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Finding Aid to the Frederick W. Dohrmann Family Papers, 1896-1936

BANC MSS 91/29 c

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Table of contents

Container List

Carton 1, folders 1-72; Oversize folder 1

Series 1: Emporium Files, 1869-1933.

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically.

Encompassing the greatest bulk of the collection, this series includes correspondence and memoranda, meeting announcements, financial records, printed material, and clippings which document the Emporium's various mergers and reorganizations as well as personnel and other business matters. These have been divided into six sub-series: Board of Managers/Directors, Correspondence and Memoranda, Subject Files, Stock and Stockholders Records, Financial Records, and Miscellaneous. The chronological, correspondence and Emporium and H.C. Capwell merger files were A. B. C. Dohrmann's.

Board of Managers/Directors Records, ca.1895-1926

Ctn. 1, folder 1

Meeting announcements 1896-97

folder 2

Special meeting announcements 1913-26

folder 3

Synopses of Board meetings 1896

folder 4

Circular letters 1896

folder 5

Committees of the Board 1896

folder 6-7

Finance committee 1896-97

folder 8

Prospectus, Plan of Operation ca. 1895

folder 9

Management Force listing 1899-1908

Correspondence and Memoranda, 1895-1930

Ctn. 1, folder 10

Correspondence and notes 1895-96

folder 11

Notes and memoranda re departments 1896

folder 12-18

Chronological files 1925-30

folder 19

Miscellaneous correspondence 1911-26

Subject Files, 1895-1927

Ctn. 1, folder 20-22

Morton Brothers Suit 1895-97

folder 23

Emporium Tenants meeting minutes 1896

folder 24

Department Owners' Association meeting announcements 1896-97

folder 25-33

Expenses and reorganization 1896-98

folder 34-38

Emporium and Golden Rule Bazaar merger 1896-98

folder 39-44

General and Merchandise Managers miscellaneous 1905-13

folder 45

Mr. Schlesinger's talks 1909-10

folder 46-48

Leases and property 1896-1927

folder 49-53

Personnel 1910-13

folder 54-56

Emporium and H.C. Capwell merger 1925-27

Stock & Stockholders Records, 1908-1933

Ctn. 1, folder 57

Correspondence 1917

folder 58

Notice of special meeting 1917

folder 59

Annual meeting announcements 1926-33

folder 60

List of stockholders undated

folder 61-63

Miscellaneous 1908-27

Financial Records, 1869-1914

Ctn. 1, folder 64

Cost and ProfitChart 1896

folder 65

Accounts and Sales Records by department 1869-97

folder 66

Totals and Averages 1896-97

folder 67

Monthly Reports 1909-11

folder 68

Sales Report 1914

Miscellaneous, 1896-1921

Ctn. 1, folder 69

Printed material by F. W. Dohrmann 1897

folder 70

Holiday Reports 1915

folder 71-72

Clippings 1896-1921

Carton 2, folders 1-20

Series 2: Emporium Capwell Corporation Files, 1913-1937

Scope and Content Note

Arranged hierarchically in three sub-series, consisting mostly of meeting announcements, and printed annual and quarterly reports. Also includes some correspondence pertaining to stockholders and the corporate structure, clippings, and printed material on the Oakland Capwell store.

Administrative Records, 1913-1936

Ctn. 2, folder 1-2

Board of Directors meeting announcements 1913-29

folder 3

General Executive Board meeting announcements 1929

folder 4

Subsidiaries of Emporium Capwell Corporation annual meeting announcements 1929

folder 5

Syndicate Managers meeting announcement 1929

folder 6-8

Finance Committee meeting announcements 1928-29

folder 9-10

Stockholders meeting announcements 1928-36

Financial Records, 1931-1937

Ctn. 2, folder 11

Annual Reports 1931-37

folder 12

Quarterly Reports 1935-36

Miscellaneous, 1927-1937

Ctn. 2, folder 13-14

Correspondence 1930

folder 15-18

Clippings 1927

folder 19-20

Printed Material 1929-37

Carton 2, folders 21-49; Oversize folder 1

Series 3: Nathan Dohrmann Company Files, 1869-1921

Scope and Content Note

Arranged hierarchically. The first sub-series, Administrative Records, contains early partnership Papers of Bernard Nathan, F. W. Dohrmann, and A. B. C. Dohrmann, with various memoranda written by F. W. Dohrmann in his role as President. Correspondence files, detailing a dispute between Nathan Dohrmann and the Emporium and Golden Rule Bazaar, include a memo detailing the executive organization of the company and notes about its reorganization. Early financial records and ledgers are found in the second sub-series, with personnel forms and inventory notebooks. Advertisements are found in Oversize folder 1.

Administrative Records, 1887-1910

Ctn. 2, folder 21-22

Partnership Papers 1887-98

folder 23-27

President's Letters 1908-10

folder 28-30

Plans & Problems Memos 1905

folder 31-35

Correspondence 1895-1909

Financial Records, 1869-1907

Ctn. 2, folder 36-37

Annual Balances 1886-99

folder 38

Appendices to Analysis and Review 1903-07

folder 39

Table of Sales 1869-1900

folder 40

Table of Profit and Loss 1869-92

folder 41

Percentage of Sales Estimated as Gross Profits 1900-03

folder 42

Increase and Decrease of Purchases, Sales and Expenses 1888-91

folder 43

Business Statistics 1869-98

folder 44-45

Cash Sales Comparison 1883-97

folder 46

Disbursements Ledgers 1898

folder 47

Profit and Loss Ledger 1869-90

Miscellaneous, 1910-1921 & undated

Ctn. 2, folder 48

Inventory Notebook undated

folder 49

Personnel Forms 1910-21

Carton 2, folders 50-65

Series 4: Dohrmann Commercial Company Files, 1869-1936

Scope and Content Note

Arranged hierarchically in three sub-series containing memoranda and correspondence written by F. W. Dohrmann, in his capacity as president of the company, to A. B. C. Dohrmann, vice-president. Also includes financial correspondence and records, including a comparison of syndicate stores, and invitations and menus for company anniversary dinners.

General Correspondence, 1879-1934 & undated

Ctn. 2, folder 50-51

Correspondence 1910-34

folder 52

To the Hotel Department 1909

folder 53

Company history 1879, undated

folder 54

Report on Trip to Sacramento undated

Financial Correspondence and Records, 1869-1935

Ctn. 2, folder 55-56

Correspondence and reports 1907-09

folder 57

Stock correspondence 1917-18

folder 58

Tax correspondence 1917-19

folder 59

Comparison of syndicate stores 1913

folder 60

Financial program memo 1935

folder 61

Miscellaneous 1869-1913

Miscellaneous, 1913-1936

Ctn. 2, folder 62

Convention of the Affiliated Stores 1913

folder 63

Notes of the Dohrmann Hotel Supply Company, Credit Men's Conference 1936

folder 64

Testimonial Reception Invitations and Menus 1927

folder 65

Golden Jubilee Dinner Invitation 1934

Cartons 2, folders 66-68; Carton 3, folders 1-4; Oversize folder 1

Series 5: B. Nathan Company Files, 1863-1928

Scope and Content Note

Arranged hierarchically and consisting of early agreements, annual balance sheets, various financial ledgers, supply notebooks organized by country, and printed advertisements.

Ctn. 2, folder 66

Agreements 1863-64

folder 67

Annual balance sheets 1874-81

folder 68

Capital Stock Ledger 1869-74

Ctn. 3, folder 1

Financial Ledger 1869-93

folder 2

Notebooks undated

folder 3

Printed Ephemera 1887

folder 4

Miscellaneous 1878-1928

Carton 3, folders 5-20

Series 6: Files Regarding Related Organizations, 1894-1922

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically.

The first sub-series contains correspondence pertaining to syndicate stores and their leases. Numerous files for unidentified companies include financial records, comparative building information, and a lovely, early inventory book with pen and ink sketches of crockery and crystal. The third sub-series consists of correspondence and memos of various merchant associations.

