Finding Aids

John Zimmermann & Sons, Inc. was a manufacturer of upholstery fabrics in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for more than fifty years. This collection consists primarily of financial records from the company's founding through its sale to Merion Securities, Inc. It contains rich payroll and pension data of potential interest to labor historians. The collection also contains records from Zimmermann Mills, Inc. and J-Z, Inc., a division of Merion Securities. These materials are also primarily financial in nature.

The Quaker Lace Company manufactured Nottingham lace and was one of the textile firms founded by John Bromley (1800-1883) and his seven sons. The records represent a fraction of the total Quaker Lace archive which was salvaged from the 4th and Lehigh mill during the liquidation of the company. The collection is arranged into seven series: General administrative files and correspondence; Sale literature; Advertising and promotional materials; Production records; Legal records; Financial records; and Tax records.

The Textile Machine Works began as a braiding machines repair and replacement company for German imported equipment, but they began building their own braiding machines in late 1892. The Textile Machine Works was founded by Henry Janssen (1866-1948) and Ferdinand Thun (1866-1949) on July 5, 1892, in Reading, Pennsylvania. This collection includes administrative and financial records of the parent company and major subsidiaries from 1900 to 1968. There is additional material relating to employee relations and the establishment and operation of the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute.