Road Commissioners to the family of Henry Ford, 1928 letters from France M. Leslie and Isabella C. Leslie to Clara Ford, a copy of a 1942 George Washington Carver letter to Frank Campsall and a 1944 letter to "Mr. Lambe" from the President of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States regarding a statement by Stalin that Henry Ford was one of the world's greatest industrialists. The Miscellaneous Documents and Publications subseries, 1914-1944 (2.8 cubic ft.), includes a box of Henry Ford's personal notes or jot books. The notes can be hard to read and the subjects scattered but they offer a glimpse of his day-to-day mental activity. Other materials of note include magazines and pamphlets saved by the Office of Henry Ford, 1925-1943, and daily newspaper clippings dating from 1937 to 1940. A box of reprints of the poem "Darius Green and His Flying Machine" by John Townsend Trowbridge, signed by Henry Ford also makes up part of this subseries. The Oversize Materials subseries, 1859-1947 (0.4 cubic ft., 7 oversize boxes, 6 volumes and 35 items), contains a scrapbook of clippings about Henry Ford; a series of Resolutions presented upon his death; Honorary Degrees; Awards and Citations and honorary Membership Certificates from a variety of organizations; bound financial records which include a record of vouchers issued from 1912 to 1917 for Valley Farm, Inc., cash books for Henry Ford Estates from 1914 to 1916 and Henry Ford & Son purchase records from 1916 and such varied items as a 1943 framed color lithograph of Henry Ford by Irving Bacon; a photograph of the September 2, 1945, Japanese surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri signed by Admiral Nimitz; specifications of Kilnagross Church, the Ford family ancestral church in County Cork, Ireland, and material relating to Fort McAllister, a Georgian fort owned briefly and renovated by Henry Ford. The Addendum subseries, 1938-1984 (1.4 cubic ft.), includes books of birthday greetings to Henry Ford from the boys of Camp Legion and Willow Run, among others, and also a medal from the Aviation Hall of Fame honoring Henry Ford's contributions to aviation presented in 1984.

ArchivalResource: 17 cubic ft., 8 oversize boxes, 6 volumes, 35 items, and 15 microfilm reels.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289020960 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Records Stored in 1919 series, 1902-1923 (bulk 1907-1918).

Title: Records Stored in 1919 series, 1902-1923 (bulk 1907-1918).

