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

  1. Resources
  2. View Resource

ArchivalResource

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

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

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.

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

The Henry Ford, Benson Ford Research Center

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7266715

The Henry Ford, Benson Ford Research Center

Related Entities

There are 34 Entities related to this resource.

Vanzetti, Bartolomeo, 1888-1927

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qd0tzz (person)

Nicola Sacco (April 22, 1891 – August 23, 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (June 11, 1888 – August 23, 1927) were Italian immigrant anarchists who were controversially accused of murdering a guard and a paymaster during the April 15, 1920, armed robbery of the Slater and Morrill Shoe Company in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. Seven years later, they were electrocuted in the electric chair at Charlestown State Prison. After a few hours' deliberation on July 14, 1921, the jury convicted S...

Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63g5f2r (person)

William Randolph Hearst Sr. (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboyant methods of yellow journalism influenced the nation's popular media by emphasizing sensationalism and human interest stories. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887 with Mitchell Trubitt after being given control of The San Francisco Examiner by his ...

Carver, George Washington, 1864?-1943

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67q9nmk (person)

Agricultural scientist, teacher, humanitarian, artist, and Iowa State alumnus (1894, 1896). George Washington Carver was born ca. 1864, the son of slaves on the Moses Carver plantation near Diamond Grove, Missouri. He lost his father in infancy, and at the age of 6 months was stolen along with his mother by raiders, but was later found and traded back to his owner for a $300 race horse. He enrolled in Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa in 1890 studying music and art. Etta Budd, his art instructor ...

Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6n40kzp (person)

Herbert Clark Hoover (b. August 10, 1874, Iowa-d. October 20, 1964), thirty-first president of the United States, was born in Iowa, and was orphaned as a child. A Quaker known from his childhood as "Bert" to his friends, he began a career as a mining engineer soon after graduating from Stanford University in 1895. Within twenty years he had used his engineering knowledge and business acumen to make a fortune as an independent mining consultant. In 1914 Hoover administered the American Relief Com...

Edison Institute Schools.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6h19r8x (corporateBody)

Trowbridge, J. T. (John Townsend), 1827-1916

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6h99648 (person)

American author. From the description of Papers of J.T. Trowbridge [manuscript], 1873-1894. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647824809 From the description of Papers of J.T. Trowbridge [manuscript], 1850-1907, bulk 1872-1907. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647809956 From the description of Papers of J.T. Trowbridge [manuscript], 1882-1916. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647810596 From the description of Autograph l...

Liebold, Ernest Gustav, 1884-1956.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tq98jd (person)

Ernest G. Liebold, executive secretary and business representative for Henry Ford for many years, was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 16, 1884. In 1911, James Couzens, general manager of Ford Motor Company, offered Liebold a position in a new bank created by the company, and soon after, Henry Ford asked Liebold to organize the Dearborn State Bank. By 1918, Liebold's duties included holding the power of attorney for both Henry and Clara Ford. Liebold came to wield unparalleled authority in the...

Campsall, Frank Charles, 1884-1946.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65b1dr1 (person)

Frank Campsall, personal secretary to Henry Ford, began his career with Ford Motor Company in 1912 in the purchasing department of the Highland Park plant. Over the next 34 years he became Ford's trusted friend and confidant. His job was to oversee the details of a multitude of Ford personal interests, and he often traveled with the Fords when they vacationed at their homes in Fort Myers, Florida, and Ways, Georgia. Campsall was born on January 2, 1884, in Essex, Ontario, Canada and moved with h...

Coughlin, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1891-1979

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65m6pp3 (person)

Detroit area priest known for his opposition to President Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal programs. From the description of Charles E. Coughlin photograph collection. 1934-1936. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 85778938 Father Charles E. Coughlin was Roman Catholic priest, renowned as founder and pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan. Father Coughlin gained a wide following for his Sunday afternoon radio addresses on political and ...

