Summary Information
Willson Monarch Laboratory Records 1889-1966
- Willson Monarch Laboratory
Whitewater Mss BJ; PH 3819
12.6 c.f. (24 archives boxes and 10 flat boxes), and 35 photographs and 6 negatives
UW-Whitewater Library / Whitewater Area Research Ctr. (Map)Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records, mainly 1911-1959, of a manufacturer of patent medicine, cosmetics, and animal remedies located in Edgerton, Wisconsin, from 1889 until the late 1960s. Included are articles of incorporation and stock records; administrative correspondence; exchanges with the numerous salesmen and women who sold the firm's products door-to-door throughout the Midwest concerning their day-to-day activities and problems; photographs of sales staff; files on product labeling problems; motivational newsletters and other company publications; and miscellaneous financial, employment, and manufacturing records.
Forms part of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy Archives Collection
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-whit00bj ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Willson Monarch Laboratories of Edgerton, Wisconsin (variously known as Willson Brothers, Monarch Laboratory, and Willson's Monarch Laboratory) was founded in 1882 by Dexter I. and Benjamin C. Willson, two brothers from Elmira, New York. Because the majority of the company's records were destroyed in a fire in 1928, very little is known about its early history. According to a sales manual published during the 1930s, the brothers possessed a thorough education in chemistry and drugs, and they built their early success upon the pain reliever “Monarch Oil,” later called “Olozon.” The company operated from a small pharmaceutical shop, and the brothers manufactured a diverse line of patent medicines and products including flavorings, extracts, spices, soaps, perfumes, and stock and poultry minerals.
The Willsons emphasized the rural market, employing salespeople to sell their goods on consignment from door to door throughout the Midwest. In an attempt to meet changing market conditions, in 1932 a branch store was opened in Milwaukee at 1231 W. State Street to distribute goods for the salespeople in the urban area. A similar branch store was located in Madison. The Milwaukee operation did not prove profitable, however, and the store was closed in 1936.
In 1927, Maybelle Willson Shearer, daughter of Benjamin Willson, became president of the Willson Monarch Laboratories corporation. In 1930, a merger with Swift Manufacturing Company of Saint Louis, Missouri, was considered but rejected by Monarch's stockholders.
Two of the most prominent individuals associated with the company during this period were Les Hall and Guy Johnson. Les Hall, the general manager of Willson Monarch until 1946, performed the largest share of the work involved in the daily operation of the company. His responsibilities included ordering supplies, handling customer correspondence, dealing with federal regulations, and supervising the salespeople. Hall was also treasurer and secretary of the Albion Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Guy Johnson, who was responsible for recruiting and training salespeople, served as the general sales manager until 1935. In addition, Johnson assisted in the operation of the Milwaukee branch store.
In 1946, Dr. F. E. Shearer, husband of Maybelle, became president of Willson Monarch, while still continuing to maintain his medical clinic in the same building as the laboratory. During the following year, he bought all of the Willson Monarch interests. In 1958, the company underwent liquidation. The business was transferred to Otto Bartz in 1960 and ceased operations sometime prior to 1970.
Scope and Content Note
The Willson Monarch collection contains information on the company primarily from the 1920s through the 1950s, with only a limited amount of information present for either the earlier or the final years of its operation. The laboratory fire that occurred in 1928 was responsible for the destruction of many of the records. However, many important aspects of Willson Monarch history are still well represented by the collection. For example, the sales department files contain a good deal of information on the company's agents, a surprisingly large number of whom were women. Also well documented are the various products sold by Willson Monarch, the manner in which they were promoted, and problems concerning their packaging. Unfortunately, while the types of financial files are diverse, they are not complete. There is as well, very little correspondence or policy-level exchanges between the officers in the Edgerton office.
The collection consists mainly of financial reports and records, correspondence, advertising materials, and a few photographs. The records are organized as: Incorporation Records, Financial Records, Sales Department Records, General Correspondence, and Publications and Advertising.