Most materials in this series were created or maintained by Ford Motor Company treasurer Frank L. Klingensmith, Henry Ford Office secretaries Ernest G. Liebold, H.R. Waddell, and assistant secretary to Henry Ford G.S. Anderson. Among the topics best represented are Fair Lane Estate, Henry Ford Estates (Fair Lane and other residences), Henry Ford Hospital, Valley Farm, Inc. home for orphaned boys, Ford's senatorial campaign, Ford's pacifist views and efforts, and the Selden Patent case. The Records Stored in 1919 series consists of five subseries. The Architect Estimates for Fair Lane subseries, 1914-1916 (4.4 cubic ft.), consists of estimates on labor, construction, and materials from the architectural firm of W.H. Van Tine Building Organization, Inc., along with related correspondence and invoices from them and other builders and suppliers. The Financial records subseries, 1902-1918 (4.4 cubic ft.), consists of checks and vouchers, bank statements for commercial bank accounts and for personal accounts of Henry and Clara Ford, invoices, cancelled checks, receipts, and related correspondence. Some of the chief concerns covered by these materials include tractor development, shipbuilding, architects' estimates, and the boys' home Valley Farm, Inc., as well as more routine matters such as repairs to personal automobiles, legal services, club memberships, telephone bills, taxes, grocery bills, and the like. Bank statements are arranged alphabetically by either name of account or by bank name. Other materials are organized by type of material and then in rough chronological order. Among the commercial bank accounts are those for the Ford Athletic Park, or Ford Athletic Field, an athletic facility attached to the Highland Park Plant; production of the antismoking pamphlet, "The Little White Slaver"; Ford Hawaiian Quintet; and Henry Ford & Son tractor company. Included within the paid invoices for Valley Farm is a partially filled register for the institution. The Checks and Correspondence files, 1902-1906, contains a variety of materials, including correspondence with James Couzens, along with an agreement for Henry Ford's buyout of James Couzens' Ford Motor Company stock; other documents from the early days of the Ford Motor Company, including statements of company assets, dividends, and liabilities; correspondence with suppliers, dealers, and customers regarding the Model N Runabout automobile; property agreements; and miscellaneous invoices, mostly related to Ford's agricultural interests. Also included are letters from George M. Holley regarding magneto testing and development, 1905, and a letter from Frank Kulick describing a test drive of the Model K. The Office Correspondence of Henry Ford subseries, 1907-1911 (3.6 cubic ft.), consists of a wide range of correspondence reflecting not just Henry Ford's varied interests and activities but also his enormous influence upon and popularity in American society of the day. Much of the correspondence is made up of letters from business acquaintances, charitable organizations, current and former Ford Motor Company or Ford personal employees, and members of the general public requesting assistance of some form, generally financial assistance, employment, or recommendations for employment. In some instances, return correspondence documents maintenance of or investigation into these cases. Other correspondence pertaining more directly to Ford's activities deals with real estate transactions; building, landscaping, construction, decorating, and furnishing for Fair Lane Estate and other Ford residences (sometimes referenced under the umbrella term "Henry Ford Estates"); building and construction for other Ford-owned properties; taxes, legal services, insurance, telephone bills, travel arrangements, and other personal expenditures for Henry and Clara and charitable donations made on their behalf; the Good Roads movement; the acquisition and running of the Dearborn State Bank; studies of shipbuilding and shipyards dating from around the period of Ford's Eagle Boat production; lumber; and automotive equipment. The Office Correspondence subseries is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by correspondent or topic. The Telegrams subseries, 1916-1919 (1.6 cubic ft.), consists of telegrams to and from Henry Ford Office personnel regarding Henry Ford's personal, commercial, and political pursuits. While largely routine in nature, concerning travel arrangements, declinations of speaking engagements, and other similar details, some telegrams impart more substantive information, particularly those regarding preparations for the Peace Ship voyage and European peace conference and Ford's pacifist views. Other telegrams have to do with Henry Ford's early tractor experimentation and the startup and earliest operations of Henry Ford and Son Tractor Company. Most of the telegrams are between E.G. Liebold and G.S. Anderson or to Gaston Plantiff, a Ford branch manager charged with Peace Ship arrangements. Some telegrams are signed by Henry Ford rather than one of his representatives; most of these are longer and written in full prose style and generally concern his pacifist views. There is also a small number of telegrams from Edsel Ford to his father, between Henry Ford and John Burroughs, and between Henry Ford and Thomas Edison regarding the arrangement of visits. Some of the correspondence, both telegrams and letters, between Liebold and his agents is written in a secret code devised by Liebold. A partial key to this code exists, a copy of which can be found in folder 1, box 1. The Miscellaneous subseries, 1910-1923 (2.8 cubic ft.), consists of records pertaining to Valley Farm, Henry Ford's senatorial campaign (although other materials in the series refer to this campaign as well), Detroit General Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital, and tractor development, as well as bound periodicals of Engineering Magazine containing the series of articles "Ford Methods and the Ford Shops" written by Horace Arnold and Fay Faurote, and numerous letters from a mental patient in Chicago appealing for millions of dollars. Also present is a miscellany of unsorted letters from the public and acquaintances, clippings, business cards, event programs, and notes. Materials from the Ford senatorial campaign include correspondence regarding campaign arrangements such as ballot proofs, campaign literature, and an index of campaign payments and donations by Michigan county. Selden Patent Suit files relate to Ford's challenge of George Selden's automobile patent and include Ford's lawyers' opinions as early as 1903, opinions on the case and similar cases, and correspondence regarding the settlement of the suit, 1912-1913. The Valley Farm materials consist primarily of records and case files for the boys residing there and a small amount of material regarding the property lease. Most of the tractor-related records consist of invoices from tractor manufacturers, parts suppliers, and foundries and related financial correspondence. Hospital records pertain to Henry Ford's support of Detroit General Hospital in the years prior to its acquisition by Ford and transformation to Henry Ford Hospital.

ArchivalResource: 16.8 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289019679 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Records Moved to Engineering Laboratory in 1919 series, 1911-1928 (bulk 1914-1919)

Title: Records Moved to Engineering Laboratory in 1919 series, 1911-1928 (bulk 1914-1919)

The Records Moved to Engineering Laboratory in 1919 series consists of correspondence from the Office of Henry Ford primarily concerning items of personal interest to Henry Ford rather than the Ford Motor Company. The series consists of two subseries: the Subject and Name File (wooden cabinet) subseries, 1911-1928 (30 cubic ft.), and the Subject and Name File subseries, 1914-1921 (15.6 cubic ft.). The naming of the subseries and to some extent the series reflects the original physical location and the original filing system, there being great similarity in type of material. Overall, the material in the Subject and Name File subseries dates from a slightly later period. Both subseries consist of correspondence arranged alphabetically by name or subject and then by rough chronological order. The Subject and Name File subseries is divided into two sections, one for 1914 to 1919 and the other for 1919 to 1921, though in reality there is considerable overlap in dates. Within each section, correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent or topic. Within the series, the diverse interests and activities of Henry Ford are represented by the correspondence conducted between his secretaries and Ford's agents, associates, branch managers, creditors, and others. Most of the correspondence in the series was generated or maintained by assistant secretary G. S. Anderson and secretaries Ernest G. Liebold and Frank Campsall, with additional material by and about Gaston Plantiff, a branch manager and agent in charge of Peace Ship arrangements. The Chicago Tribune trial files include clippings and legal correspondence. Branch correspondence largely concerns personnel matters, as well as sales and marketing, distribution of Ford-sponsored publications such as the Dearborn Independent and Henry's antismoking pamphlets, and personal communications with branch managers. Branches are listed by city or country and may refer to Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford and Son, or to Village Industries. Manchester branch correspondence includes communications with Sir Percival Perry. Mexico files concern language instruction, technical training, and employment of Mexican workers for Henry Ford and Son. San Francisco correspondence includes arrangements for Henry and Edsel's visits to the 1915 World's Fair Exposition. Ford Motor Company of Canada correspondence is also present. Henry Ford Hospital files include safety, health, and other reports. Numerous Henry Ford Estate files, 1913-1918, cover construction, landscaping, decorating, and maintenance of Fair Lane and its outbuildings and also acquisition of the Fort Myers, Fla., residence "The Mangoes." Shipbuilding proposals and Shipyard investigations files are made up of prospectuses of sites from companies and municipalities across the nation seeking Ford to build his submarine chasers there and Ford's investigations and ratings of various shipbuilding companies in terms of labor issues and efficiency, particularly on the West Coast. In addition, throughout the collection are found numerous files having to do with the development of the "Eagle Boat" naval patrol boat or submarine chaser, including a small number of blueprints. Similar proposals also exist for other (automotive) factory sites, including abandoned sites, undeveloped land, and timber properties. Senate files, relating to Henry Ford's 1918 senatorial campaign, are made up of campaign correspondence, campaign literature, and reports including a private investigation of the Senate election. Files for the boys' orphanage, Valley Farm, Inc., consist of financial correspondence, 1911-1917, and corporate records and reports. Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company files pertain mainly to construction of the Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company and include plans and specifications. Water Power files pertain to sites under consideration for establishment of hydroelectric power plants, organized alphabetically by city, state, or country (Canada). Other Water Power files are more general in nature, concerning water power and its efficacy. Also present are separate files on individual Village Industries sites such as Nankin Mill and Tecumseh, Mich. Henry Ford and Son files include dealer correspondence, tractor insurance and financing, shipping information, and tax information. Henry Ford and Son and Henry Ford and Son, Ltd., of Cork, Ireland files are also present. Topics centering on World War I can be found throughout the collection and pertain to the Liberty Loan program, the War Trade Board, Liberty engines, tanks, Naval Patrol boats, and miscellaneous war reports. The file War letters, 1917-1918, is made up of letters written in support of Henry Ford's involvement in the war effort, mostly from Ford Motor Company employees enlisted in the military, including a letter from African-American sergeant Robert Greer with a photograph of him and members of his company stationed in France. Additionally, there are files labeled as Ford Family and various personal files for Henry, Edsel, and Clara Ford. However, most of these files do not pertain to private matters, but rather some aspect of their business lives--primarily Henry Ford and Son and Fordson tractors for Henry and Edsel, as well as some Ford Motor Company business for Edsel. Clara Ford personal files touch somewhat more directly on her personal life, dealing with gowns and other items purchased on her behalf. Also included are a miscellany of genealogical information, Fordson Village incorporation documents, and various pieces of personal and business correspondence. Other topics or correspondents include materials relating to the renaming of the locality of Springwells as Fordson; ukulele band the Ford Hawaiian Quintet and its leader Henry Kailimai; the commission of a statue of John Burroughs to sculptor C. S. Pietro; the Sialia and Sialia II yachts, including personnel, payroll, and expenses, as well as an original blueprint for the outboard profile of the Sialia; Dearborn Water Works, including its acquisition and improvements made, and the filtration plant; Peace Ship, with a named file and other scattered references, including negotiations with Ford agents and other companies and individuals involved in planning the expedition; Oughtrighton Hall, a home for Belgian refugees owned by Ford; real estate, including maps and a listing of properties owned by Henry Ford, 1917-1919; Dearborn Realty & Construction Company files, views on liquor, Prohibition, and problems of alcoholism among workers, 1914-1915; and the landmark Profit-sharing plan, 1914-1915. Scattered throughout the collection under various headings include donations requested and made to charitable organizations, club memberships and solicitations and memberships, legal counsel, insurance, banking, including the Lucking, Helfman, Lucking and Hanlon files, which deal with the change of residence by the Fords from Detroit to Dearborn; Ford Motor Company business, including foreign branch operations, dealers, finance, personal, and the Sociological Department; and various reports on safety, personnel, production, and welfare investigations other Henry Ford business concerns. More general alphabetical correspondence consists primarily of complaints, praise, invitations to events, unsolicited patents or inventions, requests (charitable contributions, speaking engagements, etc.), and gifts. A set of files marked "J" in the 1919 section of the Subject and Name Files subseries but dating from 1920 to 1921 consists mainly of correspondence from Ford dealers and the public regarding Ford's and Liebold's views on Jews, including both support and criticism of their anti-Semitism, as well as correspondence with Ford dealers regarding the publication and distribution of the Dearborn Independent. A small number of photographs depict Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Henry Ford Hospital building and staff, other buildings, and Liberty engines.

ArchivalResource: 45.6 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289024429 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Water Power and Real Estate records series, 1918-1945.

Title: Water Power and Real Estate records series, 1918-1945.

The Water Power and Real Estate records series consists of two subseries. The Water Power records subseries, 1918-1945 (5.2 cubic ft.), Acc. 288, includes correspondence, maps, reports, photographs and other materials related to water power (hydroelectric) properties owned by Ford including the Michigan properties of Brooklyn, Clarkston, Dexter, Dundee, Flat Rock, Macon, Manchester, Milan, Milford, Newburg (also listed as Newburgh), Northville, Plymouth, Sault St. Marie, Waterford and Ypsilanti among others; and properties at Saint Paul, Minnesota; South Sudbury, Massachusetts; other non-Michigan cities and Brazil. Also included are materials pertaining to properties Ford had an interest in purchasing or his office was contacted regarding purchase. The collection is arranged alphabetically by city or country name. The Real Estate records subseries, 1918-1939 (10.8 cubic ft.), Acc. 289, consists of files kept by William T. Gregory, a real estate agent for Ford. Files include correspondence, maps, blueprints and statements for properties owned by Henry Ford or those offered for sale to or requested for purchase by his office. Properties include farm, house and apartment rentals and commercial developments in Michigan cities such as Carleton, Dearborn, Detroit, Farmington, Flat Rock, Grosse Ile, Iron Mountain, Macon, Milford, Nankin Mill, Newburg, Northville, Phoenix Mill, Pinckney, Trenton and Waterford. The farm properties were managed by Ray Dahlinger, General Manager of the Ford Farms. Properties outside of Michigan include Green Island, New York, Hamilton, Ohio and John Burroughs' property at Roxbury, New York (including Woodchuck Lodge) which the Ford's helped him and his wife Ursula acquire in 1913 and subsequently purchased upon Burroughs' death in 1922. Material is also available for Ford's yacht Sialia, The Botsford Inn, Edsel Ford's Jefferson Avenue (Detroit) and Grosse Pointe properties, properties owned by the Ford Foundation, Ford Motor Company branches and plants including Highland Park and the Rouge, the Lincoln Motor Company plant on Warren Avenue, the Kirkby Apartments in Detroit, Dearborn Aviation Park Subdivision and Robert Herndon Realty Company's Dearborn properties. The collection also includes a number of solicitations for employment with Ford Motor Company or Henry Ford Farms. The collection is arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent, company name, subject or city.

