Title: Independent Milwaukee Brewery Records
Inclusive Dates: 1914-1969

Creators:

• Independent Milwaukee Brewery
• Elsner, Fred K.

Call Number: Local History Manuscript Collection 370

Quantity: 1.3 cubic ft. (4 boxes)

Repository:

Milwaukee Public Library, Frank P. Zeidler Room

Archival Location:

Milwaukee Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Independent Milwaukee Brewery, a local Milwaukee, Wisconsin company, operated from 1900 – 1963. The collection is mainly the company's business records as compiled by Fred K. Elsner, former president and son-in-law of one of the original partners. Also included are some personal records of the family as they relate to Fred and his wife, Ordehlia.

Note:

To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0370

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Fred King Elsner (1895-1985) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elsner was drafted and served in World War I in the U.S. Navy. He married Ordehlia Bills (1898-1978) on 4 June 1921. Ordehlia’s parents were Henry N. (1868 – 1951) and Martha D. Bills (1873 – 1960). She had two brothers: Harry E. Bills (1896-1965) and Henry N. Bills Jr (1908-1983). Henry N. Bills Jr was also known as H. Newman Bills. Harry E. Bills married and had three children: Barbara, Harry E. Jr. and Henry N. III.

Independent Milwaukee Brewery operated from 1900 – 1963. It was located at 2701 South 13th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded by five partners: Henry N. Bills, William Gutknecht, Charles Evers, Emil Czarnecki, and William Jung. Each put up $1000 to purchase the O’Neill Distillery. Czarnecki was named the first president of the company.

During prohibition, Bills bought out his partners and brought his sons, Henry Jr. and Harry, and son-in-law, Fred Elsner into the business. Elsner joined the Independent Milwaukee Brewery in 1928 as a salesman. During prohibition, the company manufactured “near beer”, soda water, including “Bills Root Beer”, and malt syrup. After prohibition ended, then-president Henry N. Bills was the first Wisconsin brewer to pay the $1000 permit to manufacture beer. He was president until his retirement in 1950, when his son, Harry E. Bills, took over. In 1956, Harry Bills became chairman of the board and Elsner became president. Elsner served as president until 1963 when the business was purchased by G. Heileman Brewing Co. of La Crosse.

The collection is mainly business records of the Independent Milwaukee Brewery as compiled by Fred K. Elsner. As the company was a family business, consequently, there are some personal records of the family as they relate to Fred and his wife, Ordehlia. The collection is arranged into six series. The Advertisements series consists of a variety of samples and clippings of the types of ads created and used. The Correspondence contains business correspondence. Financial Records series contains statements, notes and reports regarding audits, budgets, sales, prices and statistics about the company’s finances and industry. The Legal series contains some materials on a patent, court proceedings, property and documents regarding the final closing and liquidation of the remainder of the company. The Personal series contains materials from Fred and Ordehlia Elsner. Most of these are financial and legal documents in regards to a trust Ordehlia’s father (Henry N. Bills) created that Ordehlia and her brothers were trustees for. Fred often represented her interests in the trust. The last series is Publications, which contains a variety of booklets and articles related to brewing, beer and sales.

The collection is arranged into the following series:

1. Advertisements, 1914-1960
2. Correspondence, 1947-1965
3. Financial Records, 1936-1966
4. Legal, 1958-1964
5. Personal, 1940-1969
6. Publications, 1934-1964

The series are arranged alphabetically. Within each series, folders are arranged alphabetically and then chronologically within each folder.

Independent Milwaukee Brewery Records, 1914-1969, Collection 370. Local History Manuscript Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Photographs of the Independent Milwaukee Brewery are available in the Historic Photo Collection. This collection is available to view in the Humanities Department at the Central library branch. Photos can be retrieved by staff when requesting this subject heading: “Breweries – Independent Brewery – Braumeister Beer”. Additionally, some of the photos have been digitized and are available online by keyword searching the Milwaukee Public Library Digital Collection.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all in accordance with state law. The public may view Local History Manuscript Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated by Elsner’s daughter, Mrs. June E. Kagin on 3 March 1986. Materials were accessioned as Local History Manuscripts.

Processing Information

Processed by Darla Engwall,volunteer 1999. Processed by Casey Lapworth, 2019.