The INCORPORATION RECORDS are limited in scope, consisting only of the articles of incorporation, incomplete stock records, and information on the liquidation of assets that took place in 1958. The capital stock certificates (1927-1930) and journal (1894-1896) list Willson Monarch shareholders and the amounts of their ownership. Information on the value of the stock, although only for the years between 1933 and 1945, can be found in the capital stock tax returns.
The FINANCIAL RECORDS, which are arranged with general, summary types of records preceding the more specific files, are also incomplete, with little material dating from the company's early years. Beginning with a guide to account classifications, this section encompasses federal and state tax returns, audit reports, ledgers, journals, balance sheets, and sales records, as well as federal and state reports, manufacturing statistics and charts, employment information and figures, and some legal records.
For the most part, the SALES DEPARTMENT RECORDS contain correspondence regarding agents and their accounts; the remaining files document the hiring of a new sales executive and the operation of the Milwaukee branch. Taken as a whole, the sales department records yield a good deal of information on how Willson Monarch marketed its products, primarily during the 1920s and 1930s, and how it conducted business through its salespeople. Also evident is the role of the large number of women agents.
The files are subdivided into Prospective Agents' Correspondence, Agents' Correspondence, Collections, Agents' Records, Sales Executive Applications, and Milwaukee Store Files.
The majority of the Prospective Agents' Correspondence consists of exchanges between L. G. Hall or E. T. King (field manager, 1929-1931) and people wishing to become agents for Willson Monarch. The letters have been grouped alphabetically, although some individual files have been established for more extensive correspondents. Also included are newspaper want ads, applications, references, surities, contracts, field reports from a few salesmen, initial orders, and some business propositions from agents. The field reports of E. T. King and C. G. Faas, which discuss their attempts to recruit and train agents, reveal the type of person for which Willson Monarch was looking.
The Agents' Correspondence, which primarily consists of orders and questions about products, quotas, and applications, has been arranged alphabetically, with the more complete individual files of agents followed by less extensive, general files. This section provides perhaps the most complete information on how the company sold its products. The Collection files contain information on agents with delinquent accounts, including their initial applications, correspondence, and information on Willson Monarch's attempts to collect on their accounts through the services of Dun & Bradstreet. There is also a small file of photographs of Willson Monarch salespeople, often with the vehicles or horse-drawn wagons they used to sell their wares. Sales Executive Applications and information on the management and personnel of the Milwaukee Store comprise the remainder of the category.
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, which mainly dates from the period 1930-1942 and which largely documents the work of L. G. Hall and later Helen Short and Otto Bartz, consists of files on diverse topics such as customer orders, applications for various company positions, orders for manufacturing materials, correspondence with the firm's analytical chemist (A. H. Tiegen), correspondence with state agencies, and letters of product appreciation. Other important areas include the proposed merger with the Swift Manufacturing Company, Willson Monarch's membership in the Inter-State Manufacturers Association (which supplied advice on how to train and motivate salespeople, market products, and deal with increasing governmental regulation), and state licensing of agents by Nick Neupert. The effects of the Depression on business and the difficulties of obtaining supplies during World War II are frequently evident.
PUBLICATIONS AND ADVERTISING is comprised of printed materials intended for internal use by agents and other company employees and files related to product labels.
Included are extensive files of two newsletters (Monarch News and Weekly Punch), form letters, a company sales manual, and tips for new dealers, all of which supplement the agents' correspondence and which provide an additional source of information on how Willson Monarch marketed its products. Monarch News began as an internal newsletter concerning the lives and activities of various employees. After changing title in 1932, it was used to inform and motivate agents and to increase sales. Documentation of the actual operation of the Willson Monarch printing department, however, is marginal, consisting of only a small amount of correspondence.
The citations for improper labeling and related correspondence illustrate the effects of increasing governmental regulations on Willson Monarch during the 1930s. In addition, the file of product labels and catalogs provides information such as formula, uses, and directions that cannot be found elsewhere in the records.
The only material in the collection from the company's very early history may be found here in a file concerning problems with trademarks.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Willson Monarch Laboratories, Edgerton, Wisconsin, 1969-1970. Accession Number: M69-71, M70-393
Processed by James Russo and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1988.
