The collection consists of the records of the Ozaukee-Washington Telephone Company and fragmentary records of the various phone companies which preceded it. Since these telephone firms often shared directors and stockholders, the same volumes were sometimes used to record identical information for the succeeding firms. The collection is arranged by record type in three series: Minutes, Financial Records, and a General File. In those instances where specific corporate names were identified, that information is listed in the Contents List. The collection provides a general overview of a small business, reveals the expansion of telephone service in the Ozaukee-Washington area, and documents the process of larger companies supplanting smaller companies.
MINUTES of the Freistadt and Cedarburg Telephone Company and the Ozaukee-Washington Telephone Company comprise the first series. Miscellaneous articles of incorporation, by-laws, and stock registers listing stockholders and shares held are also included.
FINANCIAL RECORDS comprise the largest part of the collection and consist of ledgers, journals, check books, and income tax returns.
The GENERAL FILE consists of correspondence, employee records, an installation book, legal records, licenses, stock certificates, and miscellany. General correspondence includes routine inquires from stockholders, suppliers, and subscribers. The work of Wisconsin's regulatory agencies are reflected in both the files for the Industrial Commission and Railroad Commission. The former documents the Industrial Commission's efforts to raise the wages of an Ozaukee-Washington telephone operator while the latter reveals the Railroad Commission's efforts to settle disputes both between companies and between companies and customers. The installation book lists customers in the Mequon, Grafton, and Freistadt areas and provides a record of the expansion of telephone services. Legal records consist of contracts and agreements while the miscellany includes resolutions, insurance policies, reports, and rules.
