The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center
CredoResearch digital collections in Credo

Collecting area: Business & industry

Kress, Claude Washington

Kress Political Economy Collection

1673-1925 Bulk: 1750-1850
2,934 items 46.5 linear feet
Call no.: D8 .A2

The heart of the Kress Collection lies in the lively pamphlet literature regarding Anglo-American political economics in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although somewhat miscellaneous, the collection contains thousands of titles touching on many of the major issues in trade, finance, political reform, and public policy in Britain and to a lesser degree America. Topics range from tariffs and free trade to public debt and taxation, imports and exports, banking, unionism, and socialism. Nearly three quarters of the collection dates from before 1848.

Subjects

Economics--History--18th centuryEconomics--History--19th centuryGreat Britain--Politics and Government--18th centuryGreat Britain--Politics and Government--19th century
Lamson and Goodnow

Lamson and Goodnow Records

1837-1911
23 boxes, 14 vols. 38 linear feet
Call no.: MS 662
Depiction of Lamson and Goodnow
Lamson and Goodnow

Access restrictions: Temporarily stored offsite; contact SCUA in advance to request materials from this collection.

In 1834, Silas Lamson devised a curved snath that greatly improved the efficiency of the scythe, and riding the commercial success of his invention, Lamson, his sons Ebenezer and Nathaniel, and partner Abel Goodnow, founded the manufacturing firm of Lamson and Goodnow in Shelburne Falls, Mass., in 1837. Early in its history, Lamson and Goodnow recruited skilled workers from cutlery centers in England and Germany and began manufacturing the high quality knives and tableware that have remained the center of their production ever since. The firm was a major contributor to the region’s transformation from a primarily agricultural to an industrial economy, and by the time of the Civil War, they helped establish the Connecticut River Valley had emerged as the center of American cutlery production. At vartious points during their history, Lamson and Goodnow have been involved in the manufacture of arms (e.g. the Springfield Rifle), sewing machines, agricultural implements, and other tools. They remain active in the production of cutlery, trade tools, and kitchenware.

The Lamson and Goodnow records contain relatively dense documentation of a major manufacturer of cutlery and agricultural implements from roughly the time of its founding in 1837 through shortly after the turn of the twentieth century. In addition to account books, records of orders, sales, and production, and a dizzying array of canceled checks, receipts, and trade cards, the collection includes correspondence from field agents and customers that document the growth of the company during the first 75 years of its operation.

Subjects

Cutlery trade--MassachusettsShelburne Falls (Mass.)--History

Contributors

Lamson and Goodnow

Types of material

Account books
Leland, James

James Leland Daybook

1854-1855
1 vol. 0.25 linear feet
Call no.: MS 094

Owner of a general store in Enfield, Massachusetts. Includes notations for the sale of a wide variety of goods (notably Know Nothing hats), names of customers (both individuals, particularly Irish, and businesses), and types of payment (cash, barter, and services).

Subjects

Barter--Massachusetts--Enfield--History--19th centuryConsumers--Massachusetts--Enfield--History--19th centuryEnfield (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryEnfield (Mass.)--Ethnic relations--19th centuryGeneral stores--Massachusetts--EnfieldIrish American Catholics--Massachusetts--Enfield--History--19th centuryJ.M. Crosby (Firm)Leonard Woods (Firm)Minot Manufacturing CompanyNativism--History--19th centuryShopping--Massachusetts--Enfield--History--19th centurySwift River Company

Contributors

Leland and Smith Co.Leland, James

Types of material

Daybooks
Leonard, Samuel B., b. 1807

Samuel B. Leonard Account Book

1833-1845
1 vol. 0.25 linear feet
Call no.: MS 206 bd

Blacksmith from Foxborough, Massachusetts. Documents the various kinds of work performed, such as mending chain links, shoeing horses, bolting and riveting wagons, repairing stoves, and the prices charged for such work. Includes customers arranged by surname and notations of the settlement of long-standing debts (without mention of the methods of payment).

