Morley Brothers (firm: Saginaw, Mich.) Papers, 1903, 1940, undated

Summary

Creator:

Morley Brothers (firm: Saginaw, Mich.)

Abstract:

The collection includes: personal and business correspondence, financial statements, contract information, certificates, sales reports, Christmas cards, Saginaw social club information, World War I information, and other materials.

Extent:

Approximately 6.25 cubic ft. (in 14 boxes, 3 Oversized folders, 1 legal-size folder)

Language:

English
German

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by E. Edwards, A. Halula, M. Prindiville, G. Richard, S. Sullivan, Marian Matyn

Background

Scope and Content:

The collection was process by different groups of student processors over years. Series 1 Papers, 1833, 1976, undated, 3.5 cubic ft. (in 7 boxes, 2 Ov. v.); Series 2 Papers, 1833, 2009, undated, 6.5 cubic ft. (in 13 boxes, 3 Ov. v.); Series 3 Sections 1-4 Papers, Approximately 6.25 cubic ft. (in 14 boxes, 3 Oversized Folders, 1 folder).

Series 3 includes materials mostly in English, but some are in German, which is noted in the Box and Folder Listing.

Section 1 consists primarily of business correspondence, 1903, 1940, and a few are undated. Boxes 1-3 are letter-size boxes, Box 4 is legal-size, and all are .5 cubic foot boxes.

Box 1 consists primarily of business correspondences, with a slight deviation from Abbie Glaize, even though her correspondences are business related, and from responses to job advertisements. The business correspondences primarily date from 1905 to 1910, with a sudden deviation at the end with late a folder consisting of 1916-1917 materials. The Abbie Glaize materials bring about a peak of interest, as later on her husband ends up filing for bankruptcy and the correspondence she sends out afterwards have a different tone to them.

Box 2 contains material from 1903 to 1917. While the box consists primarily of personal and family correspondences, there is one folder containing financial correspondence. But even the personal and family letters tend to have their own twists to them. Some folders consist of largely single-family subjects or persons of interest, such as the correspondence folders between Edward and Paul Morley.

Box 3 contains material from 1903 to 1918. The box contains a variety of materials, including continuing correspondences, financial statements, miscellaneous items, contract information, certificates, sales reports, and even a sarcastic response to the Women’s Rights movement by Walter Morley himself. The Sales Report folder consists of a sampling of reports that were saved, in which roughly 20% of the original documents were recovered.

Box 4 contains material from 1905 to 1918, with one item from 1940. This box contains a variety of materials, including correspondences, financial statements, and mixed materials. There are a few notable pieces to mention, however, including a special piece of correspondence from the mayor of Saginaw, William B. Baum, and a list of members of the Board of Trade.

Section 2 consists primarily of Business and Personal correspondence by Paul F.H. Morley in 1909, and 1911-1914. There is also one box of 1909 correspondence from Edward W. Morley. The collection is arranged chronologically and alphabetically.

Paul’s correspondence varies from personal letters to his wife, to a confrontation with Charter Features regarding one of their employees and his attempt to scam the Morley family (in box 6). Paul also corresponded frequently with John Prindle Scott, a composer from New York who would periodically visit Saginaw and teach voice lessons. He also received a poem written by Edwin L. Sabin, a poet from Clinton, Iowa (in box 2). This poem is not duplicated in the collection on Edwin Sabin at the University of Iowa. It is a witty piece commenting on advertising in the twentieth century.

Bert also sent his brother a series of sketches attributed to a D. Nelson (in box 6) demonstrating theater fashion. Bert’s letter indicates the artist wished to become a costume designer and hoped the Morleys would help him in this endeavor. No further correspondence with Bert or the artist regarding this matter was found in the collection.

Paul also seems to have been particular about the nationality of individuals in his household employ. Throughout 1914, he requested the service of an agency specializing in the procurement of German governesses as well as soliciting for the position himself. He seems very particular in his letters (in box 6) that he wants a governess of German origin who also spoke English extremely well. Some of these letters are in German. Paul also enjoyed having a Japanese cook and butler, and advertised for the positions when his old employees resigned (in box 3).

In 1911, Paul hired the Mooney and Boland Agency to send an “operative” to observe employees in the Saginaw Hardware store. The reports (in box 3) detail the actives in the store while the operative was there. The reports do not include any incidents of stealing, but there are a few references to employees work ethic and wasting time.

