Toledo Edison Company records

The records of the Toledo Edison Company, and its predecessor companies in particular, offer a comprehensive view at the history of the development and growth of the electric industry in America in the 20th century. Covering both the development of electric companies (in particular, the Toledo Railways and Light Company) and their role in public transportation and the eventual development of larger-scale nuclear powered electric plants, this collection provides an early history of Toledo Edison's growth.

The earliest records in this collection, the ones covering Toledo Railways and Light (as well as companies that were purchased by Toledo Railways and Light) are of particular interest and provide an illustration of a surprisingly broad spectrum of subjects. Included in this collection are descriptions of the issue of labor and unions in America in the early 20th century, business conditions in Toledo in the early 20th century, the development of amateur and professional baseball in both Toledo and the United States, World War I and its affect on companies and citizens in Toledo, the financial and industrial organization of early-20th century corporations, the types and functions of early automobiles (as well as modern road systems), and a slight illustration of politics in Toledo in the early 1900s. In addition, there is a wealth of information about the daily operations of a railway company that covers a variety of issues including employment and customer service as well as billing and engineering.

The early part of the collection also contains both personal and professional correspondence of Frank R. Coates, a prominent citizen in Toledo in the early 1900s who was president of Toledo Railways and Light. As it pertained to the streetcar system in providing destinations for customers outside the normal workday, it also contains correspondence related to the procurement of entertainment acts which performed at the Toledo Beach from 1908 to 1921.

The later part of this collection offers a more scatter-shot view of Toledo Edison's development into a modern power company. A large portion of this part of the collection consists of various audits on companies owned by Toledo Edison and Toledo Edison itself, as well as financial statements and annual reports, primarily in published rather than manuscript material. There are also a number of packets of the Toledo Edison News and a variety of other publications related to the utilities industry. Several biographies of prominent Toledo Edison employees are included as well.

Of particular interest in this part of the collection may be the variety of photographs, mostly dealing with construction and operation of plants and Toledo Edison employees.

Encompassing approximately 25 linear feet of material and spanning more than 120 years of the history of Toledo Edison and its preceding companies, this collection is particularly useful in the detail it gives about the organization, equipment, operation, business and political climates that the Toledo Railway and Light Company existed in, highlighting the interconnected and extensive system of public transportation at the time. It is also valuable in the glimpse it provides about labor in America in the early 20th century.

However, the larger part of the collection, detailing the later evolution of the company, would seem to be of little interest except to those attempting to give a picture of the financial composition of Toledo Edison. Correspondence and other details amply provided in the first part of the collection are noticeably lacking in the second, more contemporary part. The most recent records, those dating from 1991 forward, are either missing or scantly represented. Many of the most important parts of Toledo Edison's most recent history, those dealing with mergers and acquisitions, are not in the collection.

TOLEDO GAS LIGHT and COKE COMPANY MINUTES; 1853-1905. Outline summary of minutes, with tally sheets and proxy forms from annual elections.

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION; 1872, 1893, 1901. Articles of incorporation for Toledo Railways and Light Company (1901) and predecessor companies Lagrange Street Railway (1872) and Central Street Railway Company (1893).

MEMBERSHIP RECORDS; December 15, 1902. Presentation book given to Albion E. Lang, President of the Toledo Railways and Light Company, on his retirement, containing the signatures of the Officers, Directors, and employees of the Toledo Railways and Light Company at that time.

CORRESPONDENCE - ALBION E. LANG; 1895, 1899, 1902, 1910-1911, 1921, 1933, undated. Minor correspondence of Albion Lang, President of the Toledo Railways and Light Company, including a draft version of his will.

CORRESPONDENCE - H.A. EVERETT; 1907-1910. Minor correspondence of H.A. Everett, President of the Toledo Railways and Light Company.

CORRESPONDENCE - FRANK R. COATES; 1912-1913; 1917, 1919. Minor business and personal correspondence of Frank R. Coates, President of the Toledo Railways and Light Company; includes exchange of letters with then Senator Warren G. Harding.

CORRESPONDENCE - ED KELSEY; 1912-1918. Minor correspondence of General Passenger Agent of the Toledo Railways and Light Company, including some reference to developing a park at the Toledo Beach Casino.

