OVERVIEW
Minnesota Historical Society
Bemis Company (Minneapolis,
Minn.).
Bemis Company records.
1866-1978.
Materials in English.
Ledgers, journals, letterpress book, miscellaneous account
books, order books, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous memorandum books documenting a
manufacturer of burlap bags and related products based in Minneapolis and with other
offices and plants in Boston, Buffalo, St. Louis, and Vancouver (Wash.).
14 cubic feet (12 boxes, including 99
volumes).
See [Detailed Description](a9) section for
shelf location.
HISTORY
In 1858 Judson Moss Bemis and his brother Stephen Allen Bemis first started
manufacturing machine-sewn bags in St. Louis under the name J. M. Bemis and Company.
In 1873 the name was changed to Bemis Bros. and Company, and in 1885 to Bemis Bros.
Bag Company. The company operated plants or subsidiaries in Boston, Minneapolis, New
Orleans, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Vancouver (Wash.). The company expanded from
the manufacture of bags, primarily for seed, to include a variety of packaging
products for many different types of materials including food, chemicals, and
automotive and pharmaceutical supplies.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The accounting volumes contain a fairly complete record of the company's 1873-1955
activities, particularly for the Boston and St. Louis operations. Miscellaneous
memorandum books reveal data on clothing sales to the army (1867), goods at the
bleachery (1885-1891), and information on burlap imports; cotton, wheat, and sugar
prices; and insurance profits (1870-1894).
Scrapbooks (37 volumes) from the Minneapolis office (1944-1978, 1977 missing) contain
advertising samples illustrating changes in marketing, packaging, and types of
materials.
CATALOG HEADINGS
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:
Advertising--Minnesota--Minneapolis.
Bags.
Business enterprises--Minnesota--Minneapolis.
Cotton manufacture--Missouri--Saint Louis.
Mills and Mill-work--Missouri--Saint Louis.
Package goods industry--Minnesota--Minneapolis.
Textile industry--Missouri--Saint Louis.
Places:
Boston (Mass.)--Industries.
Buffalo (N.Y.)--Industries.
Saint Louis (Mo.)--Industries.
Vancouver (Wash.)--Industries.
Persons:
Bemis, Stephen Allen, 1828-1919.
Bemis, Judson Moss, 1833-.
Types of Documents:
Bookkeeping records.
Occupations:
Businessmen.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Bemis
Company Records. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,701; 15,886; 16,286
Processing Information:
Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, October 1992.
Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project
grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(NHPRC).
Catalog ID number: 001729307
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
143.A.12.6F
Historical background.
Unidentified ledger,
1886-1896.
Volume 1.
Stephen Bemis memorandum books:
California and St. Louis,
1866-1867.
Volume 2.
Volume 3.
Clothing sales to army,
1867.
Volume 4.
1867-1871.
Volume 5.
St. Louis,
1871-1873.
Volumes 6-16.
Purchase orders (Boston),
1873-1891.
11 folders, including 11 volumes.
Judson M. Bemis:
Volume 98.
Letterpress book,
1893-1895.
1 volume.
The 409 page volume contains Bemis' private outgoing letters for the
November 1893-December 1895 period and are largely concerned with Bemis
company business. Many are to his brother Stephen or other company
personnel. They concern routine business affairs, strategic decisions,
tariff legislation, and other matters affecting their business. Most are
typed; many are illegible.
Volumes 17-22.
Goods at bleachery,
1885-1893.
6 folders, including 6 volumes.
Volume 23.
Sundry items,
[circa 1873]-1874.
Volume 24.
Sundry items and addresses,
1875-1876.
Volume 25.
Stockholder ledger,
1910-1912.
1 folder, including 1 volume.
William H. Ford:
Volumes 26-31.
Calcutta goods: Steamship accounts,
1888-1896.
6 folders, including 6 volumes.
Miscellaneous memorandum books:
Volume 32.
Burlap import data,
1870-1872.
Volume 33.
Cotton, iron, wheat, and sugar prices,
1877-1880.
Insurance profits,
1892-1894.
Volume 35.
"Cables, Burlaps, Centals Lapatas,"
1885-1896.
Shipments to New Orleans,
1896.
143.A.12.7B
Boston operations:
Volumes 37-39.
General ledgers,
1873-1895.
Volumes 40-41.
Cash receipts and disbursements,
1889-1893,
1899-1901.
Volume 42.
Letterpress book,
1902-1903.
Judson M. and Albert F. Bemis.
143.A.12.8F
St. Louis operations:
Volume 44.
Accounts and notes receivable,
1876-1896.
Volumes 45-46.
Plant and corporate private general ledgers,
1886-1899.
Volumes 47-49.
Private general ledgers,
1874-1886.
Volumes 50-53.
Private general journals,
1900-1910,
1919-1936.
143.A.13.1B
Home cotton mills (St. Louis):
Volumes 54-55.
Private ledgers,
[circa 1908]-1918.
Minneapolis operations:
Volume 56.
Private ledger,
1922-1926.
Buffalo operations:
Volume 57.
Private ledger journal,
1923-1955.
143.A.13.2F
Vancouver-St. Helens Bag Plant:
Volume 58.
Order book,
1934-1935.
Miscellaneous scrapbooks:
Volume 59.
Direct mail program: Flip-close polyethylene self-closing bags,
1961.
Volume 60.
Sales promotional mailings (same product as above),
1962.
Volume 61.
The American Miller (Ottawa, Ill.),
May 1873-April
1876.
Contains occasional advertisements for Bemis Company and illustrations of
manufacturing equipment.
142.F.5.4F
Boston operations:
Volume 43.
Cash receipts and disbursements,
1915-1916.
Volume 43b.
Factory telegraphic code book (suppliment 12),
1944.
Volumes 62-65.
Advertising scrapbooks,
1944-1947.
142.F.5.5B
Volumes 66-70.
Advertising scrapbooks,
1948-1952.
142.F.5.6F
Volumes 71-76.
Advertising scrapbooks,
1953-1958.
142.F.5.7B
Volumes 77-84.
Advertising scrapbooks,
1959-1964.
142.F.5.8F
Volumes 85-91.
Advertising scrapbooks,
1964-1971.
7 volumes and 3 folders of unbound pages.
142.F.6.1B
Volumes 92-97.
Advertising scrapbooks,
1972-1978.
Kansas City operations:
Volume 43a.
Private ledger book: Trial balances, financial statements, and
plant photographs,
1903-1917.
P2775
Private Ledger,
1931-1932.