Summary Information

Title: Union Mortgage Loan Company Records
Inclusive Dates: 1898-1942, 1949
Creator: Union Mortgage Loan Company
Call Number: Eau Claire Mss AR
Quantity: 45.0 c.f. (90 archives boxes and 16 flat boxes)
Repository: 
Housed at the Area Research Center, William D. McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Library-Archives Division
Archival Locations: UW-Eau Claire McIntyre Library / Eau Claire Area Research Ctr.
Abstract: 
Records of the Union Mortgage Loan Company, a financial institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, that did nearly all of its business in northern Wisconsin, North Dakota, and eastern Montana. The company made loans to farmers in return for first mortgages on the farm property and subsequently sold these mortgages to individual investors. It also bought and sold farm lands, acted as trustee for bond issues of local government units and private companies, and occasionally made loans on city property in Eau Claire. Hence the records document agricultural credit, farming conditions, and capital formation in the regions where the company did business. The collection also includes substantial personal data on the individuals to whom it lent money and on the physical characteristics of the property it accepted as security. The records as a whole provide a detailed picture of the affairs of a financial institution of moderate size. They trace the company from its formation in 1905 through a period of expansion in the prosperous 1910s and 1920s, and are particularly strong in documenting the business's failure in the Depression, its reorganization, and the first years of the tedious liquidation process.
Language: English

Search Terms 

Subject Terms

• Barland, T. Gordon (Thomas Gordon) , d. 1942 o Buffington, Byron A. o Ingram, Orrin H. o Moon, S. G., 1871- o Owen, John S., 1849-1931
• Rosholt, Julius o Rosholt, Kim, 1864-1920 o Schlegelmilch, Herman F. o Agriculture—Montana o Agriculture—North Dakota o Agriculture—Wisconsin
• Agricultural credit o Bonds
• Depressions—1929—United States o Farmers o Mortgage Loans o Montana o North Dakota o Wisconsin

Biography/History

The Union Mortgage Loan Company of Eau Claire engaged in several lines of business related to real estate mortgages, real estate sales, stock and bonds sales, and property and estate management. Its principal businesses were farm loans and farm mortgage sales. Most of the loans were made to clients in northwestern Wisconsin (especially Chippewa, Eau Claire, Price, Rusk, and Washburn counties), North Dakota, and eastern Montana. A few were also made for property in Minnesota. Loan applicants were frequently referred to the company by local banks or agents who received commissions for referrals. Typically, the company made short-term (about 5 years) loans to farmers, and took a first mortgage on the farm as collateral. It then sold the mortgage to an individual investor at face value, but at an interest rate of 1 or 2 percent below what the farmer was paying. For this 1 to 2 percent charge the company provided a number of services. It investigated the value and checked the title of the land held as collateral, saw that the mortgage was filed and recorded, monitored the payment of taxes and insurance premiums, and collected interest and principal payments for remittance to the investors. When necessary it also assisted investors in foreclosing on mortgages  and oversaw the sale or rental of the foreclosed property. Until 1923 it guaranteed all loans. Thus if an investor foreclosed, but was unable to sell the property for the principal and interest owed, the company made up the difference. For investors who could not afford to purchase a mortgage outright, the company also issued and sold its own debenture bonds secured by mortgages deposited in trust.

Mainly through foreclosures, the Union Mortgage Loan Company acquired substantial property holdings. In 1934, for example, it owned 21 farms in Wisconsin totaling 2,805 acres, and 68 farms totaling 22,290 acres in Montana and North Dakota. The sale and rental of these properties, and the rental, on a commission basis, of properties owned by third parties represented another major component of the company's business. Farm rentals, and occasionally sales as well, were generally made on a share-cropping rather than a cash basis.

A smaller, but also significant area of business was that of bond trans-actions. The Union Mortgage Loan Company bought and sold municipal and corporate bonds and also acted as trustee for bond issues of governmental units and private corporations in the Eau Claire area.

