Pabst Brewing Company Records, 1873-197-?,  (bulk 1873-1940)
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Summary Information
Title: Pabst Brewing Company Records
Inclusive Dates: 1873-197-?
Bulk Dates: 1873-1940

Creator:
  • Pabst Brewing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 161

Quantity:
  • 60 cubic ft. (80 volumes, 12 boxes)
  • 1 oversize folder
  • 1 film reel
  • 2 digital files (42.4 GB)

Repository:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:
Collection documents the administrative and financial history of the Pabst Brewing Company and its various subsidiaries. The earliest records date from the incorporation of the Phillip Best Brewing Company in 1873 and continue through 1889, when the company name changed to the Pabst Brewing Company. The majority of the records predate 1940.

Language: English, German

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0161
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Biography/History

For a detailed corporate history, see Thomas C. Cochran's The Pabst Brewing Company: The History of American Business (New York: New York University Press, 1948).

Scope and Content Note

Scope and content notes of each subgroup are provided in the contents list.

Arrangement of the Materials

The collection is arranged into two major record subgroups: 1) records of the Pabst Brewing Company, including its predecessors; and 2) records of the company's various subsidiaries.

  1. Pabst Brewing Company, 1873-197-?
  2. Subsidiaries
    1. Blue Ribbon Commercial Company, 1913-1925
    2. Frank Wiedeman Company, 1929-1936
    3. Milwaukee Grains and Feed Corporation, 1921-1932
    4. Pabst Dietary Products, 1928-1930
    5. Pabst Holstein Farms, 1918-1926
    6. Pabst Realty Company, 1920-1935
    7. Pabst Sales Corporation, 1924-1939
    8. Parmac Company, 1921-1922
    9. Seamweld Equipment Company, 1921-1922
    10. Universal Realty Corporation, 1925-1928
    11. Washington Highlands Company, 1919-1941

Description of individual volumes within each subgroup is based on the original labeling systems that appear on the physical volumes themselves. This description is usually alphabetical (e.g., General Ledger A), numeric (e.g., Cash Receipts 1), or a combination of both (e.g., General Ledger O1).

Preferred Citation

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

Related Material in the UWM Libraries
Administrative/Restriction Information
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

As a preservation measure, researchers must view the digital copy of Pabst Pledge of Quality rather than the original film reel.


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 Pabst Brewing Company donated this collection in November 2000 (accession 2000-006).


Processing Information

Michael Doylen and Jesse Gant processed the collection at the Archives during spring 2006.

In September 2011, Bob Jaeger disassembled the "Blue Ribbon Town, U.S.A." scrapbook (vol. 65), which was in poor condition, and placed individual items in box 4, folder 1.

In September 2016 Ashlie Biddle (supervised by Brad Houston) separated a poster from the UWM Theatre Department Records (UWM AC 85) and placed it in an oversize folder in the Pabst Brewing Company Records.


Contents List
Subgrp: 1. Pabst Brewing Company, 1873-197-?
Scope and Content Note: The earliest records in this group date from the incorporation of the Phillip Best Brewing Company in 1873 and continue through 1889, when the company name changed to the Pabst Brewing Company. The time span covered by the majority of the records ends by 1920, when the Pabst Brewing Company went into liquidation (see the "Liquidation Records") and the Pabst Corporation was organized to carry on production (see "Combination Record of the Pabst Corporation"). In 1932, the Pabst Corporation merged with the Premier Malt Products Company and, in the following year, the name of the company changed to the Premier-Pabst Corporation. The collection contains very little information on this event, but does include a 1934 appraisal of the Premier-Pabst Corporation. In 1938, the name of the corporation reverted to the Pabst Brewing Company.

The administrative and financial records constitute the majority of records in this group. They include Annual Inventories and Statements, Cash Books/Mail Remittances, Cash Receipts, Customer Ledgers from various U.S. branches, Profit and Loss Accounts, Salary Ledgers, and Stock Records. General Ledgers [Series 1] show debits and credits for financial accounts nationwide; General Ledgers [Series 2] shows debits and credits for various accounts, such as beer, barley, malt, hops, shipping cooperage, machinery, and insurance.

In addition to administrative and financial documents, this group includes a series of Production Ledgers or "Süd Books" documenting the analytical side of brewing and containing formulas, notes on trials, specifications of raw materials as well as finished goods, and tests on competitors' products. A related series of Research Journals contains similar information.

