Summary Information
Algoma Hardwoods, Inc., Records
1892-1974
- Algoma Hardwoods, Inc. (Algoma, Wis.)
Green Bay Mss 57
20.0 c.f. (33 archives boxes, 5 record center cartons, and 8 flat boxes)
UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Ownership and management records of an Algoma hardwood plywood manufacturing firm. The firm has undergone several mergers and name changes since its organization as the Ahnapee Veneer and Seating Company in 1892: Algoma Panel Company (1916); Algoma Plywood and Veneer Company (1931); Algoma Division, United States Plywood (1940); Algoma Division, United States Plywood-Champion Papers, Inc. (1967); Algoma Hardwoods, Inc. (1977). The records document most aspects of the company's operations, with the exception of the activities of the board of directors, including correspondence and legal documents relating to stockholders and mergers; general management correspondence; financial records including general, sales, production, and employees accounts covering all aspects of the company's operations; correspondence and legal documents regarding legal cases; correspondence, legal documents, and deeds of real estate owned by the company; and correspondence, working papers, and income tax returns for federal and state taxes. Following the close of the plant in 1976 by U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers, Inc., local citizens purchased the plant and reopened it in March 1977.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0057 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Ahnapee Veneer and Seating Company was organized in May 1892 in Algoma, Wisconsin, as a manufacturer of curved and preformed plywood chairs, chair backs, and settees used in retail stores and railroad stations. Business increased slowly, and in 1903 the company expanded by opening a veneer-cutting plant in Birchwood, Wisconsin, which continued in operation until 1943 when its operations were moved to Algoma. In 1916 the company acquired its first warehouse sales outlet, located in Chicago, and changed its name to the Algoma Panel Company. By then the products manufactured included church pews, desks, sewing machine cabinets, doors, and partition panels, as well as hardwood plywood.
The Algoma Panel Company acquired five more warehouses in 1931 when it merged with the Claus Panel Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and the name was changed once again, this time to Algoma Plywood and Veneer Company. The new, larger company expanded its market base when it purchased the Hamilton Veneer Company of Orangeburg, South Carolina, in 1936. During the 1930's much of the company's work was under contract to United States Plywood of New York, New York, and in 1940 the latter purchased the Algoma firm. United States Plywood greatly expanded its operation in Algoma by building a new warehouse (1953), a new fireproof-treating plant (1955), a finishing plant (1957), and additions to the main factory building totalling over 100,000 square feet of floor space (1959-1963). In 1967 United States Plywood merged with Champion Papers, Inc. to form a billion-dollar forest products company, and continued to manufacture plywood products at its Algoma Division.
In May 1976, U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers, Inc. announced plans to phase-out its operations in Algoma by the end of the year. Under the leadership of Wendell Ellsworth, the factory manager, concerned citizens of Algoma formed Algoma Hardwoods, Inc., on August 5, 1976, and applied for an Economic Development Association loan for the purpose of purchasing the Algoma plant and keeping this important part of the Algoma-area economy in operation. Negotiations for the sale went slowly however and the plant ceased operations as planned on December 27, 1976. An agreement was finally reached on February 22, 1977 and, under the new local owners, the plant reopened and production began slowly on March 1, 1977. Thus the Algoma plywood-manufacturing firm came under local ownership once again and continues (1978) to produce fine door and architectural plywood.
Scope and Content Note
Most of the records in the collection deal with the company's operations prior to the time it became the Algoma Division of United States Plywood. They are arranged in two series: Ownership Records; and Management Records. The collection lacks records of the Board of Directors.
The Ownership Records contain two sections: Stockholder Records, consisting of lists of stockholders and some samples of company-issued stock certificates; and Merger Records, including correspondence and legal documents relating to the 1931 merger with the Claus Panel Company and the 1940 purchase of Algoma by United States Plywood.
The Management Records form the major part of the collection and are divided into five subseries: Correspondence; Financial Records; Legal Records; Real Estate Records; and Tax Records.
The Correspondence subseries includes general management correspondence in letterpress volumes for the years 1892-1893, 1910, and loose correspondence for the years 1918-1934. It mainly concerns general problems, orders, personnel, contracts, and bond notes.
The Financial Records are divided into general accounts, sales accounts, production accounts, and employee accounts. The general accounts are the financial records which detail the total operations of the company on a yearly, monthly, or daily basis. These include balance sheets, annual audit reports, trial balances, daily cashbooks, and general ledgers. Of particular interest is an undated “Chart of General Ledger Accounts” (box 11, folder 1) which explains and outlines the accounting procedures of the company. The sales accounts include the company's inventory reports and order the charge books. The order and charge books, 1892-1916, are an almost complete set detailing who ordered what types and amounts of the company's products. The production accounts include log account books detailing the amount of logs cut at the veneer and saw mills, detailed but undated order specifications, time (payroll) books, and records of transportation costs and problems. Employee accounts consist only of a dues book for an employee benefit association.
The Legal Records contain correspondence, briefs, other legal documents, and court testimony transcripts for two cases. The Perry vs. White case concerned the alleged fraudulent sale of company stock and the embezzlement of company funds for that purpose by a company director. The War Labor Board case concerned the threatened strike over promised wage increases by Local 1521 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (AFL) during World War II. Also in the legal files are two labor agreements between the local and the company for the years 1947 and 1974.
The Real Estate Records consist of the correspondence, deeds, and legal documents pertaining to the timber, warehouse, factory, and general investment lands owned by the company in Wisconsin and eight other states.
The Tax Records have correspondence and working papers which the company used in preparing its federal and state income tax returns, as well as the returns prepared for the United States government, Wisconsin, and four other states.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Eldor Eggert, Algoma Hardwoods, Inc., Algoma, Wisconsin, February 10, 1977. Accession Number: M77-046
Processed by Tim Hughes (FGH intern) and Joanne. Hohler, December 22, 1977.
Contents List
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Series: Ownership Records
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Subseries: Stockholder Records
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Box
1
Folder
1-2
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Stock Registers, 1893-1894
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Box
1
Folder
3-4
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Stock Certificates, 1931
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Gold Bonds, 1926-1935
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Box
1
Folder
6
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List of Stockholders, The Claus Panel Company, 1931
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Subseries: Merger Records
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Merger with The Claus Panel Company, legal documents and correspondence, 1931
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Purchase of Algoma Plywood and Veneer by United States Plywood, 1940
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Series: Management Records
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Subseries: Correspondence
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Box
2
Folder
1-3
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1892-1893, 1910
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Box
3
Folder
1
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1918-1934, 1962
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Subseries: Financial, General Accounts
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Box
3
Folder
2-6
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Balance Sheets and Operating Statements, ca. 1911-1941
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Box
4
Folder
1-4
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Audit Reports, 1911-1954
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Trial Balances
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Box
34
Folder
1
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1892-1897
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Box
4
Folder
5
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1906-1907
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Box
5
Folder
1-5
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1908-1922
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Box
34
Folder
2
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1923
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Box
34
Folder
3
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1924
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Box
34
Folder
4
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1925
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Box
34
Folder
5
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1932-1933
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Box
34
Folder
6
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1933-1934
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Monthly Financial Summaries by Division
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Box
6
Folder
1-5
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1932-June 1935
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Box
7
Folder
1-6
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July 1935-1938
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Cashbooks, General
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Box
8
Folder
1-2
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1904-1923
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Box
35
Folder
1
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1905-1911
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Box
36
Folder
1
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1911-1913
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Box
37
Folder
1
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1913-1916
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Box
38
Folder
1
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1916-1918
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Box
39
Folder
1
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1918-1922
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Box
9
Folder
1-3
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Cashbooks, Cash Drawn on Treasurer, 1892-1902
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Box
9
Folder
4-5
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Cashbooks, Secretary's Cash Account, 1899-1904
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Box
9
Folder
6
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Cashbooks, Cash Disbursement Reports, Chicago Warehouse, 1926-1927
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Ledgers, General
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Box
40
Folder
1
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ca. 1904-1919
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Box
41
Folder
1-2
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ca. 1910-1922
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Box
42
Folder
1
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ca. 1910-1922
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Box
43
Folder
1
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ca. 1920-1922
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1924-1931
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Box
44
Folder
1
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A-K
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Box
44
Folder
2
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L-Z
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Box
45
Folder
1
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1942-1944
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Box
45
Folder
2
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1945-1949
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Box
46
Folder
1
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1950-1955
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Box
46
Folder
2
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1956-1960
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Box
10
Folder
1
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Ledgers, Moulded Plywood Division, 1944-1948
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Box
11
Folder
1
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Chart of General Ledger Accounts
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Box
11
Folder
2-3
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Contracts and Agreements, ca. 1902-1940
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Box
11
Folder
4
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Graphic Charts of Financial Summaries, 1915-1922
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Box
