Manuscript Register

This document describes a collection of materials held by the
Special Collections Department
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420
Phone: 319-335-5921
Fax: 319-335-5900
e-mail: lib-spec@uiowa.edu

Posted to Internet: October 2002
Addendum: December, 2003

Acquisition Note: The Commercial Documents Collection was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Rendell. The donor of the 2003 addendum is unknown.

Access and Restrictions: This collection is open for research.

Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections Department.

Copyright:  Please read The University of Iowa Libraries' statement on "Property Rights, Copyright Law, and Permissions to Use Unpublished Materials"

Use of Collections: The University of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use of Manuscripts Statement.

Scope and Content

The Commercial Documents collection includes a large number of illustrated stock certificates, most issued by railroads and dating from the 1840s into the early 1900s. Many are engraved with images of early locomotives or other railroad scenes. Most are blank certificates; few have any indication of ownership. The 2003 addendum includes information about various currencies, including a clipping about a three dollar bill issued in Iowa City in 1858.

Alphabetical Listing of Railroads Appearing in the Commercial Documents Collection

See also the 2007 addendum. The ledger book contains stock prices, but not the actual certificates.

Beech Creek Railroad Company

Beech Creek Clearfield & South Western Railroad Company

Buffalo, Thousand Islands & Portland Railroad Company

Cairo, Vincennes & Chicago Railroad Company

Canadian Southern Railway Company

Carthage & Adirondack Railway Company

Carthage, Watertown & Sackets Harbor Railroad Company

Central Dock & Terminal Railway Company

Central Union Station & Railway Company

Chicago & Canada Southern Railway Company

Chicago, Indiana & Southern Railroad Company

Chicago, Indianapolis & St. Louis Short Line Railway Company

Cincinnati & Indiana Railroad Company

Cincinnati & Southern Ohio River Railway Company

Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad

Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railway Company

Cincinnati, LaFayette & Chicago Railroad Company

Cincinnati, Northern Railroad Company

Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad Company

Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan Railway Company

Cleveland & Erie Railroad

Cleveland & Toledo Railroad Company

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, & St. Louis Railway Company

Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway Company

Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad Company

Columbus, Hope & Greensburg Railroad Company

Columbus, Springfield & Cincinnati Railroad Company

Detroit, Delray & Dearborne Railroad Company

Detroit, Monroe, & Toledo Railroad Company

Dolgeville & Salisbury Railway Company

Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh Railway Company

Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh Railway Company

Easton Branch Rail Road Corporation

Erie & Northeast Railroad Company

Erie & Ohio Railroad

Fulton Chain Railway Company

Geneva, Coring & Southern Railroad Company

Grand River Valley Railroad Company

Harrison Branch Railroad Company

Hobart Branch Railroad Company

Hooverhurst & Southwestern Railroad Company

Indiana, Illinois, Iowa Railroad Company

Junction Railroad Company

Kanawha & Michigan Railway Company

Kanawha & West Virginia Railroad Company

Lake Erie, Alliance & Wheeling Railroad Company

Lake Shore Railway Company

Lehigh Valley Railroad Company

Little Falls & Dodgeville Railroad Company

Mahoning Coal & Railroad Company

McKeesport & Belle Vernon Railroad Company

Michigan Central Railroad Company

Michigan Midland & Canada Railroad Company

Michigan Southern Railroad Company

New Jersey Junction Railroad Company

New York & Northern Railway Company

New York & Ottawa Railroad Company

Niagara Falls Branch Railroad Company

Northern Indiana Railroad Company

Ontario Pacific Railroad Company

Pennsylvania Railroad Company (Northern Liberties)

