Serie

Series III: Business Correspondence Ledgers

Series III represents records from Wolverine Printing Company specifically. Nearly all of them are contained on the pages of several ledgers used by employees. The ledgers represent orders taken by Wolverine Printing. Little has to do with other operations. Copybooks from 1894 to 1908 reflect correspondence Rankin sent to various customers in the course of taking orders and accepting payments for services rendered. Some copied letters are in purple typed font. Others were handwritten in black ink and in cursive. A great many ledgers deal with purchases made over the course of several decades from the late 1860s to the mid-1940s. Information is often spare, but tends to encompass the names of purchasers, whether individuals or organizations, what was purchased and how much, and for what prices. Entries are nearly entirely handwritten in cursive and in black ink or pencil. Some purchases from the period between 1918 and 1923 reflect those preserved from Series I.

Other records include a trustee account book dated to 1903. Stephen and Prudence Crocker deeded in trust for Francis H. Rankin to distribute property and other payments among their grandchildren. Rankin served as plaintiff against the grandchildren a decade later in circuit court in chancery. The case dealt with proper distribution of payments.

Ledgers predominantly compose the media of this series. Pages of the ledgers are largely clay-coated. Information is mostly handwritten in cursive and black ink. A handful of loose-leaf sheets of paper are present.

The general condition of the series is poor. Numerous instances of past water damage are present on pages of many ledgers. Every ledger retains its covers and many covers remained fixed firmly to their pages. But there are instances that covers are in danger of becoming detached or have detached. Leather rot is common on many ledgers. The pages of most ledgers retain flexibility when turned. Fraying and tears along edges are common. But some pages are flaking and some so severely that they will flake if handled. Dust and dirt are common throughout the series. Gloves are recommended for handling the ledgers because of them.