Finally, this record group includes a scrapbook of 325 clippings from newspapers worldwide observing the death of Captain Frederick Pabst in 1904; a scrapbook containing photographs of Pabst's Blue Ribbon Town, U.S.A. radio program, which was hosted by Groucho Marx; and a film titled The Pabst Pledge of Quality (197-?) that was likely shown during public tours of the brewery operations.
Volume   1
Abstract of Title, 1873-1880
Volume   2
Annual Inventory and Statement C, 1882-1894
Volume   3
Annual Inventory and Statement D, 1895-1902
Box   1
Folder   1
Appraisal Report of Premier-Pabst Corporation, 1934
Volume   4
Cash Book/Mail Remittances 24, 1916-1917
Volume   5
Cash Receipts 2, 1924
Volume   6
Cash Receipts 3, 1924-1925
Volume   7
Cash Receipts 4, 1925-1926
Volume   8
Cash Receipts 5, 1926-1927
Volume   9
Cash Receipts 6, 1927
Volume   10
Cash Receipts 7, 1927-1928
Volume   11
Cash Receipts 8, 1928
Volume   12
Cash Receipts 9, 1928-1929
Volume   13
Cash Receipts 10, 1929-1930
Box   1
Folder   2
Combination Record of the Pabst Corporation, 1920-1935, Including Articles of Incorporation, 1920, and Minutes, 1920-1935
Box   1
Folder   3
Confidential Memos and Inventory of Private Matters, 1883
Volume   14
Country Accounts Ledger, M-Z, 1917-1919
Volume   15
Current Ledger, Denver Branch, 1913-1916
Volume   16
Current Ledger, Milwaukee Branch, 1917-1919
Volume   17
Current Ledger, Minneapolis Branch, 1916-1919
Volume   18
Current Ledger, Philadelphia Branch, 1916-1919
Volume   19
Current Ledger, Unidentified Branch, 1913-1918
Volume   20
Denatured Alcohol Reports, 1904-1910
Volume   21
Denatured Alcohol Reports, 1910-1918
Volume   79
Director's Record [Minutes], 1897-1913
Volume   80
Director's Record [Minutes], 1913-1920
Note: Continued by Combination Record of the Pabst Corporation.
Box   1
Folder   4
Ephemera, Including Letterhead and Labels
Volume   22
Export Shipments Record, 1909-1911
Volume   81
Export Shipments Record, 1915-1919
Financial Records of Premier-Pabst Corporation
Box   12
Folder   1-3
1921-1922
Box   11
Folder   34-55
1921-1923
Volume   23
General Ledger [Series 1] G, 1887-1889
Volume   24
General Ledger [Series 1] K, 1894-1895
Volume   25
General Ledger [Series 1] M1, 1898-1899
Volume   26
General Ledger [Series 1] N1, 1900-1901
Volume   27
General Ledger [Series 1] O1, 1902-1904
Volume   28
General Ledger [Series 2] B, 1876-1878
Volume   29
General Ledger [Series 2] C, 1878-1881
Volume   30
General Ledger [Series 2] D, 1881-1883
Volume   31
General Ledger [Series 2] E, 1884-1885
Volume   32
General Ledger [Series 2] H, 1889-1890
Volume   33
General Ledger [Series 2] I, 1891-1892
Volume   34
General Ledger [Series 2] K, 1893-1894
Volume   35
General Ledger [Series 2] L, 1895-1896
Volume   36
General Ledger [Series 2] M, 1897-1898
Volume   37
General Ledger [Series 2] N, 1899-1900
Volume   38
General Ledger [Series 2] P, 1903
Volume   39
General Ledger [Series 2] A, 1904-1906
Volume   40
Liquidation Records, Including Articles of Organization, Bylaws, Stock Registers, and Stock Ledgers, 1920-1921
Volume   41
Liquidation Records, Minutes, Boards of Directors and Trustees, 1920-1921
Volume   42
Liquidation Records, Statements and Various Other Papers Referred to as "Exhibits" in Minutes, 1920-1921
Pabst Pledge of Quality, 197-?
Access Restrictions: The original film is restricted; users must use network access copy available in the Archives.
Film   1

