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COLLECTION INFORMATION FORM
PRELIM 1. Catalog No.S3635
FINAL 2. Accession No.6112
CENTER:Northeast Minnesota Historical Center
3. COLLECTION TITLE:Alworth Family. Papers.
and
INCLUSIVE DATES: 1895-1967
4. DONOR (name & address): University of Minnesota-Duluth
Archives, James J. Vileta, UMD Archivist.
5. Date Received: 8/8/1989
6. Restrictions:
7. No. of Boxes: 12
8. No. of Vol.(in boxes):
9. Linear Inches of Feet: 14.5 feet
10. No. of Vol.(outside boxes):
11. Number of Items(Small Collection):
12. Donor Agreement Form Signed(date): August 8, 1989
ABSTRACT SUMMARY OF COLLECTION
Marshall H. Alworth (1846-1931), while exploring timber lands for hire, acquired personal working capital in major land holdings on the Mesabi Range. He helped form the Alworth Mining and Development Company. He and his wife Nellie had seven children of whom two survived: Marshall W. (1883-1980) and Royal D. (1889-?). The Alworth family lived and had many business interests in Duluth including the Alworth Building which still houses the Alworth offices.
This collection consists of two series. The correspondence series is broken up into personal and business, and the second series is photographs from the Alworth's yachts.
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Biography
Marshall H. Alworth (1846-1931) began life with a district school education in western New York, left home at age thirteen or fourteen, and worked his way to adulthood as a land and timber explorer.
Alworth first came to Duluth during the 1873 depression. There was no opportunity in land investment at the time. He returned to northern Minnesota in 1882 acquiring major land holdings on the Mesabi Range through an auction in 1883. Alworth and his associates Jed L. Washburn, William C. Agnew, and William H. Cole believed there were underground resources on this land. Unimmpressed with local explorers, Alworth and his associates formed the Alworth Mining and Development Company.
Mr. Alworth married his wife Nellie in 1878 and had seven children of whom two survived: Marshall W. (1883-1980) and Royal D. (1889-?). This prominant Duluth family had many business interests within the community of Duluth including Oneida Reality and the Alworth Building (1910). It appears from the collection contents that the two sons continued to run the Alworth family businesses from Duluth and the second family home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Marshall looked after the mining properties and Royal after the real estate holdings. The Alworth family is visible at the University of Minnesota-Duluth where it donated the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium (1965) and established the Royal D. Alworth Institute for International Study (1989).
Scope and Contents
This collection shows only a small segment of the Alworth family business The abbrieviated nature of these records may reflect their origin from Tarpon Springs, which was not the primary business office of the Alworth enterprise. These materials were part of a donation of property to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in an estate settlement in the 1980's.
The collection is arranged alphabetically because no original provenance was evident. It is likely that these records do not reflect all business transactions and correspondence of this time period. While there are papers dated from 1895 to 1967, the bulk dates from 1920 to 1945. The Alworth building still houses the Alworth offices, and the various business records are still under family administration. For these reasons the individual files similarly seem incomplete. No one file has a clear beginning, middle, and conclusion. Most files are not in chronological order and have large gaps. Much of the correspondence is unclear in its details of participants and events.
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The collection consists of only two series: correspondence and photographs. The correspondence series is subdivided into personal and business. Personal correspondence includes various family members and more interestingly, that between Marshall W. Alworth as a young boy at Philips Exeter Academy and his father. The business correspondence includes files on Judge Herbert A. Dancer, A. Miller McDougall, Frank Wilson, and also letters written between the father, Marshall H. ALworth, and both sons. The second series contains photographs of the Alworths' yachts: the "Marnell," the "Sea Foam," the "Oneida," and a brief description is also included.
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Container List
Personal Correspondence
Box Folder
1 1 Alworth Family, 1904-56.
2 Alworth, Marshall Henry. to Marshall W., 1900-1904. 3 Alworth, M.W., 1924-55.
4 Alworth, Nellie, 1936-41.
5 Alworth, Nellie, will (1944) household accounts, 1920-47.
6 Andrews, Worth B., 1918-32.
7 A-C, 1918-45.
8 Bone-Fish (boat) 1938-40.
9 Boy's Town, 1939-46.
10 Draft Literature, 1918.
11 D-G, 1923-58.
12 H-I, 1928-55.
13 Hunting Trips, 1932-41.
14 J-M, 1940-57.
15 Jess, John. 1924-40.
16 Magazine Subscriptions, 1939-55.
17,18 Marnell, yacht, 1929-41.
19 McKay, John. 1929-48.
2 1,2 Miami Beach, new home, 1931-37.
3 New York Yacht Club, 1947-48. Northland Country Club,
1925-60.
4 O-P, 1916-55.
5 R-S, 1926-55.
6 Swenson, Capt. N.A., 1929-40.
7 T-Z, 1929-59.
Business Correspondence
8 Abbott, Howard T., 1927-39.
9 Agnew Mines, Financial Receipts, 1908-50
10 Agnew Mines, 1945-68.
11 Alworth Building, 1918-25.
12 Alworth-Carlson Co., 1915.
13 Alworth Investment Co., 1927-32.
14 Alworth Land and Improvement Co.
3 1,2 Alworth, Marshall Henry, 1910-33.
3-5 Alworth, Marshall Henry, Marshall W., Royal D., 1917-45.
6 Alworth, M.H. Trust, 1935-46.
7 Alworth, Marshall W., Financial Statements.
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Box Folder
3 8 Alworth, M.W., 1914-15.
9,10 Alworth, M.W., 1919-45.
11 Alworth, M.W., Tax Reports, 1943-51.
12 Alworth-Washburn CO., 1915-29.
4 1,2 Armstrong, Lewis, and Kramer, 1915-27.
3 Atlantic Transit Co., 1925-26.
4 Aske Fuenner Co., 1926-27.
5-9 Banker's Trust Co., 1922-60.
10 B, 1907-46.
11 C, 1913-59.
12 Capitol Expenditures, invoices, 1924-65.
13 Colmer, Mary, 1921-31.
5 1 D-G, 1910-13.
2-6 Dancer, H.A., 1932-59.
7 Davy Property, 1924.
8 Duluth Plumbing and Supply Co., 1929-39.
9 Duluth Pluming and Supply Co., Financial Reports, 1940-41.
10 Electric Ore Locator, 1928.
11-12 Fenner and Beane 1934-60.
6 1,2 First National Bank of Duluth, 1918-48.
3 Grace Mining Co., 1911-13.
4 Grace Mining Co., blueprints.
5 Hart, Jerome W. 1912-39.
6 International Coal Products, 1920.
7 Iron Ore and Mining Data, 1924-28.
8 Island Copper Co., 1918.
9 Jasper Park Collieries Ldt., 1913-33.
10 L-M, 1926-40.
11-13 McDougall, A. Miller, 1918-31.
7 1,2 McDougall, A. Miller, 1922-30.
3 McDougall Terminal Warehouse, 1923-31.
4 Mortgages, 1925.
5,6 McKay, John, 1935-61.
7 Mesaba Mineral Ass., 1923-43.
8 Michaud, A.A., 1928-31.
9 Mid-Plane Transit Co., 1928-29.
10-13 Mine Valuations, 1895-1944.
14 Mining, Miscellaneous, 1940-41.
15 Minnesota-Atlantic transit Co., 1927.
8 1 Minnesota Tax Receipts, 1935-67.
2 Miscellaneous, 1913-37.
3 M-O, 1916-27.
4 Northern National Bank, 1915-48.
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Box Folder
8 5 Northern National Co., 1927-34.
6 O.G. Peat Syndicate, 1923-48.
7,8 Oil Interests, 1918-24.
9 Oil Investments, 1919-21.
10 Oliver Iron Mining Co., royalty statements, 1942-50.
11,12 Oneida Reality, 1921-31.
13 P, 1918-42.
14-16 Peterson, Albert, 1941-62.
17,18 Propositions Submitted, 1910-36.
9 1 Propositions Submitted, 1910-36.
2 R-S, 1911-41.
3 Ringsred, Hilda, 1926-42.
4 Royal Economic Society, 1922.
5-7 Royal Mineral Association, contracts and deeds, 1902-47.
8,9 Royal Mineral Association, 1919-37.
10 Royal Mineral Association, Hull 40 and Crescent Mines,
1920-42.
11 Royal Mineral Association, financial reports, 1929-39.
12 Royal Mineral Association, Susquehahna Mine, 1902-43.
13 Running Wolf Iron Range, 1906-25.
14 Southern Townsite Co., financial reports, 1933, 48, 57-58.
15 St. Luke's Hospital, 1919-47.
10 1 Stockholdings, 1921-22.
2 Sundby, L.E., 1927-44.
3 Sunshine Lake, plans, receipts, 1923-39.
4 Swanson Case, 1910-23.
5 T-Z, 1908-12.
6 Tarpon Springs, 1916-30.
7 Thomas, F.V., 1929.
8 Thomson and McKinnon, stockbrokers, 1935-48.
9 Timber Interests, 1915-35.
10 Unfinished Business, 1917-18.
11 Union and Federal Match Co., 1918-33.
12 V.I. Timber, 1919-37.
13 Virginia Mine, 1914-38.
14 Washburn, Bailey, and Mitchell, 1917.
15 Washburn, I., 1919-31.
11 1 Webb, Anna, 1921-28.
2 Webb and Virginia Mines, royalty statements, 1948-49.
3-5 Webb, William H. 1923-60.
6 Whyte, Elmer N., 1932-41.
7-10 Wilson, Frank, 1929-41.
12 1-8 Household Accounts, 1904-39.
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Box Folder
12 9 Bills, A-H, 1906-15.
10 Bills, I-Z, 1903-14.