Dudley S. Ingraham Papers

Collection

Identifier: 1980-0036

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The Dudley S. Ingraham Papers, along with the Edward Ingraham Papers and the E. Ingraham Company Records, form a basic source of the history of clockmaking in the United States. Additional information on special topics such as labor unions and tariffs and, to a lesser extent, the history of Bristol, Connecticut is also present in the collection.

Mr. Ingraham's correspondence forms the largest portion of the collection. The letters document not only the actions of the E. Ingraham Company but also the interactions of the various members of the Ingraham family. A limited genealogical chart is included in the paper copy of the finding aid to assist researchers in identifying the familial relationships between the correspondents represented in the collection.

Dates

1849-1984

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from the owner(s) of the copyright.

Biography

Dudley Seymour Ingraham, son of William S. and Grace Seymour Ingraham, was born in Bristol, Connecticut on 14 August 1890. He was the great-grandson of Elias Ingraham, founder of the E. Ingraham Company (1831), manufacturer of clocks and watches. Ingraham attended local schools and entered Phillips Andover Academy in 1906. In 1913, he graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Law degree. In 1920, he married Marion Morton, with whom he had four children--Seymour, Joseph, Dudley, Jr. and Robert. Following the death of his wife in 1941, Ingraham married Helga Jetinsky, with whom he had one daughter, Laura.

After graduation, Ingraham joined the family firm as a billing clerk. Following a two year period of service in the United State Army during World War I, Ingraham returned to the company and was involved in many facets of operations, including purchasing, legal affairs and sales. In May 1927, he was elected director and vice-president of the E. Ingraham Company. Mr. Ingraham also served as treasurer from 1931 until 1954. Along with his brother, Edward Ingraham II, he managed the affairs of the company for almost thirty years. On 8 April 1954, he succeeded Edward as president and served in that post until 23 August 1956, the last family member to hold the position of president.

Mr. Ingraham also served as a director and vice president of the Bristol Savings Bank, a director of the Bristol Bank and Trust Company, a member of the Bristol Brass Corporation's Board of Directors and president of the Georgica Association of Wainscott, (L.I.) New York.

Ingraham was active in numerous civic and religious affairs in Bristol serving as a member of the following organizations: Bristol Boys Club, Board of Education, Community Chest, Bristol Hospital, Chamber of Commerce and the First Congregational Church. An active member of the Boy Scouts since 1940, he received numerous awards and served on several local and national scout committees.

Dudley S. Ingraham died 23 March 1982 in Sanibal Island, Florida.

Extent

30.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Organization

Series I: Correspondence (1901-1984) contains personal and business correspondence. Files contain correspondence with charitable, civic and business organizations including the Bristol Boys Club, Board of Education, Community Chest, Bristol Hospital, Chamber of Commerce, First Congregational Church, Salvation Army and the Boy Scouts of America. The correspondence also includes confirmation of personal engagements, events and acknowledgments of business orders, as well as communication between various family members. Recent additions have included the correspondence of Kay Seymour, Ingraham's romantic interest in the mid-1970s. The series is arranged chronologically.

Series II: Personal Papers (1849-1976) includes assorted papers and attachments pertaining to personal affairs. Included are bills, clippings, photographs, financial and legal papers. There is some overlap between Series I and II pertaining to civic organizations.

Series III: Company Records (1921-1964) materials relate to Ingraham's long association with the family business and include minutes, reports, statistics, advertisements, catalogs, blueprints and memoranda.

Series IV: Anna Ingraham Estate (1920-1957) contains correspondence and materials pertaining to the affairs of his aunt, Anna Ingraham (wife of Irving Ingraham). While Anna lived in Europe, Ingraham assisted in handling her extensive financial and legal affairs in the United States. Ingraham served as executor of the estate.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by broad subject area.

Acquisition Information

The Dudley S. Ingraham Papers, along with the records of the E. Ingraham Company, were donated to Yale University Library by Mr. Ingraham and the company in November 1961. Additional items were added in 1965.

Separated Material

Photographs have been placed in the Photograph Collection--MSS1980-0036.

Bristol Hospital, Inc. Rules and Regulations (effective January 27, 1959). Dodd WRA 3

Bristol Hospital, Inc. Thirty-sixth Annual Report of the Bristol Hospital, Inc. for the year ending September 30, 1956. 1956. Dodd WRA 4

Foxhollow School for Girls. Foxhollow. c. 1971. Dodd XA I.12 no. 49

Foxhollow School for Girls. Foxhollow Alumnae Bulletin. V. 3, #1, 4 (1959-1960); V. 4, #1 (1961). Dodd Periodicals

Alumnae Association of Foxhollow School. Directory. 1964. Dodd Periodicals

Harold F. Emmett Post, No. 994, Veterans of Foreign Wars. The Poppy. V. 2, #1, 1925. Dodd Periodicals

My Country Society, Inc.. My Country. V. 16, #1, Spring 1982. Dodd Periodicals

The Cornellian Council. The Solution. 1925. Dodd XA II.2 no. 110

State of New York. Temporary State Commission on Protection and Preservation of the Atlantic Shore Front. The Protection and Preservation of the Atlantic Shore Front of the State of New York. Supplement to Final Report. Adopted July 27, 1962. Dodd XA I.12 no. 41

Hurricane Memorial Booklet: September 21, 1938. 1938. Dodd XA I.12 no. 22

Processing Information

The original portion of the collection was arranged and described in December 1984. Later additions were added, the collection reprocessed and the finding aid revised in May 1999 and May 2003.

Subjects

Administrative records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Blueprints (reprographic copies). Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Bristol (inhabited place) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Clock and watch industry Subject Source: Fast
Clocks and watches Subject Source: Fast
Connecticut (state) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Financial records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Notebooks Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Personal papers Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Publications (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
United States (nation) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
manuscripts (document genre) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
minutes (administrative records) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus