Summary Information
Chester Hjörtur Thordarson Papers 1880-1945
- Thordarson, Chester Hjörtur, 1867-1945
Mss 453; PH Mss 453; PH 304; PH 3374; PH 6067; M89-209; M97-130; M2011-060
2.6 cubic feet (7 archives boxes); plus additions of 5.5 cubic feet, 1932 photographs, 234 negatives, and 171 drawings
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers, 1880-1945, of Chester Hjörtur Thordarson, a Chicago inventor and manufacturer of electrical apparatus, collector of what later became the nucleus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's rare book collection, and builder on Rock Island, Door County, Wisconsin, of Icelandic-style stone buildings; containing fragmentary documentation of the above activities, some personal papers, correspondence with J. Paul Goode and (in Icelandic) poet Stephan G. Stephansson, and articles by J. Christian Bay. Also included are photographs of the Rock Island buildings, images of Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company products, and images of Thordarson and his family. English, Icelandic
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00453 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Chester Hjörtur Thordarson has been compared to Thomas A. Edison as a genius in electrical inventiveness, but he is important in Wisconsin history for two other reasons as well: his ownership of and construction on Rock Island at the tip of Door County, and his collection of rare books of science and literature which now form the basis of the Rare Book collection of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Memorial Library.
Thordarson was born in Iceland in 1867, the fifth of six living children. In 1873 the family immigrated to the United States and settled in Milwaukee, where Thordarson's father soon died. Shortly thereafter they moved to Dane County, then to Shawano County, and, when Chester was 13, to the Red River Valley in North Dakota. Thordarson received little formal education and finished the fourth through the seventh grades in two years after he moved to Chicago at the age of 18 to live with his sister. Between the ages of 20 and 27, Thordarson worked in several electric companies in Chicago and one year for a streetcar company in St. Louis. In 1895 at the age of 27 and with seventy-five dollars in savings, he founded the Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company in Chicago.
Thordarson, who invented the electrical transformer in 1904, continued to work as an inventor (acquiring 115 patents) and manufacturer of electrical apparatus. Among his customers were universities for whom he built laboratory equipment for student experiments or research work. His first major distinction came when he built a million-volt, 25-cycle transformer for Purdue University to be exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and later to be used for experimental work at the university. This transformer earned Thordarson a gold medal at the Fair. He built another million-volt trans-former for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San Francisco in 1915 and earned his second gold medal. Thordarson's other electrical inventions include patents on long-distance radio transmitting apparatus, ignition coils for automobiles, large- and small- capacity transformers, and early pollution control equipment.
Thordarson did not limit himself to the exploration of electricity. Early in life he began to collect books. His collection of rare books of literature and Icelandic, scientific, and reference works eventually became one of the world's finest privately-owned libraries. For a number of years, the library was housed in handmade oak and glass cabinets of Icelandic design in Thordarson's factory in Chicago and later on Rock Island. In 1946, the year after Thordarson's death, the University of Wisconsin purchased his 11,000-book library and established a Rare Book Department to house the collection.
In 1910 Thordarson bought Rock Island in order to enjoy “...wild plant and animal life in undisturbed wilderness,...” (Letter from Chester H. Thordarson to Mayor William Thompson of Chicago, December 5, 1924 (box 3, folder 5)). The first buildings, erected between 1911 and 1914 on the eastern side of the island, were of log. In the 1920s he built extensive log houses and bunkhouses on the southern shore of the island, including one for his close friend, Mayor William “Big Bill” Thompson of Chicago. (This cabin has since been razed.) From the late 1920s through the early 1930s Thordarson had a series of stone buildings constructed on the island in Icelandic style, including the impressive boathouse. Most of these buildings still stand. Thordarson spent extensive amounts of time on Rock Island, entertaining important visitors including many Chicago politicians and industrialists as well as many of his factory workers. After his death, the island was acquired by the State of Wisconsin for a state park.
In 1894, Thordarson married Juliana Fridriksdottir (1854-1955), who had immigrated to America in 1879 or 1880 where she took the name Gilson. In Milwaukee she studied to be a seamstress, then moved to Chicago where she established a successful sewing shop. They had two children: Dewey (died 1968) and Trygve (died 1957); one of whom became an electrical engineer; the other an accountant. Dewey married Helga Lindall; they had no children. Trygve and his wife Louise (Lucy) had one child, Julia Ann.
In 1929, the University of Wisconsin gave Thordarson an honorary master's degree. He later was awarded an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Iceland.
Sources:
Clark, Neil M., “The Flare of the Northern Lights Started Thordarson on His Quest,” American Magazine, December 1926, p. 37
Hill, Dennis A., “Chester H. Thordarson - A Biographical Chronology,” Rare Book Department, University of Wisconsin Memorial Library, 1976
Hagedorn, Ralph, “Bibliotheca Thordarsoniana; The Sequel,” The Bibliographical Society of America, 1950
Neu, John, “The Acquisition of the Thordarson Collection,” University of Wisconsin Library News, Volume XI, No. 3 (March 1966)
Interviews with:
Mrs. Helga Thordarson Charest, Sister Bay, Wisconsin, September 1978
Tom Jessen, Park Ranger on Rock Island, August 1978
Conan Eaton, Washington Island, Wisconsin, August 1978
Mrs. Julia Jacobson (Thordarson's niece), Sun City, Florida, August-September 1978
Conan Eaton, Rock Island, 1979
Arrangement of the Materials
This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 8 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Helga Thordarson Charest, Sister Bay, Wisconsin; and Washington Island Historical Archives, Washington Island, Wisconsin. Accession Number: M78-519, M89-209, M97-130, M2011-060
Original Collection processed by Jan Heininger and Joanne Hohler, May 1979.
Contents List
Mss 453
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Part 1 (Mss 453): Original Collection, 1885-19432.6 cubic feet (7 archives boxes) The papers provide an incomplete overview of Thordarson's life, touching on his library, his inventions, and his business. The collection has little about Thordarson's accomplishments as an inventor and as a collector of rare books. Nor does the collection document Thordarson's association with the men of power and renown whose friendship he cultivated. The papers are arranged into eight series: CORRESPONDENCE, ROCK ISLAND, THORDARSON LIBRARY, INVENTIONS, BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL RECORDS, EXHIBITIONS, PRINTED ARTICLES, and PERSONAL. The CORRESPONDENCE series is arranged by subject and then chronologically. The General Correspondence is almost exclusively related to Thordarson's business, but it is not possible from this file to get a picture of the significant developments in his business career. In one brief letter from Edward Bennett, a University of Wisconsin professor of electrical engineering in the 1930s, it is noted that Thordarson's company was taken over by the Burgess Company in the 1930s, however other letters concerning the business are less informative. Material on ROCK ISLAND is fragmentary. The Correspondence consists almost exclusively of letters to and from Thordarson relating to routine maintenance of the island. Filed here is the only evidence in the collection of Thordarson's close friendship with Chicago Mayor William “Big Bill” Thompson: a copy of a letter from Thordarson to Thompson dated 5 December 1924 in which Thordarson agreed to construct a cabin on Rock Island for Thompson's lifetime use. The Construction - Correspondence and Orders file concerning construction of the early log buildings and the later Icelandic-style stone buildings, is not extensive or substantive. Documents pertaining to the THORDARSON LIBRARY are likewise unrevealing. The Bibliographies in the collection may be a list of Thordarson's books. The Correspondence is primarily to and from people interested in visiting the library or in selling privately-owned books to Thordarson. There is little that documents Thordarson's important association with the Chicago book dealer Walter Hill or his friend J. Christian Bay, librarian of the John Crerar Library. Much of the material in this section consists of copies of drawings and poems in Old English from the library's collections. The INVENTIONS series is in the form of patents and patent applications, drawings and blueprints (usually unidentified), and notebooks in Thordarson's own hand about his experiments. The data in the notebooks is sketchy. There is no orderly set of records documenting Thordarson's personal business and financial affairs or those of the Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company. The Bankbooks of the BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL RECORDS series give only figures and do not indicate the company's sources of income or expenses. Payroll records are fragmentary lists of workers and wages paid. The Company Reports are scanty. Flyers are leaflets and information or instruction sheets; these concern company products, as do the Catalogues. Material relating to Thordarson's participation in two major EXHIBITIONS does not reveal much about the electrical inventions he exhibited there. There is very little documentation of a personal nature in the collection. The PERSONAL series offers virtually no information about Thordarson's wife, Juliana Fridriksdottir (Gilson) Thordarson or of their two sons, Dewey and Trygve. However, there are a number of letters from Thordarson's brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.
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Series: Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
1-9
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General, 1900-1943, undated
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Chicago, University of (especially with J. Paul Goode), 1920-1936
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Box
2
Folder
2-3
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Pacific Electric Metals Company, 1917-1919
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Box
2
Folder
4-5
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Pertaining to library, 1908-1941, undated
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Pertaining to Rock Island
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Box
2
Folder
6-8
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1907-1919
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Box
3
Folder
1
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1920-1942, undated
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Series: Rock Island
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Datebook for trips to Rock Island, 1928
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Construction - correspondence and orders, 1912-1943, undated
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Architect's specifications for boathouse and casino
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Contract for construction of log cabin for use by Chicago Mayor William “Big Bill” Thompson, 1924
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Notebook of hours worked by laborers, 1930
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Series: Thordarson Library
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Bibliographies (possibly of books in Thordarson Library); List of books sent for binding, 1931
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Correspondence and bills pertaining to library expenses
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Copies of poems from library
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Miscellaneous papers
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Greeting cards sent to friends by Thordarson, 1919-1927, undated
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Printed poems and drawings from library
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Series: Inventions
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Patents
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Box
3
Folder
13
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United States Patents, Trademark and patent applications for Thordarson, 1905 March 14-1929 September 12, undated
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Box
4
Folder
1-2
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Foreign patents for Thordarson, 1914 November 17-1922 October 3
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Assignment of Thordarson patents, 1916-1917
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Patent applications by other inventors, 1880-1933
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Drawings and blueprints
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Charts, graphs, and tables pertaining to Thordarson inventions
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Notebook on experiments, 1904
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Notebook of mechanical drawings with notes on experiments, 1909 October-1911 March
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Datebook with mechanical drawings, wages and receipts, notes, and Thordarson calling card, 1912
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Datebook of mechanical drawings, wages paid, receipts, travel notes, 1913
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Notebook of reference materials for electrical inventions, undated
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Photographs of Thordarson? inventions
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Box
5
Folder
2-3
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Blueprints and drawings
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Series: Business and Financial Records (Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company)
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Articles of incorporation
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Financial records
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Bankbooks and ledgers
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Northwestern National Bankbook, 1899 March-1900 August 8
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Corn Exchange National Bankbook, 1906
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Workmen's weekly timebook, 1910 February 26-May 14
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Continental and Commercial National Bankbooks
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Box
5
Folder
8
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1915 September 2-1920 September 20
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Box
5
Folder
9
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1917 June 20-1918 September 23
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Box
5
Folder
10
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1918 March 25-1920 September 8
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Box
5
Folder
11
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Checkstubs, 1919 September 12-1920 March 10
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Ledger number 1, undated
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Box
5
Folder
13
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Payroll, lists of workers, labor costs, 1927, 1928, 1932, undated
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Box
5
Folder
14
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Invoices, 1898-1942, undated
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Company reports
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Box
6
Folder
1
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Internal, 1898-1943, undated
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Box
6
Folder
2
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1942 Operations
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Treasurer's Report, 1942
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Advisory engineering report by Bradshaw and Weil, Chicago, undated
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Box
6
Folder
5
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Stock certificates, Western Meter Manufacturing Company
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Box
6
Folder
6
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Flyers
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Box
6
Folder
7
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Catalogs
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Box
6
Folder
8
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Photographs and drawings of company products
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Series: Exhibitions
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Panama Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California, 1915
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Box
6
Folder
9
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Correspondence, 1913 August 8-1916 February 14, undated
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Box
6
Folder
10
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Exhibit blueprints and printed material
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Box
6
Folder
11
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New York World's Fair, 1939
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Series: Printed Articles
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Box
6
Folder
12
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Related to library
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Box
6
Folder
13
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Historical
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Box
6
Folder
14
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By J. Christian Bay, 1918-1934
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Scientific
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Series: Personal
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Correspondence, bills, birth certificate of wife, marriage license, memberships
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Childhood diary, 1885Icelandic Photocopy
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Box
7
Folder
4
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Thordarson's John James Audubon painting, “English Pheasants Surprised by a Spanish Dog”
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Correspondence from Thordarson relatives, 1903-1938, undated
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Box
7
Folder
6
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American Magazine biographical article on Thordarson, 1926 December
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Newspaper clippings, 1915-1933, undated
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PH Mss 453
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Part 2 (PH Mss 453): Additions, undated 55 photographs and 2 drawings : Photographs related primarily to the buildings built by Thordarson on Rock Island, including exterior images of the various buildings and the interiors of the boathouse and main lodge, in addition to portraits of Thordarson.
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PH 304
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Part 3 (PH 304): Additions, undated 58 photographs : Additional photographs related primarily to the buildings built by Thordarson on Rock Island; including exterior images of the various buildings and the interiors of the boathouse and main lodge.
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PH 3374
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Part 4 (PH 3374): Additions, 1966 17 photographs : Photographs of details on hand-carved furniture from the proposed Thordarson library to be built on Rock Island, photographed by Paul Vanderbilt, 1966.
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PH 6067
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Part 5 (PH 6067): Additions, circa 1960s 17 photographs and 17 negatives (2 folders) : Black and white negatives and corresponding photographs, circa 1960s, of remodeling of a boathouse owned by Thordarson on Rock Island, Door County, Wisconsin.
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M89-209
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Part 6 (M89-209): Additions, undated 114 photographs and 169 drawings : Photographs and drawings of Thordarson Electric products.
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M97-130
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Part 7 (M97-130): Additions, circa 1906-1945 4.8 cubic feet (12 archives boxes), 1333 photographs, and 152 negatives (in 6 archives boxes, 1 negative box, and 1 oversize folder) : Additions, circa 1906-1945, including business and personal correspondence, a small amount of family and biographical information, files concerning his library of rare books and his estate on Rock Island, and material about the Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company (including correspondence, catalogs, manuals, et cetera). Also included are family photographs; images of Rock Island, Washington Island, and Door County; and Thordarson Electric product photographs. Included in the correspondence are some letters in Icelandic including 5 letters from poet Stephan G. Stephansson, dating from 1911-1915.
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Series: Correspondence, circa 1906-1943
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Box
1
Folder
1
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A
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Acme Wire Company
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Allegheny Steel Company
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Aplin, Ben J.
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Box
1
Folder
5
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B
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Baker (G.A.) Company
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Bay, J. Christian (John Crerar Library)
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Bay State Sheet Copper Company
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Baldwinson, B.L.
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Belden Manufacturing Company
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Bertschinger, J.F.
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Brandson, Dr. B.J.
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Burger Boat Company
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Burgess, C.F. (Burgess Laboratories, Inc. and Burgess Battery Company)
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Box
1
Folder
15
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C
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Central Scientific Company
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Century of Progress
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Box
1
Folder
18
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Chicago
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Chicago Norske Club
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Box
1
Folder
20
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Cleveland Tractor Company
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Box
1
Folder
21
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Colin B. Kennedy Corporation
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Box
1
Folder
22
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Commonwealth Edison Company
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Box
1
Folder
23
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Cory, Harvey
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Box
1
Folder
24
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Crane Company
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Box
1
Folder
25
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D
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Dan-American Archives Society
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Darby and Darby (Attorneys)
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Dee (William E.) Company
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Delta Hardware Company
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Box
2
Folder
5
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1924-1926
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Box
2
Folder
6
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1927-1930
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Bills and Receipts, 1929
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Box
2
Folder
8
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D. Hill Nursery Company
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Door County, Wisconsin
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Box
2
Folder
10
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E
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Elmhurst, Illinois
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Ernst Hertzberg and Sons
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Escanaba Hardware Company
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Box
2
Folder
14
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F
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Box
2
Folder
15
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Fair Store
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Box
2
Folder
16
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Fenn, Dr. George
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Box
2
Folder
17
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First National Bank of Chicago
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Box
2
Folder
18
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Foley Greenhouse Manufacturing Company
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Box
2
Folder
19
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Fredbloom, A.C.
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Freudenreich, William F.
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Box
3
Folder
2
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G
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Box
3
Folder
3
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General Accident Assurance Company, Inc.
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Box
3
Folder
4
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General Electric
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Geographic Society of Chicago - Anna Conwell
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Goode, J. Paul
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Goodman, John - Goodman Manufacturing Company
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Goodrich Transit Company
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Good Roads Machinery Company
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Gothic Type - Letters
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Grimson, Judge Gudmundir
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Box
3
Folder
13
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Gunnarson, Robert
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Box
3
Folder
14
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H
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Box
3
Folder
15
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Hall, William L. (Patent Lawyer)
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Box
3
Folder
16
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Hanson, Rasmus
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Box
3
Folder
17
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Harris Brothers Company
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Box
3
Folder
18
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H. Channon Company
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Box
3
Folder
19
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Heating and Ventilating Magazine - P.S. Fenster
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Box
3
Folder
20
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Herrmann, U.J.
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Box
3
Folder
21
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Hewett Grocery Company
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Box
3
Folder
22
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Higgins, Dean
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Box
3
Folder
23
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High Potential Direct Current Generator
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Box
3
Folder
24
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Hill, Walter M.
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Box
3
Folder
25
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Hill-White Transit Company
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Box
3
Folder
26
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Holand, H.R.
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Box
3
Folder
27
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H.H. Hooker Glass and Paint Company
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Hubbard, C.H. (Lighthouse Service)
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Box
4
Folder
2
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I
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Illinois Athletic Club
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Industrial Commission of Wisconsin
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Box
4
Folder
5
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J
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Jackson, Thorstina (Walters)
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Box
4
Folder
7
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K
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Kahlenberg Brothers Company
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Kahlmann, Karl W. (Taxidermy)
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Kelly Brothers Nursery
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Box
4
Folder
11
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Knight, C.S.
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Box
4
Folder
12
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L
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Box
4
Folder
13
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Lake Shore Athletic Club
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Box
4
Folder
14
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Louer (W.B.) Company
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Box
4
Folder
15
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Ludowici-Celadon Company
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Box
4
Folder
16
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M
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Box
4
Folder
17
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Mandel Brothers
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Box
4
Folder
18
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Mann, George O.
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Marsh and McLennan (Insurance)
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Marston, Annie G. (C.H. Thordarson's First School Teacher)
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Mc
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Box
5
Folder
4
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McCauley, Captain Charles
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Box
5
Folder
5
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Mid-West Tractor and Equipment Company
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Box
5
Folder
6
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Memorial of Leif Erikson in America
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Miscellaneous Correspondence
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Box
5
Folder
8
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Museum of Science and Industry
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Box
5
Folder
9
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N
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Box
5
Folder
10
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National Geographic Society
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Box
5
Folder
11
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National Grocer Company
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Box
5
Folder
12
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Nelson, Anton
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Box
5
Folder
13
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New-Way Motor Company
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Box
5
Folder
14
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New York Athletic Club
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|
Box
5
Folder
15
|
New York Public Library
|
|
Box
5
Folder
16
|
Nurseries
|
|
Box
5
Folder
17
|
O
|
|
Box
5
Folder
18
|
P-R
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Box
5
Folder
19
|
S
|
|
Box
5
Folder
20
|
Sawyer-Stoll Timber Company
|
|
Box
5
Folder
21
|
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur
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Box
5
Folder
22
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T-V
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|
Box
5
Folder
23
|
Thompson, William Hale
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Box
5
Folder
24
|
Thordarson, Dewey C.
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Box
5
Folder
25
|
Thordarson Relatives
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|
Box
5
Folder
26
|
Thordarson, Theodore
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Box
5
Folder
27
|
Thordarson, Trig
|
|
Box
5
Folder
28
|
Thordarson, William
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|
Box
5
Folder
29
|
W-Z
|
|
Box
5
Folder
30
|
William J. Burns International Detective Agency
|
|
Box
5
Folder
31
|
Williams, H.G.
|
|
|
Series: Personal Papers
|
|
Box
6
Folder
1
|
Account Book, 1926-1928
|
|
Box
6
Folder
2
|
Bills, 1911-1932
|
|
Box
6
Folder
3
|
Clubs and Societies - Membership and Stocks
|
|
Box
6
Folder
4-5
|
Icelandic Letters, 1910-1943
|
|
|
Stephansson, Stephan G.
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1911 April 1
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1914 January 17
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1914 April 30
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1914 August 24
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1915 May 3
|
|
|
Stephansson, Ulga (wife of Stephan)
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1933 December 11
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1937 September 29
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1940 March 2
|
|
|
Benediktson, Rosa S. (daughter of Stephan)
|
|
Box
6
Folder
5
|
1941 February 17
|
|
Box
7
Folder
1-2
|
Icelandic Letters, 1910-1943
|
|
Box
7
Folder
3
|
Medical Bills, 1934-1935
|
|
Box
7
Folder
4
|
Miscellaneous Papers
|
|
Box
7
Folder
5
|
Receipts, et cetera, 1912-1930
|
|
Box
7
Folder
6
|
Taxes, 1918-1935
|
|
Box
7
Folder
7
|
Thordarson Family Tree Information
|
|
Box
7
Folder
8
|
Chester H. Thordarson Funeral, 1945
|
|
Box
8
Folder
1
|
Sympathy Letters, et cetera - Julia Thordarson
|
|
Box
8
Folder
2
|
Julia Thordarson Estate, 1948-1959
|
|
|
Series: Thordarson Library
|
|
|
List of Priced Books in Thordarson Library
|
|
Box
8
Folder
3
|
1934
|
|
Box
8
Folder
4
|
1935
|
|
Box
8
Folder
5
|
Bibliography
|
|
Box
8
Folder
6
|
Icelandic Books
|
|
Box
8
Folder
7-8
|
Booksellers, Miscellaneous - Bills, et cetera
|
|
Box
8
Folder
9
|
Correspondence - Booksellers - Unsorted, 1916-1943
|
|
|
Correspondence - Booksellers
|
|
Box
9
Folder
1
|
A.C. McClurg and Company
|
|
Box
9
Folder
2
|
Bernard Quaritch Ltd.
|
|
Box
9
Folder
3
|
Brentano's, Inc.
|
|
Box
9
Folder
4
|
Charles T. Powner Company
|
|
Box
9
Folder
5
|
Dr. George Engelke
|
|
Box
9
Folder
6
|
Henry George Fiedler
|
|
Box
9
Folder
7
|
G.A. Baker and Company
|
|
Box
9
Folder
8
|
G.W. Sheldon and Company
|
|
Box
9
Folder
9
|
Henry Sotheran and Company
|
|
Box
9
Folder
10-21
|
Walter M. Hill - Bills, 1904-1933
|
|
Box
10
Folder
1-3
|
Walter M. Hill - Bills, 1936-1943
|
|
Box
10
Folder
4-8
|
Walter M. Hill - Correspondence, 1904-1933
|
|
Box
10
Folder
9
|
Robert Riviere and Son
|
|
Box
10
Folder
10
|
Wilfred M. Voynich
|
|
Box
10
Folder
11
|
Frank Walters
|
|
Box
10
Folder
12
|
Wheldon and Wesley, Ltd.
|
|
Box
10
Folder
13
|
Catalogue Data (Books)
|
|
Box
10
Folder
14
|
Rare Book Catalogues
|
|
Box
10
Folder
15
|
Christmas and New Year Greetings
|
|
Box
10
Folder
16
|
Guest Book - Thordarson Library
|
|
Box
10
Folder
17
|
Clipping, 1931
|
|
|
Series: Rock Island
|
|
Box
10
Folder
18
|
Rock Island Historical Materials and State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1912-1918
|
|
Box
11
Folder
1
|
Account Book, 1926
|
|
Box
11
Folder
2
|
Specs for Buildings, Blueprints, Insurance Information
|
|
Box
11
Folder
3
|
Tom Guinen - Correspondence, 1913-1920
|
|
Box
11
Folder
4
|
Rock Island Correspondence, 1929-1944
|
|
Box
11
Folder
5
|
Rock Island Tax Receipts, et cetera
|
|
Box
11
Folder
6
|
Carving Tracings
|
|
Box
11
Folder
7
|
Rock Island - Editorial Mementos
|
|
Box
11
Folder
8
|
Guest Book - Rock Island
|
|
|
Series: Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company
|
|
Box
11
Folder
9
|
Correspondence, et cetera, 1912-1943
|
|
Box
11
Folder
10
|
Sympathy Letters, 1945
|
|
Box
12
Folder
1
|
Thordarson-Meissner TV Replacement Guide
|
|
Box
12
Folder
2
|
General and Cost Accounting Practice, 1929
|
|
Box
12
Folder
3
|
Catalogues, Manuals, et cetera
|
|
Box
12
Folder
4
|
Transformers
|
|
Box
12
Folder
5
|
Notebooks
|
|
|
Series: Photographs
|
|
Box
13
Folder
1
|
Photos - Family
|
|
|
Rock Island
|
|
Box
13
Folder
2
|
Rock Island Buildings
|
|
Box
13
Folder
3
|
Rock Island - General
|
|
Box
13
Folder
4
|
Rock Island, et cetera - Negatives
|
|
Box
