Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids

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Container	Title
	McCormick, Cyrus Hall, II
Box 397	1876-1885 Note: All personal material pertaining to such matters as college activities; travels on the Continent and in England; YMCA activities; a number of poems; a long sentimental letter to Cyrus McCormick Sr. on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday; and his (McCormick II's) mother's welfare.
Box 397	1886-1887 Note Letters and telegrams mostly relating to McCormick's and Anita's (Mrs. Blaine's) junketing across Europe--their activities and attempts to contact one another from different parts of England and the Continent. The earlier letters in the folder are concerned with various personal matters in the States--horses, upkeep of the family home, teas, dinners, McCormick's health. A single letter from London refers briefly to the French binder trials which McCormick attended.
Box 397	1888 Note: All personal items--a number of poems and songs by McCormick; long narration of events at campout on Island Lake, Wisconsin; Anita's activities in the Friday Club; the weather in England; recreation in the East; plays, concerts; the Victorian drama and engagement of McCormick to Miss Harriet Hammond.
Box 397	1889-1890 Note Personal matters--the date and arrangements of Anita's wedding; the establishment of a trust fund for her; birthday greetings to her; congratulations on the birth of a baby boy. There is much material pertaining to the litigation, division, and purchase of the McCormick estate--bills receivable, ledger accounts, stocks and bonds, and a statement of the total worth of the estate and how it was divided among the various heirs. Also included is a list of the real estate holdings of the McCormick estate outside of Chicago. There is information relating to the McCormick Company--ledger balances; list of real estate holdings; a letter to Mrs. Blaine from Clayton Lodge, 1889 October 3, discussing various changes in personnel in the company. Mrs. Blaine's income for 1890 is given, as well as a list of expenses she incurred in Chicago and Paris.
Box 397	1891 Note: Almost all the material relates to the trust agreement drawn up between Emmons Blaine and Anita McCormick: there are letters by McCormick to Judge Goudy asking his opinion concerning certain contemplated changes in the agreement, as well as copies of the original agreement. A letter to Anita also refers to the desired changes in the agreement.
Box 397	1892 Note Further information concerning the dispute between Mrs. Emmons Blaine and Cyrus McCormick II over the disposition of the property left to her in her father's will. Mrs. Blaine complained in court that she had unknowingly signed away control of her property the day before her marriage. McCormick issued a statement refuting her charges, point by point. The court proceedings and McCormick's refutation are both contained in the folder, as well as other material relating to the matter. There are various bills and outstanding debts in connection with the Blaine estate. A large mass of letters and telegrams on Emmons Blaine's death. Letters on Ship Building Company stock issued in Blaine's name and now to be transferred to Mrs. Blaine.
Box 397	1893-1894 Note Miscellaneous material pertaining to the disposition of Emmons Blaine's estate and a list of his holdings; financial matters and bills charged to Mrs. Blaine; ledger balances, stocks and bonds on hand; discussion of a business loan by Mrs. Blaine to a “dear friend”; letter from J.H. Chandler to Cyrus McCormick informing him that he (Chandler) is holding Chicago Ship Building Company; stock of Blaine's in trust until it could be determined in whose name a new certificate of ownership should be issued. Letters on land surveys and warranty deeds. Plans for a Memorial building in Chicago for Blaine. Material concerning the serving of a summons on Mrs. Blaine's child and the appointment of a guardian for his interests. Personal items-dealing mainly with the medical care and housing of sister Virginia in her illness.
Box 397	1895 January-July Note Business and financial matters relating to Mrs. Blaine's interests in the Loan Oil and Gas Company and the Chicago Ship Building Company, plus the matter of Columbus Midlands securities. Various bills and travel expenses charged against Mrs. Blaine or McCormick. Additional information on the disposition of the Blaine estate. Personal items--there is much material relating to the care of Virginia McCormick and the operation and daily routine of the household at Montecito, California. There are also items on building a wall around the McCormick estate and a proposed camping trip.
Box 397	1895 August-December Note The bulk of the material concerns the care of Virginia at Montecito -- the daily routine, various incidents, the replacement of Mrs. Moses. A few additional items on bills outstanding from the Blaine estate.
Box 397	1896 January-June Note Much of the material has to do with the care of Virginia and the daily routine and various incidents at Montecito; there are also letters relating to the purchase of a permanent estate for Virginia. Further material pertaining to the settlement of the Blaine estate--cash and loan accounts; transfer of Chicago Ship Building Company stocks; proceeds of the Columbus and Cincinnati Midlands bonds. There are items relating to the McCormick Theological Seminary, the Normal School, and the Virginia Library. Letter by McCormick to Uncle Leander on the official McCormick views on the reaper in connection with a book Leander was writing. McCormick to Mrs. Blaine explaining the statement of her personal accounts, which he had mailed her (the statement is not included).
Box 397	1896 July-August Note Almost all the material pertains to the illnesses of Virginia and Stanley McCormick. Concerning Virginia, there is information on her worsening condition; the attitude of the residents of Montecito toward her presence; plans for a prolonged trip to the Adirondacks; various statements of her accounts and expenses. There are telegrams and letters relating to Stanley's illness in Europe and his mother's indecision as to whether she should return home or not. Individual items include information on the reorganization of Lake Forest University; Mrs. Blaine's granting power of attorney to McCormick to handle her real estate; and cash statements of Mrs. Blaine for March, June, and July.
Box 398	1896 September-December Note Most of the material pertains to Virginia--her daily routine in the Adirondacks camp, the search for a place to take her after she tires of that place, and other similar information. Letters to Stanley and Mrs. Blaine on the leasing of some of their undeveloped property in Chicago. Statement of Mrs. Blaine's account for September.
Box 398	1897 Note There is information on the proposed merger of the McCormick and Deering companies--letters from McCormick to Mrs. Blaine and his mother, plus one from Mr. Butler. Financial accounts of Mrs. Blaine--itemized statements of accounts and profit and loss statements. The legal judgment of the court regarding the Mrs. Blaine-Cyrus McCormick dispute over her trust fund and the conveyance of her property. Further financial accounts--drafts for letters of credit by Carrie McCormick; statement of donations of Mrs. Blaine; a letter on certain matters pertaining to the McCormick family's financial affairs. A book, Adams Cable Codex (Boston, 1894). A map of the present roads of Riven Rock, Montecito, California. Information on the leasing of McCormick property. A newspaper feature article on the use of iron.
Box 398	1898 January-August Note Information regarding real estate transactions and the leasing of Mrs. Blaine's property. More on Virginia--locating a good place for her, how to handle her, dissatisfaction with Dr. Bennett. Statement of McCormick's and Mrs. Blaine's interests, as trustees for Herald and Stanley, in the Calumet Canal and Improvement Company, the Standard Steel and Iron Company, and the Lake Michigan Land Company. Copy of a statement of power of attorney Mrs. Blaine gave McCormick to handle her real estate and personal property. Letter in which reference is made to Prof. Woodrow Wilson wanting to leave Princeton but being persuaded (“partly cash”) to stay on. Letter briefly discussing the South American War. Financial affairs of Mrs. Blaine--trial balances, stocks and bonds on hand, cash statements. Statement of distribution of donations to McCormick Theological Seminary. See also: Johnston, E.A., 1898 July 18 Tibbets, Henry S. 1898 November 21 Merriman, D.J., 1898 November 26 Crighton, James, 1898 November 26
Box 398	1898 September-December Note Financial and business affairs of Mrs. Blaine--real estate transactions; purchase and transfer of bonds and stocks; charitable contributions; cash statement for August. The care of Virginia--obtaining new attendants for her, and other matters. Items on the McCormick Theological Seminary.
Box 398	1899 Note Much material on the McCormick Theological Seminary. Financial conditions of the seminary, relations of the family to it, possible change of the name, memo of donations. Information of Mrs. Blaine's interest in various companies such as the Chicago Telephone Company and the Federal Steel Company. Letters relating to McCormick Company donations to various organizations -- Chicago Orphans' Asylum, Seaman's Bethal, etc. Real estate transactions of Mrs. Blaine. Virginia--discussion of where to take her next after leaving Huntsville, Alabama. A letter from McCormick to Mrs. Blaine telling of the necessity of the company to acquire additional capital since it is expanding so rapidly (Chicago, December 13).
Box 398	1900 Note Real estate transactions of McCormick in the Highland Park area; also, a booklet of letters pertaining to division of the real estate that McCormick acquired from his father's estate. Arrangements for Virginia McCormick to go to the Paris Exposition. Original and copies of agreement between Nettie, Cyrus, and Harold McCormick to set up a fund for the erection of a monument in their father's memory plus the acquisition and preservation of his books and papers, the latter provision involving the publication of a biography on Cyrus McCormick I. Letters and telegrams on the continued employment of Salem G. Pattison by the McCormick Company. Personal items--dinner invitations, season's greetings.
Box 398	1901 January-April Note Miscellaneous items on Mrs. King's funeral, individual estate reports, the need for pamphlets on McCormick and his reaper, North Side School Project, and Biographical Association articles of agreement. See also: International Harvester Company, 1901-1902.
Box 398	1901 May 1 Note Location: Chicago, Illinois. Report of the trustees of Anita Blaine McCormick, showing in detail the estate which was set apart for her according to her father's will; other management of the estate by her trustess; and the inventory of it on July 4, 1891 when it was turned over to her personally. The report has been removed from the cover marked (gold lettering) “Accounts Trustees Anita McCormick Blaine.” Cover preserved with Account Books (BL Modus Operandi Office).
Box 398	1901 May-December Note Letters on the ownership and management of the Interior, a Presbyterian newspaper which the McCormicks had an interest in. Correspondence concerning the publication of articles on the McCormick Company, McCormick I, and the reaper. Letter from McCormick to Stanley, October 7, on company matters--a new corn machine, mechanical defects, the erection of a foundry. Cost of erecting a parish house on land purchased by the McCormicks for the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Letter from Cyrus to his mother on Virginia's life and surroundings at Huntsville, Alabama.