ArchivalResource: 16 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289020963 View

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947. Non-Automotive Interests and Activities records series, 1916-1931 (bulk 1923-1931)

Title: Non-Automotive Interests and Activities records series, 1916-1931 (bulk 1923-1931)

The Non-Automotive Interests and Activities series consists of three subseries. The Ford for President records subseries, 1916 and 1923 (1.6 cubic ft.), Acc. 62, includes correspondence from the general public primarily in support of Ford running for President of the United States. The correspondence for 1916 has no particular arrangement. The correspondence from 1923 is arranged by last name of the correspondent. The Muscle Shoals records subseries, 1921-1929 (1.6 cubic ft.), Acc. 62, includes correspondence and related material for Henry Ford's proposed purchase and lease of the government properties at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, part of the Tennessee Valley river system, for the purpose of providing hydroelectric power and producing nitrate fertilizer. Much of the correspondence is from J. W. Worthington, Vice President of the Tennessee River Improvement Association, who worked with Ford and his secretary E. G. Liebold to pass Ford's offer through Congress. The attempts failed and Ford never took control of the property, which eventually became what is now part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. There is also a small amount of correspondence with John W. Weeks, then Secretary of War. The collection is arranged by subject, name of correspondent or by year. The Ford Aviation Activities records subseries, 1925-1931 (2 cubic ft.), Acc. 413, includes correspondence, reports and blueprints documenting construction of the airplane hangar building at the Ford Airport; correspondence, flight reports, weather maps, contracts and pilot applications for servicing the U.S. Air Mail routes out of the Ford Airport; and correspondence regarding Harry Brooks' first attempt at a non-stop flight to Miami, Fla., in 1928 and also his flight to Mexico City carrying Evangeline Lindbergh in late December 1927.

ArchivalResource: 5.2 cubic ft.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/289024405 View

Ford Motor Company. Estate of Henry Ford. Office of Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate records series, 1832-1955 (bulk 1918-1951)

Title: Office of Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate records series, 1832-1955 (bulk 1918-1951)

The Office of Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate records series, 1832-1955, Acc. 587, constitutes a history not only of the wrapping up of Henry and Clara Ford's estates after their deaths, but also of Henry and Clara's personal interests and business, including Henry Ford's numerous projects outside of Ford Motor Company. Consisting primarily of the records of property and other business transactions--tax returns, deeds, titles, abstracts, purchase records, property descriptions, rental agreements, and vouchers--to name just a few, the records series also includes files on some of the Fords' more personal interests, such as Henry's old-fashioned dances and Clara's purchases of books and clothing. The records, maintained during the dissolution of the estate after Clara's death, also include Henry Ford's personal correspondence, some Ford Motor Company documentation, materials on the Edison Institute schools, the Ford cemetery, and limited information on select people employed by Henry Ford. The Office of Henry Ford and Clara Ford Estate records series consists of three subseries: the Campsall and Waddell Office Files subseries; the Special Folders, Office of Henry Ford subseries; and the Estate of Henry Ford, Deceased subseries. The Campsall and Waddell Office Files subseries consists of various files kept by personal secretaries Frank Campsall and later H. R. Waddell on Henry and Clara's personal business; travel preparations for Henry and Clara and trips made on their behalf; general and topical files (including book collecting, cars donated, old-fashioned dance parties, the Ford Cemetery, and Henry and Clara's funeral services); state and federal tax documents; and clippings regarding Frank Campsall's death. The Special Folders, Office of Henry Ford subseries also contains files on trips undertaken by or for Henry and Clara Ford; workers; general interests and activities of Henry Ford, including purchase papers for one of his yachts; financial dealings; and real estate. The Chronological Income Cards subsubseries consist of lists of workers involved in Henry Ford's personal projects, primarily Wayside Inn and Georgia and Michigan properties. Significant within the Real Estate subsubseries is a card file of Dearborn Realty and Construction Company properties. The Estate of Henry Ford, Deceased subseries is made up of the files of personal secretary H. R. Waddell dealing with probate and estate liquidation; several subsubseries dealing with Georgia properties, primarily Richmond Hill; various financial subsubseries which include bank books, cancelled checks, vouchers, and account books, tax receipts and tax correspondence, and a very small sampling of the real estate records of Ford's agent, William T. Gregory. The Account Books subsubseries contains financial information for many of Henry Ford's interests and activities, including Dearborn Realty & Construction Company, D. P. Lapham Bank, Dearborn Water Works, and Quirk Farms. The Card Files subsubseries consists of various sets of index cards having to do with real estate, various purchases, and employee information, often directly referencing or providing a key to other files already found throughout the collection. The Lapham-Ford subsubseries concerns Ford and his agents' dealings with David P. and Samuel Lapham, two Dearborn bankers and businessmen whose bank and many other of their assets were transferred to Henry Ford as payment of debts owed, including properties forming the Molony subdivision (variously spelled Malony, Maloney, Molony, and Moloney), its predecessor the Military Reservation (the former Detroit Arsenal grounds), and what was to become the Dearborn Country Club.

ArchivalResource: 62.4 cubic ft., 4 oversize boxes, 27 card files, and 5 volumes.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/245540955 View