Collections

The collection includes: letters, catalogs, photographs, personal and business correspondence, clippings (copies), specifications, time books, scrapbooks, genealogical materials, and other materials.

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 1 contains account books, biographical information, catalogues, correspondence, financial and insurance documents, receipts, photographs, the Wedgeway Service Letter and yearly planners. Material also covers the city of Saginaw and various institutions within the city. Newspaper clippings include articles related to Saginaw, the Morley Brothers, the fire of 1949, and advertising. Various recipes within the collection offer remedies for physical ailments. Memorabilia includes materials from the National Rifle Association and World War II. The Lest We Forget 1952 includes an entry on October 17, 1952 about Representative Richard Nixon running for office.

Processing Note: Published materials of a substantial nature were separately cataloged.

The collection includes: letters, catalogs, photographs, personal and business correspondence, clippings (copies), specifications, time books, scrapbooks, children's homework and handmade cards to Santa, genealogical materials, and other materials.

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 2 includes materials mostly in English, but some are in German or Russian, which is noted in the Box and Folder Listing.

In Series 2 notable correspondence includes Rep. J.W. Fordney, Governor Chase S. Osborn, President Herbert Hoover and letters and Christmas cards to and from World War II servicemen. Material also covers Reuben Hitchcock Morley’s murder in China, the city of Saginaw, various institutions within the city and other companies owned by Morley relatives in the United States. Newspaper clippings (copies) include articles related to Saginaw, the Morley Brothers, the fire of 1934 and the Morley Family.

There are photographs in Series 2 Box 4 of the Morley Brothers at DuMont Television, an early manufacturer of televisions.

Personal Correspondence of various family members is found in Series 2 Boxes 5-10. Of note here are charming, homemade notes to Santa created by children Abigail, Charles, Mary and Paul Morley, Jr., undated. The notes are handwritten or printed, signed, on red cardboard and decorated with drawings and stickers.

Series 2 Box 6 includes correspondence between Paul Morley and the British Embassy, 1916.

Series 2 Box 8 includes correspondence from between P.F.H. Morley and the editor of the Horseless Age, the “first Motor Vehicle Journal in the English language.” Correspondence notes that Morley had troubles with his gasoline engine and inquired about a fuel source called “energine”. In Box 8 there is also correspondence between Paul Morley recommending possible donors to support The National Home Finding Society for Colored Children (copies, originals), 1916. Correspondence in Box 8 about the New York Times is about the purchase of a subscription for Fred Ecton and complaints about a late paper.

Series 2 Box 11 includes materials of the Menominee Hardware Company which was either owned or co-owned by the Morleys. Box 11 also includes correspondence between the Morley Brothers and the U.S. War Department, 1919, noting how they are trying to hire veterans, and War Department requests for Morley to complete a questionnaire re: company war efforts. It appears that they supplied war products.

Series 2 Box 12 includes Morley Brothers Patents, 1886-1956. Several of these patents were purchased by the Morleys, while the rest of the folders concerns trademarks.

Series 2 includes one Oversized Folder with a Goodridge Bros. photograph of a house with four children, a man and a horse. The photographers, notable African-Americans, are identified on the back of the image.

Series 2 Processing Note: During processing approximately 5 cubic feet of materials, mostly duplicates or materials which were copied and the copies retained, were withdrawn from the collection. In addition, approximately 2 cubic feet of general Saginaw history materials, general Michigan photographs and postcards were added to the Michigan vertical files, Michigan photographs or Michigan postcards collections in the Clarke. Published materials of a substantial nature in both series were separately cataloged.

Morley Brothers Papers, Series 4. This series consists almost entirely of oversized financial volumes. It is organized into two major series: Morley Bros. Company Organizational Records and the Morley Family/ Personal Papers. Together they provide a detailed history of this Saginaw business family. Researchers and staff should exercise caution in lifting the large, heavy volumes!

Morley Brothers Series 4: Volumes, 1836, 1967, and undated, 187 [mostly oversized] volumes. The series consists only entirely of oversized volumes of various types of business financial records. The series is organized into two major subseries: 4-1 Morley Bros. Company Organizational Records and 4-2 Morley Family/ Personal Papers. Together they provide a detailed, although incomplete history of this Saginaw business family.

Overall the materials are in good condition, but a few volumes are dirty or have loose covers or pages. There are also eight locked volumes, likely gross entry journals that could not be unlocked due to the way the lock is attached to the volume. Many of the volumes are very large to huge in size, and weigh a lot, requiring two people to lift safely. A few are missing covers or have some loose pages and are in folders. There are also a few volumes consisting only of loose pages in folders. Researchers and staff should exercise caution in lifting the large, heavy volumes!

Also of note is the beautiful penmanship exhibited in some of the volumes, notably General Gross Entry Book [end of the month, which includes lists of employees], 1900-1903. These volumes all have lovely penmanship. It is obvious that clerks with good penmanship were successfully employed by the company. Eight of these volumes are locked closed.

Some volumes do not have titles. If titles have been added by the archivist, they are in square brackets []. Description, notes, and the contents of the volumes are also described in square brackets [].