Section 3 includes Personal and Business Correspondence, 1914-1915, and 1920. In Box 1 (Box 11 in the encoded finding aid) are the following: Folder 1. Among the Business Correspondence there is a copy of a letter from a Mr. Smith, Register of Deeds suggesting that A.J. Morley list his wife on his personal property deeds.

Folder 2. Mr. A.J. Morley’s business correspondence shows him to be a rather amiable person. His business related letters often include personal anecdotes and personal inquiries after his employees and business partners. This is most apparent in A.J. Morley’s communication with his Secretary, Charles C. Rose, which he often signs as “Your Sincere Friend.” For further reference see Morley’s telegram to the Rose family in the Holiday Letters folder.

Folder 3. Among the Christmas Cards are many selections of non-denominational holiday greetings. Included in this folder is a card from a business associate, E.C. Atkins and Company Inc. Also included is an invitation to a holiday ball from the Gray Harbor Shriners Club. Another item of note is a card showing a racist rendering of an African-American “Mammy” looking after some affluent Caucasian children.

Folder 4. The Holiday Letter correspondence also includes interesting insights into the Morley family. Again we see A.J. Morley mixing personal and business correspondence in his holiday letters to family as well as business partners. Most of the letters give an update to the family’s status, such as where the children are attending schools and what achievements they have accomplished. Included is an interesting letter written by Mr. Morley to Headmistress A.G. Hensley regarding the grades his daughter, Helen, received. The report card is included. There are also several letters that A.J. Morley writes to his mother-in-law, Mrs. Hicok, referencing sending her to Hinsdale Sanitarium of Illinois. Additional letters regarding his wife, Elizabeth/Bessie/Betsy remark upon her ill health and “slight derangement” during the holiday season.

In Box 2 (Box 12 in the encoded finding aid)are found the following: Folder 1. Among the General Business Correspondence are several letters regarding the Wright, Stone and Wells Estates.

Folder 2. The Club Member Materials were kept of note to indicate the level of involvement Paul Morley had within his community as part of the Um-Zoo-Ee Dance Club, Saginaw Country Club and the Saginaw Canoe Club.

Folder 3. Paul Morley’s Hotel Requests indicate the high manners of the time period and the high status that his position demanded.

Folder 4. The correspondence between Paul Morley and his brother, Walter Morley, often reference the events of World War I, including an inquiry by Paul as to whether a war film would be made about the incident. There is also a mention of the scarlet fever. We also learn that Walter Morley had his car stolen in Detroit.

Folder 5. Paul Morley’s correspondence with George F. Schreiber is extensive. Paul supported George financially both during and after his college education, the reason for which is unknown. Included are a voluminous number of letters written by George as he traveled across country and by sea to Alaska. The two men wrote often in regards to World War I. Their correspondence revealed that Paul Morley Jr. contracted stipe anterior poliomyelitis, also known as polio. (For more information on George F. Schreiber refer to Elizabeth Edward’s Morley Finding Aid.)

Folder 6. There are also a significant number of letters written between Paul Morley and John Prindle Scott. Scott was a voice teacher in Saginaw before becoming the famous author, lecturer, educator, singer and composer. A photograph of Mr. Scott is included in the collection. (For more information on John Prindle Scott refer to Elizabeth Edward’s Morley Finding Aid.)

Folder 7. The correspondence of lawyer Wallis C. Smith includes several colorful anecdotes, such as the mention of a “German nobleman episode” as well as business with Improvement Co. and Consolidated Coal Co.

Folder 8. There is a very intriguing set of letters from the Morley children’s governess, Sophie Theilheimer, who accounts her life story as a Jewish girl from Germany raised to be a Presbyterian.

Folder 9. The various correspondence from landscape designer Aubrey Tealdi is worthy of note. The descriptions of the garden plans give the reader an idea both of how the grounds of the original state were arranged and the amount of wealth the Morleys had at their disposal. Blue prints of the original estate are included (See Oversized Folder 1).

Folder 13. This is a selection of letters regarding purchases paid from Tiffany’s Co. of New York. Included are several letters in which Paul Morley dictates, extensively, the manner in which his Christmas cards should be made.

