Werra's biographical papers include clippings; biographical notes that were probably collected by Werra's daughter, Mrs. John T. Watry, the donor of the collection; a brief typewritten autobiography; and two patents for piston improvements. The autobiography disputes the frequently printed statement that Werra was influenced by aluminum souvenirs he saw at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. Werra himself states instead that he came into contact with aluminum as an employee of the Berlin Machine Works in Beloit in 1892 that produced grille work for elevator doors. This autobiography also lists a number of the companies for which Werra produced aluminum. The biographical papers section of the collection also includes 1910 minutes of the Ferromatic Tire Manufacturing Company, a Werra company not mentioned elsewhere in the collection.
The business papers primarily document the Aluminum Foundry Co., with one day book documenting the Two Rivers Iron Works, 1896-1899. There are no records for the Werra Aluminum Foundry Company of Waukesha. The records of the Aluminum Foundry Co. are arranged alphabetically by type. It is unlikely that the financial records are complete, although they provide good documentation of the company's clients, employees, and the general nature of its operations.
