Uplinger Lumber, Grain, and Coal Company Records (Kingston)

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-016

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The records contained in this collection document the history of the Uplinger Lumber, Grain and Coal Company from its first year of operation, 1882, until 1920, just before the business ceased to exist. Daily sales records for this period are almost complete and a series of ledgers recording accounts receivable (1884-1916) complements the sales records. Scale (load weight) records are available for most years between 1906 and 1916. All of these records are in bound form and in poor physical condition. Most of the company’s non-financial historical documents have been lost. There are no files concerning business correspondence, advertising, personnel, purchases of stock, inventories, or other normal business functions

Dates

created: 1882-1920
Other: Date acquired: 07/00/1972

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights to the materials belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights in the collection are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

In 1866 John Uplinger and his family migrated from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Kingston township in DeKalb County, Illinois. Uplinger purchased 253 acres and began farming, eight of his thirteen children helping on the farm. In December 1875, John H. Uplinger (Jr.), the sixth eldest (b. 1852), moved into the town of Kingston and established himself as a dealer in hardware, farm implements, and general merchandise. Seven years later, John Uplinger (Sr.) also left the farm, moved to Kingston, and began to sell lumber, coal, and grain. On March 20, 1892, his son, Beniamin F. Uplinger, assumed control of the business and operated it until the company closed its doors in the 1920’s. ihe Kingston Farmer’s Cooperative took over operation of the business at that time.

Note written by

Extent

4.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Source of Acquisition

Mrs. Mary Dale Wiley

Method of Acquisition

Mrs. Mary Dale Wiley donated the records of the Uplinger Lumber, Grain, and Coal Company to the Northern Illinois University Archives in July 1972. These records came from a barn on a farm near Genoa, Illinois, purchased by the Wileys from Leon O. Uplinger, the son of Benjamin F. Uplinger. The Northern Illinois Regional History Center received the collection from the University Archives in May 1978.