Business, A-G

Business, P-Z

H. Niedecken Company (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1845-1865.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BU

Records of a Milwaukee stationery, book binding, and blank book manufacturing company founded by Henry Niedecken, including journals (1845-1851); ledgers (1853-1856); business letter book (1848-1854); cash book (1854-1856); and an invoice book (1848-1854). Finding aid available in the Archives.

Historic Third Ward Association (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1976-1997.

UWM Manuscript Collection 101

Records of a non-profit community association which coordinated the redevelopment of the Historic Third Ward area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The records date largely from the late 1980s through the 1990s; few records exist from the Association's early years. The collection provides remarkably detailed information on the Association's activities, especially its award-winning Streetscape Project. The Project redesigned streets, lighting, and the overall appearance of the Ward. Design and planning studies document the economic potential and architectural history of the Ward. The records of the Association's Architectural Review Board (ARB) contain details on how local property owners complied with design standards. The collection also includes numerous blueprints of the Streetscape Project and the Association-sponsored

parking structure (a retail and parking facility). No blueprints exist for individual buildings except for those submitted to the ARB, which are usually details of exteriors. Photographs of building exteriors are available for many of the structures. Finding aid available in the Archives.

International Union of Operating Engineers. Local 311 (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1906-1967.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection DA

Mostly correspondence (1930-1959) with firms that employed union members. Companies include A.O. Smith, Armour and Company, Koehring Company, Layton Park Dairy Company, and others. The correspondence concern contract negotiations, strikes, cases before the National Labor Relations Board and the Wage Stabilization Board during World War II, and transcripts of hearings. Also contains minutes of the regular and executive board meetings, by-laws, and committee reports. The local was established in Milwaukee in 1906 and merged with local 317 of the IUOE in 1967. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Janik, Arthur S., 1904-1967.

Papers, 1932-1956.

Milwaukee Small Collection 107 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 28

Scrapbook, photographs, and miscellaneous materials pertaining to Janik's activities with the Wisconsin Tavern Keepers Association and the South Side Business Men's Club; his two taverns, Balcony Inn and Club Rogers; and his political activities. Noteworthy among the photographs are a 1932 picture of Janik's tavern showing customers drinking "moonshine" during Prohibition, and a 1941 picture of the grand opening of the Club Rogers. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Records, 1839-1868, 1884-1949.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection CQ and Milwaukee Micro Collection 9

Eleven volumes of ledgers (1850-1861), including day books, cash book, accounts receivable and annual statements; an inventory volume (1861-1865); miscellaneous material; and a microfilm of typewritten copies of six letters from John Pritzlaff (1839-1847), in German. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Johnston, John, 1836-1904.
Family papers, 1855-1930.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BL
Papers of a Milwaukee banker, including family correspondence (1855-1930); miscellaneous business papers; and diaries (1892-1911) of John and Ethelinda T. Johnston, and of their children, John T. and Hilda. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Juneau, Solomon Laurent, 1793-1856.

Papers, 1833-1855.

Milwaukee Small Collection 40

Papers of a founder of Milwaukee, including eleven letters concerning merchandise, appointment as Indian agent, financial matters, and lands (1843-1853); forty-six accounts with Juneau (1836-1855); fifty receipts or notes to him, many bearing well known signatures; ten post office receipts, and miscellaneous receipts and accounts. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Kempshell, Henry.

Letter, 1858.

Milwaukee Small Collection 78

Letter, dated 4 October 1858, from a Milwaukee bookseller to the Merriam Company publishers, telling of his financial bankruptcy and enclosing a clipping notice of the sale of his stock and a business card of his successor, William Hayden, Jr.

Kissel Kar Company.

Records, 1905-1935, 1961.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BQ

Correspondence and business records (1905-1935) of the Hartford, Wisconsin company and the Kissel family, and its various branch agencies; and also a manuscript copy of a company history written in 1961. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Kissel, William Louis, 1879?-1972.

Scrapbook, 1904-1930.

Milwaukee Micro Collection 8

Scrapbook of material relating to the development of the Kissel Kar by the Kissel family; the Kissel Kar Company of Hartford, Wisconsin; and the vehicle's later history as an antique.

Kuryer Publishing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1893-1961.

UWM Manuscript Collection 46

Collection includes records of the Kuryer Publishing Company that printed the Polish language daily newspaper, Kuryer Polski, and managed the Kuryer Agency. The Kuryer Agency's records are primarily correspondence in Polish and English relating to the Agency's efforts in assisting its clients in citizenship matters, transmitting funds to Poland, investing in Polish bonds, purchasing steamship tickets to and from Poland, and obtaining immigration visas for relatives in Poland.