Contents List
Whitewater Mss BJ
|
Series: Incorporation Records
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|
Box
1
Folder
1
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Articles of incorporation, 1927-1929
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|
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Stock records
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Capital stock journal, 1894-1896
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Capital stock certificates, 1927-1930
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Capital stock tax returns, 1933-1945
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Liquidation papers, 1958
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|
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Series: Financial Records
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Accounting classifications guide, undated
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|
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Corporate tax returns
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Federal, 1927-1958
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Box
1
Folder
6-7
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State, 1927-1959
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Box
2
Folder
1-3
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Audit reports, 1926-1937
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Financial statements, 1928-1935, undated
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Trial balance sheets, 1915-1958
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Box
4-5
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Ledgers, 1894-1897, 1927-1958
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|
Box
6
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Expense ledger, 1926-1928
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Box
6
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Expense ledger and journal, 1950-1958
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Journal (unidentified), 1927-1928
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Box
34
Folder
1
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Voucher register, 1927-1928
|
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Box
8
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Cash receipts and disbursements records, 1926-1928, 1950-1959
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|
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Agents accounts and consignment records
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Box
9
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1919-1925
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Box
10
Folder
1
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1919-1925
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Box
10
Folder
2
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1927
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Box
11
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1928-1949
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Box
12
Folder
1
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Sales record, 1927-1928
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Box
12
Folder
2
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Sales record, returns, and allowances, 1954-1957
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|
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Bank statements
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Box
7
Folder
2
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1911, 1918-1921
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Box
13
Folder
1-2
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1949-1958
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|
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Employment reports
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Box
13
Folder
3-4
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1934-1961
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Box
13
Folder
5
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Miscellaneous salary records, 1931-1958
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|
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Federal and state reports
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Box
14
Folder
1
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Census of manufacturers, 1929-1958
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Box
14
Folder
1
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Census of business, 1935
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Box
14
Folder
1
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Manufacturer's statement of property, 1928-1959
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Box
14
Folder
1
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Annual reports of domestic corporations to Wisconsin Secretary of State, 1928-1961
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|
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Manufacturing records
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Product profit and loss records, 1930-1931
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Box
14
Folder
2
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Production costs, 1937-1947
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Box
14
Folder
3
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Dollar volume of output, 1947-1966
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Box
14
Folder
4
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Supplies and materials, undated
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|
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Purchasing contracts, 1927-1941
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Box
15
Folder
1
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Old
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Box
15
Folder
2
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Active
|
|
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Inventories
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Box
34
Folder
2
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Finished goods sold, 1929-1947
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Box
34
Folder
3
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Finished goods, 1936-1968
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Box
34
Folder
4
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Laboratory supplies, 1940-1968
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Box
34
Folder
5
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Raw materials, 1940-1968
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Box
15
Folder
3
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Supplies used, 1941-1947
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Box
15
Folder
4
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Record of drums shipped and returned, 1935-1939
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Box
16
Folder
1-5
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Monthly inventory sheets, 1942-1958
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Box
15
Folder
5
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Miscellaneous inventories, 1932-1938, undated
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|
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Miscellaneous legal and financial records
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Box
15
Folder
6
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Agreements, 1931-1939
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Box
15
Folder
7
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Building construction costs, 1928-1931
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Box
15
Folder
8
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City and county taxes, 1940-1943
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Box
15
Folder
9-10
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Excise tax reports, 1932-1941
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Box
15
Folder
11
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Insurance, 1942-1955
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Box
15
Folder
12
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Leases, 1931-1934
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Box
15
Folder
13
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Notes and forms, 1928-1935
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Box
15
Folder
14
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Agents, customers, supplies, inventory lists at time of fire, undated
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Box
7
Folder
4
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Miscellaneous financial records
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|
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Series: Sales Department, 1911-1959
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|
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Prospective agents' correspondence, 1928-1939
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Box
17
Folder
1
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A-B
|
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Box
17
Folder
2
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Alley, W. H., applications
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Box
17
Folder
3-4
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C-F
|
|
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Faas, C. G., 1931
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Box
17
Folder
5
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Daily Reports
|
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Box
17
Folder
6
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Special Reports
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Box
17
Folder
7
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Correspondence
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Box
17
Folder
8-9
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G-H
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Box
18
Folder
1
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I-K
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|
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King, E. T., 1928-1932
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Box
18
Folder
2
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Daily Reports
|
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Box
18
Folder
3
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Reports
|
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Box
18
Folder
4
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Special Reports
|
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Box
18
Folder
5
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Correspondence
|
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Box
18
Folder
6-7
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L-M
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Box
18
Folder
8
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Mahoning County, Ohio, and other prospects
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Box
18
Folder
9
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Miscellaneous prospects
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Box
18
Folder
10-14
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N-Z
|
|
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Agents' correspondence, 1911-1959
|
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Box
19
Folder
1
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Blickem, A. E.