Box 398	1902 Note Various miscellaneous material--arrangements of Virginia's trip to Pellair, Florida; sale of Mrs. Blaine's Highland Park property; research work of Pattison in the Biographical Association and an article on the McCormick reaper to be published in the Chicago Tribune; letter from McCormick to Mrs. Blaine discussing the advisability of their moving to an apartment to cut down on expenses. A large amount of the material pertains to the merger of the McCormick Company and the Deering Company--information on profit sharing, stock subscription and distribution, family loans, employees' trust investment fund, schedule of prices of McCormick machines.
Box 398	1903 Note Much information on the McCormick's financial affairs--issuance of International Harvester stock to McCormick; Mrs. Blaine's bonds in the American Kuxfer Prism Company; statement of distribution of accumulated credit balance from notes and bills receivable from the old firms of Ch. and L.J. McCormick and C.H. McCormick and Brothers. There are a few items on the completion of work by Pattison in the Biographical Association and the advisability of preserving some of the old, outdated McCormick machines. Material on guaranty made to North Side School, and the financial statement of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. There is much information on the operations and policies of the International Harvester Company, including two revealing letters by Cyrus McCormick on the advisability of increasing the capitalization of the corporation and issuing common stock. There are also items on company loans and flax twine patents, plus the legal statement of the incorporation of the McCormick Company, the Deering Company, the Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner Company, and the Plano Company into International Harvester.
Box 398	1904 January-June Note Copy of a letter to G.W. Perkins of J.P. Morgan and Company, concerning C's dissatisfaction with the delay in improvement of working conditions. Four-page memorandum concerning the power to be allocated to the McCormicks and the Deerings, Perkins and Glessner in the company. Also, memo to G.W. Perkins on the same, with Cyrus McCormick II taking the initiative as leader of the company. Declares that Charles Deering is incompetent as an executive and the Deering interests must be represented in the company by James. A copy of a letter to E.M. Fowler summarizes these developments. Charles Deering, it is made clear, is Chairman of the Board of Directors, which is a purely nominal position with no power attached. A letter concerning Mary Virginia's estate from Cyrus McCormick as a trustee. A letter concerning the payment of Cyrus Bentley. Memo which probably refers to the amount that each member of the family should contribute to the employee's stock-sharing plan. Memo concerning the MacLeod purchase. Letter regarding a combination of the Interior and the Observer -- two Presbyterian papers. A series of letters on the family holdings of the Island Lake land.
Box 398	1904 July-December Note Copy of letter to the Biographical Association concerning the placing of Cyrus McCormick I in the Hall of Fame. An accounts of visit of Stanley in Geneva, with a description of the wedding of S. and Katharine. Report on Mary Virginia's condition. Conversation with President Wilson on Hall of Fame with reference to Cyrus McCormick.
Box 398	1905 January May Note: Extensive correspondence concerning a choice of biographer of Cyrus McCormick for a pamphlet to be presented to the judges on the Hall of Fame committee. Final choice is Professor F.A. Turner, University of Wisconsin, who refuses. Taken to Mr. Reuben Gold Thwaites of the State Historical Society. Anita opposed to preparation of the monograph or sending it out.
Box 398	1905 June-December Note Telegrams regarding Mary Virginia's trip to New York and Europe. Extensive memos on the care and treatment of Mary Virginia. A conversation with Mr. W.H. Jones recounted in detail concerning the state of the I.H. Company. Letters concerning the assistance of the Robert M. Adams family.
Box 398	1906 January-March Note Many letters concerning sale of real estate. A proposal that Mr. Stuert handle financial arrangements with the Adams family. Mr. Gorton chosen in a later letter over Mr. Stuert. Letters concerning the estate of Mary Virginia. A highly detailed letter concerning the affairs of the Interior.
Box 399	1906 April-June Note Highly detailed outline for a national Presbyterian paper. Plan of union of Presbyterian Churches of North and South, to be led by the Interior. Also, extensive outline of expansion. More memos on the financial support of the Robert Adams family. Statement of policy, in some detail of Interior. Letters concerning the care of camp property.
Box 399	1906 July-December Note Letters concerning purchase and sale of Toronto property. Clipping enclosed from Rochester, Minnesota, newspaper praising the Company Welfare practices and generally high level of Industrial Relations. The closing comment of this article is that no kind of “propaganda of unionism, anarchism or sectarianism is permitted on the premises.” Letter concerning a loan of $300,000 made from a Scottish firm. More memos on the financial support of the R.A. family. First letter regarding the guardianship of Stanley McCormick in a copy of a letter sent by Cyrus II to Cyrus Bentley. The outlines of this letter are briefly, that the care of his affairs shall be entrusted to his two brothers and Cyrus Bentley with his wife having absolute powers of veto over any proposal that they should make. Copy of letter from Mrs. Robert Adams on the state of their family, in general, and in regard to specific financial needs.
Box 399	1907 January-April Note: Letters concerning the financial affairs of the R. Adams family. Notes indicating that Anita does not wish her name associated with the playground given by the family to the McCormick public school because of the way in which it came to be dedicated to Cyrus Hall McCormick I, of which she emphatically did not approve. Detailed letter on February 19, 1907, concerning the various facets of Stanley's mental state. Business report of the Interior.
Box 399	1907 May-December Note Discussion of the propriety of helping to elect Mayor Bosse by a campaign gift that had been donated. Printed statement to Att. Gen. C.J. Bonaparte to discourage action against the company marked “confidential.” The main point of this report is that it has not behaved like the popular 'bogeyman' idea of a Trust is supposed to behave, and despite substantial increases in the costs of material and labor the cost of harvesting machines has not risen. This is due to the increase in efficiency and resultant decrease in cost of methods of operation. Cyrus. The author of the pamphlet, also cites the good records of industrial and labor relations, and the fact that most of the small manufacturers left the industry before the merger that produced the I.H. Company, repeatedly making the point that they were not forced out of business by the company. His main theme in this pamphlet is that the merger stabilized the market in many ways. Included are various 'muck-raking' editorials dealing with devious tax practices laid at the door of the owners of I.H. Company. A mention in a personal letter of Cyrus of the unfairness of the attack. News clippings quoting Cyrus that he believes government regulation of corporations is a good thing and no honest corporation has anything to fear from it.
Box 399	1908 January-June Note Letters in reference to material given to the Historical Museum of Virginia on the development of the reaper. Memos on the situation of the Interior. Letter concerning Stanley's situation. Arrangements with Mr. Louis Dent for cataloguing and ordering of McCormick papers.
Box 399	1908 July-December Note Two part article included from Harper's Weekly by J.K. Mumford praising the I.H. Company welfare policies and the beneficence of C.H. McCormick. Letters concerning the improvement of the Toronto property. Arranging support for the political campaign on the basis of individual contributions from stockholders of I.H. Company rather than from the corporation itself, since the latter sounds bad in the days of suspicion of the inordinate power of “trusts.” Pamphlet included that supports Adlai E. Stenson for Gov. over Charles S. Deenen. In particular an article is pointed out that condemns Cyrus and the other I.H. Company stock-holders for not paying proper taxes because their corporation lawyer, Roy O. West, is also State Tax Assessor. Also included is a copy of the Colliers Weekly article from which the article is taken. The Colliers article also accuses I.H. Company of taking advantage on injured employees. A memo to Anita that Harold and Nettie F. McCormick have been subpoenaed on the tax matter, and the remaining stockholders are being sought by the sheriff.
Box 399	1909 Note Detailed memo of a visit to Katherine with reference to the supervision of Stanley's affairs. A note requesting assistance in the education of the children of a clergyman, Dr. Notman. Letter recounting a visit to Mary Virginia and the many facets of her relationship with the people in the town and town affairs. Also many letters relating to improvement of the properties in Toronto and Huntsville. Also plans for Mary Virginia's support of YMCA and Settlement work and Presbyterian Church affairs.
Box 399	1910 January-June Note Solicitation from University of Illinois to help from a Presbyterian Church. Copy of Harvester World containing excerpts of Cyrus' speech dedicating Deering Works Club House. Correspondence concerning the affairs of Stanley in California. A request from Mr. C.D. McWade for $5,000 for his father's services in helping Cyrus I invent the reaper and improve it as a workman.
Box 399	1910 July-December Note Many notes with regard to Virginia's activities. Letter from R.H. Parkinson (copy) regarding elimination of claims of other of Cyrus I's brothers to have invented the reaper. Claims made by L.J. McCormick. Picture of Mary Virginia. Letter from R. Hall McCormick regarding the admission of his grandfather, Robert McCormick to the hall of fame as an inventor. Offer by Elbert Hubbard to write a monograph on the Inventor of the Reaper. Anita disapproves. Note regarding conference with a friend of the senior McCormick's in the 1850s regarding the claim that Robert is the inventor. Request for more support of the McCormick School. Another long letter from R.H. McCormick claiming Robert as the inventor.
Box 399	1911 January-June Note The question of the reaper's invention: materials concerning R. Hall McCormick's effort to have Robert McCormick elected to the national Hall of Fame by sending a pamphlet to the Hall of Fame electors and a memorandum of a long interview among Cyrus Hall II, Mrs. Blaine, and “C.H.A.” on the subject. This issue came up also in discussions of a new sketch of Cyrus Hall I for the forthcoming American Cyclopedia of Biography, and of a request for help by the author of a work tentatively entitled Great American Inventors. Other matters included are: the purchase of a new house by the family. Support of the Cyrus Hall McCormick School in Chicago. A request for contributions to a building fund by the University Presbyterian Church in Champaign, Illinois. The support by Cyrus Hall II and his wife of Jane Addams' Child Welfare Exhibit in Chicago.
Box 399	1911 July-December Note Interest in reaper and family history continues; there is a memorandum of a conference on the invention of the reaper, information on attempts to hire a new biographical secretary, and a letter on hanging Cyrus Hall I's picture in a courthouse with those of Robert and Leander. The request of the University Presbyterian Church, Champaign, Illinois, for a donation. Discussion of work to be done at Cohasset and Oakland estates.
Box 399	1912 January-June Note The formal formation of the Historical Association. Materials on historical work on the question of the reaper's invention. Requests for information on Cyrus Hall I from archivists and writers. Newspaper clippings on the Hall of Fame. Copy of pamphlet “Early Virginia Immigrants.” Request from Toronto social worker that the McCormick's support an office of “social advisor” to the city of Toronto. Materials on the beginnings of the case of U.S. v. International Harvester.
Box 400	1912 July-December Note Correspondence on historical work aimed at clearing up the question of the reaper's invention. Copy of article in German periodical. Record of interview with old Virginian, etc. Real estate map of Lake Forest area with some discussion of the purchase of lots. Materials on work at Cohasset estate and Kildare farm Correspondence on the operation of the family gifts syndicate. Some mention of U.S. v. International Harvester. Typescript copy of a ten-page memo dictated by Leland Stanford about 1892 on the purposes of Stanford University.
Box 400	1913 Note Copy of full-page newspaper ad, “The Chicago Spirit,” a public-relations piece on International Harvester and Chicago. Appeal of YMCA, Staunton, Virginia, for help in raising money for a new building. Historical work: copy of Onward, a Richmond, Virginia, religious periodical, containing an article on the invention of the reaper. Letters regarding C.D. Harmsberger, Grottoes, Virginia, who owned some McCormick relics. Requests for information on the life of Cyrus Hall I. A long letter to Harold F. concerning his conduct at the company and company affairs generally.
Box 400	1914 January-June Note International Harvester affairs: copy of newspaper ad (the second), “The Spirit of Chicago,” on the relations of International Harvester and the city of Chicago. Letter regarding the directorship of G.W. Perkins, who Cyrus Hall I claimed was dragging I.H. into his political fight with Borah. Copy of article by President Van Hise of University of Wisconsin on trusts in Chicago Commerce, and a letter from Van Hise to Cyrus Hall II. Philanthropies: materials on the Staunton, Virginia; YMCA gift by the family; support of the City Romes Association; support of African American students-teachers conference to be held in the South; contribution to fund for the aid of the Indians of Oklahoma. Family matters: transfer of Riven Rock estate from Virginia to Stanley. Historical work: copy of article from Implement Age on early reaper contests in England.
Box 400	1914 July-December Note: The three subjects most important in the correspondence of these months are the proceedings in bankruptcy involving Edward S. Adams, who owed notes to the McCormick family which he repudiated and claimed were only donations; land purchases, sales, etc., in Lake Forest property; and the search by Cyrus Hall McCormick II for information from old Virginians on the early history of the McCormicks and of the reaper. There is also material relating to a memorial plaque to Cyrus Hall I for a new YMCA in Staunton, Virginia; an effort by Mrs. Blaine, Cyrus Hall II, and others to raise funds for the expenses of African American students and teachers at an Atlanta meeting in May 1914, and for the Native Americans of Oklahoma; a family loan to W.M. Reay; and Wilson's nomination of International Harvester executive Thomas D. Jones to the Federal Reserve Board, which brought on an attack on the company by the Senate Committee on banking and currency, followed by a defense by the company.
Box 400	1915 January-June Note: Correspondence contains continued discussion of the Edward S. Adams case, of property changes and plans for building or rebuilding house in Lake Forest, and of efforts to gather information on the reaper's history. The historical work was highlighted during these months by efforts to have Cyrus Hall I elected to the national “Hall of Fame,” and by an article on the history of the reaper in an anniversary edition of the Scientific American. There are several notes and a number of newspaper clippings on the Hall of Fame episode, and a number of letters and typescripts of sections of the Scientific American article. Correspondence also contains information on the continued efforts of the Staunton YMCA to get funds to carry out construction, on Charles Deering's proposal to resign from the board of directors at International Harvester, on Mrs. McCormick's eightieth birthday celebration and her interest in the McCormick Theological Seminary. There are also copies of correspondence passing between Cyrus Hall II and Jennie Adams on the subject of Robert Adams' illness.
Box 400	1915 July-October Note: The bulk of correspondence relates the continued effort of Cyrus Hall II and Mrs. Blaine to have Cyrus Hall I elected to the Hall of Fame. A 27-page booklet, “Cyrus H. McCormick and the Reaper,” was printed and sent to the Hall of Fame electors. A preliminary copy is enclosed, which bears penciled corrections. Also included in the correspondence is the Report of the Hall of Fame election, which failed to give McCormick a place. Miscellaneous subjects: plea for aid by C.D. Harnsberger, Grottoes, Virginia, in which Cyrus Hall II took an interest, continued discussion of the memorial plaque for Cyrus Hall II at the Staunton, Virginia, YMCA, and two letters mentioning the affairs of Stanley McCormick.
Box 400	1915 November-December Note: Materials concerned with the development of the Historical Association, which effort by YMCA to get funds to carry on work in the South, and with International Harvester plan to extend profit sharing plan to employees in the lower ranks. There is also additional discussion of the Hall of Fame election and of the Staunton, Virginia, YMCA.
Box 400	1916 Note: Much of the material for this year concerns International Harvester: clippings, notes regarding U.S. v. International Harvester; clippings on the company's profit-sharing plan; copies of correspondence of Cyrus Hall II with Harold McCormick trying to get Harold to take the presidency of I-H (Cyrus Hall II suggested that he should himself become chairman of the board). There are a number of letters relating to plans and accomplishments of the Historical Association. Work at the Lake Forest Estate and at the property in Cohasset, Massachusetts, are discussed, and there is material relating to family gifts and philanthropies; Cyrus Hall II urges Mrs. Blaine to give to a committee to study tariff policy, to a hospital for International Harvester, to an effort to reform Illinois tax policy to ease corporations' burdens, to an effort to get Universal Military training to the United States, and to the City Homes Association. Aside from these appeals, there is material relating to other philanthropies in which the family was involved: the YMCA, work among Oklahoma Native Americans, the dedication of the Staunton, Virginia, YMCA, and the Favill Memorial Fund.
Box 400	1917 Note: McCormick's most important venture during 1917 was a trip to Russia as a member of the Root Commission. His correspondence with Mrs. Blaine contains only a few letters written en route, including a two-page typescript diary-like description of the voyage from Seattle to Vladivostok. There is no discussion of the affairs of the commission or of the other members. Most of the correspondence for the year is concerned instead with causes and philanthropies supported by the family: an effort to raise funds for a public beach and park for Cohasset, Massachusetts; the Favill Memorial Fund; the National Civic Federation; an effort to revise the Illinois tax structure to ease corporations' tax loads; an effort to have universal military training for the United States. Cyrus Hall II's and Mrs. Blaine's historical work does not play as large a role in the correspondence of this year as it did in the two years before, but there is a letter from Ida Tarbell, doing a study of “The Age of Invention,” asking to use McCormick materials. Of the coming of the war, there is a typescript of an article by McCormick for the Harvester World on duty in wartime. Other letters and notes discuss family matters: an appeal by Jennie Adams for an increase in her allowance; work at the Cohasset estate; and the family gift syndicate.
Box 400	1918 Note Correspondence covers: YMCA appeal for work in the South and for war work, and an appeal for a YMCA building for Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. The work of the Historical Association and of the handling of article on Cyrus Hall II for a forthcoming revision of Encyclopedia Americana. Cyrus Hall II's effort to get Harold F. McCormick to come home from Zurich to take the presidency of International Harvester. Copy of the merger agreement of International Harvester of New Jersey with the International Harvester Corporation. The administration of the estate of Virginia McCormick and of the Favill Memorial Fund and other family giving enterprises. The death of Emmons Blaine.
Box 401	1919 Note Late in 1918, Cyrus Hall II resigned his post as president of International Harvester and was elected chairman of the board. Harold F. McCormick was named new president. This change is covered by copies of board-meeting minutes, etc., enclosed in correspondence to Mrs. Blaine. There is material concerning a gift of $200,000 by the McCormicks for a YMCA building on the campus of Washington and Lee University. (Cross reference: Dr. H.L. Smith, university president.) In 1918, efforts began to select a historian as biographer of Cyrus Hall McCormick I. Letters, memos, etc., related Cyrus Hall II's efforts and his estimates of various prominent historians of the period. Family matters: the family bore the expenses of illness of McCormick Jewett, which is discussed in several letters. The financial condition of Jennie Adams is also mentioned in the year's correspondence. There is a detailed analysis of a “Chicago Babies' Free Milk Fund,” to which Mrs. Blaine and Harold F. McCormick contributed and of which Cyrus Hall II disapproved.
Box 401	1920 Note Notes on conference regarding International Harvester affairs: proposed change of name to “McCormick-Deering,” stock dividend from surplus, sale of stock to employees, stock plan for executive, reduction in proportion of Harvester stock held by family, issuance of preferred stocks, bonds or debentures. Family affairs: proposal by Boston realtor to sell to the family some property adjoining the Cohasset, Massachusetts, estate; long letter (December 22) regarding the administration of the affairs of Virginia McCormick. Philanthropies: discussion of Henry Baird Favill Memorial fund, invitation to banquet sponsored in part by Cyrus Hall II for Herbert Hoover in connection with European relief effort.
