Audit, Howard Rotavator Company, 1968

A rich resource for the study of industrial development and corporate policies, the Starline, Inc. Records document the company’s history from 1902 to 1973. The collection is divided into three record series groups: (1) Starline, Inc. records; (2) Federal Malleable Company Records; (3) other related companies’ records. Series one is the most comprehensive. The records of the Starline corporation, series one, comprise articles of incorporation... and amendments, minutes, president’s reports, annual reports and financial statements, correspondence, audits, and product catalogs. The complete set of minutes (1902-1973) and the president’s reports (1958-1968) detail company business procedures, financial statements, capital stock value reports, organizational changes, and production statistics. Product catalogs, depicting poultry, milking, barn, and recreational equipment, reveal product endurance in the commercial market and price fluctuations (1890-1959). Although records predating the company’s incorporation in 1902 are missing, the historical files contain basic background information on the company’s development. Researchers also should note the correspondence with the Prudential Insurance Company and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company discussing Starline’s financing and eventual merge with Chromalloy American Corporation in 1969. The two other record group series partially trace the history of companies Starline purchased half interest in or bought out. A major portion of these records date after Starline became involved in each company. The Federal Malleable Company records, consisting of articles of incorporation, minutes, correspondence, financial statements, and dissolution information, are the most complete and detail Starline’s purchase and resale of the company (1954-1966). Additional material consisting of photographs, mainly salesmen and company manufactured equipment, are included in the addendum. A metal cap stamped with the Starline, Inc. logo is also a part of the addition. As one of the nation’s principal inventors and manufacturers of farmstead equipment, Starline’s records reveal the development of one link in the chain of American industrialization. Other collections held by the Regional History Center which deal with industrial development include: Rockford Chair and Furniture Company Records (RC 42); Rockford Small Business Collection (RC 57); National Chair Company Records (RC 59); North Corn Belt Seed Growers, Inc. (RC 90); and Westclox, Inc. Records (RC 116).