Series: Background and Historical Information
Scope and Content Note: This series includes a scrapbook of obituaries about Singer, his controversial will, and the marriage of one of his twenty-four children; a ledger related in some way to Singer's assets in the company in 1876 and the D. Hawley register of payments made to Singer's heirs, 1878-1884; and some miscellaneous clippings concerning company history. Miscellaneous publications concerning Singer company history which are filed here were collected by researcher Robert Davies.

Scrapbook regarding I.M. Singer, estate and family, 1875-1907

Ledger regarding I. M. Singer estate, 1876

“D. Hawley” ledger regarding Singer estate, 1878-1884

Miscellaneous clippings regarding company history, 1895-1902

Miscellaneous publications regarding company history, undated

Series: Incorporation and Stock Records
Scope and Content Note: Incorporation records consist only of a 1951 charter and incorporation papers. Minutes of the board of directors which might logically be grouped here were received from the company only in microfilm format and are listed, as a result, as a part of the Singer unprocessed 1987 Additions.

Incorporation Records

Charter and by-laws, circa 1951
Note: Also incorporation papers, undated.

Stock Records

Stock purchase receipt book, 1863-1896

Stockholders, 1897-1898

Stockholders, 1920

Profitsharing plan ledger, 1926-1935

Stockholder account index, circa 1900

Dividend record books

Record book 2, 1885-1892

Record book 3, 1892-1896

Record book 4, 1896-1909

Record book 5, 1909-1913

Record book 6, 1913-1916

Miscellaneous lists of stock prices, undated

New York Management Committee minutes, 1885

Series: Outgoing Correspondence
Scope and Content Note: The outgoing correspondence is subdivided into four subseries: executive correspondence, administrative correspondence, correspondence of miscellaneous employees, and letterbooks of related companies. Except for a few incidental pages, this entire section was converted to 35mm microfilm with the support of a preservation grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the deteriorated originals destroyed.

Subseries: Executive Correspondence
Scope and Content Note

This section consists of letterbooks used by company presidents, vice-presidents, officers, and by others acting for them during their absences from the New York headquarters. Included are letterbooks of George McKenzie; miscellaneous pages from a series of early management correspondence; “management letterbooks” (a series apparently begun about the time of McKenzie's retirement), which incorporates letters from the presidencies of Bourne and Alexander; travelling letterbooks; special letterbooks; executive summaries; and personal letterbooks.

These letterbooks are indexed alphabetically by company, office, or individual name. Branch offices are usually designated in the indexes by city name. When they existed, indexes have been filmed preceding the volumes to which they relate. Access to this material is also facilitated by the fact that each letter was marked by Singer clerks to indicate the page numbers of the most recent and next letters addressed to the same correspondent. Within each category the volumes have been arranged by the volume number on the spine. In most cases this sequence reflected chronological order. If the volume number was missing because of deterioration of the binding, identification that was supplied by archivists based on internal evidence has been indicated in the list below by the use of brackets.

McKenzie correspondence
Scope and Content Note

For the period 1877-1885, McKenzie was vice-president. In the letterbooks of this period McKenzie articulated management decisions for domestic and foreign agents, commented on news from various offices, and gave directions and advice. S.A. Bennett, an attorney whose correspondence is also included here, handled legal and patent matters. (This correspondence is very similar to his activities documented in the LEGAL RECORDS described below.) Bennett also assumed McKenzie's correspondence when the latter was in Europe. Edward Clark, president of Singer during this time, appears only infrequently.

For the period 1885-1888, he was president. McKenzie appears infrequently in the correspondence of this period apparently because of the ill health which eventually resulted in his retirement in 1889. Instead, Bennett, Frederick G. Bourne, T.E. Hardenburgh, and Alexander McKenzie handled most of the correspondence with U.S. and foreign agents, offices, and factories. They also sent lengthy reports to McKenzie while he was traveling. The advice of U.S. agents common in this correspondence series includes suggestions on supervising branch managers, approval of proposed circulars, and settling of territorial disputes. McKenzie's final volume (only 45 pages) consists of letters of a more personal nature such as Christmas greetings and gifts. However, there is a detailed and relatively frank letter here discussing business with Vice-President William F. Procter and a letter to Edgar Allen expounding his personal philosophy.

Vol. 1: , 1877 April-1878 November

Vol. 2: , 1878 November-1879 April

Vol. 3: , 1879 August-1880 June

Vol. 4: , 1880 June-September

Vol. 5: , 1880 September-1881 March

Vol. 6: , 1881 March-September

Vol. 7: , 1881 September-1882 January

Vol. 8: , 1881 January-August

Vol. 9: , 1882 August-December

Vol. 10: , 1883 January-May

Vol. [11]: , 1883 May-October

Vol. [12]: , 1883 October-1884 February

Vol. 13: , 1884 February-May

Vol. 14: , 1884 May-November

Vol. [15]: , 1884 November-1885 February

Vol. 16: , 1885 February-July

Vol. [17]: , 1886 August-1888 February

Early management correspondence
Scope and Content Note: Filed here are some loose pages removed from their respective letterbooks by an unidentified Singer employee prior to donation to the Historical Society. These pages confirm the existence of a series of letterbooks probably dating from the 1860s and 1870s which is probably no longer in existence. One volume of this type was received intact by the Historical Society. This volume contains 1864 correspondence of Julius Voight, apparently a New York clerk, regarding orders and shipments, outstanding debts, and corrections required on weekly reports. A few letters of Inslee Hopper concerning more important management matters are also included. The loose pages have not been filmed.

Loose pages from missing letterbooks, 1860-1869

Voigt letterbook, 1863

Management Correspondence
Scope and Content Note

This correspondence is described below by chronological period.

Frederick G. Bourne, 1888-1893, President : This is Bourne's correspondence to U.S. and foreign agents, offices, and factories. S.A. Bennett again handled the correspondence while Bourne was on European trips, sending him detailed reports, while Charles Miller and T.E. Hardenburgh handled more routine matters.

Bourne, 1893-1899, President. (Douglas Alexander, second vice-president; Charles Miller, secretary; W.F. Procter, vice-president; E.W. Church and T.E. Hardenburgh, acting secretaries) : The correspondence of this period continues as above, except that it is increasingly directed to foreign agents and factories at Kilbowie, Glasgow, Podolsk, and Canada. Here Alexander handled executive correspondence while Bourne was abroad. After Bennett retired in 1894 Alexander assumed increasing responsibility for communication with American and foreign agents, offices, and factories.

Bourne, 1899-1905, President. (Alexander, second vice-president; Hardenburgh, treasurer; and Foster, personal secretary?) : This section is largely correspondence to foreign agents and offices containing executive decisions and advice on problems brought to the attention of the executive office via regular reports or other correspondence, with Foster signing routine matters.

Douglas Alexander, 1905-1924, President. (Foster and Hardenburgh, treasurer; Oscar Graham, assistant treasurer, eventually treasurer) : This is largely correspondence to foreign agents, offices, and factories. Alexander handles all correspondence pertaining to the direction of the branches abroad, and prior to 1915 his correspondence with Hamburg is especially detailed and extensive. There is evidence that the Hamburg office under W.S. Church supervised other European offices, a task which had earlier fallen to the London Office. In this section Foster handled brief acknowledgements, enclosures, and routine matters, while Hardenburgh and Graham answer inquiries regarding tax matters and other routine financial questions. These patterns of correspondence remain unchanged while Alexander was absent on European trips.

Vol. [1]: , 1885 July-1886 January

Vol. [2]: , 1886 January-August

Vol. [3]: , 1886 August-1887 May

Vol. [4]: , 1887 May-1888 May

Vol. [5]: , 1888 May-1889 June

Vol. [6]: , 1889 June-1891 May

Vol. [7]: , 1891 May-1893 May

Vol. [8]: , 1893 May-1895 December

Vol. [9]: , 1895 December-1897 September

Vol. [10]: , 1897 September-1898 Sept

Vol. [11]: , 1898 Sept-October

Vol. 12: , 1899 October-1900 July

Vol. 13: , 1900 July-1901 January

Vol. 14: , 1901 January-1901 November

Vol. 15: , 1901 November-1902 August

Vol. 16: , 1902 August-1903 January

Vol. 17: , 1903 January-1903 September

Vol. 18: , 1903 September-1904 January

Vol. 19: , 1904 January-1904 September

Vol. 20: , 1904 September-1905 February

Vol. 21: , 1905 February-1905 August

Vol. 22: , 1905 August-1906 January

Vol. 23: , 1906 January-1906 July

Vol. 24: , 1906 July-1906 December

Vol. 25: , 1906 December-1907 June

Vol. 26: , 1907 June-1907 October

Vol. 27: , 1907 October-1908 May

Vol. 28: , 1908 May-1908 November

Vol. 29: , 1908 November-1909 May

Vol. 30: , 1909 May-November

Vol. 31: , 1909 November-1910 August

Vol. 32: , 1910 August-1911 July

Vol. 33: , 1911 July-1912 November

Vol. 34: , 1912 November-1913 October

Vol. 35: , 1913 October-1914 August

Vol. 36: , 1914 August-1915 May

Vol. 37: , 1915 May-1916 September

Vol. 38: , 1916 September-1917 June

Vol. 39: , 1917 June-1918 February

Vol. 40: , 1918 February-December

Vol. 42: , 1919 December-1921 February

Vol. 43: , 1921 February-1922 July

Vol. 44: , 1922 July-1923 June

Vol. 45: , 1923 June-1924 June

Traveling Letterbooks
Scope and Content Note: This group of volumes consists of correspondence of Singer executives while abroad. Included are reports to New York offices and letters to various European agents and offices. During the period 1882-1884 McKenzie spent considerable time at Kilbowie, and his books contain references to construction of the new factory there. The volume dated August 29-September 22, 1885 contains four sets of minutes of the Kilbowie Factory. The traveling letterbooks of Douglas Alexander as second vice-president and F.G. Bourne as president (1896; 1897-1900) include pencil copies and drafts of outgoing correspondence. Some of Alexander's letters deal with periods when he was traveling in the United States.

McKenzie

Vol. 1: , 1879 December-1880 January

Vol. 2: , 1880 January-1880 February

Vol. 3: , 1880 February-April

Vol. [4]: , 1881 April-1881 May

1882 March-1882 April

1882 April-1882 June

1883 January-1883 February

1883 September-1883 October

1883 October-1883 November

Vol. 1: , 1884 May-1884 June

Vol. 2: , 1884 June-1884 July

Vol. 3: , 1884 July-1884 August

Vol. [4]: , 1884 September

Vol. 1: , 1885 June-1885 July

Vol. 2: , 1885 July-1885 August

Vol. 3: , 1885 August-1885 September

Vol. [4]: , 1885 September

Alexander

1896 May-October

1896 October-November

1897 May-June

1897 July-1898 May

1898 May-1899 April (pp. 101-149)

1899 April-May (pp. 151-208)

1899 May-1900,May (pp. 1-50)

1900 May-June (pp. 51-73)

Special Letterbooks
Scope and Content Note: Arranged here is outgoing correspondence from Singer executives, including Bourne, Alexander, C.C. Foster, Oscar Graham, and T.E. Hardenburgh. Except for their distinctive binding it was unclear what distinguished these volumes from the regular Management series. These books contain advice to American and foreign agents that is similar to the management letterbooks, but they also contain more references to stocks and dividends. Also, about 1917, Foster and Alexander begin to sign the correspondence as officers of the International Securities Corporation. They also sign under the name of the International Fidelity Insurance Company, Bourne and Company, and Hexigon Sewing Machine Company. Much of this correspondence is routine. In the last volume, most of the International Securities Corporation correspondence of Alexander, Foster, and Graham concerns stocks, investments, and dividends.

Vol. 1: , 1900 March-1902 September

Vol. 2: , 1902 September-1905 September

Vol. 3: , 1905 September-1907 July

Vol. 4: , 1907 July-1910 November

Vol. 5: , 1910 November-1917 May

Vol. 6: , 1917 June-1924 June

Executive Summaries
Scope and Content Note: These useful volumes contain abstracts of correspondence, both foreign and domestic, circulated to Singer executives for their information. Between 1892 and 1906 the series was a single chronological run, although there are many gaps in the SHSW holdings. Later there is a single volume for Bennett and separate volumes for correspondence concerning Russia and Wittenberg.

1892 October-1893 September

1893 September-1894 May

1894 May-December

1894 December-1895 July

1895 December-1896 May

1898 November-1899 December

1903 January-1904 January

1904 November-1905 November

1905 November-1906 December

Special summaries

1909, Bennett

1904-1914, Podolsk

1907-1911, Wittenberge

Personal Letterbooks
Scope and Content Note: Filed here is correspondence of several Singer executives to family members, friends, and other business associates and vice-presidents. Two volumes (1893-1896) of Bourne's correspondence contain letters regarding personal business matters (real estate, investments, and a stable of horses, etc.). There are only a few letters to family members, and even these are not of a true personal nature. Also included is a nineteen-page volume containing balance statements and disbursements of the Clark Family trust. Douglas Alexander's personal correspondence as vice-president and president, 1900-1924, consists of letters to acquaintances, family members, and other Singer executives. Topics treated include real estate, stock, home improvements, employment of servants, and some matters relating to Singer Manufacturing Company.

Bourne, F.G.

Vol. 135: , 1893 May-1896 July

1898-1902, Clark Trust

Alexander

Vol. 1: , 1900 January-1909 July

Vol. 2: , 1909 September-1924 June

Subseries: Administrative Correspondence

General Correspondence
Scope and Content Note

This main section of the OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE consists of letters to domestic and foreign agents, factories, and others regarding invoices, payments, shipments of orders, territorial disputes between agents, accounting transactions between offices, prices, inventories, and business reports. Although similar to the executive correspondence, these letters are more routine and generally consist of matters handled by clerks and lower level company employees. This material is described below by chronological period.

1872-1876 : During this period J. Hewlett handled routine correspondence regarding shipments, orders, and monetary transactions, while Inslee Hopper appears only occasionally. George E. Bacon and S.F. Allen, who also appear in the correspondence, were Singer clerks.

1876-1885 : Here T.E. Hardenburgh replaced Hewlett and S.A. Bennett assumed Hopper's functions while Bennett also handled patent matters (as in the LEGAL RECORDS). C.S. Groesbeck handled correspondence concerning shipping details, including freight rates and routes. In general, the correspondence in these volumes is even more routine than in the previous set, and it includes whole sections of credit and debit notes and listings of lease accounts for the various regional offices. Much of the remaining correspondence consists of brief acknowledgments and statements. Other clerks whose functions are documented are Bacon and Hugh Cheyne.

1886-1889 : Letters from this period are missing.

1889-1901 : While the volumes of this period continue the routine correspondence to U.S. agents, offices, and factories regarding shipping, orders, invoices, credits, and debits, there are also more important matters such as general circulars, advice to agents, and decisions in disputes between offices. Hardenburgh and E.W. Church shared routine responsibilities here, while Alexander appears in some correspondence with agents in Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. His correspondence with London is particularly extensive. After 1898, Alexander also commented on reports from European agents as well as those from Capetown, Paris, and Bombay, although he appears less frequently after 1900 when he took over the executive correspondence. S.A. Bennett appears in this section with regard to some general management and patent-related correspondence, although he does not appear after September, 1893.

1901-1905 : The content here is similar to the above material, with E.D. Cummings handling more important decisions, Mark Dunnell handling patent matters, and J. Laird Busk noting technical problems with reports.

1905-1911 : The emphasis during this period shifts to foreign offices regarding shipments, response to inquiries from outside individuals and companies, and matters of construction and building maintenance. There are also large amounts of correspondence between Charles P. Coleman and Ernest Flagg, chief architect of the Singer Building and subsequent additions and alterations to the building, regarding construction details. By 1908, this series is almost exclusively concerned with construction. Oscar Graham handled the tax matters that are documented here.

Loose pages from missing letterbooks, 1869-1872

Vol. [51]: , 1872 December-1873 March

Vol. [52]: , 1873 March-1873 June

Vol. [53]: , 1873 June-1873 October

Vol. [54]: , 1873 October-1873 December

Vol. [55]: , 1874 January-1874 March

Vol. 56: , 1874 March-1874 June

Vol. [57]: , 1874 June-1874 September

Vol. 58: , 1874 September-1874 December

Vol. 59: , 1874 December-1875 March

Vol. 60: , 1875 March-1875 May

Vol. 61: , 1875 May-1875 August

Vol. [62]: , 1875 August-1875 November

Vol. 63: , 1875 November-1876 January

Vol. 64: , 1876 January-1876 March

Vol. 65: , 1876 March-1876 June

Vol. 66: , 1876 June-1876 September

Vol. 67: , 1876 September-1876 December

Vol. 68: , 1876 December-1877 March

Vol. 69: , 1877 March-1877 July

Vol. 70: , 1877 July-1877 November

Vol. [71]: , 1877 November-1878 February

Vol. [72]: , 1878 February-1878 June

Vol. [73]: , 1878 June-1878 November

Vol. [74]: , 1878 November-1879 March

Vol. [75]: , 1879 March-July

Vol. [76]: , 1879 July-November

Vol. [77]: , 1879 November-1880 January

Vol. [78]: , 1880 February-April

Vol. [79]: , 1880 April-July

Vol. [80]: , 1880 July-October

Vol. 81: , 1880 October-December

Vol. 82: , 1880 December-1881 February

Vol. 83: , 1881 February-May

Vol. [84]: , 1881 May-July

Vol. [85]: , 1881 July-September

Vol. [86]: , 1881 September-December

Vol. 87: , 1881 December-1882 February

Vol. [88]: , 1882 February-May

Vol. [89]: , 1882 May-July

Vol. 90: , 1882 July-September

Vol. [91]: , 1882 September-November

Vol. 92: , 1882 November-1883 January

Vol. 93: , 1883 January-April

Vol. 94: , 1883 April-July

Vol. 95: , 1883 July-October

Vol. 96: , 1883 October-1884 January

Vol. 97: , 1884 January-April

Vol. 98: , 1884 April-June

Vol. 99: , 1884 April-October

Vol. 100: , 1884 October-1885 February

Vol. 101: , 1885 March-July

Vol. 102: , 1885 July-September

, 1885 January-August (Groesbeck)

1885 September-November

1885 November-1886 January

1886 January-February

1890 March-April

Vol. 126: , 1890 March-1891 June

Vol. 127: , 1891 June-1892 March

Vol. 128: , 1892 March-September

Vol. 129: , 1892 September-1893 March

Vol. 130: , 1893 March-September

Vol. 131: , 1893 September-1894 February

Vol. 132: , 1894 February-July

Vol. 133: , 1894 July-December

Vol. 134: , 1894 December-1895 May

Vol. 135: , 1895 May-August

Vol. 136: , 1895 August-December

Vol. 137: , 1895 December-1896 March

Vol. 138: , 1896 March-July

Vol. 139: , 1896 July-November

Vol. 140: , 1896 November-1897 March

Vol. 141: , 1897 March-July

Vol. 142: , 1897 July-December

Vol. 143: , 1897 December-1898 April

Vol. 144: , 1898 April-October

Vol. 145: , 1898 October-1899 February

Vol. 146: , 1899 February-July

Vol. 147: , 1899 July-November

Vol. 148: , 1899 November-1900 April

Vol. 149: , 1900 April-October

Vol. 150: , 1900 October-1901 March

Vol. 151: , 1901 March-July

Vol. 152: , 1901 July-November

Vol. 153: , 1901 November-1902 April

Vol. 154: , 1902 April-September

Vol. 155: , 1902 September-1903 January

Vol. 156: , 1903 January-May

Vol. 157: , 1903 May-October

Vol. 158: , 1903 October-1904 January

Vol. 159: , 1904 January-July

Vol. 160: , 1904 July-December

Vol. 161: , 1904 December-1905 June

Vol. 162: , 1905 June-1906 March

Vol. 163: , 1906 March-October

Vol. 164: , 1906 October-February

Vol. 165: , 1907 February-March

Vol. 166: , 1907 March-July

Vol. 167: , 1907 July-October

Vol. 168: , 1907 October-1908 January

Vol. 169: , 1908 February-April

Vol. 170: , 1908 April-July

Vol. 171: , 1908 July-October

Vol. 172: , 1908 October-1909 February

Vol. 173: , 1909 February-1910 January

Vol. 174: , 1910 January-1911 November

“A Series,” 1907-1915
Scope and Content Note: The purpose of this small section is not clear. It briefly parallels the administrative correspondence, but it also contains three volumes of different material--the cables of C.C. Foster. The cables, which are filmed in chronological order rather than according to the spine number, are coded and translated, and chiefly addressed to foreign offices. Most concern shipments; prices for machines and parts; acknowledgments of checks, reports, and orders; and international bank transfers.

Vol. 166A: , 1907 March-December

Vol. 167A: , 1907 December-1908 August

Vol. 168A: , 1908 August-1909 August

Vol. 170A: Cables 1, 1911 January-1915 August

Vol. 169A: Cables 2, 1915 August-1919 September

Vol. 176?: Cables 3, 1919 September-1924 July

Vol. 171A: , 1917 February-1918 May

Vol. 175?: , 1918 June-1924 May

Reports and Construction, 1890-1904
Scope and Content Note: This section of the OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE consists of correspondence from T.E. Hardenburgh and E.W. Church to Singer agents and offices in the U.S. regarding consignments and business reports. The content is extremely routine, chiefly concerning technical errors in reporting and problems with machines on consignment. The correspondence in this series was initially handled by Hardenburgh and then gradually assumed by Church. At the end of the section is a volume primarily consisting of correspondence with Bombay, Capetown, and Kilbowie and a volume similar to the general reports and construction series, but which was not part of the prevailing numbering sequence for that group.

Vol. 125: , 1889 December-1890 September

Vol. 126: , 1890 September-1891 February

Vol. 127: , 1891 February-August

Vol. 128: , 1891 August-December

Vol. 129: , 1891 December-1892 March

Vol. 130: , 1892 March-June

Vol. 131: , 1892 June-November

Vol. 132: , 1892 November-1893 March

Vol. [133]: , 1893 March-July

Vol. 134: , 1893 July-December

Vol. 135: , 1893 December-1894 April

Vol. 136: , 1894 April-October

Vol. 137: , 1894 October-1895 April

Vol. 138: , 1895 April-1896 February

Vol. 139: , 1896 February-May

Vol. 140: , 1896 May-September

Vol. 141: , 1896 September-1897 February

Vol. 142: , 1897 February-September

Vol. 143: , 1897 September-1898 March

Vol. 144: , 1898 March-August

Vol. 145: , 1898 August-1899 April

Vol. 146: , 1899 April-1900 February

Vol. 147: , 1900 February-1901 April

Vol. 148: , 1901 April-1902 January

Vol. 149: , 1902 January-November

Vol. 150: , 1902 November-1903 June

Vol. 151: , 1903 June-1904 February

1898-1903 (Bombay, Capetown, Kilbowie reports by Church/Hardenbaugh)

1902 March 28-1904 January 27

Subseries: Letterbooks of Miscellaneous Employees
Scope and Content Note

This section of the OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE consists of letterbooks created by Singer employees which did not fit into the other series of outgoing correspondence. These volumes are arranged alphabetically by employee name.

Perhaps the most important are the travelling letterbooks of John Mitchell, the head of Singer's London office. These volumes consist of letters written while on inspection trips in Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Lyon, etc. Also notable is a volume which includes 1851 correspondence of Singer's little-known New York partner (Barzillan Ransom) and 1853-1854 correspondence of two employees (Richard and Burgess), whose precise positions within the company are not clear. This volume was greatly deteriorated due to water damage, and it was difficult to microfilm satisfactorily. Because of the rarity of correspondence from this period in company history this volume was not destroyed after filming. Also grouped here is a book of letters (1874-1878) of George E. Bacon sent to agents regarding discrepancies in sales, suggestions for better results, and general advice on improved management, and a letterbook of C.S. Groesbeck, another New York clerk. (The Bacon volume is similar to material in the INCOMING CORRESPONDENCE.)

Bacon, George E., 1874 June-1878 December

Brown, George T., Letterbooks and loose pages, 1898-1905

Graham, Oscar R., 1890-1893 January

Mitchell, John

Synopses, 1894 September-1896 May

“Private letterbooks”

1894 May-September

1894 September-1895 July

1895 August-1896 January

1896 January-1897 May

New York, 1896 February-1897 October

“Home use,” 1896 January-1897 January

Ransom/Richard/Burgess New York letterbook, 1851-1854

Original volume

Microfilm copy

Subseries: Letterbooks of Related Companies
Scope and Content Note: This section of the OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE incorporates miscellaneous correspondence of Singer's subsidiary corporations and companies taken over by Singer. These volumes are arranged alphabetically by company name and chronologically thereunder.

Bourne & Co. Ltd. (South Africa), 1902 April-September
Scope and Content Note: The correspondence of Bourne and Company, Ltd., Singer's South African subsidiary, 1902-1920, consists of outgoing correspondence of Douglas Alexander, C.C. Foster, Coleman, and E.W. Church. These letters are primarily routine acknowledgements and routine financial inquiries. The final item in the volume is a report concerning business conditions in the Middle East in 1920.

Mathison Button Company (Boston), 1892? March-1894? May

National Sewing Machine Company
Scope and Content Note: The National Machine Company letters refer to a manufacturer of buttonhole machines which were mounted on Singer sewing machine heads and sold by Singer as the exclusive agent. The correspondence appears to relate almost entirely to the business this company did with Singer. Although the volumes may relate to two types of correspondence (one containing routine matters and the other containing letters of greater importance) the holdings are not sufficiently complete to establish the fact. As a result, the volumes are arranged together chronologically by beginning date.

Vol. 1: , 1887 February-1888 March

Vol. 2: , 1887 September-1889 March

Vol. 3: , 1888 November-1899 April

Vol. 4: , 1888 August-1899 December

Vol. 5: , 1889 December-1890 September

Vol. 6: , 1891 June-1892 December 2

Vol. 7: , 1892 August-1893 August

Vol. 8: , 1893 April-December

Singer Sewing Machine Company, Management letters Vol. 1, 1903 June-1924 January
Scope and Content Note: This volume of correspondence of the Singer Sewing Machine Company contains outgoing letters of Douglas Alexander, C.C. Foster, and Oscar Graham from the Singer office at New York to agents around the world and to other companies and individuals. Alexander signs these letters as president. The correspondence is weighted toward U.S. agents and primarily deals with prices, policies, shipments, and patents.

Wheeler & Wilson
Scope and Content Note: The Wheeler and Wilson Company correspondence consists of two volumes, 1905-1907, from the period after Singer had assumed control, together with one isolated volume from an earlier time. In the later volumes is outgoing correspondence of Douglas Alexander, circa Coleman, Oscar Graham, and C.C. Foster to Singer agents abroad, patent lawyers, and various other individuals and companies. Douglas Alexander signs these letters as president, with Coleman and Foster as secretary and Graham as treasurer of Wheeler and Wilson Company. The letters deal largely with patent and trademark matters, shipments, arrangements with agents abroad, and contracts with other companies.

1873 November-1874 May

1905 December-1906 July

1906 July-1907 August

Series: Incoming Correspondence
Scope and Content Note: The INCOMING CORRESPONDENCE, which consists entirely of material received in Singer's New York offices, is divided into unbound letters, bound letterbooks, and a few miscellaneous items. The letterbooks exist only on microfilm. The bound and unbound sections of the incoming correspondence contain similar material, and there is no evidence from either external or internal sources to explain the existence of the two apparently parallel files.

Subseries: Unbound correspondence
Scope and Content Note

Unbound correspondence is subdivided into domestic and foreign files, with the domestic portion further subdivided into agency files and general files. The agency files are then arranged alphabetically by office name, with the majority of the files pertaining to central branches. For New York City, there are separate files on the City Agency, the County Agency, the Art Department of the City Agency, and the Manufacturers' Agency. In addition, this section contains correspondence from the Elizabethport and South Bend factories. (The latter also contains some material concerning the establishment of a factory at Cairo, Illinois.)

For each agency the files document only the period from the 1880s to the early 1900s. In general, the correspondence of the 1880s deals with policy, while the later files concern more routine matters. (Weeded from the files were very routine correspondence concerning accounting, problems with individual machines, personnel matters, legal transfers, and office rentals; however, correspondence concerning personnel problems, general trade conditions, occasional labor difficulties, charitable contributions, salary increases, district boundary changes, sales statistics, local legal matters in which the company was involved, and legislation has been retained.) Unfortunately, material forwarded to the New York office (such as subagencies correspondence and reports) are generally not included. Taken as a whole, however, these files provide an excellent source for examining the domestic business climate in which Singer operated during the later part of the 19th century and the manner in which policy and fiscal information flowed within the corporate structure.

Domestic
Scope and Content Note: The unbound general domestic correspondence is arranged chronologically, and it covers the period 1851 to 1915 although the majority of the files cover the period from the late 1880s to the late 1890s. Although there is some overlap with other incoming correspondence elsewhere in the collection, the majority of these letters come from people who are not employees of the Singer Company.

Agencies

Albany, 1875-1888, 1895, 1897

Atlanta, 1875-1889, 1895, 1903-1904

Baltimore

1851-1852, Office Account

1875-1889, 1890, 1892

1891-1898

Boston

1876, 1879-1885

1886-1895

1898-1904

Brooklyn, 1885-1894, 1896-1900

Cairo, 1882, 1886-1887

Chicago

1867-1872, Property

1875-1886

1887-1890

1891-1892, III

1892, IV-1894, III

1895-1896, II

1896, III-VI

1897, I-III

1897, IV-V

1898-1899

1900-1904

Cincinnati

1875-1892

1893-1896

1897-1901

Dallas, 1886-1896

Denver

1880-1888

1889-1894

1895-1898, I

1898, II

1899-1901

Detroit, 1876-1888, 1894

Elizabethport

1874, 1879-1885, Minutes

1885-1892, I

1892, II

1893-1895

1896-1897, I

1897, II

1898, I-II

1898, III-V

1899, I-IV

1899, V-VI

1900-1904

Galveston, 1874-1896

Houston, 1873

Indianapolis

1875-1897

1898-1901

Little Rock, 1880-1891

Memphis, 1876

Milwaukee

1875-1892

1893-1898, I

1898, II

1899-1901

Nashville, 1879-1890, 1895

New Haven, 1880-1888

New Orleans

1875-1887

1888-1892, II

1892, III-1896, I

1896, II-1904

New York City

1884-1901

1890-1895, Art Department

1895-1896, Weekly Lease Reports

1890-1901, Manufacturers Agency

New York Country

1888-1899, I

1899, II-1900

Newark, 1876

Newburgh, 1880-1897

Oakland, 1890

Philadelphia

1874-1892

1893-1898, I

1898, II-1904

Pittsburgh

1879-1892

1893-1899

1904

Providence, 1883-1897

Richmond

1879-1891, I

1891, II-1895, I

1895, II-1896 III

1896, IV-1898

1899-1904

Rochester

1880-1885

1886-1896, I

1896, II-1898

1895-1897, One Dollar Weekly Lease

St. Louis Reports

1875-1892, I

1892, II-1896, II

1896, III-1900

1901

San Antonio, 1882-1897

San Francisco

1880-1891

1892-1896

1898-1905

South Bend

1881-1890

1891-1912

Syracuse, 1889

Utica, 1880-1889

Washington, D.C., 1881-1895

Miscellaneous subagents' correspondence

1873-1887

1888-1900

General Files

1851-1869

1870-1880

1881-1883

1884-1885

1886

1887-1888, III

1888, IV-1890, II

1890, III-1891

1892

1893

1894, I-III

1894, IV-1895

1895-1897, I

1897, II-1898

1899-1903

1904

1904 World's Fair

1904 World's Fair, continued

1905-1914

Undated

Foreign Correspondence
Scope and Content Note: The unbound foreign correspondence is arranged alphabetically by country or city. These files contain not only letters from employees but also letters from a few individuals who were not Singer employees who happened to reside in the country in question. Also included is some correspondence to or from Singer executives while visiting abroad. The files vary considerably in extent and completeness, but they generally represent the far-flung Singer empire. Correspondence is often more interesting during the earlier years when the nature of overseas relationships were being developed. By the 1890s the files include many more routine matters, although the most routine of the letters (generally those containing information eventually posted in the financial records) have been weeded. The most extensively documented foreign agencies include Australia, Canada, Hamburg, Germany, Scotland, London, Russia, and Spain. There is some overlap between this section and the type of material within the foreign files in the LEGAL RECORDS.

Amsterdam, 1882-1892

Argentina, 1879-1908

Australia

1880-1883

1884-1886

1887-1894, II

1894, III-1909

Belgium

1881-1891

, 1892-1898 (and monthly reports)

1899-1909

Brazil

1883-1892

Letterbook pages, circa 1892-1893

1893

Canada

1864-1881

1882-1888

, 1888 Notes

, 1889-1900 (and circular letters)

1901-1904

Chile, 1880-1886, 1904

China (and Japan), 1884-1888

Columbia, 1879-1888

Cuba, 1863, 1880-1892

Ecuador, 1879-1883

Egypt, 1882-1898

Geneva, 1880-1909

Hamburg, Germany

1874-1877

1880-1892

1893-1895

1896

1896, Correspondence extracts

1897-1899

1900-1909

Sample forms

India

1881-1883

1887-1909

Dealers catalogues

Ireland, 1880-1897

Italy, 1860-1904

Kilbowie (and Glasgow)

1868-1880

1881-1883

1884-1887

1888-1899

Extracts, 1899

1900

List of cabinet work, 1900

1901

1902-1915

Strike clippings, 1909

London

Correspondence and reports

1870-1880

1881-1883, II

1883, III-1885

, 1885 Financial reports

1886-1888

1889-1891

1892-1894, II

1894, III-1896, II

1896, III-1898, II

1898, III

, 1898 Form lb

1899

1899, Form lb

1900-1911

1900-1902, Form lb

Minutes, London Managing Committee, 1882-1887

Sample forms

Lists of branches in Great Britain and Ireland

Mexico

1879-1895

1896-1904

Para, 1881-1893

Paris

1854-1890

1891-1905

Philippines, 1887

Russia (See also Hamburg)

1897-1907

1908-1913, undated

South Africa, 1882-1905

Spain

1879-1891

, 1895 Agent information forms

1898-1909

Venezuela, 1883-1894

Miscellaneous foreign correspondence

Miscellaneous statistics for foreign activities

Subseries: Bound Letterbooks
Scope and Content Note: All of the bound correspondence within the INCOMING CORRESPONDENCE has been microfilmed, and the originals destroyed. Each volume was filmed in its original order, which was arrangement by date of receipt in New York City rather than the date on which the letter was written. As a result, many volumes contain overlapping coverage. Where indexes existed, they have been filmed preceding the volume to which they relate. These letterbooks are arranged into general and foreign sections.

General
Scope and Content Note: The general category contains letters received in New York during the period December, 1861 to 1879. Prior to March, 1869 the files contain letters from both foreign and domestic sources; after that date the foreign letters were separately filed. The general section contains letters from agents, offices, factories, and customers concerning orders, shipments, repairs, prices, employment, and other financial matters. Most letters are routine in content, but there are occasional items of greater interest such as activity reports from agents and employees, discussions of local business conditions, and offers of new inventions. A few scattered letters addressed specifically to Inslee Hopper and Edward Clark may be found in this section.

Vol. 1: , 1861 December 31-1862 January 21

Vol. 2: , 1862 January 21-February 7

Vol. 3: , 1862 February 7-March 4

Vol. 4: , 1862 March 4-22

Vol. 5: , 1862 March 22-May 5

Vol. 6: , 1862 May 5-June 11

Vol. 7: , 1862 June 11-July 14

Vol. 8: , 1862 July 14-August 27

Vol. 9: , 1862 August 27-October 8

Vol. 10: , 1862 September 20-November 5

Vol. 11: , 1862 November 7-November 28

Vol. 12: , 1862 December 5-1863 January 8

Vol. 13: , 1863 January 5-February 16

Vol. 14: , 1863 February 9-March 21

Vol. 15: , 1863 March 11-April 29

Vol. 16: , 1863 April 21-May 27

Vol. 17: , 1863 May 20-June 22

Vol. 18: , 1863 June 21-July 30

Vol. 19: , 1863 July 29-September 9

Vol. 20: , 1863 September 1-October 5

Vol. 21: Missing

Vol. 22: , 1863 October 27-November 27

Vol. 23: , 1863 November 23-December 18

Vol. 24: , 1863 December 16-1864 January 20

Vol. 25: , 1864 January 21-February 15

Vol. 26: , 1864 February 6-March 8

Vol. 27: , 1864 March 7-April 7

Vol. 28: , 1864 April 5-25

Vol. 29: , 1864 April 19-May 31

Vol. 30: , 1864 May 23-June 28

Vol. 31: , 1864 June 24-July 23

Vol. 32: , 1864 July 2-September 5

Vol. 33: , 1864 July 24-October 8

Vol. 34: , 1864 September 23-November 25

Vol. 35: , 1864 November 18-December 28

Vol. 36: , 1864 October 26-1865 February 3

Vol. 37: , 1865 February 1-March 13

Vol. 38: , 1865 February 11-April 21

Vol. 39: , 1865 April 22-May 17

Vol. 40: , 1865 May 20-June 25

Vol. 41: , 1865 June 22-July 29

Vol. 42: , 1865 July 25-August 17

Vol. 43: , 1865 July 29-September 8

Vol. 44: , 1865 September 7-October 10

Vol. 45: , 1865 October 13-November 4

Vol. 46: , 1865 November 8-25

Vol. 47: , 1865 November 25-December 12

Vol. 48: , 1865 November 18-1866 January 10

Vol. 49: , 1866 January 15-February 9

Vol. 50: , 1866 February 10-March 6

Vol. 51: , 1866 March 1-23

Vol. 52: , 1866 March 20-April 18

Vol. 53: , 1866 April 5-May 17

Vol. 54: , 1866 May 12-June 9

Vol. 55: , 1866 May 28-June 15

Vol. 56: , 1866 June 20-July 23

Vol. 57: , 1866 July 12-August 10

Vol. 58: , 1866 August 10-September 8

Vol. 59: , 1866 September 1-22

Vol. 60: , 1866 September 20-October 18

Vol. 61: , 1866 October 10-November 2

Vol. 62: , 1866 October 22-November 26

Vol. 63: , 1866 November 10-December 17

Vol. 64: , 1866 December 15-1867 January 28

Vol. 65: , 1866 November 24-1867 January 18

Vol. 66: , 1867 February 11-18

Vol. 67: , 1867 February 19-March 25

Vol. 68: , 1867 March 25-April 24

Vol. 69: , 1867 April 24-May 15

Vol. 70: , 1867 May 11-June 4

Vol. 71: , 1867 June 4- 27

Vol. 72: , 1867 June 20-July 26

Vol. 73: , 1867 August 8-21

Vol. 74: , 1867 August 23-September 13

Vol. 75: , 1867 September 13-October 16

Vol. 76: , 1867 October 17-26

Vol. 77: , 1867 October 25-December 3

Vol. 78: , 1867 December 3-23

Vol. 79: , 1867 December 21-1868 January 13

Vol. 80: , 1868 January 6-February 1

Vol. 81: , 1868 February 3-28

Vol. 82: , 1868 February 6-March 13

Vol. 83: , 1868 March 12-7

Vol. 84: , 1868 April 6-27

Vol. 85: , 1868 April 13-May 26?

Vol. 86: , 1868 May 9-June 16

Vol. 87: , 1868 June 2-30

Vol. 88: , 1868 June 27-July 15

Vol. 89: , 1868 July 14-August 11

Vol. 90: , 1868 August 14-September 7

Vol. 91: , 1868 September 10-check this

Vol. 92: , 1868 September 16-October 10

Vol. 93: , 1868 October 16-November 9

Vol. 94: , 1868 October 28-November ?check

Vol. 95: , 1868 November 20-December 15

Vol. 96: , 1868 December 15-1869 January 8

Vol. 97: , 1869 January 12-February 8

Vol. 98: , 1869 February 20-March 4

Vol. 99: , 1869 February 26-March 17

Vol. 100: , 1869 March 12-April 6

Vol. 101: , 1869 March 4-April 26

Vol. 102: , 1869 April 26-May 17

Vol. 103: , 1869 May 17-June 7

Vol. 104: , 1869 June 8-July 2

Vol. 105: , 1869 July 2-23

Vol. 106: , 1869 June 29-1869 August 9

Vol. 107: , 1869 August 10-September 3

Vol. 108: , 1869 April 3-September 20

Vol. 109. 1869-September 15-October 11

Vol. 110: , 1869 August 12-October 30

Vol. 111: , 1869 November 1-15

Vol. 112: , 1869 November 19-December 4

Vol. 113: , 1869 December 4-18

Vol. 114: , 1869 December 24-1870 January 14

Vol. 115: , 1870 January 15-30

Vol. 116: , 1870 February 5-25

Vol. 117: , 1870 March 2-15

Vol. 118: , 1870 March 5-April 2

Vol. 119: , 1870 April 7-21

Vol. 120: , 1870 April 23-May 9

Vol. 121: , 1870 May 3-23

Vol. 122: , 1870 May 25-31

Vol. 123: , 1870 June 6-23

Vol. 124: , 1870 June 22-July 11

Vol. 125: , 1870 July 15-22

Vol. 126: , 1870 August 1-121

Vol. 127: , 1870 August 11-29

Vol. 128: , 1870 August 30-September 14

Vol. 129: , 1870 August 31-September 30

Vol. 130: , 1870 September 28-August 8

Vol. 131: , 1870 October 14-22

Vol. 132: , 1870 October 31-November 17

Vol. 133: , 1870 November 16-24

Vol. 134: , 1870 December 5-12

Vol. 135: , 1870 December 21-1871 January 11

Vol. 136: , 1871 January 9-31

Vol. 137: , 1871 January 28-February 15

Vol. 138: , 1871 February 17-25

Vol. 139: , 1871 March 4-20

Vol. 140: , 1871 March 20-31

Vol. 141: , 1871 April 3-15

Vol. 142: , 1871 April 22-May 8

Vol. 143: , 1871 May 6-17

Vol. 144: , 1871 May 24-June 7

Vol. 145: , 1871 June 7-21

Vol. 146: , 1871 June 20-July 6

Vol. 147: , 1871 July 3-18

Vol. 148: , 1871 July 13-19

Vol. 149: , 1871 July 31-August 10

Vol. 150: , 1871 August 10-24

Vol. 151: , 1871 August 23-September 6

Vol. 152: , 1871 September 7-21

Vol. 153: , 1871 September 22-October 10

Vol. 154: Missing

Vol. 155: , 1871 October 19-November 4

Vol. 156: , 1871 October 28-November 23

Vol. 157: , 1871 November 16-December 5

Vol. 158: , 1871 November 18-December 22

Vol. 159: , 1871 December 21-1872 January 8

Vol. 160: , 1872 January 12-27

Vol. 161: , 1872 January 22-February 8

Vol. 162: , 1872 February 8-28

Vol. 163: , 1872 February 21-March 12

Vol. 164: Missing

Vol. 165: , 1872 March 28-April 8?

Vol. 166: , 1872 April 3-23

Vol. 167: , 1872 April 11-May 4

Vol. 168: , 1872 May 6-17

Vol. 169: , 1872 April 1-June 6

Vol. 170: , 1872 June 5-18

Vol. 171: , 1872 June 18-29

Vol. 172: , 1872 July 5-13

Vol. 173: , 1872 July 13-18

Vol. 174: , 1872 August 2-17

Vol. 175: , 1872 August 15-27

Vol. 176: , 1872 August 20-September 10

Vol. 177: , 1872 September 12-25

Vol. 178: , 1872 September 18-October 8

Vol. 179: , 1872 October 8-26

Vol. 180: , 1872 October 26-November 7

Vol. 181: , 1872 November 12-26

Vol. 182: , 1872 November 29-December 16

Vol. 183: , 1872 December 13-1873 January 3

Vol. 184: , 1873 January 2-11

Vol. 185: , 1873 January 6-February 6

Vol. 186: , 1873 February 6-18

Vol. 187: , 1873 February 22-March 1

Vol. 188: , 1873 March 4-12

Vol. 189: , 1873 March 24-29

Vol. 190: Missing

Vol. 191: , 1873 April 26-May 9

Vol. 192: , 1873 May 9-27

Vol. 193: , 1873 May 29-June 9

Vol. 194: , 1873 June 14-27

Vol. 195: , 1873 July 2-17

Vol. 196: , 1873 July 31-August 14

Vol. 197: , 1873 August 20-September 2

Vol. 198: , 1873 September 2-16 check Lees note

Vol. 199: , 1873 September 17-20

Vol. 200: , 1873 October 1-15

Vol. 201: , 1873 October 17-November 4

Vol. 202: , 1873 November 4-26

Vol. 203: , 1873 November 25-December 2

Vol. 204: , 1873 December 15-1874 January 5

Vol. 205: , 1874 January 7-24

Vol. 206: , 1874 January 23-February 14

Vol. 207: , 1874 February 16-March 5

Vol. 208: , 1874 March 7-14

Vol. 209: , 1874 March 23-April 7

Vol. 210: , 1874 April 6-21

Vol. 211: , 1874 April 23-May 11

Vol. 212: , 1874 May 9-26

Vol. 213: , 1874 May 27-June 13

Vol. 214: , 1874 June 12-July 2

Vol. 215: , 1874 July 2-20

Vol. 216: , 1874 July 16-August 7

Vol. 217: , 1874 August 7-22

Vol. 218: , 1874 August 18-September 10

Vol. 219: , 1874 September 7-October 1

Vol. 220: , 1874 September 28-October 17

Vol. 221: , 1874 October 17-November 3

Vol. 222: Missing

Vol. 223: , 1874 December 2-14

Vol. 224: , 1874 December 17-1875 January 11

Vol. 225: , 1875 January 7-27

Vol. 226: , 1875 February 3-18

Vol. 227: , 1875 February 20-March 13

Vol. 228: , 1875 March 13-April 2

Vol. 229: , 1875 March 31-April 21

Vol. 230: , 1875 April 10-May 1

Vol. 231: , 1875 May 10-May 16

Vol. 232: , 1875 May 25-June 10

Vol. 233: , 1875 June 15-July 1

Vol. 234: , 1875 June 26-July 13

Vol. 235: , 1875 July 17-August 7

Vol. 236: , 1875 August 7-26

Vol. 237: , 1875 September 1-20

Vol. 238: , 1875 September 20-October 2

Vol. 239: , 1875 October 5-19

Vol. 240: , 1875 October 12-November 8

Vol. 241: , 1875 November 5-27

Vol. 242: , 1875 November 29-December 15

Vol. 243: , 1875 December 18-1876 January 5

Vol. 244: , 1875 December 30-1876 January 19

Vol. 245: , 1876 January 3-February 1

Vol. 246: , 1876 January 21-February 11

Vol. 247: , 1876 February 18-26

Vol. 248: , 1876 March 4-21

Vol. 249: , 1876 March 20-April 10

Vol. 250: , 1876 April 8-27

Vol. 251: , 1876 April 26-May 10

Vol. 252: , 1876 April 24-May 27

Vol. 253: , 1876 May 26-June 14

Vol. 254: , 1876 June 11-22

Vol. 255: , 1876 July 1-August 7

Vol. 256: , 1876 August 7-21

Vol. 257: , 1876 September 14-October 12

Vol. 258: , 1876 October 12-November 14

Vol. 259: , 1876 November 14-December 21

Vol. 260: , 1876 December 19-1877 February 19

Vol. 261: , 1877 February 26-May 8

Vol. 262: , 1877 May 22-July 31

Vol. 263: , 1877 August 6-September 24

Vol. 264: , 1877 October 1-November 24

Vol. 265: , 1877 December 8-1878 February 4

Vol. 266: , 1878 February 16-April 20

Vol. 267: , 1878 April 26-July 10

Vol. 268: , 1878 July 3-September 18

Vol. 269: , 1878 September 28-November 30

Vol. 270: , 1878 December 5-1879 February 7

Foreign
Scope and Content Note: This section tends to be more detailed than the domestic correspondence. This correspondence often includes information on business conditions and local events such as trademark suits and the activities of competitors.

Vol. 1: , 1869 March 8-November 22

Vol. 2: , 1869 December 11-1870 September 6

Vol. 3: , 1870 September 2-1871 April 4

Vol. 4: , 1871 April 7-1872 April 6

Vol. 5: , 1872 April 20-1873 March 8

Vol. 6: , 1873 February 18?-1873 November 25

Vol. 7: , 1873 December 10-1874 May 19

Vol. 8: Missing

Vol. 9: , 1874 September 16-1875 February 8

Vol. 10: , 1875 February 19-July 24

Vol. 11: , 1875 July 31-December 6

Vol. 12: , 1875 December 15-1876 April 27

Vol. 13: , 1876 May 26-1877 January 13

Vol. 14: , 1876 December 23-1878 March 19

Vol. 15: , 1878 April 3-May 14

Miscellaneous Volumes
Scope and Content Note: This section of the INCOMING CORRESPONDENCE consists of several special volumes of letters addressed to George McKenzie; a volume of letters addressed to L.B. Miller, the superintendent of the Elizabethport factory; and a volume of letters written by George E. Bacon while he was engaged in work as a traveling examiner for the company. Within McKenzie's material the third volume contains many letters written to him by J.W. Seymour, who appears to have been a traveling examiner for the company before this position was formally established by the company. Seymour's letters have been collected to reconstruct the letterbooks in which they were originally written.

G.E. Bacon, 1874-1876

Supt. L.B. Miller, 1881-1884

McKenzie letterbooks

1874-1876

1876-1877

Seymour, J.W., Jr.

1878-1879 August

Loose pages from four letterbooks, 1879-1880

Series: Advertising and Publications
Scope and Content Note

This section consists of bound records, which are available only on microfilm, and four boxes of loose advertising material and company publications. The loose materials are an artificial (and very incomplete) series of items selected from locations throughout the collection either because of their visual quality or because the material had been published. Included are advertising brochures, price lists, examples of early Singer logos and symbols, drawings of Singer buildings, examples of advertising and letterheads issued by competitors and by illegal users of the Singer name, publications issued for their salesmen by several Singer branches, examples of sewing and artwork produced by various Singer machines, instructions (including a sheet pertaining to use of Singer's 1851 machine), photographic portraits of salesmen (circa 1895), blank forms used by the company, and duplicate copies of some forms retained for exhibit purposes. The nine microfilmed volumes of advertising correspondence consist of letters from agents, newspapers, journals, publishers, and printers to Singer executive offices concerning the terms available for advertising space and proposals for advertisements. Also included are copies of agreements on costs.

The nine microfilmed volumes of advertising correspondence consist of letters from agents, newspapers, journals, publishers, and printers to Singer executive offices concerning the terms available for advertising space and proposals for advertisements. Also included are copies of agreements on costs.

Subseries: Bound Records

1868 April 20-October 15

1868 June 8-1869 January 13

1869 October 2-April 21

1870 April 30-October 28

1870 December 24-1871 July 19

1871 July 15-1872 May 22

1872 September 27-1873 November 12

1874 December 9-1875 November 2

1874 August 29-1876 June 1

Subseries: Loose Material

British exhibit, 1887

Broadsides

Oversize

Brochures and price lists

Brochures for special machines

Catalogue for machines for manufacturers, 1896

Checks and Singer logos and symbols

Competitors' letterheads

Competitors' and users of Singer name, Advertising and publicity

Delinquent Department Register, 1891

Directories of central agencies and offices, 1901-1906

Exhibit material and duplicate items

Artifacts not wanted by museum

Export agency ads

Forms, 1861-1901, undated

Bonds and Agreements

Canvassing salesmen agreements

Chattel mortgages

Collecting and selling

Contracts

Agreements for hiring

Instructions and rules

Leases

Letters

Orders and sales slips

Reports, statements, and summaries of results

Miscellany

Instructions, 1851-1897

Miscellaneous advertising for Singer

Miscellaneous publications by Singer Company

Salesmen

Newsletters

Miscellaneous newsletters

Chicago Saturday Review, 1889-1891

Chicago Skirmish Line, 1890-1891

Chicago Weekly Hustler, 1891

Chicago miscellany

Cincinnati Review, 1891

Pittsburgh Record, 1890

St. Louis Salesman, 1889-1891

Salesmen's rules and miscellaneous publications

Oversize material

Miscellaneous district maps

Sewing machine products and services

Sewing samples

Singer Company buildings

Thread

World's Fair exhibit, 1904

Exhibit booth blueprint

Series: Subject Files
Scope and Content Note: These files, which include correspondence, reports, and documents of many types, are arranged alphabetically by topic. Included are application for positions letters, circular letters, examiners' reports, letter register, traveling notebooks, and war loss files.

Subseries: Application Letters

1896

1897-1899

Subseries: Circular letters
Scope and Content Note: The Circular Letters are mimeographed form letters sent by the New York office to the company's agents and local offices concerning policies and procedures. They cover the period from 1882 to 1904 and are arranged chronologically and sometimes numerically thereunder. Also included are similar files of circular letters issued by several branches for the years 1895, 1898, and 1900, all arranged alphabetically by branch. This section also includes a file, 1893-1901, of replies from local representatives.

1872-1894, New York circular

1895

New York

Branch circulars

1896-1900, New York circulars

1896, Branch circulars

1898

Baltimore-Chicago

Cincinnati-San Francisco

1900, Branch circulars

1901-1904, New York circulars

Index

Circulars

Replies to circular letters

1880-1897, I

1897, II-1899, 1901

Subseries: Examiners' Reports
Scope and Content Note: The Examiners' Reports consist of chronologically-arranged narrative reports, 1881-1891, from travelling representatives concerning accounting and operational conditions and problems at various branches and factories.

1881-1886

1887-1888

1888

1890-1891

1891

1894

1895

1896

1897

1897

1898

1900

Subseries: Letter Registers
Scope and Content Note: The Letter Registers are an incomplete run of volumes in which correspondence (primarily concerning orders) was logged. In the register is the letter number, correspondent, subject, and remittance amount; the 1878 volumes contain summaries of orders. The correspondence to which these volumes refer appears not to have been received by the Historical Society.

1878 January-May

1878 May-November

Register #14, 1900, February-1901 March

Register [#16], 1902 September-1904 May

Register #17, 1904 May-1907 April

Subseries: Traveling Notebooks
Scope and Content Note: The Traveling Notebooks contain notations made by Singer executives while visiting various European branches during the early twentieth century. Although the writer or writers of this material is not identified, the office referred to is clearly indicated.

1898-1906

1908-1928

Undated

Legal and financial notes, 1910-1938

Subseries: War Loss Files
Scope and Content Note: The War Loss Files constitute the large quantity of twentieth century documentation in the collection. These records document Singer's interests in Central Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, in Russia prior to and immediately following the Bolshevik Revolution, and in Japan and Germany during World War II. The provenance of these files is uncertain, but it is presumed they were used in attempts to recoup company losses as a result of wars and nationalization. The papers detail the political and economic situation of each nation at the time of the losses, and they are arranged alphabetically by country or geographic area. Substantial portions of the papers included with the Czech and Eastern European categories appear to be files which were originally part of the complicated recordkeeping system of the Paris Supervisory Office, which had significant responsibilities for local European agencies. These files were apparently transported to New York for use in the war claims litigation. The war losses files also include three folders of architectural drawings, elevations, and blueprints for construction and remodeling of company facilities in Prague, Warsaw, and Riga. Evidence suggests these files may also have been part of the Paris Supervisory Office files.

Czechoslovakia Files
Scope and Content Note: The Czechoslovakian Files, which consist of correspondence, legal records, and financial records, are subdivided into Paris and New York sections, with the former arranged into pre- and post-war categories. Within each category the material is arranged by file number. The pre-war records on the Singer Manufacturing Company's agency in Prague are dominated by the 1938 transfer of Sudeten territories to German control, annexation of the remaining Bohemia-Moravia provinces by Germany in 1939, and the transfer of Slovakia to Hungary. Three files of correspondence and legal material relate to the Aryan verifications to which the directors of the Prague agency had to submit and to the ways in which normal business was disrupted while other aspects of the business continued normally. The post-war Czech files document Singer's difficulties in a period of political upheaval with operations of some kind continuing despite nationalization. Correspondents of this period regularly complain about new laws that created work and employee councils, supply problems, and controls on capital.

Paris Office Files

Pre-War Files

A-41, Sales records and agency accounts, 1938-1939

A-41a, Cession of territories, 1938-1939

A-71, Year-end statements and inventories, 1938-1941

A-168, Miscellaneous invoices, inventories, and estimates, 1938-1939

A-231, Inventory and non-moving stocks, 1938

G-7, Trademark and patent business, 1938-1939

G-18, Transfers, deliveries, and complaints, 1937-1939

G-33, Re-organisation of agency, 1938-1939

G-33a, Transfer of Sudeten Territory to Germany, Hungary, and Poland, 1938-1939

G-55, Insurance, 1938-1939

G-64, Audits, 1938-1939

G-llla, Relations with Bata Shoe Company, 1938-1939

G-169, Real estate management, 1938-1939

G-204, Orders and shipments, 1938-1939

G-390, Singer service repairs, 1938-1939

G-390a, Singer service reports, 1937-1939

S-57, Competition, 1938-1939

S-66, Income taxes, 1937-1940

S-81, Prices and credit policies, 1938-1939

S-98, Legal matters, 1938-1939

Post-war files

A-6, Bookkeeping, reports, and remittances, 1947-1953

G-61, Organization, 1947-1951

G-62, Audits, 1947-1950

G-63, Orders, shipments, and stocks, 1947-1954

G-64, Manufacturing Trade Department, 1947-1949

G-65, Parts, needles, and accessories repairs, 1948, 1954

G-66, Trademarks and patents, 1947-1955

G-67, Buildings, 1947-1952

S-60, Prices and sales conditions, 1947-1950

S-62, Staff correspondence, 1947-1955

Miscellaneous correspondence

1940-1944

1945-1954

New York Office Files

Plans for new purchases of real estate, 1940

Miscellaneous correspondence, 1940-1941, 1951-1962

Correspondence of O. Myslik, (vice president), 1945

Prague real estate, 1946-1951

Eastern Europe Files
Scope and Content Note: The files on Eastern Europe are the most thorough of the war loss materials. These files encompass Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, all countries in which Singer had opened agencies following World War I. In 1937 the Baltic countries were annexed by the Soviet Union, all industry was nationalized, and Singer was deprived of its assets and bank deposits. These records include voluminous correspondence between Singer and their managers in Eastern Europe which describe political and financial conditions. A large number of folders contain information used in claims filed against the Soviet Union. The Eastern European files are divided into files originally created in Paris and New York City.

Paris Office Files
Scope and Content Note: The Paris files appear to be part of the same complex filing system reflected in the Czech materials described above. These files are arranged by file number and are followed by several folders of financial reports. Taken together, the Paris files contain extensive general correspondence and detailed information on financial losses. The folders entitled “Organization” best describes the political situation and its effect on normal operating procedures.

A-16, Estonian miscellany, 1940

A-29, Bookkeeping, reports, and remittances, 1947-1950

A-47, Estonian comments and instructions on return statistics, 1937-1940

A-53, Latvian comments and instructions on return statistics, 1938-1940

A-54, Lithuania comments and instructions on return statistics, 1939

A-77, Estonian inventories and final reports, 1937-1940

A-83, Latvian inventories and final reports, 1938-1940

A-84, Lithuanian inventories and final reports, 1937-1940

A-87, Polish inventories and final reports, 1938-1940

A-98, Estonian stock debts and credit notes, 1938-1940

A-117, Estonian remittances, 1938-1940

A-123, Latvian remittances, 1938-1940

A-124, Lithuanian remittances, 1938-1940

A-178, Latvian stock debts and credit notes, 1938-1940

A-197, Lithuanian invoice returns, 1938-1939

E-15, Lithuanian general correspondence, 1935-1940

G-9, Lithuanian audits, 1938-1939

G-26, Polish audits, 1938-1939

G-67, Estonian insurance, 1938-1939

G-84, Latvian organization, 1938-1940

G-91, Lithuanian transfers, deliveries, and complaints, 1938-1939

G-117, Poland, Manufacturing Trade Department, 1938-1939

G-161, Polish correspondence, 1938-1939

G-166, Latvian trademarks and patents, 1938-1940

G-174, Lithuanian organization, 1938-1940

G-175, Estonian organization, 1940