Box 401	1921 January-April Note Correspondence deals mainly with philanthropies and gifts: the family's plan to give a YMCA building for the campus of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia; the Favill Memorial fund; and a proposal by Cyrus Hall II that Mrs. Blaine join in a subscription to pay for new home for Woodrow Wilson on his retirement from the presidency. The effort to choose a biographer for Cyrus Hall I continued and is discussed. Letter of January 14 encloses copy of long letter from J. Franklin Jameson giving his opinions of several prominent American historians. Included in the correspondence are copies of the will and funeral services of Harriet Hammond McCormick, wife of Cyrus Hall II, and a long letter regarding Stanley McCormick and Riven Rock Estate.
Box 401	1921 May-December Note Family matters occupy a large place in the correspondence of these months: The administration of the estates of Virginia and Stanley McCormick, and the status and operation of the family gift syndicate. There are a number of YMCA appeals and some discussion of the Favill Memorial fund. An interview with Frederick L. Paxon of the University of Wisconsin highlighted continued efforts to select a biographer for Cyrus Hall McCormick I.
Box 401	1922 Note Much of the correspondence is concerned with the family's philanthropies: an appeal from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksbug, for an agricultural engineering building; pleas for aid from various branches of the YMCA, including a detailed report of YMCA work among Southern African Americans; letters regarding a proposed contribution to the Chicago Memorial Children's Hospital in memory of International Harvester executive John P. Wilson. There is a copy of a long letter from Cyrus Hall II to Harold F. concerning the choice of a new member of the board of International Harvester. Each candidate for the post is carefully analyzed, and toward the end of the letter Cyrus Hall II makes the suggestion that stock-holding employees of International Harvester be allowed to elect a member of the board to represent their interests. Family matters discussed include work on the Cohasset, Massachusetts, estate, and the operation of the family gifts syndicate. There is only mention of the historical work in the year's correspondence. During the year, Cyrus Hall II toured North Africa, and there are several letters from him to Mrs. Blaine describing his trip.
Box 401	1923 January-June Note Correspondence for these months is concerned almost entirely with family matters and philanthropies. On the first subject, there is some discussion of the eduation of Gordon McCormick, of the purchase of a new auto for Mrs. Nettie E. McCormick, reports of Cyrus Hall II's visits to the estates of Stanley and Virginia McCormick. Philanthropies: appeals from YMCA; discussion of proposed family gift to the Chicago Memorial Children's Hospital; an appeal from the New Providence Presbyterian Church in Raphine, Virginia; and a plea for aid from Mrs. J.A. Rodenbaeck, a cousin of Cyrus Hall II's deceased wife.
Box 401	1923 July-December Note The bulk of the material for these months concerns the death of Mrs. Nettie Fowler McCormick: arrangements for her funeral and tributes to her, proposals for a sketch of her for the National Cyclopedia of American Biography, and discussion of the charities she supported with a view to future policy. Miscellaneous matters include: work at the Cohasset estate, and contributions to the Whitney Woods Society of Cohasset; an address by Lloyd George in Chicago; and proposal for a stock purchase in the Deepwater Coal and Iron Corporation of Alabama.
Box 401	1924 January-July Note Mrs. Nettie Fowler McCormick's recent death occasioned continued discussion of her philanthropies: the Stanley McCormick School of Burnsville, North Carolina, and the Tusculum College of Greenville, Tennessee; YMCA and YWCA appeals; the Presbyterian paper, The Continent, the McCormick Theological Seminary, the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. There is also continued discussion of a new appeal from the New Providence Presbyterian Church of Raphine, Virginia. Several letters mention work at the Cohasset, Massachusetts, estate and a proposed visit to the estate of Virginia McCormick. Miscellaneous: discussion of the part the League of Nations should or should not play in the election of 1924, and rental of a camp in the Adirondacks.
Box 401	1924 August-September Note Philanthropies continue to dominate the correspondence. There is more discussion of the appeal of the New Providence Presbyterian Church in Raphine, Virginia, and of the McCormick Theological Seminary. The YMCA appears several times, and new appeals from the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce for donations to a hospital building fund and from the Lincoln Community Church in Huntsville are considered. There is some mention of the affairs of the Historical Association. Miscellaneous: a proposal by a Miss Elin Nielsen, an acquaintance of Mrs. N.F. McCormick, that the family invest in an apartment house she plans to build in California. The Illinois Democratic senatorial campaign. A visit of Miss Elizabeth Bostater to the House-in-the-Woods estate. Gifts of Mary Mildred Sullivan and George Hammond Sullivan, Southern relatives to Peabody College and the Valentine Museum of Richmond, Virginia, on behalf of the McCormicks of Chicago.
Box 401	1924 October-December Note Most of the material concerns the McCormicks' myriad philanthropic activities-New Providence Church; the Prohibition campaign in Ontario, Canada; Democratic Central Committee of Cook County; YMCA; McCormick Theological Seminary; Illinois Society of Mental Health and National Committee for Mental Hygiene. There are also miscellaneous items pertaining to a headstone for mother McCormick's grave; improvement of the Meridian Pike; what to do with the Continent, a church newspaper; advisability of showing mother McCormick's private correspondence to a government inspector; stock in the Rovinia Company; Washington and Lee University; and Stanley's illness.