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Box
19
Folder
2
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Chase, Edythe
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Box
19
Folder
3-7
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DeJean, Harry
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Box
19
Folder
8
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Delaney, Gilbert
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Box
19
Folder
9
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Higgins, F. F.
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Box
20
Folder
1
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Holtzinger, Ed
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Box
20
Folder
2
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Holy, John
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Box
20
Folder
3
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Huxsaw, Albert
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Box
20
Folder
4
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Leahy, Ed
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Box
20
Folder
5
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Madison Branch
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Box
20
Folder
6
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Miller, E. H.
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Box
20
Folder
7
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Smith, Alvia
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Box
20
Folder
8
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Smith, George
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Box
20
Folder
9
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Thoenes, Ed
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|
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General files
|
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Box
21
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A-N
|
|
Box
22
Folder
1-2
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0-Z
|
|
|
Collections, 1926-1944
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Box
22
Folder
3
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Dove, Israel
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Box
22
Folder
4
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Diehl, Roy
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Box
22
Folder
5
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Dunham, Glen
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Box
22
Folder
6
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Hanson, Roy
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Box
22
Folder
7
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Hart, W. A.
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Box
22
Folder
8
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Huxsaw, Fred
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Box
22
Folder
9
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Reiter, W. B.
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Box
22
Folder
10
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Sustachek, August
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Box
23
Folder
1
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Tarrant, R. G.
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Box
23
Folder
2
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Whitacre, A. H.
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Box
23
Folder
3-4
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Miscellaneous collections
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Box
23
Folder
5
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Agreement with Dun & Bradstreet and summaries
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|
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Agents' records
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Box
23
Folder
6
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Agents' suggestions for sales
|
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Box
23
Folder
7
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Photos and write-up from agents
|
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PH 3819
|
Photographs of salesmen
|
|
Whitewater Mss BJ
Box
23
Folder
8
|
Sales record cards, 1932-1939
|
|
Box
23
Folder
9
|
Quotas, 1932-1933, undated
|
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Box
23
Folder
10-11
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Miscellaneous records of agents
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Box
24
Folder
1-2
|
Sales executive applications, 1934
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|
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Milwaukee store, 1932-1940
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Box
24
Folder
3-5
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Correspondence
|
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Box
24
Folder
6
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Prospective agents
|
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Box
24
Folder
7
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Agents applications
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Box
24
Folder
8
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Agents hired
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Box
24
Folder
9
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Financial records
|
|
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Series: General Correspondence, 1922-1961
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|
Box
24
Folder
10
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A
|
|
Box
24
Folder
11
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Agriculture, Department of
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Box
25
Folder
1
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Alcohol
|
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Box
25
Folder
2-3
|
B-F
|
|
Box
25
Folder
4
|
Fidelity & Casualty Co., steam boiler
|
|
Box
25
Folder
5
|
Ford Construction Co. bills
|
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Box
25
Folder
6
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Freight claims
|
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Box
25
Folder
7
|
G
|
|
Box
25
Folder
8
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Grohe, Mr. A. (Swift Mfg. Co.)