In Legal Folder 1 are found the following: Of note are the contents of the Stocks and Statistics Folder. There is a listing of the persons employed by the company for the 1920 year. The listing is extremely detailed and broken up into statistics by month and occupation. There are also two information packets on stock that the company bought in the Heinz Company, of Heinz Ketchup, and Canadian Gold Bonds. This use of company resources to branch out into the world of finance is exemplary of the expanding finance market of the early 1920s. Also included in this section is a pamphlet regarding a status report of trade and goods of America and foreign markets. This is indicative of a growing awareness of global finance and was possibly a contributing factor to the Morley Company’s success.

Section 4 consists primarily of business correspondences, 1915-1919, and 1925. Box 1 (Box 13 in the encoded finding aid) has a variety of notices from several insurance companies (Aetna, the Guarantee Company of North America, and the New England Casualty Company) concerning at-work accidents, including a suspicious case, where a Geo. Gollifer was injured after running a thistle into his foot (1915- New England Casualty Co.). Account ledgers from 1918, list all of the businesses that owed money to the Morley Brothers, as well as reasons why the accounts were not paid. There is a letter from the Michigan Public Utilities Commission stating that the delay in receiving commodities shipped by railroad was caused by railroad car shortages, due to the retention of loaded cars full of coal, which had a poor market in Michigan. Plans on how and when to load cars to maximize efficiency are also included.

Other letters of interest are: a letter from a dissatisfied business, F.J. Reader and Sons, concerning barrels full of rotten apples, and one from the Michigan Inspection Bureau concerning improvements recommended for the sprinkler system.

There are correspondences with the Otis Elevator Company also. Morley hired the company to remove their old elevator and install a new one in the shop. Blueprints and design guidelines were attached and are located in the oversize folder.

A sampling of applications from 1919 has been retained in the collection to show skills and talents that were desired for employees of the Morley Brother’s Company. It appears that Morley Brothers was a popular company for young men, who had just returned home from service in WWI, to seek employment at.

Morley’s proof of membership to the Gateway Movement for the years 1916-1917 is also included. According to the membership form, the Gateway Movement was created to ‘combat Socialism.’

Box 2 (Box 14 in the encoded finding aid) contains materials from the years 1919 and 1925.

Internal notices that were circulated within the company include, one asking employees to stop leaving their bicycles in the storage room, and a reminder that the store closes at 5:00 pm, and, therefore, no one should leave to wash-up before then.

An inspection of the company was made in 1919 by the Standard Accident Insurance Company. Numerous repairs were required for the elevator.

Subscriptions to different labor magazines and to the Bay City Times Tribune to promote the “Buy in Bay City Campaign” of 1919, and the order of one hundred copies of Chet Williams’ book, “The Knack of Getting Ahead” are also included.

The letters from the American Bankers League in 1925 are indicative of the Revenue Act passed in 1926 by President Coolidge. The Revenue Act of 1926 reduced inheritance and personal income taxes, cancelled many excise imposts, eliminated the gift tax and ended public access to federal income tax returns, while also levying a rate of 13.5% on the net income of corporations. In the letters, leaders of the organization are arguing for support from members for a tax reduction and the elimination of the Capital Stock Tax.

The bank notices from 1925 announce multiple bankers’ decisions to charge for collections following the “laborer is worthy of his hire” ideology.

Other interesting correspondences include a letter from the Saginaw County Tuberculosis Association, asking the company to donate money for the Christmas season, and an invitation to the Annual Meeting of the Retail Merchants Credit Bureau.

A sampling of business receipts is also part of the collection and include one to the Detroit Police Dept., for shells, and the Adjustment Bureau.

Processing Note: Materials that were withdrawn from the collection include duplicates, peripheral mateirals, and acidic materials, which were copied and the copies then added to the collection, receipts, acknowledgements of payment, and other documents regarding finances. Five cubic feet total of material was withdrawn from Series 3 Sections 1-4 during processing.

Biographical / Historical:

Biography:

George W. and Edward W. Morley came to East Saginaw, Michigan, from Painesville, Ohio. They entered the hardware business, specializing in lumber tools, with Anton Schmitz. Schmitz sold his company to the Morley brothers upon his death. In 1882, the Morley Brothers opened a new retail and wholesale store believed to be one of the largest structures ever built in the United States. It consisted of four stories of iron, brick, and plate glass totaling over 100,000 square feet. The business sold hardware supplies, farm implements, lumbering tools, and household goods. It became the second largest hardware, wholesale and retail concern in the nation.

