Box 3

The records in this collection partially document the operations of eleven small businesses in Rockford, Illinois during the period 1906 to 1961: John Anderson Coal Company (1944-1950); Joseph Behr and Sons (1954-1958); David Goldman (1920-1958); Industrial Gages, Incorporated (1955-1960); Kettlewell Milk Company (1929-1930); Midway Amusement Company (1927-1938); Rockford Dairy, Incorporated (1929-1930); Royal Mantel and Furniture (1913-1938); The Tagit Company (1916-1961); Union Furniture Company (1906-1952); Winnebago Radio and Cabinet (1928-1932). Although many of the daily records of these businesses have been lost, the records in this collection provide excellent information on the origin, operation, and dissolution of these eleven firms including articles of incorporation and dissolution, stock registers and capitalization reports, minutes of special board and stockholders meetings, legal documents, and information on product lines. Thus the researcher can construct a basic historical sketch for each of these businesses which could be filled in from other sources. Most of the records fall in the period between 1920 and 1950 and offer insight on the vicissitudes of commerce and manufacturing in Rockford during the Great Depression and World War II.