John S. Pillsbury and Family: Finding Aids : MNHS.ORG


	Creator:	Pillsbury, J. S. (John Sargent), 1827-1901, creator.
	Title:	John S. Pillsbury and family papers.
	Dates:	1833-1934.
	Language:	Materials in English.
	Abstract:	Pillsbury family papers and John S. Pillsbury business records, chiefly regarding the business activities of John S. Pillsbury, a Minneapolis businessman who was governor of Minnesota (1876-1882), his brother, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, and his nephew, also Charles A. Business records consist mostly of financial and legal records (account books, bills and invoices), papers regarding land dealings, business correspondence, and focus on Cross & Pillsbury, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., and Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd. Family papers include personal papers of Pillsbury and other family members, letterpress books (which include letters regarding land holdings and sales, business, investments, and miscellaneous topics), personal and family expenses, and a few photographs of Pillsbury’s homes. There is also a little information on family history, Minneapolis civic affairs, and Pillsbury's role as governor and as a member of the board of regents of the University of Minnesota. Also included in this collection are the papers of William W. Eastman.
	Quantity:	17.50 cubic feet (18 boxes and 1 oversize folder).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

These documents are organized into the following sections:



		Cross & Pillsbury
		J.S. Pillsbury & Co.
		Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd.
		Financial Records
		Miscellaneous Business Records
		Land Dealings
		Pillsbury Family Personal Papers
		William W. Eastman Papers
		Oversize Items

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Pillsbury, J. S. John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 7032; 8446; 8466; 11,525; 13,874; 16,648

Processing Information:

Processed by Lydia Lucas and Alex Kent.

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Processed by: Alex Kent

Catalog ID number: 990017198860104294

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Records of this St. Anthony hardware dealership, a partnership (originally Geo. F. Cross & Co.) of John S. Pillsbury, his brother-in-law Woodbury Fisk, and George F. Cross. The records include bills, invoices, and statements of account for goods purchased by Cross & Pillsbury; letters received regarding their orders, shipments, and payments; bills of lading and shipping statements; and receipts, drafts, and promissory notes. Fisk appears only a few times in these records. Documentation is sparse for 1858-1859.

Pillsbury, Fisk, and Cross were buying goods both from local firms and from wholesalers and manufacturers in the East. It appears as though they gave promissory notes for many of their purchases, then paid them off, or made payments on account, as they re-sold the goods. A number of the letters, especially in 1857, dun Cross & Pillsbury for payment, also indicate that Cross & Pillsbury's customers were in turn having trouble paying them. A few letters quote prices and terms, and a few pertain to goods ordered from Cross & Pillsbury by their customers. There are several orders to pay third parties and charge the amount to the requestor's account with Cross & Pillsbury.

Also present are bills and invoices for equipping and maintaining the store building (including labor), for advertising, and apparently for maintenance of work horses and vehicles. Some, although addressed to Cross & Pillsbury, appear to be for personal or family expenses (food, clothing, board) for Pillsbury, Fisk, or a John Dutton. On September 29, 1857, Cross & Pillsbury, as well as adjoining businesses, were burned out in a major fire. After requesting extensions on notes due, the firm made a partial assignment to creditors (the records provide no details). It seems to have reorganized as Cross, Pillsbury & Co. in 1858, before Pillsbury assumed its debts and continued the business as J.S. Pillsbury & Co. circa April 1859.

Location

Box

130.A.15.1B

1

Geo. F. Cross & Co.:

Letters received, 1855.

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1855. 2 folders.

Cross & Pillsbury:

Undated, [1856-1858].

Letters received, 1856.

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1856. 2 folders.

Receipts, drafts, and promissory notes, 1856.

Orders to Cross & Pillsbury, 1856.

Letters received, 1857. 2 folders.

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1857. 3 folders.

Receipts, drafts, and promissory notes, 1857.

Orders to Cross & Pillsbury, 1857.

Cross, Pillsbury & Co.:

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1858.

Receipts, drafts, and promissory notes, 1858.

Miscellaneous papers, 1858.

Orders to Cross, Pillsbury & Co./J.S. Pillsbury & Co., 1859.

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The hardware firm of J.S. Pillsbury & Co., successor to Cross & Pillsbury, continued in business for about 18 years, until Pillsbury disposed of it in 1875 in order to concentrate on the flour milling business. Pillsbury appears to have been the principal, if not sole, proprietor of the firm, although Woodbury Fisk retained some degree of involvement.

