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Records Stored in 1919 series

Most materials in this series were created or maintained by Ford Motor Company treasurer Frank L. Klingensmith, Henry Ford Office secretaries Ernest G. Liebold, H.R. Waddell, and assistant secretary to Henry Ford G.S. Anderson. Among the topics best represented are Fair Lane Estate, Henry Ford Estates (Fair Lane and other residences), Henry Ford Hospital, Valley Farm, Inc. home for orphaned boys, Ford's senatorial campaign, Ford's pacifist views and efforts, and the Selden Patent case. The Records Stored in 1919 series consists of five subseries. The Architect Estimates for Fair Lane subseries, 1914-1916 (4.4 cubic ft.), consists of estimates on labor, construction, and materials from the architectural firm of W.H. Van Tine Building Organization, Inc., along with related correspondence and invoices from them and other builders and suppliers. The Financial records subseries, 1902-1918 (4.4 cubic ft.), consists of checks and vouchers, bank statements for commercial bank accounts and for personal accounts of Henry and Clara Ford, invoices, cancelled checks, receipts, and related correspondence. Some of the chief concerns covered by these materials include tractor development, shipbuilding, architects' estimates, and the boys' home Valley Farm, Inc., as well as more routine matters such as repairs to personal automobiles, legal services, club memberships, telephone bills, taxes, grocery bills, and the like. Bank statements are arranged alphabetically by either name of account or by bank name. Other materials are organized by type of material and then in rough chronological order. Among the commercial bank accounts are those for the Ford Athletic Park, or Ford Athletic Field, an athletic facility attached to the Highland Park Plant; production of the antismoking pamphlet, "The Little White Slaver"; Ford Hawaiian Quintet; and Henry Ford & Son tractor company. Included within the paid invoices for Valley Farm is a partially filled register for the institution. The Checks and Correspondence files, 1902-1906, contains a variety of materials, including correspondence with James Couzens, along with an agreement for Henry Ford's buyout of James Couzens' Ford Motor Company stock; other documents from the early days of the Ford Motor Company, including statements of company assets, dividends, and liabilities; correspondence with suppliers, dealers, and customers regarding the Model N Runabout automobile; property agreements; and miscellaneous invoices, mostly related to Ford's agricultural interests. Also included are letters from George M. Holley regarding magneto testing and development, 1905, and a letter from Frank Kulick describing a test drive of the Model K. The Office Correspondence of Henry Ford subseries, 1907-1911 (3.6 cubic ft.), consists of a wide range of correspondence reflecting not just Henry Ford's varied interests and activities but also his enormous influence upon and popularity in American society of the day. Much of the correspondence is made up of letters from business acquaintances, charitable organizations, current and former Ford Motor Company or Ford personal employees, and members of the general public requesting assistance of some form, generally financial assistance, employment, or recommendations for employment. In some instances, return correspondence documents maintenance of or investigation into these cases. Other correspondence pertaining more directly to Ford's activities deals with real estate transactions; building, landscaping, construction, decorating, and furnishing for Fair Lane Estate and other Ford residences (sometimes referenced under the umbrella term "Henry Ford Estates"); building and construction for other Ford-owned properties; taxes, legal services, insurance, telephone bills, travel arrangements, and other personal expenditures for Henry and Clara and charitable donations made on their behalf; the Good Roads movement; the acquisition and running of the Dearborn State Bank; studies of shipbuilding and shipyards dating from around the period of Ford's Eagle Boat production; lumber; and automotive equipment. The Office Correspondence subseries is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by correspondent or topic. The Telegrams subseries, 1916-1919 (1.6 cubic ft.), consists of telegrams to and from Henry Ford Office personnel regarding Henry Ford's personal, commercial, and political pursuits. While largely routine in nature, concerning travel arrangements, declinations of speaking engagements, and other similar details, some telegrams impart more substantive information, particularly those regarding preparations for the Peace Ship voyage and European peace conference and Ford's pacifist views. Other telegrams have to do with Henry Ford's early tractor experimentation and the startup and earliest operations of Henry Ford and Son Tractor Company. Most of the telegrams are between E.G. Liebold and G.S. Anderson or to Gaston Plantiff, a Ford branch manager charged with Peace Ship arrangements. Some telegrams are signed by Henry Ford rather than one of his representatives; most of these are longer and written in full prose style and generally concern his pacifist views. There is also a small number of telegrams from Edsel Ford to his father, between Henry Ford and John Burroughs, and between Henry Ford and Thomas Edison regarding the arrangement of visits. Some of the correspondence, both telegrams and letters, between Liebold and his agents is written in a secret code devised by Liebold. A partial key to this code exists, a copy of which can be found in folder 1, box 1. The Miscellaneous subseries, 1910-1923 (2.8 cubic ft.), consists of records pertaining to Valley Farm, Henry Ford's senatorial campaign (although other materials in the series refer to this campaign as well), Detroit General Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital, and tractor development, as well as bound periodicals of Engineering Magazine containing the series of articles "Ford Methods and the Ford Shops" written by Horace Arnold and Fay Faurote, and numerous letters from a mental patient in Chicago appealing for millions of dollars. Also present is a miscellany of unsorted letters from the public and acquaintances, clippings, business cards, event programs, and notes. Materials from the Ford senatorial campaign include correspondence regarding campaign arrangements such as ballot proofs, campaign literature, and an index of campaign payments and donations by Michigan county. Selden Patent Suit files relate to Ford's challenge of George Selden's automobile patent and include Ford's lawyers' opinions as early as 1903, opinions on the case and similar cases, and correspondence regarding the settlement of the suit, 1912-1913. The Valley Farm materials consist primarily of records and case files for the boys residing there and a small amount of material regarding the property lease. Most of the tractor-related records consist of invoices from tractor manufacturers, parts suppliers, and foundries and related financial correspondence. Hospital records pertain to Henry Ford's support of Detroit General Hospital in the years prior to its acquisition by Ford and transformation to Henry Ford Hospital.

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