Box 401	1925 January-June Note Further material on the McCormick donations-to Washington and Lee University, the YMCA, the Whitney Woods Association, the New Providence Church, and the McCormick Theological Seminary. Other miscellaneous items include information on exchange of stock by Mrs. Blaine in International Harvester; a headstone for mother McCormick's grave; what to do about the Continent; attempts to get Cyrus McCormick I elected to the Hall of Fame; McCormick's trip to Europe and the Near East; and a copy of the Harvester World containing a speech by McCormick on the early beginnings of the reaper and other farm machines. See also: Haskins and Sells, 1925 June 11 (for audit 1890 January 1-1925 June 30).
Box 401	1925 July-December Note: Largely miscellaneous information pertaining to McCormick family donations to the YMCA; the use of certain historical data by Senator Beveridge in a book he was writing; some pamphlets on the Hall of Fame; attempts to obtain someone to do a sketch of Nettie McCormick's life; and an extensive list of recommendations by McCormick concerning improvements that should be made on the Oaklands estate where Virginia is cared for, plus narration of a visit to the estate.
Box 402	1926 January-March Note The most prominent subject of the correspondence for these months is the McCormick Theological Seminary. The discussion concerns a proposed Nettie Fowler McCormick Memorial Fund, to which the family would contribute $1,000,000 or more. Other philanthropies discussed are continued aid to the Staunton, Virginia, YMCA, and the disposition of the Stanley McCormick School, Burnsville, North Carolina (see also: McClure, James Gore King, Jr.). Proposals for work at the Oaklands estate in Toronto, and for the purchase of an estate in Pasadena for Virginia McCormick. Newspaper clippings regarding earnings, policy, of International Harvester.
Box 402	1926 April-May Note Continued discussion of the family's support of the McCormick Theological Seminary and a change in the institution's name. Correspondence with the Presbyterian Board of Missions and with James McClure Jr., regarding the Stanley McCormick School, Burnsville, North Carolina. Materials concerning the estate of Stanley McCormick and the allowance of Katharine McCormick. Letters regarding the purchase of property in Pasadena. Appeal from Rev. H.W. Lucey for a memorial building (to Nettie Fowler McCormick) at Peking (China) University, a missionary school which Mrs. McCormick had supported. Discussion of the choice of a biographer for Nettie Fowler McCormick. Copy of a long letter from Cyrus Hall II to D.F. Davis, Secretary of war, arguing against independence for the Philippine Islands.
Box 402	1926 June-September Note The McCormicks' gift of the Nettie Fowler Memorial Fund to the theological seminary. Continued discussion of H.W. Luce's request for a building at Peking (China) University in memory of Mrs. McCormick. Request for aid from Jamestown (North Dakota) College. Gifts to Staunton, Virginia, YMCA, the Chicago Boys' and Girls' Club, the Lake Forest Methodist Church. Discussion of the Pasadena property and of the Family Gifts syndicate. Correspondence regarding the disposition of the Stanley McCormick School, Burnsville, North Carolina.
Box 402	1926 October-December Note Most of the correspondence for these months consists of memos regarding the remodeling and furnishing of the house at the Pasadena estate for the occupancy of Virginia McCormick. Appeals from the International Committee of the YMCA and from the YWCA. An appeal from the town of Cohasset, Massachusetts. The Lake Forest Methodist Church. The Stanley McCormick School, Burnsville, North Carolina. A memorial to Mrs. Nettie Fowler McCormick at Chicago's Olivet Institute. Work at the Cohasset, Massachusetts, estate.
Box 402	1927 January-February Note Again, the bulk of the material is related to work at the Pasadena property of Virginia McCormick. Much of the remainder of the correspondence concerns philanthropies: the YMCA, a plea from Toronto for a gift toward the erection of a settlement house, the National Presbyterian Council. There is discussion of the choice of a biographer for Cyrus Hall I. Some mention of the administration of the affairs of Stanley McCormick.
Box 402	1927 March-June Note Letters, memos, telegrams regarding the completion of most of the work at Virginia McCormick's new estate in Pasadena. Materials concerning the tentative settlement of the choice of a biographer for Cyrus Hall McCormick I (see also: Profs. Dodd, Craven; William T. Hutchinson). There is a typescript copy of a paper by Hutchinson, “John Bach McMasters, Historian of the American People,” which was prepared for Prof. Jernegan, “Course # 371, American Historiography.” There is some discussion of the proposal to endow Dodd's chair at the University of Chicago at $200,000. Letters bearing on proposals for work at the Cohasset, Massachusetts, estate. Correspondence with Dr. E.C. Abbott regarding his claim for medical services to Virginia McCormick. Philanthropies: materials concerning the YMCA, the YWCA, the Chicago Boys and Girls Club, and an appeal from the Morristown (Tennessee) Normal and Industrial College. A letter asking Mrs. Blaine to use Postal Telegraph to avoid a “monopoly” by Western Union because the policy of the Harvester Company is to avoid monopolies.