Morley Brothers Company Organizational Records, 1836, 1967, and undated, includes 163 [mostly oversized] volumes organized into Companies Morley Bought Out, and then alphabetical by title/ type of volumes Morley generated concerning its own business transactions. Each type of volume documenting functions are then organized chronological, numerically, and/or alphabetical, depending on original order. The company records provide a very complete view of the company’s history, financial practices and business connections. There are three volumes which may be of particular interest to researchers. Scrapbooks of Invoices, 1867-1893, includes the earliest extant company receipts pasted into scrapbooks. The earliest Saginaw Michigan, history, is found in the Day Book and Journal, 1836-1843, which documents a trading store of dry goods, July 1842-1843, and 1836 land sales Saginaw, Michigan, of Day, Little and Company, and the Saginaw City Company, 1836. The Employee Records subseries documents the human aspect of the company and includes employee pay rolls and traveling salesmen records, documenting who worked what job, at what wage, for how long, in what years, in which unit of the business and in which location.

The organizational records are organized into: Companies Morley Bought Out, 6 volumes, 1836, 1917; Accounts, 5 volumes, 1868, 1950; Bank Books, 4 volumes, 1886, 1940; Business Correspondence, 2 volumes, 1890s; Cash Books, 13 volumes, 1879, 1939; Delinquent/ Suspended Accounts, 2 volumes, 1892-1902; Employee Records, 11 volumes, 1876, 1948; Gross Entry Books/ Journals, 8 volumes, 1866, 1926; Locked Volumes [Gross Entry Books/ Journals [end of the month]], 8 volumes, 1883, undated; Indexes, 10 volumes, 1882, after 1886, undated; Inventories, 13 volumes, 1886, 1900; Journal Entries [General Profits, Losses, Accounts Only], 11 volumes, 1882, 1965; Ledgers, Business, Alphabetical, 16 volumes, 1883, 1892; Ledgers, Business General, Numbered, 6 volumes, 1882, 1912; Ledgers, City, 5 volumes, 1889, 1902, undated; Ledgers, Country, 8 volumes, 1893, 1902, undated; Morning Business Meetings, 2 folders, 1948-1950; Notes and Bills Receivable, 2 volumes, 1870-1886; Oil [Purchased], 1 volume, 1886-1949; Purchases, 5 volumes, 1888, 1901; Visitors Register, 1 volume, 1904-1967; Saddlery Company Statistics, 1 volume, 1901-1903; Sales, Daily/ Monthly, 11 volumes, 1876, 1936; Scrapbooks of Invoices, 3 volumes, 1863, 1867; Stocks and Bonds, 2 volumes, 1901, 1917; Taxes, 1 volume, 1885-1913; Trial Balances, 5 volumes, 1 folder 1886, 1952

The Morley Family/ Personal Papers, 1886, 1953, and undated, includes 24 [mostly oversized] volumes, 1 oversized folder, 1 box (.5 cubic ft.), and are organized alphabetically by the name of Morley family members documented in the collection including: Edward W., George B., Helen Wells, Lucy B., Paul F. H., and Ralph. The family members each either created their materials or someone created the material specifically for them. Materials for each family member are organized by type of material, mostly accounts or legal documents, and chronologically. Material general to all of them or unidentified is in Morley Family (General) Papers. Most of this series is financial, insurance, taxes, or estates related. There is one address book, undated. The box (.5 cu.ft.), 1891, 1934, undated, includes miscellaneous financials or estate records, as well as obituaries of George W. Morley, Sr. (1914) and P.F. H. Morley (1931), an article on their store fire (1934), and a name card and Christmas calling card, both undated.

Edward W. Morley, 5 volumes, 1886, 1919; George B. Morley, 1 Ov. folder, 1935; Helen Wells Morley, 4 volumes, 1906, 1963; Lucy B. (Mrs. R.C.) Morley, 4 volumes, 1917, 1940, undated; Paul F. H. Morley, 2 volumes, 1920, 1950; Ralph (R.C.) Morley, 1 volume, 1928-1939; Morley Family Papers, 1 box (.5 cu.ft.), 8 volumes, 1886, 1953

The Morley Brothers is now completely processed. See also the finding aids for Morley Brothers Series 1-3. Other Morley related collections in the Clarke include: Paul F. H. Morley’s Log of the Lodge collection, the Wells family papers, and the Mershon and Morley Company books of plans for portable buildings.

Processing Note: During processing, any loose, acidic materials, mostly relevant newspaper clippings, were photocopied and the copies retained. The original clippings and any peripheral materials were withdrawn during processing. Materials withdrawn totaled less than .25 cubic foot.

Printed catalogs were separately cataloged.

Also in the collection were catalog pages in large, red, hard plastic loose leaf binders were sent to Morley product distributors. Each distributor kept updating the pages with new products of interest to their customers. As a result, most of the distributors’ were very similar with pages inserted in various orders. A sample of distributors’ volumes were retained and separately cataloged. 20 distributor volumes were withdrawn from the collection during processing.