Location

Box

130.A.15.1B

1

Historical memorabilia.

Company letterheads and business cards; a few newspaper advertisements; 1866 receipt for wholesale license; also a Chas. A. Pillsbury & Co. illustrated letterhead (1881).

Bills and invoices, 1860-1879.

Bills, invoices, statements, quotations, and related documents for goods purchased by J.S. Pillsbury & Co. for resale. They document the types and variety of hardware, building materials, agricultural and lumbering equipment, and household items available in the 1860s and 1870s; the scope of the company's business; and its interactions with wholesalers and other suppliers, both locally and in Eastern cities. Some invoices are for materials and labor for maintenance of the store building, as well as additions or major improvements made in 1866 and 1872. Some are for telegrams, stationery, newspaper advertisements, miscellaneous labor for the company, and similar business expenses. The set seems fairly full for the years 1862-1863, 1865-1866, 1869, and 1872, and more scattered for other years. Some invoices, although addressed to J.S. Pillsbury & Co., appear to be for personal expenses. Others are for goods purchased by, for, or on behalf of Woodbury Fisk, and occasionally other people; it is unclear whether these are business or personal expenses. At least one invoice (April 1866) is to Pillsbury & Mayo, and one (Feb. 1868) is to Pillsbury & Tuttle. There is at least one instance (May 1872) of Pillsbury having received hardware goods to sell on commission. There are many illustrated letterheads (mostly for non-Minnesota companies).

Bills and invoices, 1860s, 1860.

Bills and invoices, 1861.

Bills of lading, 1861.

Bills and invoices, 1862. 2 folders.

Bills and invoices, 1863. 2 folders.

Statements and bills of lading, 1863.

Bills and invoices, 1864. 2 folders.

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Box

130.A.15.2F

2

Bills and invoices, 1865. 3 folders.

Statements, 1865.

Bills and invoices, 1866. 5 folders.

Construction work on store, December 1866. 1 item.

Invoice from T. H. Goodale for $3,511 for construction and finishing work, primarily on the store but also on Pillsbury's residence and carriage house.

Statements, 1866.

Bills and invoices, 1867. 3 folders.

Mainly April and July.

Bills and invoices, 1868.

Statements, 1868.

Bills and invoices, 1869. 6 folders.

July and November missing.

Statements and bills of lading, 1869.

Nail account, Coleman, Rahm & Co., 1869-1873.

Bills and invoices, 1870.

Quotations and price lists, 1871.

Bills and invoices, 1871 misc.

Bills and invoices, May-July 1871. 3 folders.

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Box

130.A.15.3B

3

Bills and invoices, August December 1871. 2 folders.

Bills of lading, 1871.

Quotations and price lists, 1872.

With related correspondence.

Bills and invoices, 1872. 15 folders.

Nail account, Kimberly, Carnes & Co., 1872.

Statements, 1872.

Bills of lading, 1872.

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Box

130.A.15.4F

4

Quotations and price lists, 1873.

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1873-1874.

Bills of lading, 1873.

Bills of lading, 1874.

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1875.

Bills of lading, 1875.

Bills, invoices, and statements, 1876-1879.

Drafts and promissory notes, 1861-1879. 8 folders.

Drafts on Pillsbury Co., usually from the firm's suppliers, for money owed or due; promissory notes, both issued by and issued to J. S. Pillsbury & Co.

Orders to Pillsbury Company, 1860, 1862, 1872, 10 folders.

Sample files of written orders to J.S. Pillsbury & Co. for goods purchased from them. Three sample years were retained: 1860 and 1862, to illustrate business transactions in the firm's early years, and 1872, to correlate with the particularly full set of bills and invoices for goods purchased by the company for resale. They illustrate the scope of the firm's customer base, and the often informal ways in which customers requested goods.

Many were hand-delivered on scraps of paper; sometimes these request that the bearer be given tools such as he may select, or up to a given dollar amount, charged to the bearer's employer. Some of the more formal orders specify desired items exactly; others explain what is wanted and rely upon Pillsbury & Co. to send the appropriate item. Some return items as not being exactly what is wanted; some complain about the quality of the goods. Some notes ask that Pillsbury & Co. pay a particular person a specific amount of money and charge it to the requestor's account.

Location

Box

130.A.15.5B

5

Orders to Pillsbury Company, 1872. 5 folders.

Orders for payment, 1872.

Invoices for goods bought from Pillsbury Co., 1871-1875.

