Processed by
Paul Brockman
6 December 2000
Revised 31 August 2001
Updated 9 March 2004
Manuscripts and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
5 manuscript boxes |
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COLLECTION |
1870-1907 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Charles F. Apfelbaum, 551 Ridge Road, Watchung, NJ 07069, 29 August 2000 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
None |
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RELATED |
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ACCESSION |
2000.1090 |
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NOTES: |
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Melville Ezra Ingalls (1842-1914) was born in Harrison, Maine. After working on the family farm, Ingalls started his career as a teacher, studying at Bridgton Academy. In 1862 he entered Harvard Law School and received his diploma one year later. Ingalls first practiced law in Maine and later in Boston where he practiced for the firm of Woodbury and Andros. In 1867 he married Abbie M. Stimson of Gray, Maine. Over the years they had six children. In 1868 he was elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature and served one term. One of the cases assigned to Ingalls in 1870 involved the financially troubled Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad. Woodbury and Andros clients owned a significant portion of the railroad and they decided to place Ingalls in charge of the railway. He moved to Cincinnati in November 1870 and was elected president of the railroad. The line fell into his receivership in 1871 and he was able to reorganize the company. Financial woes continued and Ingalls again became the receiver in 1876. Ingalls rescued the railroad by securing voluntary subscriptions from the stockholders which he used to pay off the debts. In 1880 he consolidated his company with the Lawrenceburg line to form a new company called the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railway of which he was the president. Ingalls' financial ability in railroad management attracted the Vanderbilts who controlled the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway, also known as the Bee Line. In 1889, the two companies' interests were combined into a new line called the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway. Nicknamed the Big Four, Ingalls was elected the new company's president, a position he retained until 1905 when it was assumed by the New York Central. Ingalls continued to direct the venture and became chairman of the board of directors until his retirement in 1912.
Ingalls also became head of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1888 and received credit for developing the line into one of the country's best. In 1893 he established the Chesapeake & Ohio Steamship Company with headquarters in London, England, and continued to direct the company until 1900. Ingalls also was instrumental in developing the coal mining industry in Kentucky, operating the Kentucky Central Railroad from 1881-1883, and built a resort in Hot Springs, Virginia.
He was also involved in other rail ventures and became a business leader in Cincinnati. In 1902 he had the fifteen-story Ingalls Building constructed in downtown Cincinnati, at its time the largest in the city. Ingalls also ran for mayor in 1902 on the Citizens/Democrat ticket but was defeated. Ingalls retired from active railroad management in 1912 and spent the remaining two years of life living between his homes in Washington, D.C., and Hot Springs, Viriginia, where he died in 1914.
Source:
Dictionary of American Biography, vol. 5, p. 464.
Biographical sketch contained in collection.
The collection comprises approximately 2,000 letters mostly pertaining to Ingalls and his railroad industry interests, 1870-1907. Most of the correspondence (Series 1) deals with the legal and financial operation of railroads. Included is correspondence with the New York firm of Morton, Bliss and Company regarding the financial operations and mergers, 1871-1888, and correspondence of Charles W. Booth in New York City, who acted as his representive/advisor in many business dealings, 1873-1878. Other areas of correspondence involve complaints, suppliers and vendors, documents and agreements, telegrams, and accidents. There is also a significant amount of general and personal correspondence, 1871-1907 (Series 2).
Another area of correspondence is arranged by companies and a few individuals, 1870-1896 (Series 3). Most of the firms represented are railroads, regarding such topics as shared tracks and mergers and the general operations of the railroad. Companies represented in this section include the American Express Co.; the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; Chesapeake & Ohio Railway; Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago Railroad; Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad; J. P. Morgan & Co.; Lafayette, Muncie & Bloomington Railroad; and the Pullman Palace Car Co.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Biographical Material, n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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Train Accidents, 1871-1876 |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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Train Accicents, 1877-1879 |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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Morton, Bliss & Co. Correspondence, 1871-1883 |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Morton, Bliss & Co. Correspondence, 1886 |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Morton, Bliss & Co. Correspondence, 1887 |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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Morton, Bliss & Co. Correspondence, 1888 |
Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Feb. 1873-Sept. 1873 |
Box 1, Folder 8 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Oct. 1873-Dec. 1873 |
Box 1, Folder 9 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Jan. 1874-Apr. 1874 |
Box 1, Folder 10 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, May 1874-June 1874 |
Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, July 1874-Dec. 1874 |
Box 1, Folder 12 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, March 1875-July 1875 |
Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Nov. 1875-Dec. 1875 |
Box 1, Folder 14 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Jan. 1876-March 1876 |
Box 1, Folder 15 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Apr. 1876-June 1876 |
Box 1, Folder 16 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, July 1876-Dec. 1876 |
Box 1, Folder 17 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Sept. 1877-Nov. 1877 |
Box 1, Folder 18 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Dec. 1877 |
Box 1, Folder 19 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Jan. 1878-Apr. 1878 |
Box 1, Folder 20 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, May 1878-July 1878 |
Box 1, Folder 21 |
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Charles W. Booth Correspondence, Aug. 1878-Dec. 1878 |
Box 1, Folder 22 |
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Complaints, 1871-1879 |
Box 2, Folder 1 |
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Fincancial Correspondence, 1871 |
Box 2, Folder 2 |
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Fincancial Correspondence, 1873 |
Box 2, Folder 3 |
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Fincancial Correspondence, 1874 |
Box 2, Folder 4 |
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Fincancial Correspondence, 1875-1878 |
Box 2, Folder 5 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1871-1874 |
Box 2, Folder 6 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1873-1876 |
Boxe 2, Folder 7 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1875-1876 |
Box 2, Folder 8 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1877-1879 |
Box 2, Folder 9 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1883-1886 |
