Rockford Chair and Furniture Company Records, 1882-1977 | Northern Illinois University

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Collection Overview

Title: Rockford Chair and Furniture Company Records, 1882-1977

ID: RHC/RC/042

Extent: 23.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 10/24/1978

Subjects: Furniture industry and trade, Rockford (Ill.), Rockford Chair and Furniture Company

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Rockford Chair and Furniture Company Collection partially documents the activities of a major manufacturing corporation in Rockford, Illinois during the period 1882 to 1973.

The records of the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company are arranged in three series. The first contains the statement of incorporation minutes from meetings, letterbooks, correspondence, agreements, and reports dating from 1882 through 1973. Series two contains labor records and printed materials including wage and hourly rate schedules, furniture manuals, and supply catalogs dating 1931 to 1941. Also included in this series are photographs of company records. The third series contains financial records: business journals, ledgers, daybooks, order books, time books, cash books, payroll books, and a draft register, 1882 to 1973.

Collection Historical Note

Rockford Chair and Furniture, an Illinois corporation organized in 1882, engaged in the manufacture of furniture until 1950. From that time until its properties were sold to Rockford Standard Furniture in 1972, Rockford Chair and Furniture was engaged entirely in the rental business. Its rental properties consisted of six buildings, the largest of which was completely destroyed by fire in 1960. The original organizers of Rockford Chair and Furniture Company were P.A. Peterson, Alexander Johnson, and Aug Peterson. When the founders of Rockford Furniture died, ownership remained in the families for the most part: little stock was sold to outsiders. Rockford Chair was one of the largest and oldest of the city’s furniture manufacturers–a major industry in Rockford from the Civil War to mid-twentieth century. It was also one of the last to cease operations in 1973.

Subject/Index Terms

Furniture industry and trade
Rockford (Ill.)
Rockford Chair and Furniture Company

Administrative Information

Repository: Northern Illinois University

Access Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Use Restrictions: Property rights in the collection are held by the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Acquisition Source: Mr. Harry West, Mr. Stanley Kjellgren

Acquisition Method: Mr. Harry West of Rockford, Illinois, donated the records of the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company to the Regional History Center on October 24, 1978. Mr. Stanley Kjellgren supplemented the collection by donating the minute books and stockholders register on May 3, 1979.

Related Materials: Researchers using the collection may also find supplementary material in the Center’s other Rockford business collections: Rockford Mitten and Hosiery (RC 38), National Chair Company (RC 58), and the Rockford Small Business Collection (RC 57).

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[Box 7],
[Box 8-16: Wage and Hour Rate Cards, 1938-1941, 1964-1968],
[Box 17-18],
[Box 19],
[Volume 1-14: Business Journals (14 Volumes), 1888-1903],
[Volume 15: Daybook (1 Volume), 1883-1886],
[Volume 16-22: Ledger Books, (7 Volumes) 1882-1913],
[Volume 23-33: Index to Order Books (8 volumes with no date , 11 Volumes total), 1887-1892, no date],
[Volume 34-37: Balance Books (4 volume), 1889-1895],
[Volume 38: Balance Book (1 unbound volume), 1921-1958],
[Volume 39-42: Time Books (4 volume), 1889-1900],
[Volume 43-44: Cash Books (2 volume), 1882-1897],
[Volume 45-48: Payroll books (4 volume), 1901-1919],
[Volume 49: Draft Register (1 volume), 1891-1893],
[Volume 50: Cash Receipt Record Book (1 volume), 1907-1973],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: Rockford Chair and Furniture Company, Statement of Incorporation, 1882
Folder 2: Incorporation Charter, 1907
Folder 3: List of Stockholders, 1935, 1953-1971
Folder 4: Minute Book, 1892-1896
Folder 5-9: Minutes of Shareholder's meetings, 1948-1972
Folder 10: Special meeting of Shareholders, December 1972
Folder 11: Certificates of Stock, 1916-1959
Folder 12-13: Certificates of Stock and Letters of Transmittal, 1961-1973
Folder 14: Salary Schedule for Office, 1931-1946
Folder 15: Unaudited Financial Statements, 1966-1967
Folder 16: Appraisal of Buildings and Equipment, 1946
Folder 17: Internal Revenue Service, 1959-1960
Folder 18: Policies of Insurance, 1963-1971
Folder 19: Legal Documents, 1934-1973
Folder 20: Survey Plat of Woodruff's Second Addition, 1972
Volume 1-2: Letter Book (2 Volumes), March 1892 - June 1892

Box 2

Volume 1-6: Letter Books (6 volumes), 1890, January 1893 - June 1895

Box 3

Volume 1-6: Letter Books (6 volumes), June 1895 - October 1897

Box 4

Volume 1-6: Letter Books (6 volumes), November 1897 - August 1905

Box 5

Volume 1-5: Letter Books (6 volumes total, 2 with no date), April 1906- March 1907; No Date

Box 6

Folder 1-9: Correspondence: incoming, alphabetical; outgoing, chronological, 1940-1950
Folder 10: Correspondence, loan requests, 1965-1973
Folder 11: Bills of Lading, 1947-1949, 1964-65
Folder 12: Cash receipts, 1949
Folder 13: Commission Statements, 1947-1948
Folder 14: Cost summary papers, 1946
Folder 15: Department of Labor, 1948-1952
Folder 16: Freight Bills, 1948
Folder 17: Salesmen Commissions, 1948-1949
Folder 18: Union Dues, 1946-1950
Folder 19: United Furniture Worker's Agreement, 1938-1939, 1942
Folder 20: United Furniture Worker's Insurance Fund, 1944-1949
Folder 21: Bank Check Records, 1963-1977
Volume 1-10: Furniture Manuals (10 Volumes), 1931-1943

Box 7

Folder 1-13: Furniture Photographs by Product Number (most with Retail Price noted), no date
Folder 14-20: Duplicates of above photographs

Box 8-16: Wage and Hour Rate Cards, 1938-1941, 1964-1968

Box 17-18

Volume 1-18: Business Journals (18 Volumes), 1886-1934, 1943-1963

Box 19

Volume 1-5: Daybooks (5 Volumes), 1883-1903

Volume 1-14: Business Journals (14 Volumes), 1888-1903

Volume 15: Daybook (1 Volume), 1883-1886

Volume 16-22: Ledger Books, (7 Volumes) 1882-1913

Volume 23-33: Index to Order Books (8 volumes with no date , 11 Volumes total), 1887-1892, no date

Volume 34-37: Balance Books (4 volume), 1889-1895

Volume 38: Balance Book (1 unbound volume), 1921-1958

Volume 39-42: Time Books (4 volume), 1889-1900

Volume 43-44: Cash Books (2 volume), 1882-1897

Volume 45-48: Payroll books (4 volume), 1901-1919

Volume 49: Draft Register (1 volume), 1891-1893

Volume 50: Cash Receipt Record Book (1 volume), 1907-1973