Inventory of the Lee Paper Company Records, 1904 – 1952
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: Lee Paper Company was incorporated in July 1903 and opened a mill in Vicksburg, Michigan, in 1905. Starting as a rag-content paper mill, it later shift to wood pulp based paper production. In 1959 it merged with Simpson Paper Company of Everett Washington, creating the Simpson Lee Paper Company. Mill ownership transferred several times over the next four decades, ending with its purchase by Fox River Paper Company in 1996 and the mill’s closing in 2001.
This collection contains payroll records, ledgers, and corporate documents for the Lee Paper Company, dating from the company’s beginnings through 1952.
Title: Lee Paper Company Records, 1904 – 1952
Creator: Lee Paper Company
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 2017-007
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 1 archival box, 12 oversize volumes
Historical Note
Lee Paper Company was incorporated in July 1903 and opened a mill in Vicksburg, Michigan, in 1905. Starting as a rag-content paper mill, it later shift to wood pulp based paper production. The mill was one of the largest employers in the area, bringing in many Polish workers from Chicago with backgrounds in paper production. The mill remained operational during the Great Depression and was locally owned until 1959, when it merged with Simpson Paper Company of Everett Washington, creating the Simpson Lee Paper Company. Mill ownership transferred several times over the next four decades, ending with its purchase by Fox River Paper Company in 1996. Fox River Paper Company closed the mill in 2001.
Information for this note was taken from the Vicksburg Historical Society website and The Lumberman, September 1959.
Collection Overview
This collection contains payroll records, ledgers, and corporate documents for the Lee Paper Company. These items date from the mill’s opening in 1905 through 1952. Documents include original correspondence regarding accounts Lee Paper Company had with other businesses and individuals, as well as copies of Annual Reports and accompanying tax-related documents filed with the State of Michigan. Payroll and ledgers include: 12 leather-bound payroll books, 1 daybook showing income and expenses, 1 accounts receivable/payable book, and two partial used checkbooks containing completed stubs for some used checks.
Collection Arrangement
- 1. Documents
- 2. Accounting Books
Subject Headings
- Fox River Paper Co.
- Lee Paper Company
- Simpson Lee Paper Company
- Simpson Paper Company
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Documents, 1904-1952.
Box 1
- Folder 1
Account Correspondence, 1915-1927 - Folder 2
Accounts Receivable Correspondence, 1916-1925
Correspondence, some with checks, regarding payments made to Lee Paper Company. Also includes certificate of ownership of forty shares of Safety Paper Company of American, held by Fred E. Lee. - Folder 3
Accounts Payable Correspondence, 1923-1925
Correspondence written by Lee Paper Company in regards to mortgages held on land in Michigan. - Folder 4
Osburn Account Correspondence, 1924-1926
Correspondence written by Lee Paper Company regarding disputes in payments on the Osburn account. Includes Correspondence from the Law Offices of Edmonds and Obermayer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - Folder 5
Annual Reports, 1904-1914 - Folder 6
Annual Reports, 1915-1921 - Folder 7
Annual Reports, 1922-1923 - Folder 8
Annual Reports, 1923-1926 - Folder 9
Annual Reports, 1927-1934 - Folder 10
Annual Reports, 1935-1938
(Note: Folders 5 – 10 contain copies, not originals, of annual reports and related tax documents files with the state of Michigan regarding the income, expenditures, and operation of Lee Paper Company during the years listed.) - Folder 11
Report to Stockholders, 1952
Original copies of report to stockholders of Lee Paper Company regarding operation of the company in 1952.
2. Accounting Books, 1904-1920.
- Item 1
Check Books, 1905
Two partially used checkbooks from The Kalamazoo National Bank and The State Savings Bank, Detroit, Michigan, with check stubs for some used checks written in 1905. - Item 2
Accounts Receivable and Payable Ledger, 1905-1910
Dual sided ledger showing accounts receivable for May 25, 1905 – January 28, 1910 and accounts payable for February 1, 1906 – October 15, 1910. - Item 3
Payroll Book, 1904
Payroll ledger for July 5, 1904 – December 2, 1904.
Unboxed Items
- Item 4
Payroll Book, April 2, 1904 – November 3, 1906 - Item 5
Payroll Book, November 10, 1906 – November 30, 1907 - Item 6
Payroll Book, December 7, 1907 – February 20, 1909 - Item 7
Payroll Book, March 27, 1909 – September 3, 1910 - Item 8
Payroll Book, September 10, 1910 – January 20, 1912 - Item 9
Payroll Book, January 27, 1912 – August 1, 1913 - Item 10
Payroll Book, August 9, 1913 – April 10, 1915 - Item 11
Payroll Book, April 17, 1915 – October 21, 1916 - Item 12
Payroll Book, October 28, 1916 – March 9, 1918 - Item 13
Payroll Book, March 16, 1918 – July 26, 1919 - Item 14
Payroll Book, August 2, 1919 – January 17, 1920 - Item 15
Day Book, July 16, 1903 – September 27, 1906
Ledger showing expenses and income.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
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The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Lee Paper Company Records, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Susan Shisler at Kamilche Company in May 2017.
Processing Information
Processed by Christin Lampkowski, August 2017
Encoded by Christin Lampkowski, August 2017
Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.
