Biography

George F. Peabody was a prominent citizen of Appleton, Wisconsin. Peabody was probably best known as the President of the Pettibone-Peabody Company of Appleton (which was bought out by H.C. Prange Company after his death), but he also held several positions in other organizations. He was the Commissioner of Fisheries of Wisconsin for six years, and served as president and secretary of the American Fisheries Society. Peabody also was a member of the board of trustees at Lawrence College and was one of the leading members of the Congregational church of Appleton. More information about Peabody is in the clippings from the Appleton Daily Post (Sept. 13, 1909) and in his memorial [reel 154].

Scope and Content

The Peabody probate file includes the usual court documents found in estate cases; however, the majority of the material consists of records created by the Trustees of the Estate of George F. Peabody, including annual reports, minutes, and financial records. The materials span 1908-1959, the years in which the estate was active.

Following brief biographical information, the estate file is organized into four series: Court Records, Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees, Minutes of the Board of Trustees, and Financial Records.

The COURT RECORDS contain Peabody's will; court documents from the probate case such as petitions, orders, judgments, and final decree; and the Transcript of Testimony from the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) case and the accompanying exhibits. (The YMCA case resulted from a petition filed by the Appleton YMCA, a beneficiary of Peabody's estate. The petition requested the removal of the trustees, charging that the reports of the trustees were unclear and that the estate was poorly managed.)

The court documents are arranged by filing date. Exhibits were arbitrarily assigned a letter by the court and are arranged alphabetically. Each exhibit is preceded by an envelope describing the contents. An index of the exhibits in the Transcript of Testimony lists each lettered exhibit with a page number referring to the page of testimony on which the exhibit was introduced into the case. However, the pages frequently only mention the contents of the exhibits, not the letter that has been assigned to them.

The ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES [to the County Court] document the financial management of the Peabody Estate. Reports are arranged chronologically and each has a report number. Generally there is one report per calendar year, with the exception of reports #1-10, which cover several years.

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES consist of four indexed books arranged chronologically which document in detail the Board's decisions. Also included in the Minute Books are working papers, photographs and newspaper clippings regarding the Pettibone-Peabody Store in Appleton, and documents concerning the store and the management of the Estate. There are also a number of photographs of George F. Peabody and his yacht.

THE FINANCIAL RECORDS consist of sub-series of Ledgers, Journals and Financial Reports, each of which is arranged chronologically. Major beneficiaries who are mentioned throughout the Financial Records include: Emma C. Harper (Peabody's daughter), Lawrence College, and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of Appleton.

The three Ledgers, 1909-1958, are indexed and arranged by section numbers, each section bearing a heading which groups the transactions. The transactions within the individual sections are arranged chronologically. Since there was no descriptive index to Ledger #3, archives staff created one as part of this appendix. The four Journals document the same transactions as the Ledgers. However, the Journals are not indexed and all transactions are arranged chronologically. In the Ledgers, the folio number refers to the page on which the transaction can be found in the Journal of the corresponding year. For the most part, the Journals contain a number which represents the section number in one of the Ledgers in which the transaction can be found. The exception is pages 1-90 in Journal #1 (up until Sept. 6, 1924); in this part, the number listed is the page number where the transaction can be found in the corresponding Ledger. Financial reports consist of two fragmentary reports: an audit report and a summary of the estate's assets.

Estate of George F. Peabody, Reel List

Reel	Contents
154	Biographical Information:	Obituary, memorial, and newspaper clippings
154	Court records:	Will, 1909 & 1955
154		Court documents, 1910-1959
154		Transcript of Testimony: YMCA case, 1932
154		Exhibits, 1910-1959
154	Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees:	1919-1950
155		1951-1955
155	Minutes of the Board of Trustees:	1910-1945
156		1946-1958
156	Financial records:	Journal #1, 1909-1933
156		Journal #2, 1934-1950
156		Journal #3, 1951-1954
156		Journal #4, 1955-1958
156		Value of assets, 1933
156		Audit report of the Pettibone-Peabody Co., 1934
156		General Ledger #1, October 28, 1909-January 1, 1910
156		General Ledger #2, August 1, 1910-August 13, 1924
156-157		General Ledger #3, August 14, 1924-October 14, 1958

