Ellwood Family Collection (DeKalb)

Series one, family papers, holds published and unpublished histories of the family, genealogical charts and research files, a wide range of legal documents, memorabilia, and personal correspondence of family members. This series provides a detailed record of family relationships and activities, especially during the 1835-1915 period. It is the largest extant collection of Ellwood family documents available to researchers. The I. L. Ellwood manufacturing business, series two, represent only a small portion of the records which have been preserved: the main body of these documents are in the Western Manuscripts Collection of the University of Wyoming. The records of Ellwood Manufacturing Company’s successor, American Steel and Wire Company, have been preserved in Harvard University’s Baker Library. Still, the primary documents in this series are important since they document the formation of the wire trust and the litigation between the major parties involved in a struggle for control of the industry (1873-1898). The third series documents the establishment and operation of Will Ellwood’s Percheron draft horse breeding business in DeKalb, 1885-1900. Correspondence, sales records, and catalogs may be found in this series, although much of the correspondence (especially the letterbooks) is badly deteriorated.