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Ferracute Machine Company records

Creation: 1916-1969
 Collection
Accession: 2200

Abstract

The Ferracute Machine Company was a press and die business founded by inventor Oberlin Smith (1840-1926) in Bridgeton, New Jersey, in 1863. It was incorporated in 1877, and ceased operations in 1968. This group of Ferracute Machine Company records is a small fragment preserved by an employee that primarily contains legal files and financial statements.

Dates

  • Creation: 1916-1969

Creator

Extent

1 Linear Foot

Historical Note

The Ferracute Machine Company was a press and die business founded by inventor Oberlin Smith (1840-1926) in Bridgeton, New Jersey, in 1863. It was incorporated in 1877, and ceased operations in 1968. The company specialized in metal forming and cutting presses, originally focused on the tin can industry but later covering the entire range of pressed and stamped metal products. The company was acquired by George E. Bass (1903-1985) in 1937 and closed in 1968. The patents and designs were sold to the Fulton Iron Works Company of St. Louis, and the firm was liquidated in 1969.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in chronological order.

Scope and Contents

This small collection was preserved by a former employee of the Ferracute Machine Company, and most notably consists of legal files covering the purchase of certain assets of the Farquhar Division of the Oliver Corporation in 1960 and the sale of assets to the Fulton Iron Works Company and liquidation in 1968 to 1969.

There is a notebook kept by R.N. Hallman containing pricing information for different pieces of equipment. The data was prepared by the Sales Department and dates from 1945 through 1949. Some of the notebook pages are typed; other pages are handwritten.

There is a five-volume set of work standards for operating various machine tools by H.R. Lewis & Associates, which dates to around 1950. It includes industrial engineering analysis of tolerances and times required for various operations, including pay incentives for operators.

Several trade catalogs dating from 1927 through 1951 showcase the company's products (though many are undated). Additionally, there is a 1916 blueprint drawing of a clutch for presses, an 80th anniversary booklet from 1943, two orders for coining presses from 1951 and 1952, and financial statements from 1961.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.

Related Materials

Ferracute Machine Company records (Accession 1928), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Henry A. Janvier papers (Accession 1925), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Rutgers University Library, Special Collections, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Language of Materials

English

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Ferracute Machine Company records
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2021: Laurie Sather

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400