Estate of George F. Peabody: Index to Ledger #3

Section #	Heading
100	Estate of George F. Peabody
105	Cash
110	First National Bank (Appleton, Wis.)
115	Marine National Exchange Banks of Milw., Wis.
116	First National Bank (Neenah, Wis.)
117	National Manufacturers Bank (Neenah)
118	Treasurer Warren R. Smith of the State of Wis.
120	Capital Stock of The Pettibone Peabody Co. - Common
124	Capital Stock of The Pettibone Peabody Co. - Preferred
130	Trusteed Capital Stock of The Pettibone Peabody Co.
135	Sale of the Capital Stock of The Pettibone Peabody Co.
140	Real Estate
150	Investments
150A	Clarence & Elsie Mitchell — First Mortgage Loan (Appleton)
150B	Merlo-Armstrong Mortgage, L.J. Merlo/Florence Armstrong (Kaukauna, Wis.)
150C	Henry T. Johnson Estate (Appleton)
150D	Roman & Emily A. Wenzel — First Mortgage Loan (Appleton)
150E	Clarence G. DeWildt and Margaret Marie DeWildt (Kimberly, Wis.)
150F	Henry T. Johnson, Jr. (Appleton)
150G	Carl E. & Violet C. Schaefer — First Mortgage Loan (Appleton)
150H	Heirs of Henry T. Johnson Estate (Appleton)
150I	Richard J. & Phyllis Schouten (Appleton)
150J	Charles E. & Lillian M. Lesser (Appleton)
150K	Al Rudolf Motors, Inc. (Appleton)
150L	Joseph J. Engel (Appleton)
150M	Clarence F. & Rilla M. Spindler (Appleton)
150N	Clarence F. & Rilla M. Spindler (Appleton)
150O	Clarence & Elsie Mitchell (Appleton)
150P	Al Rudolf Motors, Inc. (Appleton)
150Q	Andrew & Katherine Tarala (Appleton)
150R	Eugene J. & Jennie Stead (Menasha, Wis.)
150S	Albert J. & Hedwig Utschig (Appleton)
150T	Kurz and Root Company (Appleton)
150U	Joseph & Elsie Engel (Appleton)
150V	William & Louise Rumsey (Neenah)
150W	Neenah-Menasha Motors Inc.
150X	Ralph & Eva Hamilton (Appleton)
150Y	John W. & Alice Hoffman (Appleton)
150Z	Edward & Rita Scharenbrock (Appleton)
150AA	Joseph & Lydia Schnable (Appleton)
150AB	Peoples Loan & Finance Co. (Appleton)
150AC	Francis & Minnie Ascher (Appleton)
150AD	Robert & Myra Vandehey (Appleton)
150AE	Edward & Frances Campshure (Appleton)
150AF	Torrance L. & Maxine G. Jacobson (Appleton)
150AG	Gerald & Adell Schleis (Appleton)
150AH	J. William & Ida M. Lawlor (Appleton)
150AI	A.H. & Doris Wassmann (Appleton)
150AJ	John & Jane Doerfler (Appleton)
150A	Alexander & Esther Malcolm Jr. (Kimberly)
150AL	Charles & Selma Kickland (Appleton)
150AM	Stanley R. & Marian Gabert (Appleton)
150AN	Raymond & Margaret Luedtke (Appleton)
150AO	Mrs. Faye Sigman (Appleton)
150AP	Samuel & Doris Sigman (Appleton)
150AQ	Mrs. Janette Johnston (Appleton)
150AR	John S. & Nona B. Walworth (Appleton)
150AS	Mrs. Catherine T. Staidl (Appleton)
150AT	Emil O. & Ida Haase (Appleton)
150AU	Alden M. & Florence R. Johnston (Appleton)
150AV	Jefferson & Esther Wheeler (Appleton)
150AW	Edwin & Vivien Laughlin (Appleton)
160	Fred Endter Land Contract
170	Riverside Cemetery Lot (Peabody Burial Lot)
180	Bills Payable
190	A.W. Hoyt, Trustee
200	John H. Coulter, Trustee
210	Joseph D. Steele, Trustee
220	John H. Neller, Sect'y and Trustee
224	Alfred S. Bradford, Trustee
230	Mrs. Emma C. Harper (Daughter of George F. Peabody)
240	Litigation
246	Peabody Will Bequests
248	Withholding & Soc. Security Taxes
250	Office Equipment Account

Additional Information in Ledger #3:

Supporting Data

• Comparative Assets & Liabilities
• Securities Purchased
• Securities Sold or Paid or Exchanged
• Income/Interest/Dividends

Investments Charged Off

• Data Records Superseded or Discontinued
• Par Value of Securities in the Hands of Northern Trust Co. as Custodian
• Interest Payments — Securities in the Hands of the Estate of George F. Peabody
• Interest & Dividends Payments Checklist
• Documents from Northern Trust Co.
• Miscellaneous Financial Papers