Meadowcroft, Wm. H. (William Henry), 1853-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6794zgg (person)

Berry Schools

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65q953f (corporateBody)

Gosden, Freeman F., 1899-1982

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6nk3trh (person)

Camp Willow Run.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6v18tj2 (corporateBody)

Ford, Edsel, 1893-1943

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bv7w1d (person)

Edsel Ford's interests beyond automobiles and the automobile industry were broad and varied. He was president of the Arts Commission of the Detroit Institute of Arts, a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art, and a trustee for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Inc. He was a member of the Isle Royal National Park Commission, chairman of the board of the Detroit University School, and a director of the Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit. He was active in Ford Motor Company educatio...

Hill, Percival S.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ps21zp (person)

Salta, Gladys M.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6x10cv9 (person)

Correll, Charles J., 1890-1972

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60k2jc0 (person)

Henry Ford (Organization)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6n33qb2 (corporateBody)

Avery, Clarence W. (Clarence Willard), 1882-1949.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6k4001x (person)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6wf4pks (person)

American naturalist and writer. From the description of Poem 1917. (Denver Public Library). WorldCat record id: 49995946 One of America's great naturalist authors. From the description of Memorabilia, 1905-1931. (Hartwick College). WorldCat record id: 27057683 American teacher, naturalist, poet, and essayist of national prominence. Friend of Walt Whitman; influenced by Thoreau, Carlyle, and Emerson. Employed accurate observations of nature, scientific re...

Ford motor company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6r53djn (corporateBody)

When Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903, Alexander Y. Malcolmson was elected the Company's first treasurer, but his assistant James Couzens actually managed financial functions. People holding the position of Ford Motor Company treasurer from 1903 to 1955 included Alexander Y. Malcolmson, 1903-1906; James J. Couzens, 1906-1915; Frank L. Klingensmith, 1915-1921; Edsel B Ford, 1921-1943; B. J. Craig, 1943-1946; and L. E. Briggs, 1946-1955. In 1903, the business office was in a small building o...

Wayside Inn (Sudbury, Mass.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63v3v8f (corporateBody)

Camp Legion.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zs9kd8 (corporateBody)

Buchman, Frank, 1878-1961

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sn3fg9 (person)

Perry, Percival Lea Dewhurst, 1878-1956.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m92x1w (person)

Ford, Clara Bryant, 1866-1950

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6w09kr6 (person)

Edison Illuminating Company.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kh7b3d (corporateBody)

Plantiff, Gaston, 1874-1934.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sr214h (person)

Gaston Plantiff was born September 25, 1874 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. He worked for Ford Motor Company from 1905,and was New York Branch Manager from 1913 to 1929. He was a trusted employee and friend of Henry Ford; he and his wife visited socially with the Fords on a regular basis. From the description of Gaston Plantiff papers, 1905-1931 (bulk 1920-1930) (The Henry Ford). WorldCat record id: 68103848 ...

Henry Ford Farms.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ck53bq (corporateBody)

Edison, Thomas Alva, 1847-1931

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66z0150 (person)

Thomas Alva Edison (born February 11, 1847, Milan, Ohio – died October 18, 1931, West Orange, New Jersey), American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and early versions of the electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrial...

Ford, Henry, 1863-1947

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6xk8d59 (person)

Industrialist and philanthropist Henry Ford, born July 30, 1863, grew up on a farm in what is now Dearborn, Michigan. Mechanically inclined from an early age, he worked in Detroit machine shops as a young man and became an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company in 1891. Henry and Clara Jane Bryant, married in 1888, had one child, Edsel, born in 1893. In that same year, Henry tested his first internal combustion engine, and by 1896 completed his first car, the Quadricycle. Ford partnered in ...

Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w61s7dgz (person)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York. He was the son of James (lawyer, financier) and Sara (Delano) Roosevelt. He married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17, 1905, and had six children: Anna, James, Franklin, Elliott, Franklin Jr., John. He received his B.A. from Harvard in 1904 and later attended Columbia University Law School. Roosevelt was admitted to the Bar in 1907 and worked for the Carter, Ledyard, and Milburn firm in New York City from 1907 to 19...

Sacco, Nicola, 1891-1927

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6348hc9 (person)

Ford Family.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bs820q (family)