Title: Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation Records
Inclusive Dates: 1857-1946

Creator:

• Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation (Menasha, Wis.)

Call Number: Oshkosh Mss J

Quantity: 82.6 c.f. (19 archives boxes and 202 volumes)

Repository:

Housed at the Archives & Area Research Center, Polk Library, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Oshkosh Polk Library / Oshkosh Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Records of the Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation, manufacturer of wooden pails, tubs, and barrels and later of corrugated boxes. Included is personal and business correspondence, 1919-1946, of Mowry Smith, president and business records, 1857-1920, of the corporation consisting of various financial record volumes, order books, inventories, mill shipment records, log scale records, and other volumes.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-osh000j

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The present-day Menasha Corporation began in Menasha, Wisconsin in 1849 when the company of Sanford, Beckwith, and Billings opened a factory to manufacture wooden pails. In 1852, this firm was purchased by Elisha D. Smith and managed by him for a number of years. The company was incorporated in 1875 by Spencer Mowry, Julia A. Smith, Henry Hewett, Jr., and others.

In 1880, the Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation employed over 250 workers and had two factories, three saw-mills, twenty-four kilns, and extensive paint and copper shops. The business used annually six million feet of lumber in its manufacture of wooden wash tubs, keelers, churns, butter tubs, and all kinds of pails. Although the business was very successful during the latter half of the nineteenth century, its greatest period of growth was from 1900 to 1916 when the firm owned and operated over fifty-five railroad cars to carry its products throughout the Middle West.

The first corrugated boxes were made by the Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation in 1927 after the market for wooden pails had slacked off. In 1935, the barrel and keg business was closed and the company made its last wooden pail in 1958. Today's Menasha Corporation, with over one thousand employees, specializes in corrugated containers.

The Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation Papers include both the personal and business correspondence, 1919-1946, of Mowry Smith, president of the company, as well as the company's business records, 1857-1920. The Mowry Smith correspondence has been left in its original order which includes two different filing systems. The first portion covering the period 1919-1941 (boxes 1-3), contains mainly personal correspondence and is arranged chronologically by months. The second portion comprises Mr. Smith's business correspondence, 1941-1946. Most of this correspondence is arranged alphabetically by subject folders within years (boxes 3-17), but three boxes (boxes 17-19) of miscellaneous subject folders are arranged alphabetically by titles.

The earlier business records of the Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation are contained in 201 volumes and include journals, 1864-1919; cash journals, 1864-1902; invoice journals, 1883-1919; summary ledgers, 1878-1901; ledgers, 1866-1897; petty ledgers, 1890-1901; order books, 1869-1917; inventory records, 1869-1919; daybooks, 1859-1897; blotters, 1862-1903; and numerous other miscellaneous volumes.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation, Menasha, Wisconsin, May, 1958; September, 1960; April, 1963; and March, 1964.

Processing Information

Processed by Jack T. Erickson, August 10, 1965.