The Kuryer Publishing Company's records are primarily correspondence and business records concerning the daily operations of Kuryer Polski. Extensive correspondence with various Polish organizations document Kuryer's importance in Polish-American communities throughout North America. Letters from readers with various requests for information and assistance chronicle the Kuryer's prominence in America's Polonia. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Kwasniewski, Roman B.J., 1886-1980.

Papers, 1892-1953.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 22 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 38

Papers of four generations of the Kwasniewski and Dyniewicz families, collected by Roman Kwasniewski, a Milwaukee photographer, including correspondence, business records, and records of cultural and fraternal societies. On microfilm are reference materials and correspondence used by Jozef and Roman Kwasniewski as editors of the agricultural page of Kuryer Polski. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Kwasniewski, Roman B.J., 1886-1980.

Photographs, 1907-1947.

UWM Manuscript Collection 19

Kwasniewski was a photographer who worked in Milwaukee's Polish American community (Polonia). Most of the pictures were created by Kwasniewski at his Park Studio in Milwaukee. Many of the photographic images depict family events such as anniversaries, first communions, funerals, graduations and weddings. Other images include scenes of accidents; fires; floods; fraternal organizations; homes; construction scenes; individual businesses, including Kuryer Polski; political parties; ceremonies such as church anniversaries, ordinations, and dedications; and social events such as New Year's Eve celebrations and "Hard Times" parties that were popular in the 1920s. The result is a striking picture of Milwaukee Polish Americans and their contributions to the city in which they lived. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Laundry and Dry Cleaning Drivers. Local 360 (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1936-1947.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection DT

Records include correspondence, day and cash books, and a dues book, documenting union membership, contract negotiations, wage scales during World War II, and strikes in 1939 and 1940 (mostly lists of picketers). Also includes minutes of meetings and some other records (1937-1946) of the Auto Truck Drivers Joint Council No. 50, and news releases of the Wisconsin State Federation of Labor (1942-1946). Finding aid available in the Archives.

Lincoln Neighborhood Redevelopment Corporation (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1987-1996.

UWM Manuscript Collection 95

Records of the Lincoln Neighborhood Redevelopment Corporation, a non-profit Community Development Corporation, mostly dating from the 1990s. The collection documents neighborhood improvements, renovation projects, and assistance provided to area residents and businesses. Included are files concerning the establishment of a business improvement district, community development block grants, community reinvestment act matters, including performance evaluations and activity reports, and financial information. Also included in the collection are files documenting the St. Josaphat Basilica square capital improvement project and the Kosciusko Park Lagoon restoration project, as well as photographs documenting renovation projects and the Lincoln Avenue neighborhood. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Ludington, Harrison, 1812-1891.

Papers, 1848-1890.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection J

Papers of a Wisconsin governor, including business correspondence (1848, 1850-1890) from Anthony G. Van Schaick; maps relating to the lumber company of Ludington, Wells & Van Schaick; and business and legal papers concerning the estate of Harvey Birchard, a Milwaukee business partner of Ludington's. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Mariner, John W., 1868-1930.

Papers, 1881-1946.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection D

Family papers including John Mariner's business correspondence and records relating to his investments in the Ontonagon and Brule River Railroad Company of Michigan (1892-1946); and the J.J. Hof Land Company, and its successor firms, Northern Colonization Company, Mariner and Kurtz Company, and the Mariner Land Company. Also contains records (1917-1944) of the National League of Women's Service, an unofficial patriotic organization on which Mrs. Mariner served, documenting the Wisconsin groups that worked with the League, especially during World War I. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Marshall, Samuel, 1820-1907.

Papers, 1841-1946.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection AQ

Papers of a Milwaukee pioneer banker, including Marshall's letters to his brother describing his 1841 move from Philadelphia to Milwaukee and his early involvement in the banking business. Collection also contains materials on Marshall's role in the founding of the State Bank (Madison, Wisconsin) and the Marshall and Ilsley Bank of Milwaukee; the Marshall family genealogy; and some correspondence from the 1940s concerning the preservation of Marshall's papers. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Meredith and Corzilius Company (Milwaukee, Wis.).
Account book, 1898-1901.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection C
A Milwaukee butcher shop's account book, showing retail costs of meats.

Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.

Records, 1915-1964.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 14

Consists primarily of an extensive run of minutes of the board of directors (1915-1964), and scattered throughout the files are minutes of the executive committee, with minutes of the finance and other committees and of general membership committees. The minutes illustrate the history of the Association and document its political endorsements and its efforts to promote revised tax structures, energy policy, civic planning, school desegregation, public transportation, World War II relief, youth job programs, and professional sports. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Meyer and Finck Realty Company (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1885-1918.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection A

Correspondence, letterbooks, minute books, journals, ledgers, and lot books relating to the company's real estate activities in Milwaukee and its suburbs, and miscellaneous records of subsidiary companies. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Miller, Frederic E., 1824-1888.

Miller family papers, 1771-1844.

Milwaukee Small Collection 167

Family papers, including a Miller family tree, photocopies of 12 family photographs, and a typed transcript of a July 1879 letter from Miller in Milwaukee to relatives in Germany discussing family news, life in Milwaukee, the family brewing business, and Miller's personal philosophy.

Milwaukee and Watertown Railroad. General Supervisor's Office.

Copy book, 1855.

Milwaukee Small Collection 28

Letter press copy book from the office of R. W. Fowler, dating 10 September to 7 December 1855. Many of the letters are difficult to read because of fading.

Milwaukee Cement Company.

Records, 1875-1948.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection AR

Records of the company and the Milwaukee Cement Railway Company, founded by Joseph Berthelet in 1875, consisting of correspondence, business papers, maps, and minutes of meetings of the stockholders and board of directors. Almost no records remain about the employees, sales, or production of the cement. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Milwaukee Cooperative Milk Producers.

Records, 1907-1975.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 90

Records of a Milwaukee-based agricultural cooperative, originally formed in 1907 as the Milwaukee Milk & Cream Shippers Association. Records document early activities which included operation of a creamery, dairy plant, and manufacturing plant for milk powder and other products, and efforts to stabilize dairy prices throughout the Milwaukee "milk shed," take care of unpurchased milk, and work towards better product quality and sanitation at the farm and plant. The records include articles of incorporation, historical materials, correspondence, meeting minutes, annual financial and audit reports, and records of plant payments to participating farmers. Present are milk production records including a butterfat test ledger book, milk weight cards for each farmer member, and monthly records of milk weight received at participating dairies for each farmer. There are also materials relating to Federal Milk Market Order #30 (1966-1979) which proposed establishment of the Chicago-based milk pool. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Milwaukee County Industrial Union Council.

Records, 1938-1948.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection DU

Records of the county council, primarily arranged in a chronological correspondence file, regardless of the type of document. Thus, meeting minutes, trial committee records, resolutions, and correspondence with the membership and other organizations are found together. Among the materials found in the correspondence files are numerous newsletters and reports of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the Wisconsin State Industrial Union Council.

The MCIUC was also actively involved during World War II, and the files contain materials from the Milwaukee County Council of Defense, and resolutions condemning Nazism and demanding the start of a second front. The correspondence includes documentation on efforts to promote more housing in Milwaukee County, and a confidential memorandum on differences between the MCIU and Wisconsin State Industrial Union Council (18 November 1947), which discussed charges of Communist influence and improper representation of Local 1533 at the Fairbanks, Morse and Company.

There are some materials on strikes by the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers Local 1111 strike against the Allen-Bradley Company (1938-1939) and the United Auto Workers Local 248 strike against the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company (1946). The collection contains other membership and financial records, including delegate and attendance records, union ledger cards, and various financial records including audit records, bank books, receipts, tax forms, and strike fund disbursements. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Milwaukee-Downer College.
Records, 1852-1964.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection L Records of the College and its predecessor institutions, Milwaukee College and Downer College. Most materials date from after 1895. Includes correspondence, financial records, and subject files of the alumnae association, business office, college presidents, dean of students, faculty, presidents of the board of trustees, public relations office, and registrar.

Also includes bulletins and catalogs, copies of student publications, newspaper clippings, photographs, reports from student organizations and activities, transcripts, and some records of the predecessor institutions. The collection also contains some correspondence between Increase Lapham and Catherine Beecher on their educational philosophy. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Milwaukee Electric Railway and Transport Company.

Records, 1896-1963.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 86

Records of the company and its predecessors, documenting the technological evolution of the Milwaukee traction industry, and legal and financial development of the railway companies. A large portion of the collection dates between 1920-1940 when the company undertook its most ambitious modernization and expansion programs, and experienced its most severe hardships. The records contain little information pertaining to labor relations.

Collection documents the rolling stock department's concerns with railway equipment, accidents, labor, and construction programs. Includes corporate histories, correspondence, financial data, minutes, and reports. Numerous blueprints detail interurban routes and new equipment for installation in trolley cars and buses. Also includes albums (1924-1942) containing portrait photographs and biographical information on the Veterans' Association of the company; and cartographic records (ca. 1898-1963) consisting of charts, maps, and plans of buildings, construction projects, equipment, and operations.