Records Of Syndicate Stores, 1906-1922

Ctn. 3, folder 5-7

Howell Dohrmann 1907-09

folder 8-10

Parmelee Dohrmann Company 1906-22

folder 11

Yost Dohrmann Company [1920?]

Records Of Unidentified Companies, 1894-1911 & undated

Ctn. 3, folder 12

Miscellaneous correspondence undated

folder 13

Inventory book undated

folder 14

Miscellaneous financial records 1894-99

folder 15

Financial charts 1897-1911

folder 16

Christmas donations 1910

folder 17

Comparative Building Information undated

Records of Merchant Associations, 1908-1911 & undated

Ctn. 3, folder 18

Retail Merchants of San Francisco 1910-11

folder 19

Merchants' Association 1908

folder 20

Retail Association of Greater San Francisco undated

Carton 3, folders 21-38; Oversize v. 1

Series 7: Personal Papers of F. W. Dohrmann Family, 1841- 1938

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the records in this series consists of items pertaining to F. W. Dohrmann's death and funeral, including obituaries and clippings, lists of clippings and flower arrangements received, as well as estate and personal ledgers, various memos written by F. W. Dohrmann about estate and business planning, and speeches. Also included are a brief biography of A. B. C. Dohrmann, ledgers for the memorial account established in the name of Mr. Dohrmann's deceased son, W. F. Dohrmann, and the papers, including letters of introduction, wills, and passports of various other family members—Josephine (F. W. Dohrmann's wife), Julius Dohrmann (F. W. Dohrmann's father) and Blanca Dohrmann Paulsen (F. W. Dohrmann's sister). Some of the latter records are in German.

Ctn. 3, folder 21

Biography of A. B. C. Dohrmann 1938

folder 22-23

F. W. Dohrmann memos 1905-06

folder 24

F. W. Dohrmann Plans and Problems—estate planning 1914

folder 25

Unitarian Club Dinner Speech 1909

folder 26-28

Death and Funeral 1914

folder 29

Obituaries and Clippings 1914-15

folder 30

Clippings 1900-26

folder 31

Accounts procedure ledger 1893

folder 32

Ledger 1911-14

folder 33

Estate ledger 1914-17

folder 34-35

W. F. Dohrmann Memorial Account ledgers 1905-15

folder 36

Beneficiaries of Blanca Dohrmann Paulsen 1928

folder 37-38

Dohrmann Family personalia 1841-1924

box Oversize, folder 1

Clippings 1897

Advertisements [1869]-1901

Annual Balance sheets 1882-1886

folder v. 1

Resolutions of the Merchants' Association upon the Retirement of President F. W. Dohrmann—scrapbook 1901

Container List

Series 1: Emporium Files, 1869-1933.

Board of Managers/Directors Records, ca.1895-1926

Correspondence and Memoranda, 1895-1930

Subject Files, 1895-1927

Stock & Stockholders Records, 1908-1933

Financial Records, 1869-1914

Miscellaneous, 1896-1921

Series 2: Emporium Capwell Corporation Files, 1913-1937

Administrative Records, 1913-1936

Financial Records, 1931-1937

Miscellaneous, 1927-1937

Series 3: Nathan Dohrmann Company Files, 1869-1921

Administrative Records, 1887-1910

Financial Records, 1869-1907

Miscellaneous, 1910-1921 & undated

Series 4: Dohrmann Commercial Company Files, 1869-1936

General Correspondence, 1879-1934 & undated

Financial Correspondence and Records, 1869-1935

Miscellaneous, 1913-1936

Series 5: B. Nathan Company Files, 1863-1928

Series 6: Files Regarding Related Organizations, 1894-1922

Records Of Syndicate Stores, 1906-1922

Records Of Unidentified Companies, 1894-1911 & undated

Records of Merchant Associations, 1908-1911 & undated

Series 7: Personal Papers of F. W. Dohrmann Family, 1841- 1938