Contents


Collection Overview

Administrative Information

Historical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Organization of the Collection

Search Terms

Series 1. Stockholders and Board of Directors

Series 2. Legal and Property

Series 3. Executive

Series 4. Financial

Series 5. Sales

Series 6. Personnel

Series 7. Labor Relations

Series 8. Production

Series 9. Miscellaneous

Series 1. Stockholders and Board of Directors

Series 2. Legal and Property

Series 3. Executive

Series 4. Financial

Series 5. Sales

Series 6. Personnel

Series 7. Labor Relations

Series 8. Production

Northampton Cutlery Company Records, 1869-1987

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Ken Fones-Wolf, Mike Milewski.

Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

2003

Collection Overview

Creator: Northampton Cutlery Company
Title: Northampton Cutlery Company Records
Dates: 1869-1987
Abstract: Cutlery company located in Northampton, Massachusetts until its closing in 1987. Records document company operations and technology used in the cutlery manufacturing process, as well as details about employment of immigrant and working class families in the region. Includes administrative, legal, and financial records; correspondence; personnel and labor relations files; and production schedules and specifications.
Extent: 113 boxes(55.75 linear ft.)
Language: English.
Identification: MS 58

Administrative Information

Acquired from Harvey Finison, 1985-1986. Accretion acquired from Mrs. Harvey Finison, 03/96, accession # 96-016.

Processed by Ken Fones-Wolf (December 1987) and and Mike Milewski (summer 1996).

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Northampton Cutlery Company Records (MS 58). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The collection is open for research.

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Historical Note

The Northampton Cutlery Company was incorporated in 1871 with Judge Samuel L. Hinckley, its largest stockholder, as its first President. The property was purchased from J. H. Lyman and located along the Mill River in Northampton, Massachusetts on a site in which previous manufacturing plants had operated, beginning with Northampton Papermills (1836-1848), and subsequently Hampshire Flax & Hemp Company (1848-1850), Bay State Tool Manufacturing Company (1854-1858), Bay State Hardware Company (1858-1870), and Riverside Cutlery Company (1870-1871). Cutlery production began as a sideline venture for Bay State Tool during the Civil War, a time when 81% of cutlery produced in the United States was made in plants in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1885, a Knights of Labor Assembly of knife grinders was established in Northampton, considered by the Northampton Tercentenary Commission to be the first union of"real significance" in the town. The company closed in 1987.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Records document company operations and technology used in the cutlery manufacturing process, as well as details about employment of immigrant and working class families in the region. Records include: company histories; by-laws; deeds; board of directors meeting minutes; stockholders' certificates and meeting minutes; correspondence; ledgers, cashbooks, price lists, and product catalogs; auditor's reports, annual operating statements and tax reports and returns; job surveys, reports, plans, and a wage study; payroll ledgers, lists of employees, employees' census sheets and factory notices; production schedules; records that document labor relations including negotiations, unemployment cases, and union communications and greivances; and machinery specifications, plot and sewer plans, a scrapbook, photographs, and samples.

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Search Terms

Return to the Table of Contents


Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into seventeen series:

Return to the Table of Contents


Series 1. Stockholders and Board of Directors


Box

Folder

1 1
Company History 1951, 1975

2
By-Laws 1960

3-5
Stockholders' Ledger (volumes) 1874-1960

6
Stock Ledger Balance 1909

Box

Folder

2 7
Stockholders' Certificates (volume) 1871-1942

Box

Folder

3 8-10
Stockholders' Meeting Minutes (volumes) 1871-1970

11-12
Stockholders' Meeting Minutes (volumes) 1964-1966, 1971-1983

Box

Folder

4 13-32
Stockholders' Meetings, Proxies and Votes 1942-1966

33
Profit-Sharing Trust 1952-1961

Box

Folder

5 34-37
Board of Directors Minutes (volumes) 1887-1969

Box

Folder

6 38-41
Board of Directors Minutes (volumes) 1964-1983

Series 2. Legal and Property


Box

Folder

7 42
Clement Co. Purchase 1947-1963

43
Clinton Foods Inc. 1954-1955

44
Deed (copy, 1871) 1951

45
Dahlke, A.J. 1946-1956

46
Eyre, Albert 1955-1963

47
Feiker, Elizabeth 1967

48
Increase of Capital 1949-1950

49
License 1950

50
Merger Proposal with John Russell 1925-1927

51
Notes 1963

52
Voting Trust 1960-1963

53
Watrous, Jerome 1955-1963

Box

Folder

8 54-55
Appraisal, U.S. Appraisal Co. 1906

56-58
Appraisal, T.L. Alborell & Assoc. 1926-1935

Box

Folder

9 59-60
Appraisal, Standard Appraisal Co. 1949

61
Appraisals, Internal 1968, 1973

Series 3. Executive

Subseries A. Accounting


Box

Folder

10 62
Balance Sheet 1919-1926

63
Annual Operating Statements 1945-1950

64-66
Operating Statements & Ratios 1957-1966

Box

Folder

11 67
Auditor's Reports 1922-1944

68
I.R.S. Reports 1915-1930

69
Request for Funds 1930

70-80
Tax Returns 1910-1933

Subseries B. Surveys and Reports


Box

Folder

12 81
Preliminary Survey, George S. May Co. 1934

82
Industrial Survey, T.L. Alborell & Assoc. 1935

83
Survey Report, Douglas T. Sterling 1946

84
Incentive Plan, Ekholm Assoc. 1946

85
Incentive Rate Study 1947

86-87
Job Evaluation Plan, L.J. Brooks 1949

88
Revised Bonus Plan, L.J. Brooks 1951

89
Analytical Report, Dun & Bradstreet 1965

90
Job Rating Survey, NMTA 1966

91
Wage Study 1975

Subseries C. Correspondence


Box

Folder

13 92-94
Letter Copy Books (volumes) 1899-1902

Box

Folder

14 95-100
Correspondence 1940

Box

Folder

15 101-105
Correspondence 1940

Box

Folder

16 106-108
Correspondence 1940

Box

Folder

17 109-113
Correspondence R-S 1941

Box

Folder

18 114-119
Correspondence T-Z 1941

Box

Folder

19 120-127
Correspondence A-H 1942

Box

Folder

20 128-133
Correspondence I-O 1942

Box

Folder

21 134-138
Correspondence P-S 1942

Box

Folder

22 139-143
Correspondence T-Z 1942

Box

Folder

23 144-150
Correspondence A-H 1944

Box

Folder

24 151-156
Correspondence I-P 1944

Box

Folder

25 157-161
Correspondence Q-V 1944

Box

Folder

26 162-165
Correspondence W-Z 1944

Box

Folder

27 166-173
Correspondence A-K 1945

Box

Folder

28 174-179
Correspondence L-S 1945

Box

Folder

29 180-185
Correspondence S-Z 1945

Box

Folder

30 186-194
Correspondence A-G 1946

Box

Folder

31 195-201
Correspondence H-Q 1946

Box

Folder

32 202-207
Correspondence R-Z 1946

Box

Folder

33 208-213
Correspondence A-G 1947

Box

Folder

34 214-220
Correspondence H-S 1947

Box

Folder

35 221-229
Correspondence A-F 1959-1960

Box

Folder

36 230-238
Correspondence G-M 1959-1960

Box

Folder

37 239-248
Correspondence M-S 1959-1960

Box

Folder

38 249-257
Correspondence T-Z 1959-1960

258
Jerome Watrous Correspondence 1948-1955

Box

Folder

39 259-275
Harvey Finison Correspondence, A-I 1968-1986

Box

Folder

40 276-284
Harvey Finison Correspondence, I-M 1968-1986

Box

Folder

41 285-293
Harvey Finison Correspondence, M-P 1968-1986

Box

Folder

42 294-304
Harvey Finison Correspondence, P-Z 1968-1986

Series 4. Financial


Box

Folder

43 305-309
Trial Balances 1887-1964

Box

Folder

44 310-317
General Ledger 1958-1965

Box

Folder

45 318-321
General Ledger 1966-1974

Box

Folder

46 322-325
General Ledger 1970-1979

Box

Folder

47 326-328
Journals (volumes) 1915-1926

Box

Folder

48 329-330
Journals (volumes) 1926-1933

Box



Volumes 1-7
Journals 1934-1957

Box

Folder

49 331-336
Journals (volumes) 1959-1974

Box

Folder

50 337-339
Journals (volumes) 1975-1977

Box

Folder

51 340-342
Journals (volumes) 1978-1980

Box

Folder

52 343-345
Cash Books (volumes) 1888-1894, 1901-1904

Box

Folder

53 346-348
Cash Books (volumes) 1917-1925

Box



Volumes 8-15
Cash Books 1926-1958

Box

Folder

54 349
Cash Books (volume) 1962-1966

Box

Folder

55 350
Cash Books (volume) 1970-1979

Box

Folder

56 351-352
Petty Cash Books (volumes) 1906-1912

Box

Folder

57 353-354
Accounts Receivable (volumes) 1919-1923, 1928-1931

Box

Folder

58 355-358
Accounts Receivable 1960-1979

Box

Folder

59 359-360
Bills Receivable (volumes) 1907-1922

Box

Folder

60 361-363
Accounts Payable (volumes) 1894-1922

Box

Folder

61-62 364-365
Accounts Payable (volumes) 1922-1955

Box

Folder

63 366
Accounts Payable (volumes) 1959-1967

Box

Folder

64 367-368
Accounts Payable (volumes) 1970-1977

Box

Folder

65 369-374
Order Books (volumes) 1903-1924

Box

Folder

66 375-381
General Inventory (volumes) 1910-1919, 1935-1948

Box

Folder

67 382
Inventory, Carpenter Shop 1903-1943

383
Inventory, Forge Room 1898-1940

384
Inventory, Grinding Dept. 1907-1927

385-386
Inventory, Machine Room 1897-1928

Box

Folder

68 387
Inventory, Machine Room 1929-1941

388
Inventory, Round Tang Dept. 1897-1914

389
Inventory, Solid Steel Knife Dept. 1911-1939

390
Inventory, Stainless Steel 1935-1941

391
Inventory, Stamping & Etching 1905-1910

Box

Folder

69 392
Inventory, Motor Book n.d.

393
Inventory, Miscellaneous Inventory Sheets n.d.

Series 5. Sales


Box



Vols. 16-24
Sales Books 1889-1897

Box



Vols. 25-31
Sales Books 1902-1931

Box



Vols. 32-40
Sales Books 1934-1958

Box

Folder

70 394-400
Sales Books 1960-1967

Box



Vol. 41
Sales Books 1970-1978

Box

Folder

71 401
Sales Journal 1980-1982

Box

Folder

72 402-412
Sales Correspondence, A-C 1962-1985

Box

Folder

73 413-419
Sales Correspondence, D-G 1962-1985

Box

Folder

74 420-430
Sales Correspondence, H-K 1962-1985

Box

Folder

75 431-439
Sales Correspondence, L-O 1962-1985

Box

Folder

76 440-447
Sales Correspondence, P-S 1962-1985

Box

Folder

77 448-455
Sales Correspondence, S-W 1962-1985

Box

Folder

78 456-458
Sales Correspondence, W-Z 1962-1985

Box

Folder

79 459-466
Price Lists 1899-1984

467-468
Product Catalogs 1899-1960s

Series 6. Personnel

Subseries A. Employees


Box

Folder

80 469-477
Employees, A-Ber. 1940-1985

Box

Folder

81 478-485
Employees, Bes-Bz 1940-1985

Box

Folder

82 486-493
Employees, C-Dez 1940-1985

Box

Folder

83 494-503
Employees, Di-Gy 1940-1985

Box

Folder

84 504-512
Employees, H-Ly 1940-1985

Box

Folder

85 513-523
Employees, M-Pi 1940-1985

Box

Folder

86 524-532
Employees, Po-Tz 1940-1985

Box

Folder

87 533-536
Employees, U-Z 1940-1985

537
Employees Census Sheet 1920

538
Factory Notices 1947-1951

Subseries B. Labor Accounts


Box

Folder

88 539
Grinding 1869-1872

540
Hafting & Wheel Dept. 1902

541
Piecework 1887

542
Piecework 1897-1898

543
Piecework 1909-1910

544
Teamster 1887

Box

Folder

89 545
Workmen's Cash Book 1887-1893

546
Seniority List 1970-1985

547
Wages 1972-1979

Box

Folder

90 548-549
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1886-1898

Box

Folder

91 550
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1910-1913

Box

Folder

92 551-552
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1935-1936

Box

Folder

93 553-555
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1937-1939

Box

Folder

94 556-557
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1940-1941

Box

Folder

95 558-559
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1954-1955

Box

Folder

96 560-562
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1956-1958

Box

Folder

97 563-565
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1960-1962

Box

Folder

98 566-569
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1963-1966

Box

Folder

99 570
Payroll Ledgers (volumes) 1974-1980

Subseries C. Accident Reports


Box

Folder

100 571-577
Reports 1942-1950

Box

Folder

101 578-589
Reports 1950-1961

Box

Folder

102 590-600
Reports 1962-1986

Series 7. Labor Relations


Box

Folder

103 601-612
Negotiations 1965

Box

Folder

104 613-624
Negotiations 1967-1976

Box

Folder

105 625-631
Negotiations 1977-1984

632
Tuperkizsis v. Cutlery 1970-1973

633-634
Unemployment Cases 1947-1950, 1966-1968

635
Union Communications 1972-1985

636
Union Grievances 1969-1985

Series 8. Production


Box

Folder

106 637-641
Customer Job Specifications 1949-1976

642
Grinding Specifications n.d.

643-649
Job Specifications, R1F-R199F n.d.

Box

Folder

107 650-657
Job Specifications, R202F-R341F n.d.

658
Steel Weights and Sizes n.d.

659
Weekly Production Schedules 1949-1950

Box

Folder

108 660-665
Piece Rates 1966-1976

666-667
Process Sheets n.d.

Series 9. Miscellaneous


Box

Folder

109 668-670
Machinery Specifications n.d.