Physical Description: Film reel (16 mm) 
Electronic Folder  

Physical Description: 1 digital video file (17 min, 33 sec) 
Volume   43
Payments, 1917-1918
Volume   44
Payments, 1917-1919
Volume   45
Private Journal (financial ledger), 1876-1881
Volume   46
Private Journal (financial ledger), 1881-1894
Volume   47
Private Journal (financial ledger), 1894-1908
Volume   48
Private Journal (financial ledger), 1909-1920
Volume   49
Private Ledger II, 1873-1876
Volume   50
Private Ledger III, 1876-1881
Volume   51
Private Ledger IV, 1881-1910
Volume   52
Private Ledger V, 1911-1920
Box   4
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1891
Box   4
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1893-1894
Box   5
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1894
Box   5
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1896
Box   6
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1898
Box   6
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1901
Box   7
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1902
Box   7
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1905
Box   8
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1908
Box   8
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1910
Box   9
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1911?
Box   9
Production Ledger ("Süd Book"), 1912
Volume   53
Profit and Loss Account, 1903-1905
Volume   54
Real Estate Sales and Purchases Ledger, 1892-1902
Volume   55
Real Estate Sales and Purchases Ledger, 1902-1908
Volume   56
Real Estate Sales and Purchases Ledger, 1917-1921
Volume   57
Real Estate Sales and Purchases Ledger, 1921-1922
Box   1
Folder   5
Research Journal, 1896-1898
Box   1
Folder   6
Research Journal, 1899-1900
Box   1
Folder   7
Research Journal, 1900-1902
Box   1
Folder   8
Research Journal, 1902-1903
Box   1
Folder   9
Research Journal, 1903-1904
Box   2
Folder   1
Research Journal, 1904
Box   2
Folder   2
Research Journal, 1904-1905
Box   2
Folder   3
Research Journal, 1905
Box   2
Folder   4
Research Journal, 1906
Box   2
Folder   5
Research Journal, 1907-1909
Box   2
Folder   6
Research Journal, 1909
Box   2
Folder   7
Research Journal, 1937-1943
Box   2
Folder   8
Research Journal, undated
Volume   58
Salary Ledger, 1876-1882
Volume   59
Salary Ledger, 1883-1892
Volume   60
Salary Ledger, 1893-1900
Volume   61
Salary Ledger, 1911-1914
Volume   62
Sales Ledger, Bottled Beer Sales, 1913-1916
Volume   63
Sales Ledger, Pablo, 1917
Volume   64
Scrapbook, Obituaries of Frederick Pabst, 1904
Box   4
Folder   1
Scrapbook, "Blue Ribbon Town, U.S.A.", circa 1943-1944
Scope and Content Note: Blue Ribbon Town was a comedy-variety radio series, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, broadcast on CBS from March 27, 1943 to August 5, 1944 and starring Groucho Marx. Originally in the form of a scrapbook, it was taken apart due to preservation concerns.
Box   3
Folder   1
Stock Certificates, Pabst Brewing Company, 1930
Box   3
Folder   2
Stock Certificates, Pabst Brewing Corporation, 1933
Volume   66
Stock Certificates, Pabst Corporation, 1925-1927
Volume   67
Stock Ledger A, 1873-1910
Volume   68
Stock Ledger B, 1873-1884
Volume   69
Sundries, 1894-1920
Box   10
Folder   24-44
Tax Returns, Including Federal and State Returns, and Related Documentation, 1922-1939
Oversize Folder   1
Theatre Advertisement Poster, circa 1970s
Volume   70
Transfer Ledger, Oshkosh, 1917-1920
Volume   71
Transfer Ledger, Springfield, 1916-1919
Volume   72
Trial Balance Ledger B, 1881-1917
Subgrp: 2. Subsidiaries
Scope and Content Note: This group documents the diversity of the Pabst Brewing Company's business subsidiaries over three decades. These business interests included the manufacture of pipe nipples by the Frank Wiedeman Company and Parmac Company; the manufacture of electrodes and welding equipment by the Seamweld Equipment Company; cattle-breeding and general farming by Pabst Holstein Farms; and the production and sale of food products by Pabst Dietary Products. Many of these records shed light on Pabst's business dealings during the period of Prohibition, January 16, 1920 through December 5, 1933.
⇧
Subgrp: A. Blue Ribbon Commercial Company, 1913-1925
Volume   73
Combination Record, 1913-1925, Including Articles of Organization and By-laws, 1913, and Minutes, 1913-1919
Subgrp: B. Frank Wiedeman Company, 1929-1936
⇧
Box   10
Folder   1-15
Financial Records, 1929-1936
Subgrp: C. Milwaukee Grains and Feed Corporation, 1921-1932
⇧
Box   10
Folder   16-23
Financial Records, 1929-1936
Subgrp: D. Pabst Dietary Products, 1928-1930
⇧
Box   3
Folder   3
Combination Record, 1928-1930, Including Articles of Organization and By-Laws, 1928-1930, and Minutes, 1928-1930
Box   10
Folder   45-51
Financial Records, 1928-1930
Box   3
Folder   4
Patent Applications, 1928-1930
Subgrp: E. Pabst Holstein Farms, 1918-1926
⇧
Box   10
Folder   52-67
Financial Records, 1918-1926
Subgrp: F. Pabst Realty Company, 1920-1935
⇧
Volume   74
Cash Book, 1921-1925
Volume   75
Combination Record, 1920-1932, Including Articles of Organization and By-Laws, 1920-32, and Minutes, 1932
Box   11
Folder   1-27
Financial Records, 1921-1935
Volume   76
General Ledger, 1921-1924
Volume   77
Minutes, 1929-1935
Subgrp: G. Pabst Sales Corporation, 1924-1939
⇧
Volume   78
Combination Record, 1924-1936, Including Articles of Organization and By-Laws, 1928, and Minutes, 1924-1936
Box   11
Folder   28-29
Financial Records, 1936-1939
Box   3
Folder   5
Stock Certificates, 1924
Subgrp: H. Parmac Company, 1921-1922
⇧
Box   11
Folder   30-33
Financial Records, 1921-1922
Subgrp: I. Seamweld Equipment Company, 1921-1922
⇧
Box   12
Folder   1-3
Financial Records, 1921-1922
Subgrp: J. Universal Realty Corporation, 1925-1928
⇧
Box   12
Folder   4-14
Financial Records, 1925-1928
Subgrp: K. Washington Highlands Company, 1919-1941
⇧
Box   12
Folder   15-64
Financial Records, 1919-1941