Singer Manufacturing Company Records, 1850-circa 1975
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Container Title
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.
U.S. Mss AI
Agencies
Box   8
Folder   1
Albany, 1875-1888, 1895, 1897
Box   8
Folder   2-5
Atlanta, 1875-1889, 1895, 1903-1904
Baltimore
Box   8
Folder   6
1851-1852, Office Account
Box   8
Folder   7-8
1875-1889, 1890, 1892
Box   9
Folder   1-6
1891-1898
Boston
Box   9
Folder   7-8
1876, 1879-1885
Box   10
Folder   1-5
1886-1895
Box   11
Folder   1-8
1898-1904
Box   12
Folder   1-5
Brooklyn, 1885-1894, 1896-1900
Box   12
Folder   6
Cairo, 1882, 1886-1887
Chicago
Box   12
Folder   7
1867-1872, Property
Box   12
Folder   8-10
1875-1886
Box   13
Folder   1-7
1887-1890
Box   14
Folder   1-3
1891-1892, III
Box   15
Folder   1-7
1892, IV-1894, III
Box   16
Folder   1-7
1895-1896, II
Box   17
Folder   1-4
1896, III-VI
Box   17
Folder   5-7
1897, I-III
Box   18
Folder   1-2
1897, IV-V
Box   18
Folder   3-8
1898-1899
Box   19
Folder   1-5
1900-1904
Cincinnati
Box   19
Folder   6-8
1875-1892
Box   20
Folder   1-8
1893-1896
Box   21
Folder   1-6
1897-1901
Box   21
Folder   7
Dallas, 1886-1896
Denver
Box   21
Folder   8
1880-1888
Box   22
Folder   1-8
1889-1894
Box   23
Folder   1-7
1895-1898, I
Box   24
Folder   1
1898, II
Box   24
Folder   2-4
1899-1901
Box   24
Folder   5
Detroit, 1876-1888, 1894
Elizabethport
Box   24
Folder   6-8
1874, 1879-1885, Minutes
Box   25
Folder   1-7
1885-1892, I
Box   26
Folder   1
1892, II
Box   26
Folder   2-7
1893-1895
Box   27
Folder   1-7
1896-1897, I
Box   28
Folder   1-4
1897, II
Box   28
Folder   5-6
1898, I-II
Box   29
Folder   1-3
1898, III-V
Box   29
Folder   4-7
1899, I-IV
Box   30
Folder   1-2
1899, V-VI
Box   30
Folder   3-6
1900-1904
Box   30
Folder   7
Galveston, 1874-1896
Box   30
Folder   8-9
Houston, 1873
Indianapolis
Box   31
Folder   1-7
1875-1897
Box   32
Folder   1-4
1898-1901
Box   32
Folder   5
Little Rock, 1880-1891
Box   32
Folder   6
Memphis, 1876
Milwaukee
Box   32
Folder   7-11
1875-1892
Box   33
Folder   1-7
1893-1898, I
Box   34
Folder   1
1898, II
Box   34
Folder   2-5
1899-1901
Box   34
Folder   6
Nashville, 1879-1890, 1895
Box   34
Folder   7
New Haven, 1880-1888
New Orleans
Box   34
Folder   8
1875-1887
Box   35
Folder   1-8
1888-1892, II
Box   36
Folder   1-7
1892, III-1896, I
Box   37
Folder   1-8
1896, II-1904
New York City
Box   38
Folder   1-9
1884-1901
Box   39
Folder   1-2
1890-1895, Art Department
Box   39
Folder   3
1895-1896, Weekly Lease Reports
Box   39
Folder   4-7
1890-1901, Manufacturers Agency
New York Country
Box   40
Folder   1-7
1888-1899, I
Box   41
Folder   1-2
1899, II-1900
Box   41
Folder   3
Newark, 1876
Box   41
Folder   4
Newburgh, 1880-1897
Box   41
Folder   5
Oakland, 1890
Philadelphia
Box   41
Folder   6-9
1874-1892
Box   42
Folder   1-8
1893-1898, I
Box   43
Folder   1-2
1898, II-1904
Pittsburgh
Box   43
Folder   3-9
1879-1892
Box   44
Folder   1-9
1893-1899
Box   45
Folder   1
1904
Box   45
Folder   2
Providence, 1883-1897
Richmond
Box   45
Folder   3-9
1879-1891, I
Box   46
Folder   1-7
1891, II-1895, I
Box   47
Folder   1-8
1895, II-1896 III
Box   48
Folder   1-8
1896, IV-1898
Box   49
Folder   1-8
1899-1904
Rochester
Box   49
Folder   9
1880-1885
Box   50
Folder   1-8
1886-1896, I
Box   51
Folder   1-5
1896, II-1898
Box   51
Folder   6-7
1895-1897, One Dollar Weekly Lease
St. Louis Reports
Box   52
Folder   1-6
1875-1892, I
Box   53
Folder   1-7
1892, II-1896, II
Box   54
Folder   1-7
1896, III-1900
Box   55
Folder   1
1901
Box   55
Folder   2-3
San Antonio, 1882-1897
San Francisco
Box   55
Folder   4-8
1880-1891
Box   56
Folder   1-7
1892-1896
Box   57
Folder   1-4
1898-1905
South Bend
Box   57
Folder   5-7
1881-1890
Box   58
Folder   1-5
1891-1912
Box   58
Folder   6
Syracuse, 1889
Box   58
Folder   7
Utica, 1880-1889
Box   58
Folder   8
Washington, D.C., 1881-1895
Miscellaneous subagents' correspondence
Box   58
Folder   9-11
1873-1887
Box   59
Folder   1-3
1888-1900
General Files
Box   59
Folder   4-5
1851-1869
Box   60
Folder   1-7
1870-1880
Box   61
Folder   1-7
1881-1883
Box   62
Folder   1-7
1884-1885
Box   63
Folder   1-7
1886
Box   64
Folder   1-8
1887-1888, III
Box   65
Folder   1-6
1888, IV-1890, II
Box   66
Folder   1-6
1890, III-1891
Box   67
Folder   1-5
1892
Box   68
Folder   1-5
1893
Box   69
Folder   1-5
1894, I-III
Box   70
Folder   1-6
1894, IV-1895
Box   71
Folder   1-6
1895-1897, I
Box   72
Folder   1-6
1897, II-1898
Box   73
Folder   1-6
1899-1903
Box   74
Folder   1
1904
Box   74
Folder   2-6
1904 World's Fair
Box   75
Folder   1-2
1904 World's Fair, continued
Box   75
Folder   3
1905-1914
Box   75
Folder   4
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.
