Personal Correspondence, 1921-1965

This collection partially documents three subjects: the George Lovering Lumber and Grain Company of Shabbona (1881-1912); William K. Lovering’s 1800 mile drive from Detroit, Michigan to Salt Lake City, Utah in a Scripps-Booth automobile (1916); and facets of Shabbona, Illinois’ history (1895-1940). Materials include financial account ledgers, business and personal correspondence, W. K. Lovering’s typed manuscripts under the pen name Bill Knell, photographs, catalogs, and programs. A very small amount of material discusses the automobile of the early 1900’s. Due to the wide variety of topics covered in the collection, research value in any one area is limited. Nevertheless, the records are of good quality for background information on agribusiness and rural area development.