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Box
25
Folder
9
|
H
|
|
Box
25
Folder
10
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Hall, L. G. (personal file)
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Box
25
Folder
11
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I
|
|
Box
25
Folder
12
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Industrial Commission
|
|
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Inter-State Manufacturers Association
|
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Box
25
Folder
13
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Bulletins
|
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Box
26
Folder
1-3
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Sales aids
|
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Box
26
Folder
4
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J
|
|
Box
26
Folder
5
|
Jeffris, Mouat, Oestrich, et al. (attorneys)
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Box
26
Folder
6-8
|
K-M
|
|
Box
27
Folder
1
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N
|
|
Box
27
Folder
2
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Neupert, Nick (salesmen's licenses)
|
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Box
27
Folder
3
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0-P
|
|
Box
27
Folder
4
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Product testimonials
|
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Box
27
Folder
5
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Q-R
|
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Box
27
Folder
6
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Remington Rand
|
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Box
27
Folder
7-8
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S
|
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Box
27
Folder
9
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Social Security Board
|
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Box
27
Folder
10
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Spencer, G. K.
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Box
27
Folder
11
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Swanson, Earl H. (advertising)
|
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Box
27
Folder
12
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T-V
|
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Box
28
Folder
1-2
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Tiegen, A. H. (chemist)
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Box
28
Folder
3
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Treasury Department
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Box
28
Folder
4
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W
|
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Box
28
Folder
5
|
Wangerin, O. A.
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Box
28
Folder
6
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Weights and scales
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Box
28
Folder
7
|
West Bend Aluminum Company
|
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Box
28
Folder
8
|
Wisconsin
|
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Box
28
Folder
9
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X-Z
|
|
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Series: Publications and Advertising
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Box
29
Folder
1
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Printing department correspondence, 1928-1935
|
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Box
29
Folder
2-3
|
Monarch News, 1928-1932
|
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Box
29
Folder
3-6
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Weekly Punch, 1932-1935
|
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Box
29
Folder
7-8
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Materials for Weekly Punch, undated
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Box
29
Folder
9
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Weekly bulletin materials (Guy Johnson)
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Box
29
Folder
10
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Catalogue text, undated
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Box
30
Folder
1-2
|
Form letters (and contest results)
|
|
Box
30
Folder
3
|
Sales manual, undated
|
|
Box
30
Folder
4
|
Weekly sales tips for new dealers, 1-52, undated
|
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Box
30
Folder
5
|
Soap promotion, undated
|
|
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C. F. Bunker card account
|
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Box
30
Folder
6
|
Correspondence, 1931-1932
|
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Box
30
Folder
7
|
Sales records, 1931
|
|
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Product labeling
|
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Box
31
Folder
1-2
|
Proposed labels
|
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Box
31
Folder
3-5
|
Revised labels
|
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Box
32
Folder
1
|
Food and Drug Administration correspondence
|
|
|
Violations
|
|
Box
32
Folder
2
|
Buchu compound tablets
|
|
Box
32
Folder
3
|
Camphor ointment
|
|
Box
32
Folder
4
|
Chlorine crystals
|
|
Box
32
Folder
5
|
Cough syrup
|
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Box
32
Folder
6
|
Dusting powder
|
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Box
32
Folder
7
|
Healing salve
|
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Box
32
Folder
8
|
Louse powder
|
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Box
32
Folder
9
|
Moth-proofing compound
|
|
Box
32
Folder
10
|
Worm powder
|
|
Box
32
Folder
11
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
Box
32
Folder
12
|
Correspondence re violations
|
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Box
32
Folder
13
|
Corrections suggested by J. M. George, 1929
|
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Box
32
Folder
14
|
Special denatured alcohol, 1938-1961
|
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Box
32
Folder
15
|
Poison registration, 1948-1965
|
|
Box
32
Folder
16
|
Stock remedy registration, 1930-1933
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5
|
Miscellaneous labels and brochures
|
|
Box
33
Folder
1-2
|
Trademarks, 1889-1929
|
|
Box
33
Folder
3
|
Price lists
|
|
Box
33
Folder
4
|
Sample contracts
|
|
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