Subjects

Blacksmithing--Massachusetts--Foxborough--History--19th centuryBlacksmiths--Massachusetts--Foxborough--Economic conditions--19th centuryFoxborough (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryFoxborough (Mass.)--History--19th century

Contributors

Leonard, Samuel B., 1807-

Types of material

Account books
Lincoln, Abisha, 1800-1863

Abisha Lincoln Daybooks

1861-1867
3 vols. 0.25 linear feet
Call no.: MS 233

Born in February 1800, Abisha Lincoln kept a general store in Raynham, Mass., selling groceries, hardware, dry goods, shoes, and many other items to residents of the north end of town. Successful in business, Lincoln won election to local and state office and was followed into business by each of his three sons.

These daybooks from Abisha Lincoln record customer names, goods sold (such as groceries, hardware, dry goods, and shoes) and the form of payment: principally cash, with some local trade of agricultural commodities.

Subjects

Barter--Massachusetts--Raynham--History--19th centuryConsumer goods--Prices--Massachusetts--Raynham--History--19th centuryConsumers--Massachusetts--Raynham--History--19th centuryGeneral stores--Massachusetts--RaynhamRaynham (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryRaynham (Mass.)--History--19th century--BiographyShopping--Massachusetts--Raynham--History--19th century

Contributors

Lincoln, Abisha, 1800-1863

Types of material

Account booksDaybooks
Lloyd, Richard E., b. 1834

Richard E. Lloyd Daybook

1859-1862
1 vol. 0.25 linear feet
Call no.: MS 229 bd

Born in Wales in 1833, Richard E. Lloyd found great financial success after migrating to Vermont in the 1850s. Beginning as the proprietor of a dry goods business in Fair Haven, Vermont, he diversified and expanded his holdings, eventually becoming a senior partner in the slate manufacturing firm Lloyd, Owens, and Co.

The daybooks from Richard Lloyd’s dry goods firm include numbered accounts of customers (many with Welsh surnames), lists of items purchased, price per measure, forms of payment (cash, goods, services, credit, making clothes), and the goods sold. Lloyd dealt in a typical range of goods found in a rural general store, including fabrics, ready-made clothes, eggs and dairy products, fruits and nuts, garden seeds, cutlery and tinware, and jewelry.

Subjects

Consumer goods--Vermont--Fair Haven--Prices--19th centuryFair Haven (Vt.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryFair Haven (Vt.)--History--19th centuryGeneral stores--Vermont--Fair HavenWelsh Americans--Vermont--Fair Haven--19th century

Contributors

Lloyd, Richard E.

Types of material

Daybooks
Locke, Samuel A.

Samuel A. Locke Account Book

1821-1829
1 vol. 0.25 linear feet
Call no.: MS 168

Businessman from West Cambridge, Massachusetts with additional dealings in Charlestown, Quincy, Waltham, and Tyngsboro.

The volume includes lists of personal and business purchases, services provided for his family, and business services such as whitewashing, carting coal, sawing wood, carrying letters, collecting debts, relaying a brick fireplace, and “work loading Sloop Rapid,” and barter and cash transactions. References made to Locke’s involvement with Universalism and members of the Tufts family of Cambridge and Middlesex County.

Subjects

Arlington (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryBarter--Massachusetts--HistoryBuilding materials industry--Massachusetts--ArlingtonBuilding trades--Massachusetts--ArlingtonCharlestown (Boston, Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryQuincy (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryTufts familyTyngsboro (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th centuryUniversalismUniversalist churches--United States--History--19th centuryWaltham (Mass.)--Economic conditions--19th century

Contributors

Locke, Samuel A

Types of material

Account books
Lyman, Frank

Frank Lyman Papers

1927-1980
6 boxes 9 linear feet
Call no.: MS 735
Depiction of Frank Lyman, ca.1945
Frank Lyman, ca.1945

A manufacturer of electronics and radio communications, Frank Lyman was a native of Northampton and graduate of the Williston Academy and Harvard (class of 1931). The grandson of Joseph Lyman and great-nephew of Benjamin Smith Lyman, Lyman joined Harvey Radio in the late 1930s, during a time when it was building radio transmitting equipment, purchasing the company in 1940 and becoming its president. An investor in Boston-area radio stations, Lyman oversaw the company’s post-transition into the manufacture of of autmomatic machines and tooling and its merger into the electronics firm, Cambridge Thermionic Corporation (later renamed Cambion) in 1968. Lyman died in 1992, followed by his wife, Jeanne (Sargent), in 2005.

The Lyman Papers contain business correspondence and associated documents relating to both Harvey Radio Corporation and Cambridge Thermionic Corporation, along with associated materials pertaining to Frank Lyman’s investments and personal interests. Beginning during his time at the Williston Academy and extending through his adult life, the collection includes Lyman’s diaries and a small amount of personal correspondence.

Subjects

CambionCambridge Thermionic CorporationHarvey Radio CompanyRadio industry and trade--Massachusetts

Contributors

Lyman, Frank

Types of material

DiariesLetters (Correspondence)Photographs
Mainstream Media Project

Mainstream Media Project Records

1995-2012
11 boxes 16 linear feet
Call no.: MS 976

A World of Possibilities logo, ca. 1998

Founded in 1995, by founder and former executive director Mark Sommer, the Mainstream Media Project (MMP) was a nonprofit public education organization focused on print and broadcast media about creative approaches in achieving peace, security, and sustainability in an interdependent global community. Until its closing in early 2014, it was particularly involved with placing top policy analysts, social innovators, and on-the-ground organizers on radio and television stations across the country and globe. One such project, A World of Possibilities radio show, founded in 2001, was an award-winning one hour weekly show hosted by Sommer. A program “of spirited global conversations,” featuring interviews searching for understanding of, and solutions to, longstanding global public affairs challenges, A World of Possibilities was nationally and internationally syndicated until it ceased broadcasting in 2011.

The MMP Records contain over ten linear feet of CD and DVD masters of uncut interviews and produced radio shows. Shows, including Heart of the Matter and A World of Possibilities, explore promising new thinking and experimentation in fields ranging from energy, food, water, and wilderness to human rights, global security, and public health, and include interviews with leading experts and innovators, such as Studs Terkel, Pete Seeger, Laurie Garrett, Wangari Maathai, Frances Moore Lappe, Howard Gardner, Lily Yeh, Robert Reich, Majora Carter, Van Jones and many more. The collection also contains MMP business files, consisting of correspondence, reports, articles, grant information, and organizational materials.

Gift of Mark Sommer, May 2017

Subjects

ActivistsEnvironmentalismGlobalizationGreen movementPeaceful changePolitics and cultureReconciliationScience--Social aspectsSustainable livingTechnology--Social aspects

Types of material

InterviewsRadio programs
Massachusetts Federation of Business and Professional Women

Massachusetts Federation of Business and Professional Women Records

1925-1992
25 boxes 36.5 linear feet
Call no.: MS 394

First called for in 1918 as a result of the need for a coordinated women’s effort during World War I, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs was not officially formed until just after the armistice was signed in 1919. The new organization did not die with the end of the war, however, as first expected. Instead the group determined that the need for a national business women’s organization was of equal or greater importance during a time of peace. Today Massachusetts state affiliates continue to improve the lives of working women through action on issues such as economic empowerment, women’s health, family and medical leave, and pay equity.

The records of the Massachusetts Federation of Business and Professional Women consist chiefly of correspondence and minutes of meetings, which together chronicle the various issues the state club has worked on for more than sixty years. In addition to materials that document the efforts of the state affiliate there are also records for local chapters in Massachusetts (Hampshire County and Upper Cape Cod centered in Falmouth) which include annual reports and newsletters. Publications issued by the parent organization, BPW/USA, connect the national agenda with topics of importance to the state and local chapters.

Subjects

Businesswomen--MassachusettsWomen--MassachusettsWomen--Societies and clubs--History

Contributors

Business and Professional Women/USAMassachusetts Federation of Business and Professional Women