Indiana Historical Society - Manuscripts & Archives
User Information
Historical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Folder Listing
Cataloguing Information
Processed by
Charles Latham
19 April 1995
VOLUJME OF COLLECTION: 1 manuscript box, 1 oversize folder
COLLECTION DATES: 1905-1956
PROVENANCE: Mrs. William R. Ehrich (Sally Lindley Ehrich), Indianapolis, IN, 7 April 1995
RESTRICTIONS: None
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society
ALETRNATE FORMATS: None
OTHER FINDING AIDS: None
RELATED HOLDINGS: None
ACCESSION NUMBER: 95.0428
This collection concerns John H. Hellekson and his son-in-law, Stacey B. Lindley.
John H. Hellekson (1862-1943) was born on a farm in northern Wisconsin. Very early in life he decided that he did not want to become a farmer. At the age of twelve he answered an advertisement for a boy to sweep out the Chicago offices of the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company. He obtained the job, and worked his way up through the company. Moving to Indianapolis, he served for fifty years (1886-1936) as the company's state agent. He married Emma Schmidlap in 1888. Their daughter, Ruth Hellekson ([1891?]-1969), graduated from Smith College in 1914.
In 1920, Ruth Hellekson married Stacey Bradford Lindley (1882-1958), a native of Washington, Indiana. He graduated from Purdue in 1905 and earned a degree as Civil Engineer in 1908. Between 1905 and 1918 he worked on engineering projects in Illinois, Indiana, Washington, and Idaho, either building sidewalks or creosoting lumber. In 1918 Lindley enlisted in the Air Force and served in various technical positions, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. After World War I and after brief stints in two other firms, he became an engineer for the Indiana Canning Machinery Company, in which his father, John F. Lindley, owned an interest. The company produced pulpers, finishers, juice extractors, and a series of machines involved in the "Indiana Pumpkin System". Stacey Lindley invented several pieces of canning machinery; between 1935 and 1954 he became successively manager, secretary, and then president of the company. He retired and sold out his interest in 1956.
Source: Materials in collection
This collection, filling one manuscript box and one oversize folder, contains correspondence, diplomas and certificates, business and legal papers, and photographs from the period 1905-1956. It is arranged by correspondent, and chronologically within correspondent.
Folders 1-16 contain the papers of Stacey B. Lindley. In Folders 1-6 is personal material: obituaries, diplomas, lodge memberships, and army records. Folders 7-9 contains material on real property owned by Lindley. Folders 10-12 concern Indiana Canning Machinery Company; in Folder 10 is a detailed description of the machines produced by the company in 1955. In Folder 13 are notes kept by Lindley, and obituaries of friends; in Folders 14-15 items concerning his estate; in Folder 16 an undated account of "A Trip to Yucatan."
Folders 17-19 contain papers of John H. Hellekson. Most important is a looseleaf notebook of correspondence celebrating his fiftieth anniversary as State Agent of his insurance company.
Folder 20 contains photographs, including one of Hellekson and three of Lindley; Folder 21 contains a long group photo of Lindley's World War I regiment at Vancouver Barracks in November 1918.
FOLDER
Stacey B. Lindley
1: Personal; obituaries
2: (OM 322) Diplomas: S. B. Lindley 1905-1908, Ruth Hellekson 1914
3: Lodge membership 1908
4: (OM 322) Lodge membership 1909
5: Army records 1918-1919
6: Diplomas and certificates 1940-1950
7: Re: property at 5259 N. Delaware St. 1948-1952
8: Re: building at 643-651 Massachusetts Ave. 1953
9: Notes, Barrett Law bonds
10: Product description, Indiana Canning Machinery Co., 1955
11: Audit, Indiana Canning Machinery Co., 1956
12: Agreement to sell, 1956
13: Notes, obituaries of friends
14-15: Estate of S. B. Lindley
16: "A Trip to Yucatan"
John H. Hellekson
17: Shares of stock 1915-1919; draft in deutschmarks
18: 50th anniversary as State Agent 1936
19: Estate of John H. Hellekson
20: (VC) Photographs
21: (VC) Group photograph, World War I
MAIN ENTRY: Lindley, Stacey Bradford, 1882-1958
SUBJECT ENTRIES: Lindley, Stacey Bradford, 1882-1958--Estate
Hellekson, John H., 1862-1943
Indiana Canning Machinery Company
Insurance agents--Indiana--Indianapolis
Canned foods industry--Indiana--Indianapolis
Food processing machinery industry--Indiana--Indianapolis
Real property--Indiana--Indianapolis
Soldiers--Indiana--Indianapolis--Photographs
Yucatan (Mexico : State)--Description and travel
END