Philadelphia 1842. White wove paper. Fold lines; slight loss to second leaf where separated from wax seal not affecting text; minor ink smudge to first page; light soiling to last page. VG overall. Bifolium folded to make a self-composed envelope. 3 full pages of text; wax seal address with Philadelphia postmark and short notation in a different hand to verso of second leaf. 9-7/8" x 7-5/8" <br/><br/>Revealing early correspondence from the then still-young company of Baldwin & Whitney to T. W. Wells President of the Board of Internal Improvements for the Michigan Central Rail Road alluding to an ongoing payment dispute for two engines. Baldwin & Whitney an early incarnation of what would later be known as the Baldwin Locomotive Works was struggling to recover from the financial hardships of the Panic of 1837 as well as to expand to meet rapidly increasing demand; the Central Railroad too was in the midst of ongoing financial woes and transfers of ownership. The dispute seems to have been a somewhat protracted one as the letter references several prior correspondences with Mr. Wells dating back to June 14th. Although initially quite firm and apparently seeking to address specific imputations from Mr. Wells -- "we would beg leave to state that we do not pretend that there is any difficulty in arriving at a conclusion as to when the two engines alluded to should be paid for" -- the tone soon turns concilliatory admitting that there may have been some lack of clarity regarding the terms of payment thus allowing for alternate interpretations of the contract. Nevertheless the payment was obviously needed: "Our want of money is such however that we have authorized Mr. Briscoe to settle the whole account on such terms as we trust will be satisfactory to you and which under our present circumstances would be preferable to us --." One Jarvis S. Wyckoff of New York is referenced as an involved party although it is not entirely clear in what respect as well as items under the charge of Mr. Briscoe "which we trust will arrive safely and in time to answer the purpose for which they were intended." A bill for $541.50 worth of parts follows the salutation and includes "2 brauk brake Axles Larger Size 3rd claps $175 - $350 2 pair brick wheels - - - - 190 Cartage to Wharf - 1.50." In 1842 both of Matthias Baldwin's partners George Hufty and George Vail withdrew from the partnership. Asa Whitney joined soon after and the business became Baldwin & Whitney though this partnership too would be quite brief; Whitney would later become one of the biggest proponents of the Transcontinental Railroad. Although highly renowned and with no shortage of orders the company continued to struggle with finances for several years. By 1845 the company would simply be M. W. Baldwin and was so inundated with orders that they were building 20 engines per year and had backorders for at least as many. Historical Society of Pennsylvania Baldwin Locomotive Works Records The Detroit and St. Joseph Railroad was chartered in 1831 began construction in 1836 and had to be bailed out by the State of Michigan in 1837. The company was then renamed the Central Railroad of Michigan but by 1840 it too was nearly out of money. On May 25 1842 Detroit's Democratic Free Press ran an editorial by T. W. Wells "Acting Commissioner Int. Imp." rebutting charges of mismanagment of the Central Railroad and citing its many benefits for the state. The railroad would be transferred to private ownership again in 1846; the line to Chicago rather than St. Joseph was finally completed in 1852. An advertisement in Railway Locomotives and Cars Volume 10 1840 includes a blurb from Benjamin Briscoe Superintendent of Motive Power Central Michigan proclaiming his trust in what were then Baldwin Huft & Vale engines: "We have two engines manufactured by others but we can only place confidence while running in yours and I believe them superior to any manufactured in this country or in Europe." All in all an interesting documentary record of the negotiations and financial struggles that created the United States railroad system and of the early years of what would become Baldwin Locomotive Works. unknown books
Detroit: John F. Eby & Co. Book and Job Printers 1892. 21 3 blank pp folding color map. Text printed on glossy paper. Original printed green wrappers tanned chipped at edges institutional rubberstamps rear wrap detached stitched. Institional rubberstamp on title page. Good. John F. Eby & Co., Book and Job Printers unknown books
Detroit: John F. Eby & Co. Book and Job Printers 1889. 21 3 blank pp. Original printed orange wrappers institional rubberstamps a few small chips stitched. Bottom outer corner of text lightly chewed. Else Very Good. John F. Eby & Co., Book and Job Printers unknown books
Detroit: John F. Eby & Co. Book and Job Printers 1890. 21 3 blank pp. Original printed grey wrappers tanned a few small chips rear wrap detached stitched. Bottom outer corner of text lightly chewed. Good to Very Good John F. Eby & Co., Book and Job Printers unknown books
Boston: Wright & Potter State Printers 1873. 65 3 blank pp. Original printed blue wrappers institutional rubberstamp on front wrap stitched. Occasional dampstaining in margins of text lightly age toned. Very Good. Wright & Potter, State Printers unknown books
Boston: Wright & Potter Printers 1872. 59 1 blank pp. Original printed purple wrappers chipped large dampstain institutional rubberstamp on front wrap stitched. Light dampstaining of first two leaves of text. Good to Good. Wright & Potter, Printers unknown books
Detroit: Daily Post Book and Job Printing Establishment 1877. 1-title 1 blank 1 1 blank 24pp. Original printed tan wrappers minor dustsoiling and wear stitched. Text quite clean. Very Good. Daily Post Book and Job Printing Establishment unknown books
Boston: Wright & Potter State Printers 1874. 61 3 blank pp. Original printed purple wrappers institutional rubberstamp on front wrap stitched. Lightly age toned. Very Good. Wright & Potter, State Printers unknown books
Detroit: Daily Post Book and Tribune Book and Job Printing Establishment 1878. 23 1 blank pp. Original printed tan wrappers some browning along edges stitched. Minor wear at bottom outside edges of text. Else Very Good. Daily Post Book and Tribune Book and Job Printing Establishment unknown books
Detroit Michigan: Detroit Tribune. Very Good. 1886. Softcover. Small chip to backstrip light soil pp 29 else G Washington's Birthday 1886 . Detroit Tribune paperback books
Detroit: Commandery of the State of Michigan 1922. First edition. Cloth. Spine ends and extremities scuffed mainly on one volume else a very good set with the bookplate of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States Commandery of the State of Illinois on front pastedown of one volume and shelf sticker on foot of one spine most circulars quite fresh. 8vo. The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States begun in Philadelphia in 1865 was modeled on the Society of the Cincinnati and formed to protect the republic amid rumors of a plot to destroy the government after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Among its members were Presidents Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley. By 1899 it had over 8000 members which included nearly every officer of note. This is a complete collection of all 621 State of Michigan circulars through 1922 ending with the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. Contains circulars papers treasurers' reports black-bordered "In Memoriam" notices each with a biography of the deceased annual meeting notices of which many are signed earlier ones corrected and annotated by the Commandery recorders. A few other items such as voting ballots bylaw booklets cancelled postcards letters etc bound in. A wealth of information and a very scarce collection which would be nearly impossible to assemble today. Includes the In Memoriam notices for General Sherman and President Rutherford B. Hayes. [Commandery of the State of Michigan] hardcover books
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