Box 2, Folder 10 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1887-1888 |
Box 2, Folder 11 |
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Legal Correspondence, 1888-1889 |
Box 2, Folder 12 |
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General Correspondence, 1873-1896 |
Box 2, Folder 13 |
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General Correspondence, 1871, 1873-1874 |
Box 2, Folder 14 |
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General Correspondence, 1875 |
Box 2, Folder 15 |
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General Correspondence, 1876 |
Box 2, Folder 16 |
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General Correspondence,1877 |
Box 2, Folder 17 |
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General Correspondence, 1888 |
Box 2, Folder 18 |
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General Correspondence, 1879-1896, n.d.7 |
Box 2, Folder 19 |
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Political Correspondence, June 1878, July 1896-Oct. 1896 |
Box 2, Folder 20 |
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Documents & Agreements, 1876, 1882, n.d. |
Box 3, Folder 1 |
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Ingalls Signed Receipts, 1886-1896 |
Box 3, Folder 2 |
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Notices & Printed Materials, 1873-1891 |
Box 3, Folder 3 |
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Suppliers, 1871, 1873 |
Box 3, Folder 4 |
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Suppliers, 1874-1875 |
Box 3, Folder 5 |
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Suppliers, 1876-1877 |
Box 3, Folder 6 |
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Suppliers, 1878 |
Box 3, Folder 7 |
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Suppliers, 1884, 1886-1888 |
Box 3, Folder 8 |
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Telegrams, 1871, 1873-1876 |
Box 3, Folder 9 |
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Telegrams, 1877-1878, 1888, n.d. |
Box 3, Folder 10 |
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Correspondence & Telegrams, 1876-1904 (Ingalls--Outgoing) |
Box 3, Folder 11 |
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Vendors, 1870, 1873-1876 |
Box 3, Folder 12 |
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Vendors, 1877-1879, 1887-1888, n.d. |
Box 3, Folder 13 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Personal Correspondence, Dec. 1873-Dec. 1886 |
Box 3, Folder 14 |
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Personal Correspondence, 1887-1889 |
Box 3, Folder 15 |
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Personal Correspondence, 1892-1899 |
Box 3, Folder 16 |
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Personal Correspondence, 1900-1903 |
Box 3, Folder 17 |
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Personal Correspondence, 1904 |
Box 3, Folder 18 |
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Personal Correspondence, 1905-1907 |
Box 3, Folder 19 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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American Express Co., 1873-1879 |
Box 4, Folder 1 |
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Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 1870-1877 |
Box 4, Folder 2 |
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Boston & Albany Railroad, 1877 |
Box 4, Folder 3 |
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Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 4 |
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Central Edison Light Co., 1886 |
Box 4, Folder 5 |
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Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, 1896 |
Box 4, Folder 6 |
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Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, 1887-1896 (Ingalls--Outgoing Letters) |
Box 4, Folder 7 |
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Chicago & Alton Railroad, 1871 |
Box 4, Folder 8 |
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Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 9 |
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Chicago & Lake Huron Railroad, 1877 |
Box 4, Folder 10 |
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Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 11 |
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Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati Railway, 1873-1888 |
Box 4, Folder 12 |
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Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, 1873-1878 |
Box 4, Folder 13 |
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Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railway, 1882, 1887 |
Box 4, Folder 14 |
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Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago Railroad, 1873-1875 |
Box 4, Folder 15 |
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Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago Railroad, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 16 |
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Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago Railroad, 1877 |
Box 4, Folder 17 |
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Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago Railroad, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 18 |
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Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago Railroad, 1879 |
Box 4, Folder 19 |
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Cincinnati & Martinsville Railroad, 1875-1876 |
Box 4, Folder 20 |
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Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 21 |
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Cincinnati Southern Railway, 1876-1878 |
Box 4, Folder 22 |
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Edgar Thompson Steel Co., 1874-1877 |
Box 4, Folder 23 |
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Edgar Thompson Steel Co., 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 24 |
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Empire Transportation, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 25 |
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Erie & North Shore Despatch, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 26 |
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Evansville, Terre Haute & Chicago Railway, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 27 |
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Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 28 |
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Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati Railroad, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 29 |
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Green Line, 1874 |
Box 4, Folder 30 |
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James F. Greeroush Correspondence, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 31 |
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Gest & Atkinson Railway Supplies, 1871 |
Box 4, Folder 32 |
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Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, 1874 |
Box 4, Folder 33 |
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Harrison Branch Railroad, 1878 |
Box 4, Folder 34 |
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Illinois Central Railroad, 1874-1876 |
Box 4, Folder 35 |
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Illinois Midland Railway, 1874 |
Box 4, Folder 36 |
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Indiana, Bloomington & Western Railway, 1886 |
Box 4, Folder 37 |
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Indiana North & South Railway, 1876-1877 |
Box 4, Folder 38 |
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Indianapolis Belt Railway Co., 1874 |
Box 4, Folder 39 |