In 1933, Morley supplied $500,000 to the city of Saginaw to meet its payroll during the Great Depression. This generous act of Morley saved the city from bankruptcy. The hardware and retail warehouse caught fire in 1949, which cost half a million dollars in damages and was one of the most destructive fires in Saginaw history. However, Morley rebuilt and continued to expand from Saginaw to Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Royal Oak branch was built in 1955 to replace former offices and warehouse buildings of Morley Brothers. The building covered 132,000 square feet and stock included floor coverings, housewares, hardware, and sporting goods. Opened in 1933, the Grand Rapids branch contained two buildings for the storage of home goods and RCA victor and Whirlpool appliances. (This information is from: Morley, R.C, E.B Morley, Burrows Morley. ‘Morley Brothers: from the sawdust Saginaw to the soaring age.’ (Firm, Saginaw, Mich.) and Morley. Our History. http://www.morleynet.com/morley-companies-history.html)

Paul F. H. Morley was Edward's son. For information on him and his family see The Log of the lodge, 1909, 2006 catalog record.

Reuben H. Morley, Paul's brother, was presumed murdered in China in 1905 at the age of 29 by a Frenchman traveling under an alias. The family enlisted help from its political and press connections, and Paul traveled to France to meet with French police. Reuben's body was never found.

The company continues to exist today, although it specializes now in travel and training.

Edward W. Morley and his brother George W. moved to East Saginaw, Michigan, from Painesville, Ohio. Together they founded a hardware business specializing in tools for lumber. The Morleys acquired the business of Anton Schmitz after his death, and constructed a new retail and wholesale store in 1882; one of the largest structures built in the United States. The building was four stories tall and over 100,000 square feet. They sold hardware supplies, farm implements, lumbering tools, household goods, as well as horse-riding equipment.

Paul F. H. Morley was the eldest son of Edward and served as the company’s treasurer for most of his adult life. His brother, Albert “Bert” J. Morley was the secretary as well as head of the Saginaw Lumber Company and lived in Aberdeen, Washington, with his wife, Elizabeth “Bessie” Morley.

Paul and Bert’s sister, Abbie, married Clarence Glaize, who filed for bankruptcy sometime before 1909. The Morleys continued to support Abbie and Clarence while trying to resolve the situation. Paul continued to make inquiries through 1913 regarding his brother in-law’s case. (This information is from the collection.)

For further biographical information, see finding aids for Series 1 and 2 of the Morley Brothers Collection.

Acquisition Information:

Acc# 2436

Arrangement:

Arrangement of Series 3 was by four student processors into Sections (1-4), then by size, alphabetical, and chronological.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Retail trade.
Wholesale trade.
Hardware--Michigan--Saginaw.
Hardware stores.
Sporting goods industry--United States.
Stock certificates.
Governesses--United States--History--20th century.
Fashion--History--20th century.
Cooks--United States.
Poliomyelitis patients--United States.
Veterans--Employment--United States.
Bankruptcy--Michigan.
Blueprints.
Jews--Conversion to Christianity--Europe--History.
Racism in popular culture--United States--History--20th century.

Names:

Morley Brothers (firm: Saginaw, Mich.)
Saginaw Country Club (Mich.)
Saginaw Board of Trade (Mich.)
National Hardware Association.
Standard Oil Company.
Polson Logging Company (Washington state)
Otis Elevator Company.
Gateway Movement.
World War, 1914-1918--Michigan--Saginaw County.
Morley family.
Morley, Edward W.
Morley, Paul F. H. (Paul Faye Healey)
Glaize, Abbie Morley.
Fordney, Joseph W. (Joseph Warner), 1853-1932.
Tealdi, Aubrey.
Scott, John Prindle, Composer.
Martindale, Frederick C.
Mershon, William Butts, 1856-1943.
Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand), 1870-1952.
Johnston, Charles Hughes, 1877-1917.
Baum, William B.

Places:

Saginaw (Mich.)--History.
Saginaw (Mich.)--Genealogy.
Saginaw (Mich.)--Social life and customs.