The papers consist mainly of the correspondence and documents relating to the business career of Bernhard Carl Ziegler and correspondence, diaries, and other materials detailing Edna Ziegler's historical and cultural arts activities. Also included are family letters and records and genealogical materials. The collection is arranged in six series: Biographical Material, Bernhard C. Ziegler Correspondence, Bernhard C. Ziegler Subject Files, Edna Ziegler Correspondence, Edna Ziegler Diaries, and Edna Ziegler Subject Files.
BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL contains information on Bernhard C. and Edna Ziegler and their parents. Items include newspaper clippings, a typescript autobiography written by Bernhard Ziegler in 1937, a draft of his will, reminiscences by Helen Eickelberg of her early life, and materials from Edna Ziegler's college years, including a memory book with photographs, drawings, and notes.
Virtually all of the BERNHARD C. ZIEGLER CORRESPONDENCE is business-related and originated from the West Bend Aluminum Company from 1923 to 1930. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by addressee or subject and chronologically thereunder. Not all correspondence headings are readily apparent by the inclusive folder titles, and specialized files of correspondence not evident from the Contents List below include Blickman Purchase, Home Construction, Taxes, and the Jacob Ziegler Estate. Correspondence headings of particular significance include the Aluminum Wares Association, the major trade association of the cookware industry; S. S. Davis, Chicago sales representative of the West Bend Aluminum Company and brother-in-law of Sears, Roebuck, and Company official C. D. Ewell; Patent--“Waterless Cooker,” which refers to various controversies over the West Bend Aluminum Company's claim to exclusive rights on the trade name “waterless cooker”; and West Bend Aluminum Company, which includes a small amount of company correspondence after Ziegler's death.
The BERNHARD C. ZIEGLER SUBJECT FILES contain reports, financial records, and legal documents relating to Ziegler's business activities. The largest segment relates to the West Bend Aluminum Company. Of special note is the West Bend Aluminum Company--Historical Files, which contain clippings, awards programs, and promotional literature chronicling the history of the company from 1928 to 1958. The Miscellany includes Navy E Award programs for other Wisconsin firms and a program commemorating Bernard J. Cigrand, the founder of Flag Day.
The EDNA ZIEGLER CORRESPONDENCE is also arranged alphabetically by addressee or subject and chronologically thereunder. Files of note include the Wisconsin Arts Foundation and Council, which contains cultural arts correspondence prior to Mrs. Ziegler's membership in the organization in 1958 as well as Wisconsin Arts Foundation and Council letters; and the Ziegler Scholarship file which contains general correspondence regarding the scholarship program, followed by an alphabetical compilation of letters with scholarship winners.
The EDNA ZIEGLER DIARIES include general daily notes; travel diaries; a medical log of the last year of Mrs. Ziegler's life; and marriage, birthday, and guest books. Diary volumes are generally for a single year, but occasionally overlap chronologically, and are most complete for the years 1948-1964.
Many of the EDNA ZIEGLER SUBJECT FILES document Mrs. Ziegler's public activities in the Washington County Historical Society, the Wisconsin Arts Foundation and Council, and the Ziegler Foundation. Also in this series are Mrs. Ziegler's genealogical notes and reference material, including family genealogical charts; notes and inspirational writings collected for her intended memoirs; and a “Nightingales” file containing clippings and published material on classmates and Fremont (later Midland) College. The Washington County Historical Society files contain notes on county projects and historical society concerns and are roughly organized chronologically. As with the Correspondence files, Wisconsin Arts Foundation and Council materials in the Subject File also include cultural arts publications and reports prior to 1958. The Ziegler Foundation Scholarship--“Talkie Desserts” file contains material for talks given to scholarship recipients at their annual dinner.