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Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railway, 1876-1878 |
Box 4, Folder 40 |
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Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad, 1870-1874 |
Box 4, Folder 41 |
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Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad, 1875-1877 |
Box 4, Folder 42 |
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Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad, 1878-1879 |
Box 4, Folder 43 |
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Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette Railroad, 1871-1878 (Ingalls--Outgoing Letters) |
Box 4, Folder 44 |
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Indianapolis Rolling Mill Co., 1875-1878 |
Box 4, Folder 45 |
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Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, 1873-1878 |
Box 4, Folder 46 |
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Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad, 1871 |
Box 4, Folder 47 |
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Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, 1871, 1877 |
Box 4, Folder 48 |
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Keokuk & Des Moines Railway, 1876 |
Box 4, Folder 49 |
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Lafayette, Muncie & Bloomington Railroad, 1873-1877 |
Box 5, Folder 1 |
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Lafayette, Muncie & Bloomington Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 2 |
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Logansport, Crawfordsville & Southwestern Railway, 1874-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 3 |
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Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway, 1871-1876 |
Box 5, Folder 4 |
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W. V. McCracken & Co., 1887 |
Box 5, Folder 5 |
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Wm. Mahl, 1887 |
Box 5, Folder 6 |
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Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad, 1871-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 7 |
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Matthews, Ramsey & Matthews, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 8 |
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Michigan Car Co., 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 9 |
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Michigan Central Railroad, 1876-1877 |
Box 5, Folder 10 |
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Midvale Steel Works, 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 11 |
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Morton Rose & Co. 1887 |
Box 5, Folder 12 |
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J. P. Morgan & Co., 1897 |
Box 5, Folder 13 |
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New Jersey Southern Railroad, 1871 |
Box 5, Folder 14 |
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New York Central Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 15 |
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New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad, 1885 |
Box 5, Folder 16 |
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Newport News & Mississippi Valley Co., 1887-1888 |
Box 5, Folder 17 |
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Northern Central Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 18 |
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Ohio & Mississippi Railway, 1876-1887 |
Box 5, Folder 19 |
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Ohio & Northwestern Railroad, 1887 |
Box 5, Folder 20 |
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Pennsylvania Co. 1871-1886 |
Box 5, Folder 21 |
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Pennsylvania Railroad, 1871, 1874 |
Box 5, Folder 22 |
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T. H. Perkins, 1871-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 23 |
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Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway, 1871-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 24 |
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Pomeroy & Mills, 1886 |
Box 5, Folder 25 |
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Post Office Dept., 1871-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 26 |
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Procter & Gamble, 1874 and 1876 |
Box 5, Folder 27 |
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Providence & Worcester Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 28 |
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Pullman Palace Car Co., 1871-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 29 |
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Rhode Island Locomotive Works, 1875 |
Box 5, Folder 30 |
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Railroad Commissioners, 1874 |
Box 5, Folder 31 |
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Commissioner of Railroads & Telegraphs, 1876 |
Box 5, Folder 32 |
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Railway Association of America, 1873, 1886 |
Box 5, Folder 33 |
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Railway Mail, 1876, 1879 |
Box 5, Folder 34 |
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St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railway, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 35 |
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St. Louis & Edwardsville Railroad, 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 36 |
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St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 37 |
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Southern Minnesota Railway, 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 38 |
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Southern Pacific Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 39 |
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“S” Correspondence, 1873-1883 |
Box 5, Folder 40 |
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Terre Haute Electric Railway Co., 1896 |
Box 5, Folder 41 |
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Terre Haue & Indianapolis Railroad, 1871, 1873 |
Box 5, Folder 42 |
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Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway, 1876 |
Box 5, Folder 43 |
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Union Depot (Indianapolis), 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 44 |
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Union Line (Lafayette, Indiana), 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 45 |
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Union Railroad Transfer & Stock Yard Co., 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 46 |
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Wabash Railway, 1877-1879 |
Box 5, Folder 47 |
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West Wisconsin Railway, 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 48 |
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Western Railroad Association, 1877 |
Box 5, Folder 49 |
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Western Union Telegraph Co., 1875-1876 |
Box 5, Folder 50 |
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White Water Canal Railroad, 1871 |
Box 5, Folder 51 |
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White Water Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 52 |
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Wisconsin Central Railroad, 1878 |
Box 5, Folder 53 |
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Woodruff Sleeping & Parlor Coach Co., 1877-1878 |
Box 5, Folder 54 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0754).
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