The collection consists of papers and financial records of Hercules Louis Dousman I, Hercules Louis Dousman II, and Nina Sturgis Dousman. The range of materials documents the varied interests of this wealthy family from the 1830s through the early 1900s. The researcher will find here a thorough record of family finances for this period; items relating to the personal lives of family members are less numerous. The collection is organized primarily in categories by type of document, e.g. correspondence, legal document, tax records, etc.
The correspondence dates from 1836 through 1907, and is arranged chronologically. Almost all of the letters are incoming correspondence, although there is an occasional copy of an outgoing letter or telegram. Included are letters addressed to D.H. Quilligan, manager of Villa Louis during the period of Nina Dousman's residence in New York and New Jersey. Many of these letters are written by Nina. For the entire series, most letters relate strictly to business concerns, though some personal letters are also to be found.
Most, but not all, of the documents in the collection which pre-date 1869 were originally part of the manuscript collection designated Wis/Mss/P. The correspondence index which is an appendix to this finding aid has been taken from the old description of that collection; it is almost entirely limited to pre-1869 correspondence, and must not be presumed complete even for those years, as additional letters have been added in this re-processing.
Legal documents, 1830-1907, also reflect the extensive nature of the family's interests, especially in real estate. Included here are indentures and other legal instruments: deeds and leases, contracts, abstracts of title of property, mortgages, powers of attorney, releases, and probate and other court documents, all arranged chronologically.
The largest portion of the collection after the correspondence is bills and receipts. General bills and receipts, which include periodic statements of account from various merchants and other businesses, document purchases and other expenditures made by the Dousman family between 1836 and 1909. Utility bills, receiver's receipts, weight slips, and freight bills are filed separately from general bills and receipts. The entire portion is arranged chronologically by year only.
Tax records, consisting of tax receipts, certificates of tax sales and redemptions of delinquent taxes, and various memoranda relating to taxes, are arranged chronologically by taxation years, from 1842 to 1909.
Promissory notes, lists and descriptions of real estate, and insurance policies are each small files arranged chronologically, the latter by date of expiration of the policy.
The bank and stock statements, which span the years 1853 to 1908, consist of receipts and statements of account from the various banks and brokerages employed by the Dousmans. This file is arranged alphabetically by name of the institution, and chronologically thereunder. Supplementary to this are the cancelled checks, which cover 1857 to 1908, and are grouped chronologically by year only. Check stub books are included with the cancelled checks.
Bookkeeping records is a general term describing records consisting of various record sheets, ledgers, statements and memoranda relating to Dousman finances. These are divided by type and then arranged chronologically.
Records relating to the management of the family's St. Louis properties after 1884 constitute a separate file. After the family returned to Prairie du Chien from St. Louis, Farrar and Co. was engaged to manage the two properties left in St. Louis. This file consists of Farrar and Co.'s statements of rent collections and vouchers for expenses incurred in upkeep of the properties and for water assessments. Statements are arranged chronologically; vouchers by year only.
Also contained in the collection are papers related to Hercules Louis Dousman II's purchase of certain patent rights, items relating to art collection including prints from his Catalogue of Paintings, catalogues and other literature from his stock farm for trotting horses, and a variety of miscellaneous documents, notebooks, clippings and other items. All of the above are arranged chronologically wherever possible.