Milwaukee Grain Exchange.

Records, 1849-1974.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EB

Records of one of the chief national markets for the trading and inspection of grain, which was linked to the early commercial history of Milwaukee. Also included are the records of its forerunners, the Milwaukee Board of Trade, Milwaukee Corn Exchange, Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce, and the Milwaukee Grain and Stock Exchange. The records consist of charters and amendments, constitutions, rules, minutes, annual reports, committee and gratuity fund records, correspondence, financial and payroll records, grain storage applications, inspection and weighing figures, legal files and correspondence, membership records, scrapbooks, and memorabilia. Also contains a stock transaction book from the Ontario and Erie Ship Canal Company. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Milwaukee Solvay Quarter Century Club.

Records, 1912-1983.

UWM Manuscript Collection 57

Records of the Milwaukee Solvay Quarter Century Club (1943-1983), an association of veteran employees of Milwaukee Solvay Coke Company, a manufacturer of coke and coke byproducts. The records document the club's activities and development, and include constitutions and bylaws, correspondence between club directors, membership lists, membership death notices, minute books, photographs of club activities and company facilities, secretary's reports, Christmas cards and Christmas party programs, company histories, and a small quantity of the papers of club historian Herbert Hinz. The club was devoted mainly to social activities and to the recognition of longtime company employees. The collection contains publications issued by Milwaukee Solvay and its parent companies, including the Schlesinger Interests'Conveyor (1914-1921), the Koppers Company's Koppers News (1928-1930), the Milwaukee Solvay News (1942-1962), the Pickands, Mather and Company Producer (1966-1972), and a catalog of the Newport Company (1921). The publications provide limited documentation regarding the operations of Milwaukee Solvay and its parent companies. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin business directory, 1870-1873.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection AK

List of liquor dealers, cigar manufacturers, and banks of Milwaukee. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Mink, Robert.

Polish-Jewish Relations in Milwaukee Oral History Project, 1990.

UWM Manuscript Collection 118

Consists of seven oral history interviews conducted in 1990 with Jewish merchants and their descendants who were active on Milwaukee's Polish south. Interviews contain information on inter-ethnic relations, anti-semitism, the experience of Jewish immigrants, and conducting business with immigrant clientele. Transcripts, although not complete, exist for each interview. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Monarch Manufacturing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Records, 1935-1957.

UWM Manuscript Collection 180

Miscellaneous records from the Monarch Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, which produced outdoor garments from 1898 to 1957. The collection contains correspondence, financial information, analytical reports, and photographs associated with the company, mostly dating from the 1940s and 1950s. Also included is a history of the company and its operations. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Murdoch, James Blair.

Photographs, 1925-1963.

UWM Manuscript Collection 131

Sixty-three images taken by Milwaukee, Wisconsin photographer James Murdoch, most dating from the 1930s. Eighteen photos are of gas stations in Michigan and Wisconsin owned by the Wadham Oil Company. Sixteen of the photos are exterior shots of residences commissioned by the Holland Furnace Company for using their product. The remaining images document a variety of Milwaukee-area companies. The images are indexed by Murdoch's original serial numbers and description. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Orton, John Jay, 1817-1895.

Papers, 1837-1884.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BK

Papers of a lawyer and financier originally from New York. While working for the New York State Bank, Orton organized financial and land deals with Milwaukee lawyer Allison Lewis and others, including James Kneeland of Wauwatosa. Orton's business relationships are well documented in the collection. Includes extensive correspondence concerning the lawsuit between Orton and Josiah A. Noonan resulting from financial recriminations after the burning of the Humboldt and Menonomee Paper Mills; and letters from Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward G. Ryan which provide intimate details concerning the other justices.

Also contains correspondence with Isaac Sherman on the management of a lumber company; legal papers from a number of cases handled by Orton, and two account books. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Ott, Christian.

Ledger, 1849-1856.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 127

Ledger of a Milwaukee, Wisconsin purveyor of religious books, describing the quantity and types of materials purchased by churches, parochial schools, a seminary, and priests in the area. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Ozaukee-Washington Telephone Company.

Records, 1901-1929.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 3

Records of a defunct telephone company serving Ozaukee and Washington counties; including financial records; minutes; correspondence; employee records; plus brief records of predecessor companies in the area, including the Freistadt and Cedarburg Telephone Company. The files provide a general overview of a small business, reveal the expansion of telephone service in the Ozaukee and Washington counties area, and document the process of larger companies supplanting smaller companies. Finding aid available in the Archives.

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Last edited on Tuesday, February 7, 2006.
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