William Dempster Hoard Papers, 1880-1918

Contents List

Container Title
Wis Mss UP
Series: Part I: Letterpress Books, 1880-1909
Physical Description: 30 archives boxes containing 73 volumes 
Scope and Content Note

Part I includes one brief diary and 72 letterpress books containing outgoing correspondence. The correspondence books have been grouped into the categories: Business, Civic Affairs, Private Letterbooks, and Miscellaneous. The Business Correspondence includes account books, Dairyman advertising books, general correspondence, and one volume of letters relating specifically to the Jefferson County Union. The Civic Affairs correspondence includes only that concerning Hoard's work for the St. Louis World's Fair. There are two sets of Private Letterbooks, one while Hoard was Governor and the other for the years following his term. Finally, there are three miscellaneous volumes. Within each category the volumes are in chronological order. Many of the letters are faded and nearly illegible.

The diary contains infrequent entries concerning both business appointments and personal matters for the months of February through July 1889.

Of the letterpress books pertaining to business, three are account books for advertising in both the Jefferson County Union and Hoard's Dairyman, covering the period from November 1889 to September 1895. The twenty-two Dairyman advertising books, January 1889 to April 1894, primarily contain letters seeking clients for advertising space in Hoard's Dairyman. There are also eleven volumes of general business correspondence, June 1880 to December 1899, pertaining mainly to Hoard's publishing career. And one volume, labelled the Jefferson County Union, consists of letters soliciting subscriptions and advertisers, and dates from January 1893 to March 1894.

There are two volumes of Hoard's correspondence as president of the Wisconsin exhibit at the St. Louis World's Fair, 1903 to 1906. These volumes are listed under Civic Affairs in the contents list.

Hoard's five Private Letterbooks as the Governor of Wisconsin from 1889 through 1890 consist of both Executive and personal correspondence. This correspondence includes letters relating to speaking engagements, political appointments and other political matters, as well as correspondence concerned with his dairying and journalistic interests and personal affairs.

The twenty-five volumes of Hoard's Private Letterbooks from the period following his governorship, 1890-1909, are also concerned with his interests in dairying and journalism and included non-business correspondence, some with family and friends.

There are three miscellaneous volumes, not identified by Hoard, which do not fit chronologically into the above categories. The first volume contains correspondence concerning Hoard's campaign for governor in 1888. The second is private and business correspondence of Hoard's eldest son, Halbert L. Hoard, from March 1891 to July 1908. The third incorporates business and personal correspondence written by Hoard from Trenton, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Espanore Island, Michigan in January 1900, and January and July 1901.

Box   1
Volume   1
Subseries: Diary, 1889 February 12 - July 20
Subseries: Business Letterbooks
Account Books
Box   1
Volume   2
1889 November 19 - 1891 July 29
Box   1
Volume   3
1891 July 19 - 1893 October 20
Box   2
Volume   4
1893 October 20 - 1895 September 25
Dairyman Advertising Books
Box   2
Volume   5
1889 January 5 - April 11
Box   3
Volume   6
1889 April 11 - 1890 January 24
Box   3
Volume   7
1890 January 27 - November 15
Box   4
Volume   8
1890 November 15 - 1891 January 27
Box   4
Volume   9
1891 January 27 - April 8
Box   5
Volume   10
1891 April 9 - June 30
Box   5
Volume   11
1891 June 30 - August 28
Box   6
Volume   12
1891 August 29 - October 31
Box   6
Volume   13
1891 October 31 - 1892 January 29
Box   7
Volume   14
1892 January 29 - April 26
Box   7
Volume   15
1892 April 26 - August 19
Box   8
Volume   16
1892 August 19 - November 14
Box   8
Volume   17
1892 November 14 - 1893 January 13
Box   9
Volume   18
1893 January 13 - March 16
Box   9
Volume   19
1893 March 16 - May 20
Box   10
Volume   20
1893 May 20 - July 17
Box   10
Volume   21
1893 July 17 - September 14
Box   11
Volume   22
1893 September 14 - November 10
Box   11
Volume   23
1893 November 10 - December 18
Box   12
Volume   24
1893 December 19 - 1894 January 27
Box   12
Volume   25
1894 January 27 - March 15
Box   13
Volume   26
1894 March 16 - April 3
General Correspondence
Box   13
Volume   27
1880 June 24 - 1883 October 25
Box   13
Volume   28
1883 October 24 - 1884 September 8
Box   14
Volume   29
1884 September 8 - 1886 August 28
Box   14
Volume   30
1886 May 3 - 1887 January 3
Box   14
Volume   31
1887 January 3 - October 6
Box   15
Volume   32
1887 October 6 - 1888 April 10
Box   15
Volume   33
1888 April 10 - December 21
Box   16
Volume   34
1888 December 22 - 1891 January 12
Box   16
Volume   35
1891 January 13 - 1892 September 1
Box   17
Volume   36
1892 September 1 - 1894 January 29
Box   17
Volume   37
1894 January 29 - 1899 December 8
Box   18
Volume   38
Jefferson County Union, 1893 January 25-1894 March 16
Subseries: Civic Affairs Letterbooks—St. Louis World's Fair
Box   18
Volume   39
1903 June 5 - 1904 March 24
Box   18
Volume   40
1904 March 25 - 1906 April 4
Subseries: Private Letterbooks
Box   18
Volume   41
1889 January 8 - August 14
Box   19
Volume   42
1889 August 20 - 1890 February 4
Box   19
Volume   43
1890 January 29 - May 12
Box   19
Volume   44
1890 May 31 - September 13
Box   19
Volume   45
1890 September 13 - December 20
Box   20
Volume   46
1890 December 22 - 1891 June 29
Box   20
Volume   47
1891 June 29 - 1892 January 18
Box   20
Volume   48
1892 February 1 - November 24
Box   20
Volume   49
1892 November 24 - 1893 April 25
Box   21
Volume   50
1893 April 26 - 1895 January 5
Box   21
Volume   51
1895 January 7 - 1896 January 21
Box   22
Volume   52
1896 January 21 - July 1
Box   22
Volume   53
1896 December 8 - 1897 November 9
Box   23
Volume   54
1897 November 9 - 1898 March 25
Box   23
Volume   55
1898 November 19 - 1899 September 5
Box   23
Volume   56
1899 September 5 - 1900 June 4
Box   24
Volume   57
1900 June 7 - 1901 April 23
Box   24
Volume   58
1901 April 23 - 1902 February 20
Box   25
Volume   59
1902 February 20 - November 11
Box   25
Volume   60
1902 November 11 - 1903 August 4
Box   25
Volume   61
1903 August 4 - 1904 April 30
Box   26
Volume   62
1904 April 29 - 1905 February 18
Box   26
Volume   63
1905 February 18 - November 11
Box   27
Volume   64
1905 November 13 - 1906 April 24
Box   27
Volume   65
1906 April 24 - December 12
Box   28
Volume   66
1906 December 11 - 1907 May 4
Box   28
Volume   67
1907 May 4 - December 3
Box   28
Volume   68
1907 December 3 - 1908 April 27
Box   29
Volume   69
1908 April 25 - December 3
Box   29
Volume   70
1908 December 3 - 1909 April 4
Subseries: Miscellaneous
Box   29
Volume   71
Campaign, 1888 April 25 - 1893 May 26
Box   30
Volume   72
Halbert L. Hoard, 1891 March 7 - 1908 July 20
Box   30
Volume   73
Letters written while out-of-state, 1900 January 16 - 1901 July 22
Mss 232
Series: Part II: Additions, 1887-1918
Physical Description: 48 boxes and 17 photographs 
Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the additions to the Hoard Papers consists of general correspondence, nearly all of it incoming letters, from August 1887 to December 1918, with most of it dating from March 1888 to March 1909. It is arranged first in chronological order, and alphabetically thereunder. There is also a small subject file divided into three categories. The first is a general subject file, arranged in alphabetical order. The second file, which is arranged chronologically, contains material pertaining to Hoard's involvement in the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. The third file concerns Hoard's activities while he was connected with the University Board of Regents. It is subdivided by type of material and arranged chronologically.

The General Correspondence File, which includes Hoard's business and personal correspondence, deals mainly with agricultural matters, concentrating on problems of the dairy industry. Other topics of discussion include Hoard's Dairyman, Hoard's activities in the Grand Army of the Republic, and political events. The nature of the correspondence during his term as Governor, 1889-1890, is generally political, including many requests for political appointments and discussion of the Bennett Law. Included in the correspondence for March 1890 is an interesting survey made of the Wisconsin circuit courts, compiling a record of the number of cases in which the defendants or witnesses were unable to speak English. One letterbox covering the period of Hoard's governorship which originally had been kept separate has been interfiled with general correspondence as the separated letters are of an identical nature to the general correspondence.

The General Subject File consists of non-correspondence materials removed from Hoard's all-inclusive correspondence file. These materials comprise thirteen categories including advertisements, campaign literature, cards and addresses, clippings, financial records, Governor's business, Hoard's writings, pedigrees of cattle, programs of business and social affairs, and written materials not authored by Hoard. A Club File includes items such as meeting agenda, constitutions, and petitions of various organizations to which Hoard belonged, and the List File incorporates various lists of articles to order and people whom Hoard contacted during his campaign. Also in this section are family photographs presented by heirs of the Hoard family in 1954.

The St. Louis World's Fair Correspondence File, 1903-1905, was kept separate by Hoard and his arrangement has been preserved. However, correspondence pertaining to the Fair is also included in the General Correspondence File. This File deals with the Wisconsin exhibit at the St. Louis World's Fair and embraces both general correspondence and that from Grant Thomas, the Secretary of the Wisconsin Board of Managers of the Fair.

The University Board of Regents File relates to Hoard's membership on the Board from 1907 to 1911. It consists of correspondence, financial records, various lists of University bodies, the official proceedings of the Board meetings, and reports. There is also a small file of miscellaneous and unidentified materials.

Subseries: Correspondence - General
Box   1
Folder   1-8
1887 August 2; 1888 March 26 - August 23
Box   2
Folder   1-9
1888 August 24 - November 9
Box   3
Folder   1-9
1888 November 10 - 1889 January 19
Box   4
Folder   1-9
1889 January 20 - June 30
Box   5
Folder   1-10
1889 July 1 - December 17
Box   6
Folder   1-8
1889 December 18 - 1890 April 30
Box   7
Folder   1-8
1890 May 1 - September 15
Box   8
Folder   1-7
1890 September 16 - December 31
Box   9
Folder   1-8
1891 January 1 - July 31
Box   10
Folder   1-8
1891 August 1 - 1892 February 19
Box   11
Folder   1-7
1892 March 1 - September 30
Box   12
Folder   1-7
1892 October 1 - 1893 March 31
Box   13
Folder   1-10
1893 April 1 - December 31
Box   14
Folder   1-9
1894 January 1 - 1895 March 31
Box   15
Folder   1-6
1895 April 1 - October 31
Box   16
Folder   1-7
1895 November 1 - 1896 February 29
Box   17
Folder   1-7
1896 March 1 - July 30
Box   18
Folder   1-6
1896 August 9 - 1897 January 17
Box   19
Folder   1-7
1897 January 18 - May 31
Box   20
Folder   1-5
1897 June 1 - October 31
Box   21
Folder   1-7
1897 November 1 - 1898 November 18
Box   22
Folder   1-7
1898 November 19 - 1899 April 30
Box   23
Folder   1-8
1899 May 1 - November 30
Box   24
Folder   1-7
1899 December 1 - 1900 April 30
Box   25
Folder   1-8
1900 May 1 - 1901 February 28
Box   26
Folder   1-7
1901 March 1 - 1901 August 31
Box   27
Folder   1-7
1901 September 1 - 1902 April 14
Box   28
Folder   1-9
1902 April 15 - November 29
Box   29
Folder   1-7
1902 December 1 - 1903 June 30
Box   30
Folder   1-7
1903 July 1 - December 31
Box   31
Folder   1-7
1904 January 1 - May 31
Box   32
Folder   1-6
1904 June 1 - November 30
Box   33
Folder   1-5
1904 December 1 - 1905 March 31
Box   34
Folder   1-8
1905 April 1 - November 30
Box   35
Folder   1-7
1905 December 1 - 1906 February 28
Box   36
Folder   1-6
1906 March 1 - June 30
Box   37
Folder   1-10
1906 July 1 - 1907 April 30
Box   38
Folder   1-8
1907 May 1 - August 31
Box   39
Folder   1-8
1907 September 1 - 1908 March 13
Box   40
Folder   1-7
1908 March 14 - July 31
Box   41
Folder   1-6
1908 August 1 - November 30
Box   42
Folder   1-7
1908 December 1 - 1909 February 29
Box   43
Folder   1
1909 March 1-10
Box   43
Folder   2
1909 March 11-30; December 1
Box   43
Folder   3
1909 circa January - March
Box   43
Folder   4
1911 March 31 - 1918 December 20
Subseries: Subject File
General
Box   44
Folder   1
Advertisements, 1885 - 1909; undated
Box   44
Folder   2
Campaign Materials, 1888-1904
Box   44
Folder   3
Cards and Addresses, 1888 November - 1909 March; undated
Box   44
Folder   4
Clippings, 1888 August - 1918 December; undated
Box   44
Folder   5
Clubs, 1889 August - 1908 December
Family Photographs
PH 358
Hoard family members and a , 1926 image of Arthur Hoard and others climbing Mount Rainier
PH 366
Images of the Hoard children (Harriet, Anna Agnes, and Shirley) and of Agnes' grave, 1895-1901
Mss 232
Financial Records
Box   44
Folder   6
circa 1888 - 1904 September 30
Box   44
Folder   7
1904 October 4 - 1909 February 15; undated
Governor's Business, circa 1888-1891
Box   44
Folder   8
Box   44
Folder   8
List of state officers, 1870-1889
Box   44
Folder   8
Regarding lumber mill dams
Box   44
Folder   8
Speeches and Proclamations
Box   44
Folder   8
Miscellaneous
Hoard's Writings
Box   44
Folder   9
C-P, 1901, 1917; undated
Box   44
Folder   10
S-W; Editorials; “Musings”; Speeches, 1895-1906, 1917, undated
Box   45
Folder   1
Box   45
Folder   2
Pedigrees of cattle, 1890 October - 1908 March
Box   45
Folder   3
Programs of business and social affairs, 1889-1909
Box   45
Folder   4
Reports, Speeches, and Writings, 1889-1911
Box   45
Folder   5
Miscellaneous, 1883 - 1918
St. Louis World's Fair
General
Box   46
Folder   1
1903 June 8 - 1904 September 30
Box   46
Folder   2
1904 October 1 - 1905 May 31
Grant Thomas, Secretary, Wisconsin Board of Managers
Box   46
Folder   3
1904 April 27 - September 29
Box   46
Folder   4
1904 October 5 - 1905 August 7
University Board of Regents
Box   47
Folder   1-5
Correspondence, 1907 January 12 - 1912 April 2; undated
Box   47
Folder   6
Financial, 1906 October 29 - 1909 February 26
Box   47
Folder   7
Lists, 1908-1912; undated
Proceedings
Box   47
Folder   8-9
1907 February 18 - 1909 December 31
Box   48
Folder   1-2
1910 January 19 - 1911 February 18; undated
Box   48
Folder   3-6
Reports, 1907 April 16 - 1910 December 3; undated
Box   48
Folder   7
Miscellaneous and unidentified, 1907 - circa 1911; undated