The Pierce collection covers the years 1889 through 2002 (primarily 1893-1904) and is arranged in five series: Periodicals, Diaries, Account Books, Family Correspondence and Business Papers, and Research. The bulk of the collection relates to Pierce's game fowl activities and research papers about Pierce and his Red Shufflers.
The PERIODICALS are arranged alphabetically by title and then chronologically within the titles. All seventeen different titles pertain to raising game fowl and the sport of cock fighting with issues of The Derby Game Bird, The Game Fowl Monthly, and Grit and Steel making up the bulk of the periodicals. The issues contain articles on the care and feeding of fowl, advertisements for fowl and accessories, and summaries of mains, or cockfights, sent in by participants and spectators. Included is an index to the periodicals citing occurrences of D. H. Pierce's name as well as for “The Shuffler,” a pseudonym Pierce used when writing about his mains.
The DIARIES are arranged chronologically and contain daily summaries by D. H. Pierce describing his employment in his father's office, as manager of the Citizens Electric Light Company, and in real estate; the courtship, marriage, and death of his wife Laura Briggs Pierce; the birth of his three daughters, Josephine Pierce Passmore, Virginia Pierce Nabbefeld, and Dorothy Pierce Neidhold; and leisure activities including visits to his cabin on Lake Gogebic (Michigan), hunting, fishing, boating, horse racing, and cock fighting. A transcription has been made for each diary, with the spelling, punctuation, and capitalization transcribed exactly as they appeared in the diaries. Transcription items in brackets were added by the transcriber and contain either the diary's original page designation (e.g. [Addresses]) or the existence of items not transcribed. Monthly cash accounts found in many of the diaries and a list of Christmas letters received by Pierce were not transcribed. Entries related to cockfighting are in bold face.
The three ACCOUNT BOOKS are arranged chronologically. The first consists of electrical installation job accounts from 1895 and also indicates breeding and marking information for the 1902 breeding season and contract dates and prices for rented fowl yards around the Appleton area. The second book (1909) contains notes on cockfights, loan records, stock certificates, monthly cash accounts, city tree-trimming job accounts, plus other miscellaneous notes. The final book contains heel repair and sales accounts (1930-1950) with buyer and manufacturer information.
The FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE AND BUSINESS PAPERS are arranged chronologically and, with the exception of a small number of letters from Pierce to his sister Florence and his parents (1889-1900), principally relate to his business endeavors. Included are publications by Pierce about raising game fowl as well as letters requesting Wisconsin Red Shufflers from Pierce after his death and answers by his grandson, Dudley W. Pierce.
The RESEARCH files, compiled by three separate individuals, chronicle Pierce's involvement with game fowl. Harry Batchelder, Jr.'s research consists of a 1927 article written by Pierce on his involvement with game fowl and the origins of the Wisconsin Red Shuffler. Another researcher, C. P. McNamara, corresponded with Pierce's children and grandchildren and collected information on Pierce and his Wisconsin Red Shufflers for a possible book. McNamara's files contain articles from game fowl publications about Pierce beginning in 1895, as well as miscellaneous correspondence Pierce wrote to different individuals through the 1940s. McNamara also compiled a number of photographs of Pierce and his friends in the early 1930s as well as the negatives illustrating some of his articles about cockfighting. After McNamara passed away, the Pierces asked McNamara's widow for the research files to be added to Pierce's papers. The research of Craig Miller consists of scattered letters (1993-1994) regarding his involvement in raising Wisconsin Red Shufflers and a photograph of one of his shufflers.