Peoria & Eastern Railroad Company

Pine Creek Railway Company

Pittsburgh & Connellsville Railroad Company

Pittsfield & North Adams Railroad

Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad Company

Rome, Watertown, Ogdensburg Railroad Company

Roselle & South Plainfield Railway Company

St. Joseph, South Bend, & Southern Railroad Company

St. Lawrence & Adirondack Railway Company

Schoolcraft & Three River Railroad Company

Scranton & Northeastern Railroad Company

Streator & Clinton Railroad Company

Susquehana & Clearfield Railroad Company

Swan Creek Railway Company, Toledo, Ohio

Syracuse, Chewango & New York Railroad Company

Syracuse, Geneva & Corning Railway Company

Syracuse, Ontario, New York Railway Company

Syracuse & Utica Railroad Company

Toledo & Ohio Central Railway Company

United Railways Terminal Company

Utica & Schenectady Railroad Company

Wallkill Valley Railroad Company

Ware River Railroad Company

White Water Railroad Company

Box 1

FOLDER 1

1. Acceptance Banking Corporation, stock certificate, 1931

2. Adelphia Bank & Trust Company, stock certificate, 1929

3. Bay Ridge Company, stock certificate, n.d.

4. Beech Creek Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

5. Beech Creek, Clearfield & Southwestern Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

6. Buffalo Thousand Islands & Portland Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1890

7. Cairo, Vincennes & Chicago Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1880

8. Canadian Southern Railway Company, second mortgage bonds, (5) c. 1870

9. Carthage & Adirondack Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

10. Carthage, Watertown & Sackets Harbor Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1890

11. Central Dock & Terminal Railway Company, stock certificate, 1890

12. Central Union Station Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

13. Chicago & Canada Southern Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

14. Chicago, Indiana, & Southern Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), c. 1900

15. Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis Short Line Railway Company, stock certificate, c. 1900

16. Cia Mexicana De Petroleo La Esperanza, S.A., stock certificate, 1914

17. Cincinnati & Indiana Railroad Co., stock certificate, n.d.

18. Cincinnati & Southern Ohio River Railway Co., stock certificate, 1880

19. Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, stock certificate (2), and bond certificate (3), c. 1860

20. Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, & Chicago Railroad Company, stock certificate (5), n.d.

21. Cincinnati, LaFayette & Chicago Railroad Co., stock certificate (2), c. 1870

22. Cincinnati Northern Railroad Co., stock certificate (2), n.d.

23. Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad Company, stock certificate (5), n.d.

24. Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

25. Cleveland & Erie Railroad, stock certificate (3), n.d.

26. Cleveland & Toledo Railroad Company, stock certificate (6), 1850, 1854, and 1860

27. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company, gold bond (3), c. 1900

28. Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad Company, stock certificate (4), c. 1880

29. Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad Company, mortgage bond (3), 1850 and stock certificate (3), c. 1860

30. Columbus, Hope & Greensburg Railroad, stock certificate, 1880

31. Columbus, Springfield, Cincinnati Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

32. Cornwall Bridge Company, stock certificate, c. 1890

33. D. M. Osborne & Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

34. Detroit, Delray & Dearborne Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1900

35. Detroit, Monroe, Toledo Railroad Company, stock certificate (3), 1850

36. District of West Philadelphia, stock certificate, 1853

37. Dolgeville & Salisbury Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

38. Dunkirk Allegheny Valley Pittsburgh Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1870

39. Dunkirk Warren & Pittsburgh Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

40. Erie & North East Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), c. 1850

41. Erie & Ohio Railroad, stock certificate (2), n.d.

42. Fame Mutual Insurance Company, stock certificate, 1856

43. Fulton Chain Railway Company, stock certificate, c. 1900

44. Geneva, Corning & Southern Railroad Company, stock certificate (4), n.d.

45. Gosudarstvennii, 500 ruble note [?]

46. Grand River Valley Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

47. Harrison Branch Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

48. Holbart Branch Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1880

49. Hooverhurst & South Western Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1900

50. Illiana Coal Company, stock certificate, n.d. (3)

51. Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), c. 1890 -- 1900 & mortgage gold bond (1), n.d.

52. Iron City Land Company, stock certificate, 1871

53. Junction Railroad Company, stock certificate, c. 1870

54. Kanawha & Michigan Railroad Company, stock certificate (3), n.d.

55. Kanawha & West Virginia Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

56. Keystone Cooperative Banking Association, stock certificate, 1929

FOLDER 2

57. Lake Erie, Alliance & Wheeling Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

58. Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company, gold bond certificate (7), n.d.

59. Lake Shore Railway Company, stock certificate, (2) n.d.

60. Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1890

61. Lewiston Suspension Bridge Company, stock certificate, n.d.

62. Little Falls & Dodgeville Railroad company, stock certificate (2), c. 1900

63. Louisville, Jeffersonville Bridge Company, stock certificate (3), n.d.

64. Mahoning Coal Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

65. Meadow Brook Crushed Stone Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

66. McKeesport & Belle Vernon Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1880

67. Merchants Dispatch Transportation Company, stock certificate, 1871

68. Michigan Central Railroad Company, goals bond (11), mortgage certificate (5), n.d.

69. Michigan Midland & Canada Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

70. Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana, stock certificate (4), 1850

71. Mt. Holly, Lumberton & Medford Turnpike Company, stock certificate, n.d.

72. National Bank of Wilmington & Brandywine, stock certificate, 1880

73. National Stockyard Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

74. New Jersey Junction Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

75. New York & Northern Railway Company, stock certificate (7), c. 1880

76. New York & Ottawa Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

77. Niagara Falls Branch Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

78. Northern Indiana Railroad Company, stock certificate (3), 1850

79. Northern Liberties Railroad, loan bond, 1851

80. Northern Refrigeration Car Company, stock certificate, n.d.

81. Northern Refrigerator Line, Inc., stock certificate, n.d.

82. North River Construction Company, stock certificate, 1888

83. Ontario Pacific Railway Company, stock certificate, 1880

84. Owego Water Works, stock certificate, 1883

85. Peoria Eastern Railway Company, stock certificate (2), 1890

86. Phelps Motor Car Corporation, stock certificate, n.d.

87. Philadelphia, City of, bond (3), 1856, 1870, 1891

88. Philadelphia County Loan, bond, 1837

89. Pine Creek Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

90. Pittsburgh & Connellsville Railroad Company, mortgage certificate, 1858

91. Pittsfield & North Adams Railroad, stock certificate, n.d.

92. Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad Company, mortgage bond, n.d.

93. Richmond, District of, bond, 1847

94. Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

95. Roselle & South Plainfield Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

96. St. Joseph, South Bend & Southern Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1901

97. St. Lawrence & Adirondack Railway Company, stock certificate (3), n.d.

98. Schoolcraft & Three Rivers Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

99. Scranton & Northeastern Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1800

100. Streator & Clinton Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

101. Susquehanna & Clearfield Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1880

102. Swan Creek Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

103. Syracuse, Chewango & New York Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

104. Syracuse, Geneva & Corning Railway Company, stock certificate, n.d.

105. Syracuse, Ontario & New York Railway Company, stock certificate, 1880

106. Syracuse & Utica Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

107. Toledo & Ohio Central, stock certificate (2), n.d.

108. Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Navigation Company, stock certificate, n.d.

109. Utica & Schenectady Railroad Company, stock certificate (4), 1840 -- 1850

110. Wallkill Valley Railroad Company, stock certificate (2), n.d.

111. Ware River Railroad Company, stock certificate, n.d.

112. West Branch Coal Company, stock certificate, n.d.

113. West Philadelphia Water Works, bond, 1853

114. West Shore & Ontario Terminal Company, stock certificate (2), 1880

115. Western Transit Company, stock certificate, 1880

116. Whitewater Railroad Company, stock certificate, 1890

2003 Addendum

Clippings

Currencies

Stock Certificate