	Series: Mowry Smith Correspondence
	Personal Correspondence
Box   1	1919 Nov. - 1934 June
Box   2	1934 July - 1936 Dec.
Box   3	1937 Jan. - 1941
	Business Correspondence
	Alphabetical within Years
Box   3	1941, “A” - “B” General
Box   4	1941, Butter Tub Cumulative Reports - “J” General
Box   5	1941, “K” General - Northwestern Wooden Ware Company, Misc.
Box   6	1941, Northwestern Wooden Ware Company, Portland, Oregon - Ware Correspondence and Stock Orders
Box   7	1941, “X, Y, Z,” General - , 1942, “J” General
Box   8	1942, “K” General - Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Box   9	1942, Menasha Wooden Ware Corporation, Sioux City, Iowa - Northwestern Wooden Ware Company, 1/2 Paint Kit Orders
Box   10	1942, Northwestern Wooden Ware Company, Misc. - Ware Correspondence and Stock Orders
Box   11	1943, “A” General - Northwestern Wooden Ware Company, Misc.
Box   12	1943, “O” General - “S” General
Box   13	1943, “T” General - , 1944, K.D. Fir Furniture
Box   14	1944, K.D. Fir Furniture - “N” General
Box   15	1944, Northwestern Wooden Ware Company, Misc. - Paint Kits
Box   16	1944, Rockford Correspondence - “U” General
Box   17	1944, “W” General - , 1946
	By Subject
Box   17-18	Boy Scouts of America, Valley Council Boy Scouts, ?-1937
Box   18	Conoco Crane, 1933-1940
Box   18	Day Schools, Milwaukee Country Day School, 1931-1937
Box   18	Day Schools, Winnebago Day School, 1929-1937
Box   18	Estimates, 1928-1938
Box   19	Estimates, 1939-1942
Box   19	Financial Reports, 1942-1944
Box   19	North Shore Golf File, 1927-1935
Box   19	Office of Price Administration, 1943-1946
Box   19	Pine Ware Manufacturers, Minutes of Meetings, 1897-1898
	Series: Corporate Records	⇧
Volume   1	Stock and Subscription Record Book, 1875
Volume   2	Minute Book, 1895-1899
	Journals
Volume   3	1864-1865
Volume   4	1875-1881
Volume   5	1881-1886
Volume   6	1886-1891
Volume   7	1891-1895
Volume   8	1895-1897
Volume   9	1897-1899
Volume   10	1899-1901
Volume   11	1901-1902
Volume   12	1902-1904
Volume   13	1904-1906
Volume   14	1906-1907
Volume   15	1907-1909
Volume   16	1909-1911
Volume   17	1911-1912
Volume   18	1912-1913
Volume   19	1912-1914
Volume   20	1914-1916
Volume   21	1917-1919
Volume   22	1918-1919
	Cash Journals
Volume   23	Pail Factory, 1866
Volume   24	1864-1872
Volume   25	1871-1875
Volume   26	1875-1879
Volume   27	1879-1883
Volume   28	1883-1885
Volume   29	1885-1890
Volume   30	1889
Volume   31	1889-1891
Volume   32	1890-1893
Volume   33	1891-1893
Volume   34	1892-1894
Volume   35	1893-1895
Volume   36	1894-1895
Volume   37	1894-1898
Volume   38	1895-1896
Volume   39	1895-1897
Volume   40	1896-1902
	Invoice Journals
Volume   41	1883-1886
Volume   42	1886-1889
Volume   43	1889-1892
Volume   44	1894-1897
Volume   45	1897-1898
Volume   46	1898-1900
Volume   47	1900-1902
Volume   48	1902-1903
Volume   49	1903-1904
Volume   50	1904-1905
Volume   51	1905-1906
Volume   52	1906-1907
Volume   53	1907-1908
Volume   54	1908-1910
Volume   55	1913-1914
Volume   56	1913-1914
Volume   57	1915-1916
Volume   58	1916-1917
Volume   59	1919
	CRS Invoice Journals
Volume   60	1884-1887
Volume   61	1886-1893
	Sales Journals
Volume   62	1857-1859
Volume   63	1864-1866
Volume   64	1884-1892
Volume   65	1898-1899
Volume   66	1919
	Lumber Sales Journals
Volume   67	1900-1901
Volume   68	1902
Volume   69	1903-1909
Volume   70	1910-1911
	Sales of Ware Journals
Volume   71	1898-1903
Volume   72	1904-1912
Volume   73	1912-1919
	Investment Journals
Volume   74	1916-1918
