The Dessert Family Business Records collection is comprised mainly of the records of Joseph Dessert's companies, the Joseph Dessert Lumber Co. (JDLCo.) and the Mosinee Land, Log and Timber Co. (MLLTCo.). Most of the records date from the 1880's to about 1930. Because both companies were operated as a single concern, their records and papers are intermixed. In many cases, it was impossible to separate the records, but where it was possible, the company name has been indicated. In addition, there are fragmentary records of Westfield and Fall River Lumber Co., also run by the Dessert family, and a few personal papers and land records of Joseph and Howard Dessert. The collection has been arranged by record type. Unbound manuscript materials and letterpress volumes form two groups: General Business Correspondence, and Land and Legal Records. The other volumes in the collection have been divided into series of Financial Records and Logging and Lumber Sales Records.
GENERAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE is comprised of somewhat routine materials, primarily orders for lumber and correspondence concerning shipments, delays, substitutions, billing, and payments, although there is some discussion of land management and transactions, business contracts and dealings, legal matters, and politics. The Letterpress Volumes contain copies of outgoing letters written for both Joseph Dessert Lumber Co. (in the first letterpress volume only) and Mosinee Land, Log and Timber Co., as well as one volume of personal letters of George McLaughlin, an officer of both JDLCo. and MLLTCo. (The McLaughlin family was a minority stockholder in the Dessert family businesses.) These volumes are arranged in chronological order and are very fragile. Some volumes have been water-damaged and are difficult to read. Incoming and Outgoing Letters are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, and are also routine in nature. Most date from 1904 through 1920. Included are several files of correspondence, 1899, 1903-1918, with Harry Garbutt, a Janesville agent for several lumber companies, among them at different times Daniel Shaw Lumber Co., Chippewa Lumber and Boom Co., Bovey DeLaittre Lumber Co., Hollister Amos Lumber Co., Rust Owen Lumber Co., Forster-Mueller Lumber Co., Hatten Lumber Co., and Mosinee Land, Log and Timber Co. There are a few files of letters from officials of the Westfield and Fall River Lumber Co., 1903, 1905-1909, to Frank McReynolds.
Personal Correspondence of Joseph Dessert , 1888-1893, concerns his guardianship of the minor James W. Kelly (possibly a nephew). There are letters to and from Kelly, mainly concerning his escapades in and out of school; financial records kept by Dessert in the course of the guardianship, including cancelled checks, bills and invoices, and other records; and letters from Mary Kelly, sister of James (but at that time, not a ward of Dessert).
Personal Correspondence of Howard Dessert , 1923-1928, mainly concerns his activities with the American Legion. Much of that correspondence consists of printed form letters and letters concerning applications and arrangements for the fall 1927 American Legion convention in Paris. Dessert was in charge of convention planning for the Wisconsin American Legion contingent. With Dessert's personal correspondence regarding land and lumber business dealings are filed balance sheets and sales figures for the Dessert and Brown Lumber Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Bay West Paper Company, Green Bay; Clare and Beaverton Lumber Company, Clare, Michigan; Lowell Lumber Company, Gulf City Lumber Company, Bayside Redwood Company; and a report to the board of the Wausau Sulphate Fibre Company.
LAND AND LEGAL RECORDS mainly pertain to Joseph Dessert Lumber Co. matters. They document both property ownership and land management activities, and are supplemented by Logging and Lumber Sales Records in volume form. Also present in this series are a few records of Mosinee Land, Log and Timber Co. and Westfield and Fall River Lumber Co. From the Dessert Lumber Co. are a few monthly time and payroll records from Camps One and Two, 1912-1913; files of contracts, legal agreements, and legal documents from land and other transactions; memoranda of land, lumber, and labor contracts and agreements, including a few sketchy labor blacklists; very early surveyor's reports; a description of Joseph Dessert's land; and a variety of land purchase and ownership records, dating from the mid-nineteenth century. Minutes of the Joseph Dessert Lumber Company, 1890-1957, are available only on microfilm, while the minutes of the Mosinee Land, Log and Timber Co., 1904-1964, and Westfield and Fall River Lumber Co., 1902-1927, are available in paper form.
Most Dessert FINANCIAL RECORDS are present in the form of volumes. Here, too, it is difficult to separate records of Joseph Dessert Lumber Co. from those of Mosinee Land, Log and Timber Co., as the latter company appeared to take over and continue many of the financial volumes used by the former. In many cases, the volumes bear imprinted letters which have been recorded in the Contents List as “company identification.” These identifiers indicate that several volumes may be lacking.
There are extensive runs of Ledgers dating from 1874 to 1954, and Journals , 1905-1956. The ledgers record individual accounts of the company and are indexed. By the 1890's, it is possible to trace several series of ledgers within the complete corpus, indicating that the company kept different sets of books for major and minor transactions, and company business and private transactions. The journals record daily transactions of the business, mainly lumber sales. Additionally, there are three MLLTCo. Accounts Receivable Ledgers, two unidentified personal ledgers, and one MLLTCo. Personal Journal.
Other financial records include smaller subseries of Cash Books for both JDLCo. and MLLTCo. (some of which are unidentified); Order Books and Day Books , with some personal or employee orders and purchases; three Time and Payroll Books , 1903-1913; and Miscellaneous Financial Statements , with brief year-end summary statements, 1913-1920. An office expenses journal, 1930-1937, recording routine disbursements for telephone and telegraph, light and power, postage, stationery, and small purchases, was discarded.
The bound LOGGING AND LUMBER SALES RECORDS complement those which are unbound. They include a variety of records documenting timber production and sales of finished lumber, including records of residential construction, estimates, and house plans. The volumes are Lumber Invoice Books from JDLCo. and MLLTCo., 1905-1956; a volume of Logging Operations Records containing log scale, custom sawing, and sawing records; a Lumber Journal; a Miscellaneous Lumber Record Book, listing lumber sales, individual and company logging records, and sawing records; Retail Sales Journals, 1921-1952; and MLLTCo. Building Records, including estimates as well as two volumes of catalogs of sketches and house plans distributed to lumber companies selling builders supplies.
The ten PHOTOGRAPHS in PH 3669 (3) depict an unidentified sawmill or lumber mill.