A few invoices on J.S. Pillsbury & Co. letterheads.

U.S. Internal Revenue, Pillsbury & Co., 1865-1875.

The company's Internal Revenue license as a wholesale dealer (1865), and receipts for occupational excise and special taxes (1867-1871).

Pillsbury (John S. and family) correspondence and miscellaneous (other) papers, undated, 1833-1897. 6 folders.

Includes list of lands owned by John S. Pillsbury and his associates; biographical sketch of George A. Pillsbury; grading cards of the Cargill Elevator Company and McCaull-Webster Grain Company; an illustrated advertisement for Pillsbury's Best; an illustrated advertisement of Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company captioned We Feed The World; a history of the descent of John S. Pillsbury from Caleb Pillsbury, prepared as John S. Pillsbury's application for membership in the Minnesota Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Other items include a printed statement on the resignation of George Cloutte as a director of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd.; bylaws of the Minneapolis and Northern Elevator Company; a proposition for the consolidation of the brewing companies located in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and LaCrosse; bylaws of the Island Power Company; and notes on how Richard Chute secured a land grant for building a railroad to St. Anthony.

Also includes a folder of largely undated printed items gathered by the Pillsbury Flour Mills Company for an exhibition, 1833-1876; most are advertisements for milling machinery, flours, crackers, and baking equipment.

J.S. Pillsbury business correspondence, 1861-1871. 17 folders.

Consists of letters received. Organized by year or portion of year; not arranged any further. The majority concern orders, prices, payments, and shipment of goods ordered by, or bought from, J.S. Pillsbury & Co. Many letters deal with the logistics of ordering and shipping, or with apparent misunderstandings about orders, prices, payments, or specifications. Some complain of Pillsbury Co's service or about defective goods; others respond to similar complaints from John S. Pillsbury. Some dun John S. Pillsbury & Co. for payment; others seem to respond to dunning letters from Pillsbury. Some letters concern money loaned to Pillsbury; others concern money loaned, or credit given, by him.

Other letters ask Pillsbury to try to collect money due the requestor, and some concern notes that Pillsbury sent for collection. Some appear to be from consignees selling goods on Pillsbury's behalf, or asking him to sell goods on their behalf. Occasionally a correspondent from the East sends a packet of currency to Pillsbury, or asks him to buy specie. Among those purchasing goods from Pillsbury are Indian agencies in Minnesota and Dakota Territory, and possibly the U.S. Army in the Dakotas. The company seems to have some involvement in the Red River trade in general (including the fur trade), and in shipping reapers to the Red River Valley for sale. A few letters reference wheat, flour, and the grinding of wheat, and there are a few minor references to the Civil War and the Dakota Indians.

Also includes 4 letters from R. Patterson on illustrated letterhead, Suspension Bridge Between St. Anthony and Minneapolis, a "List of Supplies for the Pineries" [1863?], a long supplies list from A. C. Morrill, Chippewa [Agency?]; Cass County, 1864; a letter from Charles McCabe assessing Minnesota's potential to produce agricultural products, especially flax, for export, 1865; a lengthy hardware order for Leech Lake, October 1871; and a few letters appear to pertain to land or other investments, 1869.

Location

Box

130.A.15.6F

6

J.S. Pillsbury business correspondence, 1872-1879. 15 folders.

Includes order list for the Cheyenne River Indian Agency, June 1873; a detailed proposal or bid by Pillsbury to furnish supplies for the U.S. Indian Agency in Sisseton, D.T., June 1874; and a letter from T[?] I[?] Tuttle describing his life in the San Francisco, California area August 1874; a few letters for July-December 1875 are references to Pillsbury's election as governor of Minnesota and to Pillsbury & Co. successors (Janney Moles Brooks & Co.).

Also included are some letters regarding Pillsbury's business investments and finances, lumber shipments, the flour milling business, and apparently some residual affairs of J.S. Pillsbury & Co. One letter, October 1878, concerns settlement of the accounts of Indian agent Whitehead.

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Location

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130.A.15.8F

8

Proofs of indebtedness:

Proofs filed by creditors of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd., with the United States Circuit Court, District of Minnesota, Fourth District. Arranged by serial number (with some numbers missing). Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd. failed in 1908 and was succeeded by Pillsbury Flour Mills Company.

Nos. 1-337, 1908-1910. 12 folders.

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Box

130.A.16.1B

9

Nos. 338-680, 1908. 13 folders.