Volume   75	1917-1919
Volume   76	Mill Journal, 1901-1908
	Lumber Journals
Volume   77	1891-1894
Volume   78	1894-1895
Volume   79	1897-1898
	Petty Journals
Volume   80	1903-1907
Volume   81	1907-1911
Volume   82	1911-1913
Volume   82a	1911-1917
Volume   83	1914-1917
Volume   84	1918-1919
	Miscellaneous Journals
Volume   85	1885-1886
Volume   86	1887-1889
Volume   87	1889-1890
Volume   88	1889-1891
Volume   89	1891-1893
Volume   90	1892-1894
Volume   91	1893-1896
Volume   92	1895-1897
Volume   93	1897-1899
Volume   94	1899-1903
Volume   95	1910-1911
Volume   96	1911-1912
Volume   97	Undated
Volume   98	Journal, Ladysmith Mill, 1912-1919
	Record Account Journals
Volume   99	1884-1886
Volume   100	1889-1892
Volume   101	1892-1894
Volume   102	1894-1895
Volume   103	Ledger Index
Volume   104	Ledger Index
Volume   105	Ledger Index
	Summary Ledgers
Volume   106	1878-1882
Volume   107	1882-1884
Volume   108	1884-1888
Volume   109	1889-1893
Volume   110	1889-1890
Volume   111	1893-1897
Volume   112	1895-1896
Volume   113	1897-1898
Volume   114	1898-1901
	Ledgers
Volume   115	1866-1872
Volume   116	1889-1890
Volume   117	1890-1891
Volume   118	1891-1894
Volume   119	1893-1897
	Petty Ledgers
Volume   120	1890
Volume   121	1891-1893
Volume   122	1893-1894
Volume   123	1894-1895
Volume   124	1898-1901
Volume   125	Undated
Volume   126	Undated
Volume   127	Undated
Volume   128	Customer Ledger, 1885-1888
Volume   129	Ledger of Itemized Accounts, 1875-1878
Volume   130	Miscellaneous Ledger “B”, 1865-1871
Volume   131	Miscellaneous Ledger, 1884-1886
	Ledgers
Volume   132	Pail Factory, 1860-1864
Volume   133	Private, 1894-1917
	Payrolls
Volume   134	1888-1890
Volume   135	1891-1898
Volume   136	1895-1897
Volume   137	1898-1900
Volume   138	1902-1904
Volume   139	Edgar and Carney Mills, 1898-1902
Volume   140	Edgar and Carney Mills, 1901-1903
Volume   141	Ladysmith Mill, 1901-1906
	Bank Accounts
Volume   142	1889-1893
Volume   143	1893-1903
Volume   144	Expense Account for Factory Repairs, 1891-1903
	Railroad Rebates
Volume   145	1883-1895
Volume   146	1895-1898
	Trial Balances
Volume   147	1896-1898
Volume   148	1898-1900
	0rders
Volume   149	1869-1871
Volume   150	1871-1872
Volume   151	1901-1902
Volume   152	1902-1903
Volume   153	1911-1913
Volume   154	1913-1914
Volume   155	1914-1915
Volume   156	1915-1917
	Inventories
Volume   157	1869-1872
Volume   158	1877
Volume   159	1878-1890
Volume   160	1887-1892
Volume   161	1891-1894
Volume   162	1896-1897
Volume   163	1897-1902
Volume   164	1898-1899
Volume   165	1903-1904
Volume   166	1903-1908
Volume   167	1905-1907
Volume   168	1912
Volume   169	1915-1919
	Mill Shipments
Volume   170	1903-1906
Volume   171	1907-1912
Volume   172	1914-1920
	Log Scales
Volume   173	1896-1897
Volume   174	1897-1899
Volume   175	1899-1904
	Bolts
Volume   176	1893-1894
Volume   177	Undated
Volume   178	Staves and Heading, 1897-1901
Volume   179	Stock from Carney and Ladysmith Mills, 1905-1910
Volume   180	Stock at Stevens Point Mill, 1890-1891
	Daybooks
Volume   181	1859
Volume   182	1891-1892
Volume   183	1892
Volume   184	1893-1894
Volume   185	1895-1896
Volume   186	1896-1897
Volume   187	Pail Factory, 1860
Volume   188	Stevens Point, 1886-1889
	Blotters
Volume   189	1862-1863
Volume   190	1863-1864
Volume   191	1881-1882
Volume   192	1882
Volume   193	1883
Volume   194	1883-1884
Volume   195	1886
Volume   196	1886-1887
Volume   197	1887-1888
Volume   198	1888
Volume   199	1888-1889
Volume   200	1890
Volume   201	1893-1903