The company was founded in January 1905 as the Mortgage Loan and Trust Company. In January 1906 it was renamed the Mortgage Loan and Security Company, and in June of that same year it became the Union Mortgage Loan Company. The moving forces behind the formation were brothers Kim and Julius Rosholt. Kim Rosholt had for some time been active in the colonization of Wisconsin's cutover lands and was also associated with a number of banks in northern Wisconsin. During the period of Rosholt's involvement with the Union Mortgage Loan Company it had very close financial relationships with Rosholt-controlled banks. Other prominent Eau Claire area residents involved with the company included Byron A. Buffington, Dr. E. S. Hayes, Orrin H. Ingram, S. G. Moon, and John S. Owen. Until 1910 the Union Mortgage Loan Company was very closely associated with the Union National Bank and the Union Savings Bank of Eau Claire. The same individuals owned stock in the same proportions in all three financial institutions. This arrangement terminated in May 1910, and after that the Union Mortgage Loan Company was essentially independent.

In 1909 Herman F. Schlegelmilch became associated with the firm. The Schlegelmilchs were long-time Eau Claire residents and Herman F. Schlegelmilch and his father (also Herman Schlegelmilch) had maintained a large hardware business. Herman F. Schlegelmilch first served as secretary and about 1914 succeeded Julius Rosholt as president of the firm. Under Schlegelmilch the firm prospered. It did over one million dollars of business in both 1919 and 1920 and, until the Depression, averaged about 400,000 dollars annually. At Schlegelmilch's death in 1924, T. Gordon Barland succeeded to the presidency. Barland, a nephew of Schlegelmilch, had joined the company in 1919 and served in various capacities including secretary. With Schlegelmilch's death the company took on the management of a large amount of property he left to his wife Kate.

The tremendous drop in agricultural land values and succession of bad crop years which marked the Depression of the 1930's took their toll on the Union Mortgage Loan Company. In 1933 it did a cash business of only 23,000 dollars, and in 1934 of about 15,000 dollars. The company found itself unable to pay taxes on its extensive land holdings or to meet interest and principal obligations from 75,000 dollars of first mortgage and collateral trust bonds it issued in 1930. Consequently in November 1934 it filed a petition for reorganization under the National Bankruptcy Act. The plan of reorganization was mainly for the benefit of holders of the 1930 bond issue and made no provision for the holders of guaranteed mortgages or other creditors. After the reorganization the business was drastically curtailed. It made a few loans, but concentrated on trying to sell or rent farms it owned, and on trying to meet tax obligations on lands which secured the 1930 bond issue. Business was restricted to such an extent that about 1938 Barland opened the T.G. Barland Agency, an independent real estate and insurance business. He operated the agency, while continuing to serve as president of the Union Mortgage Loan Company, until his death in July 1942.

The office of president was not filled after Barland's death, but the company continued in business to liquidate its assets for at least another decade. A covering letter to the company's 1953 annual report to the Wisconsin Secretary of State stated that there had been no directors' meetings for years, that the company had no assets in

Wisconsin, but that it still had interests in a few North Dakota and Montana farms (E. B. Bundy to Secretary of State, Corporation Division, June 30, 1953 [Archives Series 356, box 1513]). The Union Mortgage Loan Company filed no reports after 1953 and for that reason went into bad standing January 1, 1955 and was involuntarily dissolved on September 2, 1980.

Scope and Content Note: 

The Union Mortgage Loan Company records are divided into the following series:

ADMINISTRATIVE SUBJECT FILE, 1903-1942, 1949; CORRESPONDENCE, 1910-1942;

FINANCIAL AND ACCOUNTING RECORDS, 1907-1942; LOANS, 1905-1942; RENTALS, 1898-1942; and BOND ISSUES, 1900-1942. The first three series relate to all facets of the company's interests while the latter three concern specific lines of business. The records as a whole provide a detailed picture of the affairs of a financial institution of moderate size. They trace the company from its formation through a period of expansion in the prosperous 1910's and 1920's, and are particularly strong in documenting the business's failure in the Depression, its reorganization, and the first years of the tedious liquidation process. The files from the 1930's not only show the impact of the Depression on the company's business but also illustrate the resultant implications for company officials, clients, and creditors. The LOANS and RENTALS series provide information on agricultural conditions and farm life in northern Wisconsin, eastern Montana, and North Dakota, and the BOND ISSUES document investment opportunities and capital formation in Eau Claire and northwestern Wisconsin.