Location

Box

130.A.16.2F

10

Nos. 681-903, 1908. 13 folders.

Location

Box

130.A.16.3B

11

Nos. 904-988, 1908-1909. 5 folders.

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Account books

A set of ledgers covers the full span of the existence of J.S. Pillsbury & Co. (1859-1875). They consist primarily of statements of account for his customers (charges incurred and payments made); only very occasionally is there a reference to what was purchased. In most of the ledgers there are occasional entries later than the overall date span of the volume; these appear to represent reconciliation of accounts as Pillsbury closed out his hardware business or his account with a particular customer. The ledgers also include pages for "Bills Payable," "Expense," various merchandise accounts, and the like, which appear to be records of money owed to the company's suppliers and for maintenance of the store and business operations. The journals, cash books, and blotter are incomplete sets, but offer details on what Pillsbury's customers bought and paid on a day-to-day basis. None of the account books are indexed.

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Box

130.A.16.3B

11

Volume 1. [Land ledger, stock accounts, and miscellaneous accounts], 1890-1905. 1 volume.

Volume 2. Journal: [Pillsbury Flour Mills Company accounts], 1910-1934. 1 volume.

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Box

142.H.19.8F-1

13

Ledger, C. P. & Co., 1859-1864. 1 volume.

Apparently Cross, Pillsbury & Co., continuing after it became J. S. Pillsbury & Co.

Ledger, [J.S. Pillsbury & Co.?], 1865-1868 (bulk 1865-1867). 1 volume.

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142.H.19.6F-2

14

Ledger A, [J.S. Pillsbury & Co.], 1867-1870 (bulk 1867-July 1869). 1 volume.

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Box

142.H.19.7B-1

15

Ledger B, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., 1869-1872. 1 volume.

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Box

142.H.19.7B-2

16

Ledger C, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., 1872-1875 (bulk 1872-1874). 1 volume.

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130.A.16.5B

17

Ledger D, J.S. Pillsbury, 1874-1877. 1 volume.

Entries in the latter part of this volume appear to be for Pillsbury's construction projects and property investments (for example, Washington Avenue Block, Westfall Block, Lumber Account, C. A. Pillsbury Block, Brick Block, Hennepin Avenue Block, Real Estate).

Journal D, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., November 1869-July 1871. 1 volume.

Summarizing entries from Blotters G-M.

Journal F, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., October 1872-August 1873. 1 volume.

Summarizing entries from Blotters U-Z.

Location

Box

130.A.16.6F

18

Blotter E, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., December 1868-August 1869. 1 volume.

Cash Book B, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., 1869-1873. 1 volume.

Blotter 9, [J.S. Pillsbury & Co.?], February 1875-October 1882 (bulk 1875-1876). 1 volume.

The majority of entries appear to be for the last several months of Pillsbury's hardware business and the subsequent wrapping up of its financial affairs. Entries for 1876 and onward appear to be largely for his property, promissory note, and other investments.

Bills and invoices, personal and family expenses, 1850s-1890s (bulk 1871-1889)

Itemized bills and invoices for personal and household expenses of Pillsbury and his family, including groceries, clothing, sewing supplies, millinery and dressmaking services, laundry, furniture, cookware, other household goods and supplies, medicines and medical expenses, books, newspaper and magazine subscriptions, upkeep of the house and premises (supplies and labor), fuel, ice, music lessons, and feed, farriers, harnesses, buggies, and veterinarian services for the family horses.

They document the lifestyle of an upper-class family in the 1870s and 1880s. Some of the bills in the 1870s are to Pillsbury's brother-in-law Woodbury Fisk, sometimes itemized on the same bill as goods for the Pillsbury family. A few items billed to J.S. Pillsbury personally in the early 1870s may in fact be for upkeep of or sale in his hardware store. Some of the Woodbury Fisk expenses may also be business-related.

Location

Box

130.A.15.6F

6

Bills and invoices, 1850s-1870. 2 folders.

Incomplete.

Bills and invoices, 1871-1879. 9 folders.

Specifications: Pillsbury house, [1876?].

Specifications for construction of a new house, by Alden & Haley, architects; receipts for payment for their services and for services by architect Leroy S. Buffington.

House construction, 1877-1879.

Invoices for construction, decoration, and furnishing.

Bills and invoices, 1880-1883. 4 folders.

Location

Box

130.A.15.7B

7

Bills and invoices, 1884-1889. 11 folders.