Box   76
Folder   1
Amsterdam, 1882-1892
Box   76
Folder   2-5
Argentina, 1879-1908
Australia
Box   76
Folder   6-10
1880-1883
Box   77
Folder   1-7
1884-1886
Box   78
Folder   1-6
1887-1894, II
Box   79
Folder   1-9
1894, III-1909
Belgium
Box   79
Folder   10
1881-1891
Box   80
Folder   1-2
, 1892-1898 (and monthly reports)
Box   80
Folder   3
1899-1909
Brazil
Box   80
Folder   4-6
1883-1892
Box   80
Folder   7
Letterbook pages, circa 1892-1893
Box   80
Folder   8
1893
Canada
Box   80
Folder   9
1864-1881
Box   81
Folder   1-8
1882-1888
Box   82
Folder   1
, 1888 Notes
Box   82
Folder   2-14
, 1889-1900 (and circular letters)
Box   82
Folder   15
1901-1904
Box   82
Folder   16
Chile, 1880-1886, 1904
Box   82
Folder   17
China (and Japan), 1884-1888
Box   82
Folder   18
Columbia, 1879-1888
Box   83
Folder   1
Cuba, 1863, 1880-1892
Box   83
Folder   2
Ecuador, 1879-1883
Box   83
Folder   3
Egypt, 1882-1898
Box   83
Folder   4-10
Geneva, 1880-1909
Hamburg, Germany
Box   83
Folder   11
1874-1877
Box   84
Folder   1-9
1880-1892
Box   85
Folder   1-9
1893-1895
Box   86
Folder   1-4
1896
Box   86
Folder   5
1896, Correspondence extracts
Box   87
Folder   1-7
1897-1899
Box   88
Folder   1-6
1900-1909
Box   88
Folder   7
Sample forms
India
Box   88
Folder   8
1881-1883
Box   89
Folder   1-7
1887-1909
Box   89
Folder   8
Dealers catalogues
Box   90
Folder   1
Ireland, 1880-1897
Box   90
Folder   2-9
Italy, 1860-1904
Kilbowie (and Glasgow)
Box   90
Folder   10-11
1868-1880
Box   91
Folder   1-3
1881-1883
Box   91
Folder   4-7
1884-1887
Box   92
Folder   1-9
1888-1899
Box   93
Folder   1
Extracts, 1899
Box   93
Folder   2-3
1900
Box   93
Folder   4
List of cabinet work, 1900
Box   93
Folder   5-6
1901
Box   93
Folder   7
1902-1915
Box   93
Folder   8
Strike clippings, 1909
London
Correspondence and reports
Box   93
Folder   9-10
1870-1880
Box   94
Folder   1-6
1881-1883, II
Box   95
Folder   1-7
1883, III-1885
Box   95
Folder   8
, 1885 Financial reports
Box   96
Folder   1-3
1886-1888
Box   97
Folder   1-7
1889-1891
Box   98
Folder   1-8
1892-1894, II
Box   99
Folder   1-8
1894, III-1896, II
Box   100
Folder   1-10
1896, III-1898, II
Box   101
Folder   1
1898, III
Box   101
Folder   2
, 1898 Form lb
Box   101
Folder   3-6
1899
Box   101
Folder   7
1899, Form lb
Box   101
Folder   8-13
1900-1911
Box   102
Folder   1-3
1900-1902, Form lb
Box   102
Folder   4-9
Minutes, London Managing Committee, 1882-1887
Box   103
Folder   1-4
Sample forms
Box   198
Folder   2
Lists of branches in Great Britain and Ireland
Mexico
Box   103
Folder   5-9
1879-1895
Box   104
Folder   1
1896-1904
Box   104
Folder   2
Para, 1881-1893
Paris
Box   104
Folder   3-9
1854-1890
Box   105
Folder   1-5
1891-1905
Box   105
Folder   6
Philippines, 1887
Russia (See also Hamburg)
Box   105
Folder   7-9
1897-1907
Box   106
Folder   1-2
1908-1913, undated
Box   106
Folder   3
South Africa, 1882-1905
Spain
Box   106
Folder   4-5
1879-1891
Box   106
Folder   6
, 1895 Agent information forms
Box   106
Folder   7
1898-1909
Box   106
Folder   8
Venezuela, 1883-1894
Box   107
Folder   1-2
Miscellaneous foreign correspondence
Box   107
Folder   3
Miscellaneous statistics for foreign activities