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