European trip, 1889.

Cunard Line steamer diagram; invoices/receipts for goods purchased in England, France, and Italy; shipping charges and duties.

Bills and invoices, 1890s.

A few miscellaneous items.

Life insurance policies, John S. Pillsbury, 1865-1886.

Receipts for premium payments.

Other insurance, 1866-1887.

Receipts for premium payments on fire, real estate, and personal property insurance, including insurance on stock holdings.

Income taxes, J.S. Pillsbury and Woodbury Fisk, 1866-1871.

Receipts for payment.

Personal property taxes, 1862-1884.

Receipts for payments by John S. Pillsbury, J.S. Pillsbury & Co., and Woodbury Fisk; 2 poll tax receipts (1872).

Miscellaneous accounts connected with Woodbury Fisk, 1863-1874.

A scattering of invoices and receipts, mainly for personal expenses such as groceries, household goods, horse and carriage expenses, and insurance. Some appear to be for unspecified building projects. There is a tax sale certificate, 1868; and a letter regarding a debt owed to Fisk, 1863.

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Location

Box

130.A.15.7B

7

Tuttle & Co. in account with various people, 1869-1870.

Statements of account for sales and purchases, and two letters regarding money owed them. One statement is for items bought of J.S. Pillsbury & Co., but Pillsbury's connection with this firm is otherwise not evident.

George A. Pillsbury flour business, 1861. 1 item.

Statement of flour sales by G. A. Pillsbury to John S. Pillsbury.

J.S. Pillsbury in account with Charles A. Pillsbury & Co., 1873-1887.

Detailed statements of account, primarily showing J.S. Pillsbury buying from C.A. Pillsbury (or paying money to him for) a variety of personal and household goods, as well as what appear to be investment expenses, bank deposits, and flour business expenses or proceeds. Several are on Chas. A. Pillsbury & Co. illustrated letterheads.

Articles of agreement, Chas. A. Pillsbury & Co., January 18, 1884.

Handwritten, notarized agreement among Charles A., John S., George A., and Fred C. Pillsbury and their wives with a plan for continuance of their partnership business in case of the death of any one of them.

Pillsbury Washburn Flour Mills, 1898. 2 items.

A proxy form and a stock transfer form, both annotated "[saved as sample]".

Gorton Cooley & Co., debt collection, 1872-1873.

Letters concerning financial settlements of this lumbering firm, which went bankrupt and assigned its property to Harvey. F. Blodgett to arrange payment to its creditors. Several of the sums owed are endorsed over to J.S. Pillsbury & Co. There are several receipts for repayment of money advanced to pay notes of Gorton Cooley & Co. to the Lake Superior and Mississippi RR.

Farmers Elevator (Herman, Minnesota), 1878-1880.

An incomplete set of monthly reports by Chas. A. Smith of wheat received, shipped, in store, and amounts due on wheat tickets, November 1878-February 1880; and several letters from Smith to Pillsbury regarding the elevator business, wheat shipping, the lumber trade, and related matters. Pillsbury and Smith were partners in the firm of C. A. Smith & Co., dealer in agricultural machinery, lumber, and more, and proprietor of the elevator.

C. A. Smith & Co., 1889-1892.

Letters and balance sheets from Smith to Pillsbury, his partner in this firm, now headquartered in Minneapolis as manufacturers and dealers in lumber, reporting on its business affairs.

Log and lumber dealings, 1860-1889.

Miscellaneous receipts, letters, memoranda, and contracts reflecting Pillsbury's investments in cut logs and lumber. They include two itemized statements of John S. Pillsbury in account with Anchor Mill, 1875-1876; agreements to cut or receive pine logs, and bills of pine logs scaled or shipped. Some documents involve Gorton Cooley & Co. or S. S. Small.

Investment miscellany, 1867-1887.

A scattered group of receipts, letters, and memoranda, mainly for J.S. Pillsbury's stock purchases and dividends, notes held by or money owed to him, and some money owed by him.

First Congregational Church of Minneapolis: Organ, 1881-1888.

Agreement by Arthur Wales with J.S. Pillsbury to construct and install an organ in the church, to be paid for by Pillsbury, 1881; construction specifications; invoice to Pillsbury by George L. Marshall for rebuilding work on the organ, 1885; statement of account for additional work on the organ, 1888.

Financial records, S. S. Small, 1874-1877. 3 folders.

Primarily invoices and receipts for labor and materials for various construction projects. Sanford S. Small seems to have been a partner and/or agent for J.S. Pillsbury in at least some of these, and some of the documents are written to Small & Pillsbury; a few are to Hemenway & Small. Building projects noted on various of the items include Hennepin Avenue Block, C.A. Pillsbury Block, S.S. Small Block, Washington Avenue Block, Music Hall. Some are for rents, abstracts, and other transactions regarding real estate. A few are invoices from Small to Pillsbury for reimbursement of travel expenses. A number of them appear to be for personal expenses.

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130.A.16.4F

12

Invoices and statements, [construction projects?], circa 1872.

Many are orders for glass.

Invoices and statements from Pine City Lumber Co., 1875-1876.

Bills and invoices, Hennepin Avenue Block, 1876-1877.

Invoices and statements from Janney, Moles, Brooks & amp; Co., 1876-1877.

For Brick Block. This was the successor firm to J.S. Pillsbury & Co. and Janney & Moles.

Construction bills and invoices, 1877-1880.

Especially for the Westfall Block.

Construction invoices, unidentified projects, 1877-1878.

Invoices, Cyrus Northrup house, 1886-1887.

A few invoices for construction work. J.S. Pillsbury is involved in paying these.

Financial miscellany, 1880-1887.

A few invoices and memoranda, apparently regarding construction projects.

Letterpress book fragment, J.S. Pillsbury, 1875-1877, 1880, 1881 (bulk 1875).

Some Pillsbury & Co. letters ordering goods, requesting prices, and discussing shipping, receipt, payment, and quality. Other letters concern repayment of debts owed to him and payments to settle his own obligations, most or all in connection with closing out his hardware business. A few deal with property sales, construction projects, or other investments.

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Location

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130.A.16.4F

12

Land dealings, 1855-1859.

Mainly receipts for land purchases and for land locations under the 1855 Military Bounty Land Act. Only a few are to Pillsbury; presumably the others are for property that he eventually acquired.

Land dealings, 1860-1869. 2 folders.

Letters received, receipts for property taxes, and miscellany. The receipts show Pillsbury owning (or at least paying taxes on) town lots in Minneapolis, St. Anthony, and suburbs and lands in Carver, Goodhue, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Stearns, and Wright counties. Some of the receipts are issued to other people, including Woodbury Fisk. The letters describe lands for sale and discuss the logistics of registering deeds and paying taxes. Many of the letters are from out-of-state land owners, for whom Pillsbury appears to be acting as agent; other correspondents appear to be Pillsbury's agents in handling his out-of-town land investments.

Land dealings, 1870-1879. 2 folders.

Town lots in Minneapolis and St. Anthony, and lands in Becker, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, Kanabec, McLeod, Meeker, Mower, Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, and Wright counties. Fewer letters from out-of-state.

Land dealings, 1880-1889. 3 folders.

Town lots in Minneapolis and lands in Aitkin, Becker, Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, McLeod, Meeker, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Mower, Ramsey, St. Louis, and Wright counties in Minnesota, Barnes County in Dakota Territory, Delta County in Michigan, and Ontario Province in Canada.

Land dealings, 1890s.

Land dealings: Maps, undated and 1883.

Maps of Minnesota showing timber lands for auction, 1883; and of a few individual townships. They do not explicitly indicate whether Pillsbury owned any of these lands.

Location

Box

130.A.16.5B

17

Book of deeds, 1883-1887. 1 volume.

Lists lands belonging to John S. Pillsbury in the following Minnesota counties: Beltrami, Itasca, Cass, St. Louis, Crow Wing, Aitkin, Hubbard, Carlton and Becker.

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Includes correspondence and other documents related to John S. Pillsbury's wife Mahala Fisk Pillsbury, their daughters Sarah Belle and Sue, and his brother George A. Also includes some business related correspondence and papers, correspondence and other papers regarding land holdings, and a few photographs.

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130.A.16.4F

12

Personal and family papers, undated and 1848-1889. 5 folders.

Includes Mahala Fisk (Pillsbury)'s teaching certificates, 1848-1855; J.S. Pillsbury's exemption from military service, 1865; his periodic letters to wife Mahala when away from home; a few letters from his mother Susan Pillsbury, 1870s; a few letters from his brother George A. regarding the milling business and family finances, 1870s; and the death of their mother, 1877; the Pillsburys' correspondence with their daughters Belle (Sarah Belle) and Sue while away from home, 1886; a few letters from J.S. Pillsbury to Mahala, 1887; letters from their daughter Sue and her husband Fred Snyder, and from Sadie Belle in Europe, 1889; letters from other family members and friends regarding personal activities, financial matters, and politics; and a few of Alfred Pillsbury's school writings.

