Engineering Laboratory Office records subgroup, 1920-1952.

ArchivalResource

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.

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

Related Entities

There are 67 Entities related to this resource.

Dearborn Engineering Laboratory (Dearborn Mich.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68f0p02 (corporateBody)

Ford Village Industries.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6427nwx (corporateBody)

Boston Antique Shop.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bd0n8h (corporateBody)

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...

Dearborn Realty & Construction Company.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6w738th (corporateBody)

Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hf1qnj (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 foundation

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63j72hg (corporateBody)

Philanthropic organization established in 1936 by Henry and Edsel Ford from profits of the Ford Motor Company. From the description of Grant files, [ca. 1936-1986]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 155532303 ...

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...

Bailie, Joseph, 1860-1935.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cv8p6v (person)

Ford Motor Company. Medical Department.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6g803gf (corporateBody)

Johnson & Higgins

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67q5nm2 (corporateBody)

Henry Ford Institute of Agricultural Engineering.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dc4qqz (corporateBody)

Ford Motor Company. Rouge River Plant

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fr486z (corporateBody)

Chesterton, G.K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cv4gr1 (person)

English literary critic and author. From the description of Epitaph, [not after 1936]. (University of California, San Diego). WorldCat record id: 31402388 Author and journalist. From the description of Poem of G. K. Chesterton, 1898. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79455163 Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was an English poet, journalist, author, and critic. His literary criticism included works about Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, and George Berna...

Henry Ford Hospital

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6s51hkw (corporateBody)

Albert Kahn, Inc.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bk68pb (corporateBody)

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...

C.E. Johansson, Inc.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6423m1s (corporateBody)

Ford Motor Company. Lincoln Division

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62z5cw6 (corporateBody)

Henry M. Leland was a noted engineer and tool designer when he began working at the Henry Ford Company, Henry Ford's second automobile manufacturing company. After Henry Ford's departure in 1902, Leland helped to reorganize the renamed Cadillac Motor Company and establish quality control and production standards for the luxury auto maker. Leland left Cadillac in August 1917 and with his son Wilfred established the Lincoln Motor Company to produce Liberty airplane engines for the United States Ar...

Dearborn State Bank.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69w74rr (corporateBody)

Brisbane, Arthur, 1864-1936

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6h13hdj (person)

American journalist. From the description of Letter : to Caroline Muller, 1907 Aug. 12. (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (HRC); University of Texas at Austin). WorldCat record id: 122349037 Journalist and newspaper editor. From the description of Arthur Brisbane correspondence, 1909. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79454184 Brisbane was an American author and editor. From the description of Letter, 1896. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: ...

Berry Schools

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

Ford Motor Company. Mercury Division

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cs0346 (corporateBody)

Lucking, Helfman, Lucking & Hanlon.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6r8544r (corporateBody)

Ford Motor Company. Auditing Department.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69m10zr (corporateBody)

Botsford Inn.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ht9c89 (corporateBody)

Ford Motor Company. Office of Henry Ford.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62p1rg3 (corporateBody)

Ford, Clara Bryant, 1866-1950

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

Sun, Yat-sen, 1866-1925

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6s1841f (person)

Sun Yat-sen (/ˈsʊn ˈjɑːtˈsɛn/; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, writer, philosopher, calligrapher and revolutionary, the first president and founding father of the Republic of China. As the foremost pioneer and first leader of a Republican China, Sun is referred to as the "Father of the Nation" in the Republic of China (ROC) and the "forerunner of democratic revolution" in People's Republic of China (PRC). Sun played an instrumental role in the overthrow of the Qing dyn...

Henry Ford (Organization)

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

Henry Ford Trade School

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gf5586 (corporateBody)

Henry Ford believed that a working knowledge of industrial arts was the most practical knowledge a young man could have. To this end, Ford established several schools where he could offer a technical education that would prepare people for work in industry. His first and major trade school was begun in Highland Park, Michigan in 1916 adjacent to Ford Motor Company's Highland Park Plant, opening with six boys and one instructor. Frederick E. Searle was appointed superintendent. Classes not only e...

Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, 1907-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cz5gsw (person)

Edison Institute Schools.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64r4j0s (corporateBody)

Ford Motor Company. Sociological Department.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ps4jtv (corporateBody)

Hamilton & Rossville Hydraulic Company.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m10vnm (corporateBody)

Kahn, Albert, 1869-1942

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69022tz (person)

Architect, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. From the description of Albert Kahn papers, 1888-1973. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122594234 From the description of Albert Kahn papers, 1888-1973. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 744425614 Albert Kahn and Cass Gilbert were both prominent architects. From the description of Albert Kahn business correspondence, 1908-1927 (bulk 1908-1909). (New-York Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 712650461 Alb...

Ford Motor Company. Disbursement Department.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6np8tb2 (corporateBody)

Lincoln Motor Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bk6bsh (corporateBody)

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...

Dearborn Country Club (Dearborn, Mich.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tj3j0j (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...

Edison Portland Cement Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68w9wk2 (corporateBody)

Ford Motor Company. Chemical and Metallurgical Department.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cp3sxw (corporateBody)

Dearborn Publishing Company.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6dp0v7x (corporateBody)

Coolidge, Calvin, 1872-1933

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f29nmw (person)

Epithet: president of the United States British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000497.0x00001d Calvin Coolidge's son John married John Trumbull's daughter Florence. From the description of Letter, 1931 March 16, Northampton, Mass., to John H. Trumbull, Plainville, Conn. (Hartford Public Library). WorldCat record id: 25622017 For information on Pres. Coolidge, see an encyclopedia. No information is...

Dearborn Water Works.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m96zk0 (corporateBody)

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63f9g64 (corporateBody)

Boreham House Estate.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6vt8g4g (corporateBody)

Dearborn Inn (Dearborn, Mich.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fn5zd8 (corporateBody)

Henry Ford Farms.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6cz9x1x (corporateBody)

Henry Ford and Son.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6vb4xrk (corporateBody)

Kelly, Halla, Peacock and Hughes.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6103s6g (corporateBody)

Wayside Inn (Sudbury, Mass.)

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

Henry Ford & Son, Inc.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6q59csb (corporateBody)

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...

Michigan Iron, Land and Lumber Company.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qc6s72 (corporateBody)

Goodspeed's Book Shop.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65f5fvb (corporateBody)

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 ...

Firestone, Harvey Samuel, 1868-1938

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63203n6 (person)

Ford Motor Company. Highland Park Plant

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z651hm (corporateBody)

Ford Naval Training School.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6p33nbj (corporateBody)

Jensen, Jens, 1860-1951

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zp4987 (person)

Mormon from Cottonwood Ward, Utah. From the description of History of Alexander H. Hill Richards, 1930. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 503404173 From the guide to the History of Alexander H. Hill Richards, 1930, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections) Jens Jensen was one of America's most visionary prairie school landscape architects. Born in 1860 in Denmark, Jensen emigrated to the United States in 1884, settling in Chicago, where he was hired a...

Ford Motor Company. Employment Department.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66m9wj7 (corporateBody)

Edison Botanic Research Corp.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65b6r7b (corporateBody)

Sialia (Ship)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ck53hz (corporateBody)

Henry Ford Flour Mill.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68t1cst (corporateBody)