11
Folder
5
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Accounting Instructions, Birchwood Division, 1927
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Box
11
Folder
6
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Manufacturers' Census, Department of Commerce, ca. 1914-1934
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Subseries: Financial, Sales Accounts
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Properties Inventory, 1930
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Box
11
Folder
7
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Volume 1
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Box
12
Folder
1
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Volume 2
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Box
12
Folder
2-4
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Stock Inventory, ca. 1916-1942
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Box
12
Folder
5
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Advance Inventory Report, 1930
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Order Books
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Box
13
Folder
1-3
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1892-1901
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Box
14
Folder
1-3
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1901-1904, 1909-1912
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Box
15
Folder
1-3
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1912-1915
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Box
16
Folder
1
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1915-1916
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Charge Books
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Box
16
Folder
2-3
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1897-1898, 1900-1901
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Box
17
Folder
1-4
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1901-1904
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Box
18
Folder
1-3
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1904-1908
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Box
19
Folder
1-3
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1908-1911
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Box
20
Folder
1-3
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1911-1913
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Box
21
Folder
1-3
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1913-1916
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Box
22
Folder
1-2
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United States Plywood Sales, August 1966-December 1967
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Subseries: Financial, Production Accounts
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Log Accounts
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Box
22
Folder
3
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Veneer Mill, 1927-1943
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Box
22
Folder
4
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Saw Mill, 1916-1942
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Box
22
Folder
5
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Log Tally Book, 1923
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Box
22
Folder
6
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Order Specifications, n.d.
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Box
23
Folder
1-4
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Time Books, 1908-1928
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Box
24
Folder
1-2
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Time Studies, 1929-1938
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Box
24
Folder
3-4
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Transportation, 1926-1945
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Box
24
Folder
5
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Gauging Mill Blueprints, 1931
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Subseries: Financial, Employee Accounts
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Box
24
Folder
6
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Dues Book, Algoma Panel Company Employees Mutual Benefit Association, 1926-1932
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Subseries: Legal Records
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Box
25
Folder
1-2
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Perry vs. White Case, 1917-1929
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Box
25
Folder
3-5
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War Labor Board Case, 1943-1944
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Box
25
Folder
6
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Labor Agreements, 1947, 1974
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Subseries: Real Estate Records
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Box
26
Folder
1-2
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Wisconsin, Door County, ca. 1900-1940
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Box
26
Folder
3-4
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Wisconsin, Kewaunee County, ca. 1900-1960
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Wisconsin, Sawyer County
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Box
26
Folder
5-6
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ca. 1912-1944
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Box
27
Folder
1-3
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ca. 1931-1945
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Box
27
Folder
4-6
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Wisconsin, Washburn County, ca. 1904-1942
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Box
28
Folder
1
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Illinois, ca. 1910-1940
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Box
28
Folder
2
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Indiana, ca. 1931-1938
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Box
28
Folder
3
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Massachusetts, ca. 1924-1933
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Box
28
Folder
4-5
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Michigan, ca. 1898-1938
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Box
28
Folder
6
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Minnesota, 1902
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Box
28
Folder
7
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New York, 1903, 1928-1931
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Box
28
Folder
8
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Ohio, 1928-1940
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Box
28
Folder
9
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Tennessee, ca. 1899-1908
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Box
40
Folder
2
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Real Estate Taxes and Land Descriptions, ca. 1910-1940
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Subseries: Tax Records
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Tax Correspondence and Working Papers
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Box
29
Folder
1-6
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ca. 1910-1942
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Box
30
Folder
1
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ca. 1943-1947
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Federal Taxes
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Box
30
Folder
2
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Audits, 1942-1953
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Box
30
Folder
3
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Capital Stock Tax Returns, 1918-1940
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Box
30
Folder
4-5
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Returns, ca. 1911-1923
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Box
31
Folder
1-3
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Returns, ca. 1924-1940
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State Taxes
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Box
31
Folder
4-5
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Wisconsin, ca. 1918-1937
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Box
32
Folder
1-3
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Wisconsin, ca. 1935-1954
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Box
32
Folder
4
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Massachusetts, 1932-1934
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Box
32
Folder
5
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Michigan, 1931-1941
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Box
32
Folder
6
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New York, 1932-1933
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Box
33
Folder
1-3
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Ohio, 1932-1938
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