Social invitations and programs, 1870s. 2 folders.

Letterpress book, J.S. Pillsbury, November 1898-November 1901.

Letters concerning Pillsbury's land holdings and sales, timber and mineral investments, Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company management and finances including its English subsidiary, settlement of the affairs of George A. and Charles A. Pillsbury. Several letters discuss attempts by "Mr. McIntyre" to "accomplish a consolidation of the mills in this country." A few concern affairs of the University of Minnesota, as well as Pillsbury's acrimonious break-up with C. A. Smith & Co.

Letterpress book, J.S. Pillsbury estate, November 1901-June 1907. 1 volume.

Alfred F. Pillsbury's correspondence regarding settlement of J.S. Pillsbury's estate, including land and timber investments and stock and bond holdings. Many concern his own personal activities, expenditures, and investments.

Photographs, undated and 1904. 4 items in folder.

Two scenes of Pillsbury's hometown of Warner, N.H. (1904), and one each of the Pillsbury family's two houses in Minneapolis.

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William W. Eastman's papers (1849, 1869-1901) include information on his partnerships with Paris Gibson and others in Montana sheep raising and his interests in Nicollet Island (Minneapolis) property and in several businesses in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

Location

Box

130.A.16.3B

11

Correspondence and miscellaneous (other) papers, 1849-1897.

Includes indenture, January 1, 1849, conveying land in Conway, New Hampshire, from William K. Eastman to William W. Eastman; indenture, September 6, 1860 conveying a share in land and mill powers on the canal of the Minneapolis Mill Company from William K. Eastman to William W. Eastman; indenture, January 4, 1865, conveying easements, land, and water power rights from William W. Eastman and others to the Minnesota Central Railway Company.

Also included are deeds and other papers (1866-1889) relating to conveyance of property on Nicollet Island involving William W. Eastman, Amherst H. Wilder, John L. Merriam, Hercules L. Dousman, and Dorilius Morrison; abstract of leases, May 25, 1867, granted by the Minneapolis Mill Company; supplement to the St. Anthony Falls Democrat, April 16, 1870 containing William W. Eastman's defense of his scheme to bring water power to Nicollet Island by building a tunnel; indenture, March 29, 1871, by which the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company conveys water power to Frederick Butterfield; indenture, May 22, 1871, by which the St. Anthony Falls Water Power company conveys a saw mill site and water power rights to Levi Butler and others.

Also available are articles of incorporation, July 14, 1882, of the Pillsbury and Hurlbert Elevator Company; agreement, October 1, 1883 between William W. Eastman and John and Fred Zimmerman of Choteau County, Montana Territory, providing for a sheep raising business on shares; agreement, October 13, 1882 between William W. Eastman and the Hay Brothers of Meagher County, Montana Territory, to associate themselves together in a sheep and wool growing business; letters and statements, 1883, 1885 by Paris Gibson on the sheep and wool growing business of William W. Eastman; receipts, 1885-1886, issued to William W. Eastman for his subscriptions to the Minneapolis Industrial Exposition.

Also includes letter, April 27, 1887, from C. A. Lounsberry to John S. Pillsbury concerning the stock and management policy of the Duluth Journal Company; letters, December 24, 1886; January 13, 1887, from L. M. Stewart to Mrs. John S. Pillsbury regarding his gift of land to the Northwestern Hospital (Minneapolis) and attempts to take over the site of his home and park for building a courthouse; articles of incorporation, June 25, 1887, of the Minnesota Belt Line and transfer Company; agreement, June 12, 1880, between W. H. and J. W. Bradley and A. J. Hayward, parties of the first part, and William W. Eastman and John deLaittre, parties of the second part, regarding timber land purchases in the Pacific Northwest.

Further items include accounts and other items, 1890, regarding William W. Eastman's interest in the West End Mining Syndicate; letter January 16, 1891, from Harry to Alfred A. Pillsbury regarding social life and conditions of the poor in Asheville, North Carolina; letters and blueprints, 1892-1893, with information on the request of the Great Northern Railway Company to obtain from the University of Minnesota station ground at Lawndale, Wilkin County, Minnesota; articles of agreement, October 29, 1892, between John Dunham and William W. Eastman forming a co-partnership of Dunham and Eastman for a wholesale grocery business in Minneapolis.