	Series: 1. Advertisements, 1914-1960
Box   1 Folder   1	Beer labels, 1914-1958, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Cardstock ads, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Clippings, 1937-1954, undated
Box   1 Folder   4	Clippings – Bavarian Man, 1958, undated
Box   1 Folder   5	Clippings - Beer Bottle, 1946-1954
Box   1 Folder   6	Clippings - Holiday Beer, 1954, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	Clippings – Milwaukee Journal, 1950-1959
Box   1 Folder   8	Comics, undated
Box   1 Folder   9	Menu, undated
Box   1 Folder   10	Miller Bock beer, undated
Box   1 Folder   11	Posters, undated
Box   1 Folder   12	Promotional, 1959, undated
Box   1 Folder   13	Scripts, undated, undated
Box   1 Folder   14	Television sponsorship proposal, undated
Box   1 Folder   15	WBAY (Green Bay, Wisconsin), undated
Box   1 Folder   16	WBBM (Larry Attebery Show), 1960, undated
Box   1 Folder   17	WEMP (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 1950, undated
Box   1 Folder   18	WHBL (Sheboygan, Wisconsin), 1951, 1956, undated
Box   1 Folder   19	WKNX (Knoxville, Tennessee), undated
Box   1 Folder   20	WRXO (Roxboro, North Carolina), undated
Box   1 Folder   21	WSGW (Saginaw, Michigan), undated
Box   1 Folder   22	WTMJ (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 1946-1951, undated
Box   1 Folder   23	World War II era, circa 1940s
	Series: 2. Correspondence, 1947-1965	⇧
Box   1 Folder   24	Correspondence, 1947-1965
Box   1 Folder   25	Correspondence - Letters of recommendation, 1963
	Series: 3. Financial Records, 1901-1966	⇧
Box   1 Folder   26-28	Annual Reports, 1956-1966
Box   1 Folder   29	Audit report, 1936-1939
Box   2 Folder   1-2	Audit report, 1940-1945
Box   2 Folder   3-13	Budget, 1953-1963
Box   2 Folder   14	Labor cost ledger, 1962
Box   2 Folder   15	Prices, 1953
Box   2 Folder   16-17	Prices - Distributor, 1957-1963
	Sales
Box   2 Folder   18	1940
Box   3 Folder   1-11	1941, 1955-1963
Box   3 Folder   12	Distributor, 1952
Box   3 Folder   13	Distributor, 1955-1963
Box   3 Folder   14	Distributor – handwritten, undated
Box   4 Folder   1	Distributor - Hylton and Gumm, 1955-1963
Box   4 Folder   2	Statistics – beer, 1901-1915, 1962
Box   4 Folder   3	Statistics – beer measurements/conversion, 1957, undated
	Series: 4. Legal, 1958-1964	⇧
Box   4 Folder   4	Assets, 1964
Box   4 Folder   5	Charter Beers, 1964
Box   4 Folder   6	Closing, 1964
Box   4 Folder   7	Patent - Eisen Stark, 1958, 1964, undated
Box   4 Folder   8	Real estate, 1964
	Series: 5. Personal, 1940-1969	⇧
Box   4 Folder   9	Account, 1940
Box   4 Folder   10	Correspondence, 1944-1961
Box   4 Folder   11	Frederick King obituary, undated
	Henry N. Bills
Box   4 Folder   12	Last will and testament, 1966-1967
	Trust
Box   4 Folder   13	Correspondence, 1966-1967
Box   4 Folder   14	Correspondence – Pressed Steel Tank Co. / H.O. Incorporated, 1966-1969
Box   4 Folder   15	Financial statements, 1966-1968
Box   4 Folder   16	Freeman-Toor Corporations / H.O. Toor Shoe Corporation, 1964
Box   4 Folder   17	Properties (Bills Block), 1940-1969
Box   4 Folder   18	Properties (Bills Block) – Edmund Gigowski, 1967-1968
Box   4 Folder   19	Notary public, 1960
	Series: 6. Publications, 1934-1964	⇧
Box   4 Folder   20	undated
Box   4 Folder   21	Articles, 1950, 1964, undated
Box   4 Folder   22	Miscellaneous, 1934, 1940, undated