13
Folder
5
|
Door County
|
|
Box
13
Folder
6
|
Washington Island
|
|
Box
13
Folder
7
|
The First Girls Part to Rock Island, 1927 September 7
|
|
Box
13
Folder
8
|
Photos from “Rock Island Correspondence”
|
|
Box
13
Folder
9
|
Rock Island - General
|
|
Box
14
Folder
1-5
|
Rock Island - General (continued)
|
|
Box
15
Folder
1
|
Pottawatomie Island Photo Book
|
|
|
Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company
|
|
Box
15
Folder
2
|
Products
|
|
Box
16
Folder
1-3
|
Products
|
|
Box
17
Folder
1-2
|
Products
|
|
Box
17
Folder
3
|
Products - Colored Photos
|
|
Box
17
Folder
4-5
|
Products
|
|
Box
18
Folder
1-3
|
Products - Colored Photos
|
|
Box
18
Folder
4
|
Electric Manufacturing Company - Interior
|
|
Box
18
Folder
5
|
Photos of Books
|
|
Box
18
Folder
6
|
Army-Navy Production Award - Thordarson Lake Shore Club, 1943 April 20
|
|
Box
19
Folder
1
|
Rock Island Map Glass negative
|
|
Box
19
Folder
2
|
St. Martin Island Map Glass negative
|
|
Oversize Folder
|
Thordarson Direct Current Transformer
|
|
Oversize Folder
|
Large Photographs
|
|
M2011-060
|
Part 8 (M2011-060): Additions, 1880-1944 0.7 cubic feet (2 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder), 338 photographs, and 65 negatives in 1 archives box and 2 negative boxes : Additions, 1880-1944, consisting of business and personal correspondence, notably with Gene McDonald of the Zenith Radio Corporation, poet Lárus Sigurjónsson, and Chicago Mayor William “Big Bill” Thompson. Also included are miscellaneous financial papers, Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company product booklets, and Thordarson's personal daybooks, and exposition programs. Photographs relate primarily to the construction of buildings on Rock Island, and glass plate negatives depict Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company products and some portraits.
|
|
Box
1
Folder
1
|
Correspondence with Booksellers, 1905 October-1944 October
|
|
|
Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Company
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
Correspondence, 1914-1921
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3
|
Products, 1916-1917
|
|
Box
1
Folder
4
|
Correspondence with War Production Board, 1915-1944
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
Expositions, 1904-1933
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6
|
Financial Papers, 1898-1944
|
|
|
Correspondence
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7
|
Family, 1901-1943English
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1
|
Family, 1880-1944Icelandic
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8
|
First School Teacher (Mrs. Marston), 1918-1922
|
|
Box
1
Folder
9
|
Friends, 1886-1943
|
|
Box
1
Folder
10
|
Gene McDonald, 1923-1947
|
|
Box
1
Folder
11
|
U.J. “Sport” Herrman, 1929-1939
|
|
Box
1
Folder
12
|
Mayor William Thompson, 1929-1938
|
|
Box
1
Folder
13
|
Travel Passports and Daybooks, 1911 August-1929 June
|
|
Box
2
Folder
2
|
Order of the Falcon, 1917-1941
|
|
Box
2
Folder
3
|
Poetry (Lárus Sigurjónsson and others), 1932-1941
|
|
Oversize Folder
|
Blueprints
|
|
|
Photographs
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1
|
Rock Island
|
|
Box
3
Folder
2
|
Boats
|
|
Box
3
Folder
3
|
Boathouse
|
|
Box
3
Folder
4
|
Dewey's House
|
|
Box
3
Folder
5
|
Friends and Guests
|
|
Box
3
Folder
6
|
Greenhouse
|
|
Box
3
Folder
7
|
Log Cabin Lodge
|
|
Box
3
Folder
8
|
Mayor Thompson's Cabin
|
|
Box
3
Folder
9
|
Other Buildings (Cookhouse, Machine Shed, et cetera)
|
|
Box
3
Folder
10
|
Stone Pillars
|
|
Box
3
Folder
11
|
Thordarson and Friends
|
|
Box
3
Folder
12
|
Thordarson's Library in Chicago
|
|
Box
4
|
Glass Plate Negatives
|
|
Box
5
|
Glass Plate Negatives and Acetate Negatives
|
|
|