Also included are reports and other literature, 1894, 1908-1909, on the business and failure of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd.; letter March 2, 1895, from John F. Norrish to John S. Pillsbury on the dedication of the Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall (Sutton, New Hampshire); agreement, November 23, 1895, regarding logging contracts involving George A. Pillsbury, John S. Pillsbury, Charles A. Pillsbury, the Minnesota Logging Company, and the Brainerd and Northern Railway Company; and agreement, February 15, 1897, between the Pillsburys and John M. and Edmund J. Longyear and Russell Bennett for the exploration of lands for mineral content in the Mesabi iron district in northern Minnesota.

Correspondence and miscellaneous (other) papers, 1898-1922.

Includes letters and agreements, 1898, regarding William W. Eastman's investments in the Sunset Mining and Reduction Company (Deadwood, South Dakota); letter May 24, 1900, from John B. Sanborn to John S. Pillsbury regarding the difficulties of the Bank of Minnesota and a recommendation of William Dawson, Jr., for a position in Minneapolis banks; documents, 1900-1901, regarding stock purchases by William W. Eastman in the Ontario Lake Superior Company; receipt, September 6, 1901, of a stock purchase by William W. Eastman in the North Star Malting Company; documents, 1901, relating to the estates of Mahalia F. and Charles A. Pillsbury; and a stock certificate, November 6, 1902, of the Pillsbury-Watkins Company.

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Location

A2/ov8 Drawer 2

Miscellaneous. 1 oversize folder.

Includes diagram made by E.P. Allis and Company of equipment in the Anchor Mill of C.A. Pillsbury and Company; a letter, May 15, 1889, from William R. Merriam as governor of Minnesota to John S. Pillsbury expressing appreciation of his gift of $150,000 to the University of Minnesota; a statement, February 9, 1846, by Jesse Fitzgerald of New York City regarding his invention of a threshing machine and a certificate, July 14, 1846, from the United States Patent Office; undated accounts regarding the settlement of the affairs of Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company, Ltd.; and printed items regarding mill and farm machinery purchased by Pillsbury Mills Company from the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (New York City).

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:: Breweries -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.; Flour mills -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.; Logging -- Minnesota.; Lumbering -- Minnesota.; Railroads -- Minnesota.; Real property -- Minnesota.; Sheep industry -- Montana.; Water-power -- Minnesota -- Saint Anthony Falls.

Persons:: Eastman, William Wallace, 1827-1902.; Gibson, Paris, 1830-1920.; Pillsbury, Charles A. (Charles Alfred), 1842-1899.; Pillsbury, George Alfred, 1816-1898.

Organizations:: Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway Company.; C.A. Pillsbury and Company.; C.A. Smith Lumber Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Crocker, Fisk and Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Duluth Journal Company (Minn.).; Dunham and Eastman (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Eagle Roller Mill Company.; First Universalist Society of Minneapolis.; Island Power Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Minneapolis and Northern Elevator Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Minneapolis Athenaeum.; Minneapolis Brewing Company.; Minneapolis Mill Company.; Minnesota Belt Line and Transfer Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Minnesota Logging Company.; North Star Malting Co. (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Ontario Lake Superior Company.; Pillsbury and Hulbert Elevator Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Pillsbury Mills (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Company.; Pillsbury-Watkins Company.; St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co.; State League of Republican Clubs (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Sunset Mining and Reduction Co. (Deadwood, S.D.).; University of Minnesota. Board of Regents.; W.E. Moses Land Scrip Broker (Denver, Colo.).; Washburn-Crosby Co.

Places:: Great Falls (Mont.).; Minnesota -- Politics and government -- 1858-1898.; Nicollet Island (Minn.)

Occupations:: Businessmen -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.

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JOHN S. PILLSBURY AND FAMILY:

OVERVIEW

ARRANGEMENT

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

CROSS & PILLSBURY

J.S. PILLSBURY & CO.

PILLSBURY-WASHBURN FLOUR MILLS COMPANY, LTD.

FINANCIAL RECORDS

Account books

Bills and invoices, personal and family expenses, 1850s-1890s (bulk 1871-1889)

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS RECORDS

LAND DEALINGS

PILLSBURY FAMILY PERSONAL PAPERS

WILLIAM W. EASTMAN PAPERS

OVERSIZE ITEMS

CATALOG HEADINGS