CORRESPONDENCE - C.E. MURRAY; 1914, 1917-1918. Minor correspondence of Auditor/Secretary of the Toledo Railways and Light Company.

CORRESPONDENCE - F.J. DERGE; 1913-1922. Minor correspondence of Assistant Manager of the Toledo Railways and Light Company.

CORRESPONDENCE - HENRY L. DOHERTY; 1914-1922. Minor correspondence of an administrative, congratulatory, or informational nature.

CORRESPONDENCE - TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO.; 1910-1920. Minor administrative correspondence, with account inquiries, requests for information, meeting notices, and operational questions (such as a request from the Village of Maumee that a restroom facility be added to the passenger station there).

CORRESPONDENCE - TOLEDO & WESTERN RAILROAD CO.; 1910-1921. Minor administrative correspondence of an interurban line from Toledo to Pioneer, Ohio, including operational questions, information about sanitary drinking water and facilities, petitions for extension of service, accident inquiries, personnel issues, policy issues (particularly regarding handling of live poultry on passenger cars), and competition on short-haul freight with truck lines.

CORRESPONDENCE - TOLEDO BEACH; 1907, 1913-1914, 1917-1918, 1920-1922. Minor correspondence associated with booking acts to appear at Toledo Beach (operated by Ed Kelsey on behalf of TR & L Co.), includes references to contracts, novelty acts, and some general management issues.

CORRESPONDENCE - TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. BASEBALL TEAM; 1914-1920, undated. Minor correspondence related to games with the company team, the Rail- Lights and various amateur and semi-professional teams, correspondence to arrange guests for a "Fan Night" event, and for special games with such major league clubs as Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn, and Chicago, and issues associated with the Toledo Base Ball Co. Includes a few photos of team members from 1904 and unidentified year.

CORRESPONDENCE - TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. ORCHESTRA; 1911-1921. Minor correspondence related to the Company orchestra, including lists of employees with instrument played and department they were employed by, concert program information, arrangements for benefit concerts, letters of appreciation for concerts presented, activities entertaining troops at Camp Sherman in Chillicothe during World War I, and a photo of the orchestra (with slight edge damage) from 1919-1920.

CORRESPONDENCE - TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. PUBLIC RELATIONS; 1908-1914; 1917-1922. Minor correspondence related to publicity, articles, letters to the editor, reactions to press reports, the illuminated Toledo Railways & Light Co. "Slogan Sign" erected in 1913 ("You Will Do Better In Toledo"), correspondence and a brochure on a promotional film "Yours to Command" illustrating how electricity is used in society.

CORRESPONDENCE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ASSOCIATION; 1910-1922 (scattered). Scattered correspondence related to the National Electric Light Association and the Ohio Electric Light Association.

CORRESPONDENCE - UNION AND LABOR; 1910-1920. Scattered correspondence related to labor relations and agreements with unions.

CORRESPONDENCE - EMPLOYEE AND PERSONNEL; 1910-1921. Letters and forms inquiring about employment, some including background information on applicants, correspondence related to the resignation of an employee who implied there was discrimination in her salary compared to a man in the same position, bonding of employees, transfers, and recognition of outstanding service.

CORRESPONDENCE - WORLD WAR I; 1916-1920. Various letters, flyers, pamphlets, and reports the impact of World War I on staffing (including a 1918 list of employees who are aliens), Liberty Loan bond drives, shortages, and general subjects.

CORRESPONDENCE - MISCELLANEOUS; 1910-1922. Various memos and letters referring to single topics and reports, such as customer complaints, community relations, use of coal in plants, hot water heating, internal auditing, service requests, sale of equipment, shareholder inquiries, purchase of property, reference to the Wall Street bombing of September 1920, and general operational subjects.

TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. RATE INFORMATION; 1913-1920. Booklets and minor correspondence related to rates and charges for electric lighting, hot water heating, power production, and gas.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABSTRACTS; 1912-1921. Abstracted articles with any reference to Toledo Railways & Light Co., the Doherty organization in general, or Toledo Edison; abstracted from the Toledo Blade, the Toledo Morning News, and the Toledo News-Bee.

HENRY L. DOHERTY; 1913-1921. Topical files on the Doherty Organization and Cities Service Company, on companies in Ohio operated by Henry L. Doherty & Company, and on the proposed establishment of training schools for technical education.

TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. HISTORY AND DATA; 1901-1986. Toledo Railways & Light Co. historical material, including facilities information, biographical and corporate background, corporate changes, and statistical data.

MOTOR VEHICLES AND HIGHWAYS; 1913-1923. Sales brochures, booklets and minor correspondence related to various service trucks and personal vehicles manufactured by such companies as Peerless, Bailey, Packard, Republic, White, Service, and Overland; also includes information on a road trip from Toledo to Atlanta in 1917 via the Dixie Highway.

HALLER CAR & LOCOMOTIVE CORPORATION; 1918. Sales information with drawings and specifications of Haller one and two- man interurban cars and steam-powered buses.

JITNEY BUSSES; 1915-1916. Correspondence, reports and pamphlets dealing with the proliferation of jitney bus service in some cities in competition with street railroads.

COMMUNITY TRACTION COMPANY; 1920-1921. Material relating to the establishment of Community Traction Co. as the operations of power generation and transportation of the old Toledo Railways & Light Company separated.

LAKE ERIE PARK CASINO; 1907, 1910. Agreement and other documents associated with the operation of the Casino at Lake Erie Park by the Toledo Railways & Light Company.

TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. ACME POWER STATION; 1916-1922. Listing of equipment and site photograph, with minor correspondence.

TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. PAYROLLS AND WAGES; 1907-1909, 1914, 1918-1920, 1922. Listing of Toledo Railways & Light Co. employee payrolls and wages, giving many names and positions.

TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. EMPLOYEE WELFARE; 1920, 1922. Report and proposals related to establishment of a pension program for employees.

TOLEDO RAILWAYS & LIGHT CO. MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS; 1903-1922. Topical folders with reports, memos, minor correspondence, clippings, or printed material related to the operation of the company.

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF OHIO ANNUAL REPORTS; 1916, 1918-1920. Standardized annual report to the State, giving names of the corporation directors, officers, securities holders, assets and liabilities, value of equipment, income, profit and losses, and other statistical data. Reports included for both Toledo Railways & Light Co. and the Maumee Valley Railways & Light Co.

PUCO ANNUAL REPORTS OF FATAL ACCIDENTS; 1918. Standardized reports to the State providing information on fatal accidents involving the Toledo Railways & Light Co. and the Maumee Valley Railways & Light Co., gives name of victim, location, and circumstance of the accident.

MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS; 1895, 1902, 1906, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920. Minor reports of the Toledo Railways & Light Co. and related companies, including track reports, accountant's reports, department reports, progress reports, schedules of rates, report to the Census Bureau, mortgage report, and statistical summary sheet.

MORTGAGE - TOLEDO & MAUMEE VALLEY RAILWAY CO.; 1896. Printed copy of indenture document with the Metropolitan Trust Company of New York

AGREEMENTS - AMERICAN WHEELOCK ENGINE CO.; 1895-1898. Documents of agreement for the purchase and testing of equipment by Toledo Railways & Light Co. for the Power House and failure of the contracting company to provide and install suitable equipment.

AGREEMENTS - TOLEDO GAS & ELECTRIC HEAT CO.; 1905-1908. Documents of agreement for the purchase of Toledo Gas & Electric Co. by Toledo Railways & Light Co. and the assumption of debts.

CONTRACTS - CARS; 1890-1909. Contract documents with various companies, including Pullman, Niles, J.G. Brill, Barney & Smith, and Kuhlman to supply cars for the Toledo Railways & Light Co.; files may include some specifications and photographs.

CONTRACTS - MISCELLANEOUS; 1885-1913. Contracts for streetcar advertising by Mulford & Petry Co. and later Petry- Ambrose Advertising; with the Electric Railway Improvement Company, and with others.

PETITIONS; 1910-1911. Petitions for reduction of real estate taxes, filed with the Lucas County Board of Review.

TRADEMARK; 1907. Registration for trademark of Toledo Railways & Light Company.

MISCELLANEOUS LEGAL; 1902-1910. Single documents with legal content, such as leases for buildings, protests related to taxation, legal service agreements, and other items.

BILLS AND RECEIPTS; 1901-1902, 1904, 1906-1909, 1912. Expense vouchers for miscellaneous salaries, costs of damages (including a mule killed by a streetcar and coffee beans burned when power was interrupted), services (such as drilling the Toledo Traction Band), and other costs and fees.

NOTES; 1908-1914. Correspondence related to financial reorganization issues.

TOLEDO TRACTION COMPANY FINANCIAL RECORDS; 1896-1912. Account sheets, statements, and stock information.

TOLEDO TRACTION, LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY BOND INFORMATION; 1913; 1918. Prospectus sheets with financial information on bonds issued.

MISCELLANEOUS FINANCIAL; 1901-1921. Single documents with financial content, such as lists of stockholders, analysis of costs, summaries of sales, enumeration of notes outstanding, statistical listing of taxation of railroads, sheets summarizing revenue, expenses, and earnings, and various job order cost sheets.

NEWS CLIPPINGS; 1913-1920. Loose clippings on topics related to Toledo Railways and Light Company.

SCRAPBOOK; 1920; Scrapbook of an event celebrating the birthday of Henry L. Doherty with a tree planting (F.R. Coates copy).

BUILDING PLANS; undated. Buildings (plans) owned by Toledo Railways & Light Co., including station houses, the Water Street Power House, various boiler, valve and maintenance buildings, cottages, and the Lake Erie Park Casino.

PROPERTY PLANS; 1906-1917. Plans showing property locations and boundaries of land owned by Toledo Railways & Light Co., including the Water Street Power Station and the Detroit Avenue station.

MAGAZINES - DOHERTY DAILY NEWS; Feb 1918-May 1919. Bulletin issued by the Doherty Organization providing news of division activities, features related to the industry, and some references to World War I activities such as Liberty Loan drives.

MAGAZINES - SPARKS; Oct 1918-March 1924. Monthly magazine for employees of associated companies of the Toledo Railways & Light Company of the Doherty Organization; feature stories, personnel news and notes, and social events.

MAGAZINES - TOLEDO CRITIC; Sept. 19, 1903. Labor periodical with issue critical of Toledo Railways & Light Co. franchise.

BOOKS; 1913, 1917, 1918, 1919. Publications, including the Toledo Railways & Light Company Joint Section prospectus with constitution, bylaws, and member listing; the Uniform Classification of Accounts for Electric Utilities; the National Electrical Safety Code (draft of 3rd edition changes), and Elements of Industrial Heating : a Series of Lectures used by the Doherty Training School in Toledo.

PHOTOGRAPHS; undated. Undated photos, including several of Frank R. Coates, the Central Avenue Car shops, and some men at work with streetcar lines.

CORRESPONDENCE - MISCELLANEOUS; 1936-1968. Minor office correspondence, memos, and legal documents related to the operation of the Lakeshore Electric Railway, the Toledo and Indiana Railroad Co., the Toledo Edison Eastern Division, and the Defiance Edison plant.

INTEROFFICE MEMORANDA - LIBRARY; 1962-1985. Monthly memos from the Toledo Edison corporate library reporting on requests, services provided, and acquisitions.

SURVEYS; 1973, 1976, 1987. Employee opinion surveys, conducted by Central Surveys, Inc. and George M. Hill & Associates, Inc. with tabulated results and summary reports on the various management groups.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABSTRACTS; 1912-1921. Abstracted articles with any reference to Toledo Railways & Light Co., the Doherty organization in general, or Toledo Edison; abstracted from the Toledo Blade, the Toledo Morning News, and the Toledo News-Bee.

TOPICAL FILES; 1931-1989, undated. Various reports from departments and subject files compiled for or related to Toledo Edison business, including an overview of interurban cars in use in 1906, a summary and consolidation report on the properties of the Northeastern Water and Electric Corporation (with headquarters in Bowling Green), an environmental compliance report for Davis-Besse, the corporate Employee Education Program, and urban renewal plans for Toledo.

STOCK QUOTATION NOTES; 1952-1956. Compilation of high/low/and closing prices for both Common and Preferred stocks during the period.

DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS - TOLEDO & INDIANA RAILROAD CO.; 1927-1939. Monthly Letters and Safety Bulletins of the Toledo & Indiana Railroad Co., includes summaries of service, revenue, safety issues, and personnel; some have photographs attached showing stations, track, equipment, and employees.

COMPANY LIBRARY RESOURCES; 1953-1956. Summary of services and resources available in the corporate library.

BIOGRAPHICAL FILES; 1938-1973. Personnel file with clippings and biographical sketch of management level employees at Toledo Edison.

MANAGEMENT FILES; 1935-1987. Topical files on management and operational decisions, including sale of property and equipment, and planning documents.

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF OHIO ANNUAL REPORTS; 1939-1941, 1959-1970, 1972. Standardized annual report of Toledo Edison to the State, giving names of the corporation directors, officers, securities holders, assets and liabilities, value of equipment, income, profit and losses, and other statistical data.

ANNUAL REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS; 1922-23, 1926-1970, 1972-1993. Reports with financial information and list of officers, early reports have no narrative interpretation, but later reports have more public relations material and photographs.

BALANCE SHEET REPORTS; 1932-1933. Summary financial data.

AUDIT AND ANNUAL REPORT DATA; 1933-1945. Financial and audit reports, many provided by accountants Arthur Anderson & Co., for Toledo Edison and it subsidiary companies such as Lake Shore Power Company and the Toledo & Indiana Railroad Company.

ANNUAL REPORTS - CITIES SERVICE COMPANY; 1921-1950, 1954, 1957. Reports with financial information and list of officers, early reports have no narrative interpretation, but later reports have more public relations material and photographs.

ANNUAL REPORTS - OTHER COMPANIES; 1960, 1966-1967, 1984-1995. Cleveland Electric Illuminating, Centerior, American Electric Power AEP), Power Reactor Development Company, and Toledo Urban Renewal Company.

ANNUAL REPORTS - MISC. POWER AND RAIL COMPANIES; 1911-1929. Miscellaneous annual reports of smaller power and transportation companies to the PUCO, the Tax Commission or the Interstate Commerce Commission; includes reports of the Toledo, Ottawa Beach & Northern Railway, Swanton Power Company, Toledo & Indiana Light and Power, Ridgeville Electric Light & Power Company, Trumbull Public Service Company, Archbold Electric Service, and Apex Service Company.

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS; 1913-1989. Government, committee and association reports; including several on lighting and appliances from the National Commercial Gas Association, the National Electric Light Association, and reports on Muscle Shoals, the Toledo Chamber of Commerce, a Toledo Edison Production Dept. monthly report, comparison of the growth of Cities Service between 1912 and 1930, with an analysis of 1927 figures, and a summary report on Toledo Edison/Centerior Benefit Plans.

RESEARCH NOTES AND HISTORIES; 1928-1987. General and specialized historical sketches and compiled historical facts for various purposes, including a Newcomen Society lecture booklet, presentations and programs, and various specialized histories of divisions and companies; also includes a background file on John Davis, president of Toledo Edison.

SPEECHES; 1947-1967, undated. Various speeches, conference presentations, and informal talks about Toledo Edison and the electric utility industry.

AGREEMENTS; 1892-1950. Agreements and ordinances between Toledo Edison and various parties, including the City of Toledo, related to the operation of utilities, distribution of electricity, maintenance of lines, etc.

BRIEFS; 1917-1947. Support documents, statements, arguments, proceedings, hearings and testimony; many associated with legal matters associated with Toledo Consolidated Street Railway Co., Toledo Edison and Cities Service and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

DEEDS; 1902-1925. Deeds related to property associated with the Defiance Gas & Electric Co. (including land of the former Miami & Erie Canal), and the Toledo, Fayette & Western Railroad.

UNIFORM CLASSIFICATION OF ACCOUNTS; 1913-1955. Guidelines for account ledger entries indicating the variety of construction costs, expenses, and functions performed by Toledo Edison utility divisions.

TOLEDO EDISON AUDIT REPORTS AND STATEMENTS; 1932-1957. Audit reports, balance sheets, and statements for Toledo Edison; includes schedules of supplementary information and property investment summaries.

OTHER COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS; 1919-1955. Audit reports, balance sheets, and statements for other companies related to Toledo Edison, including Community Traction, Defiance Gas & Electric, Lake Shore Power Co., and Grand Rapids-Weston Power & Light Co.

MISCELLANEOUS FINANCIAL; 1887-1986. Various statements, rate lists, reports, and charts associated with companies related to utilities or to work with Toledo Edison; oversize ledger located in flat box.