671
Plot Plan n.d.

672
Sewer Plan n.d.

673
Scrapbook 1960-1983

Box

Folder

110 674-676
Photos and Samples circa 1900-1985

Series 1. Stockholders and Board of Directors


Box

Folder

111 1
Annual Meeting--Agenda, Correspondence, Reports, etc. 1977-1986

2
Articles of Amendment 1966

3
Board of Directors, List of 1985, n.d.

4
Board of Directors--Meetings, Minutes, etc. 1965-1968

5
Board of Directors--Meetings, Minutes, etc. 1970-1979

6
Board of Directors--Meetings, Minutes, etc. 1980-1986

7
By-Laws and Amendments 1960

8
Company History 1974, n.d.

9
Company History--Newsclips 1978-1986, n.d.

10
Correspondence on Stock Certificates 1958, 1969-1970

11
Director's Correspondence, etc. 1969

12
Director's Meeting Agenda 1969

13
Director's Meeting Proxies 1949

14
Stockholders, List of n.d.

15
Stockholder's Meetings 1966

16
Stockholder's Meetings 1968

17
Stockholder's Meeting Agenda 1969

18
Stockholder's Meetings, Proxies and Votes 1969-1970

19
Stockholder's Meetings, Proxies and Votes 1971-1974

20
Stockholder's Meetings, Proxies and Votes 1975-1978

21
Stockholder's Meetings, Proxies and Votes 1979-1982

22
Stockholder's Meetings, Proxies and Votes 1982-1986

Series 2. Legal and Property


Box

Folder

111 23
Appraisal--American Industries Appraisers 1981

24
Appraisal Report--Robert A. Borawski 1974

25
Appraised Valuation, Notice of 1978

26
Articles of Amendment for Adjusting Capitalization 1965

27
Attorney--Settlements, etc. 1986-1987

28
Automobile--Insurance, Invoice, etc. 1960

29
Contract Correspondence 1955

30
Contract, Machinery 1947

31
Foreclosure Deed 1951

32
Goodwin, Proctor & Hoar--Counselors at Law 1978

33
Insurance Policy, Hartford Steam Boiler 1985

34
Land Purchase from D.E. White 1969

35
Letterhead, Blank ---

36
Mortgage to Northampton Bank 1963

37
Notes (Loan Balances) 1975

38
Quitclaim Deed--Jona H. Lyman (1951 copy) 1871

39
Retired Loans 1958, 1963-1968

40
Safe Deposit Box 1986

41
Surrender of Lease 1951

42
Warranty Deed - Doris L. White 1969

43
Warranty Deed - Ellery C. Clapp 1950

44
Watrous, Jerome - Promissory Note and Corr. 1974-1984

Series 3. Executive

Subseries A. Accounting


Box

Folder

111 45
Annual Operating Statements 1969-1971

46
Annual Statistics of Manufacturers 1971-1979

47
Audit 1985-1986

48
Auditor's Report 1971

49
Balance Sheet 1974

50
Balance Sheet 1978

51
Bank Reconciliation 1985

52
Depreciation Schedule 1965-1976

53
Don and Bradstreet, Inc. 1986

54
Employer's Quarterly Report of Wages Paid 1986

55
Estimated Tax Rate 1968

56
Financial Statements 1982-1984

57
Income Statements, Estimated & Forecast 1967-1968

58
Job Insurance 1981-1985

59
Operating Results, Ten Years 1961-1971

60
Real Estate Taxes 1979-1982

61
Tax Declaration 1985

62
Tax Return--Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment 1981-1985

63
Tax Return - Employers Quarterly Federal 1983-1986

64
Tax Return - Massachusetts 1970-1981

65
Tax Return - Massachusetts 1982-1986

66
Tax Return - U.S. 1965

67
Tax Return - U.S. 1969-1981

68
Tax Return - U.S. 1982-1986

69
Tax Return - U.S. and Mass. 1986

70
Ten Year Record 1961-1971

Box

Folder

112 71
Year End Audit 1975

72
Year End Audit 1976-1977

73
Year End Audit 1977

74
Year End Audit 1978

Subseries B. Surveys and Reports


Box

Folder

112 75
Financial History and Current Projections 1977

Series 4. Financial


Box

Folder

113 76
Cash Book (oversize) 1985-1986

Box

Folder

112 77
Chart of Accounts 1986

78
Check Book 1958

79
Deposit Book 1958-1962

Box

Folder

113 80
Expense Journal (oversize) 1985-1986

81
General Ledger (oversize) 1984

82
General Ledger (oversize) 1985-1986

Box

Folder

112 83
Income Statement 1979

84
Income Statement 1975

85
Income Statement 1983

86
Income Statement 1985

87
Income Statement 1986

88
Inventory 1974

89
Inventory Valuation 1974

90
Monthly Journal Entries, Listing of 1986

Box

Folder

113 91
Purchase Journal (oversize) 1985-1986

92
Purchases - Accounts Payable 1970-1986

Box

Folder

112 93
Summary Inventory 1975-1976

94
Transactions 1985

95
Trial Balance 1967-1968

96
Trial Balance 1970

97/98
Trial Balance 1971

99
Trial Balance 1972

100
Trial Balance 1973

101
Trial Balance 1974

102
Trial Balance 1975

103
Trial Balance 1976

104
Trial Balance 1977

105
Trial Balance 1978

106
Trial Balance 1984

107
Trial Balance 1985

108
Trial Balance 1986

Series 5. Sales


Box

Folder

112 109
Advertisement for Bottle Screw n.d.

110
Product Catalog n.d.

111
Product Catalog #404, #5-53n.d.

112
Product Catalog 1955, n.d.

113
Sales History 1961-1972

Box

Folder

113 114
Sales Journal (oversize) 1970-1986

115
Sales Journal - Retail (oversize) 1986

Box

Folder

112 116
(number not used)

Series 6. Personnel

Subseries A. Personnel - Employees


Box

Folder

112 117
Position Offers--Chief Engineer 1964

Subseries B. Labor Accounts


Box

Folder

112 118
Payroll Accounts 1963-1966

119
Payroll, Factory 1986

Box

Folder

113 120
Payroll Register (oversize) 1983

121
Payroll Register (oversize) 1984

122
Payroll Register (oversize) 1985

123
Payroll Withholdings (oversize) 1985-1986

Series 7. Labor Relations


Box

Folder

112 124
Agreement Between - N.C.C. & U.E. Local 259 1967

125
Agreement Between - N.C.C. & U.E. 1977, 1979

Series 8. Production


Box

Folder

112 126
Invention Disclosure 1976

127
Product Cost 1974-1977