Administrative/Restriction Information

Acquisition Information 
Presented by Mrs. Lois Barland, Eau Claire, Wisconsin Accession Number: M77-374
Processing Information
Processed by Harold L. Miller, February 1981.
Contents List

Series: Administrative Subject File, 1903-1942, 1949   

Scope and Content Note: This series is organized alphabetically by file headings, which are generally descriptive of the contents of the files. Many of the files relate to individual clients or business ventures, and a substantial number of others pertain to the management of property and investments of Barland and Schlegelmilch family members. The “Board of Directors” and “Stockholders” files contain mostly routine materials and only a few sets of minutes of either body. “Articles of Incorporation” and “Reorganization” files show the various organizational changes the firm underwent.

Box 1 Folder 1

Ackenhausen Estate, 1930                                                  

Advertising                                                                         

Box 1 Folder 2 

1912-1919                                                                         

Box 1 Folder 3

1920-1932                                                                         

Box 1 Folder 4

Altoona Dam (Power Plant), 1934-1935                              

Box 1 Folder 5

Articles of Incorporation, 1905-1933                                   

Box 1 Folder 6

Atkinson, Clara J. (Loans Purchased From), 1912-1914       

Box 1 Folder 7

Bankers Mortgage and Cattle Loan Co. (Collateral Notes), 1919-1928

Box 1 Folder 8

Barland, Agnes, 1923-1924                                                

Box 1 Folder 9

Barland, Dorothea, 1926-1942                                            

Box 1 Folder 10

Barland, T. G., 1923-1928                                                  

Box 1 Folder 11

Bismarck, City of, Bonds, 1923                                           

Box 1 Folder 12

Board of Directors, 1910-1936                                            

Box 1 Folder 13

Bond Record (Bonds Purchased), 1919-1932                       

Box 1 Folder 14

Bondholders Committee, 1935                                            

Box 1 Folder 15

Bradford-Culver Timber Co., 1930                                       

Box 1 Folder 16

Certificates of Incineration, 1924-1933                               

Box 1 Folder 17

Cesnik, Ignac, 1922-1925                                                   

Box 1 Folder 18

Champiner, L. S., 1916-1928                                              

Box 1 Folder 19

Clients (Lists of), 1919-1920                                               

Box 2 Folder 1

Cobban, John, 1922-1938                                                   

Box 2 Folder 2 

Contracts and Agreements, 1905-1933                               

Box 2 Folder 3

Crop Contracts, 1918, 1923                                                

Box 2 Folder 4

Dodge County Bonds, 1923                                                 

Box 2 Folder 5

Eau Claire Industrial Association, 1907-1909                       

Farm Rental Contracts

Box 1 Folder 6

1921-1925                                                                         

Box 1 Folder 7

1926                                                                                  

Box 2 Folder 8

First Mortgage and Collateral Trust Bond Issue, 19261936

Box 2 Folder 9

Guarantees (Loan Applications and Taxes), 1919-1922       

Box 2 Folder 10

Hendrickson, Martin, 1924                                                  

Box 2 Folder 11

Internal Revenue Service, 1916-1919                                 

Inventories

Box 2 Folder 12

Western Lands, 1922-1926                                                 

Box 2 Folder 13

Wisconsin Lands, 1922-1930                                              

Box 2 Folder 14

Tax Certificates, 1917-1918                                                

Box 2 Folder 15

Kelley-Churchill Account, 1931-1938                                   

Box 2 Folder 16

Knudston, John, 1922-1923                                                

Box 2 Folder 17

Krebs, John (Foreclosure), 1915                                         

Box 2 Folder 18

Krueger, Henry, 1916-1936                                                

Legal Reports and Opinions

Box 3 Folder 1 

1914-1924                                                                         

Box 3 Folder 2

1925-1934                                                                         

Box 3 Folder 3

Leinung, Eliese (Estate), 1933-1935                                   

Box 3 Folder 4

Lewis, H. M. (Foreclosure), 1919-1921                                

Box 3 Folder 5

Lippman Refrigeration Co., 1924-1927                                

Box 3 Folder 6

McCue, T. F., 1918-1922                                                    

Box 3 Folder 7

Mason, N. W., 1928-1936                                                   

Box 3 Folder 8

Medford, City of, Bonds, 1923                                             

Box 3 Folder 9

Merchants National Bank, undated                                      

Midelfart Trust Fund

Box 3 Folder 10

Assets, 1919-1932                                                              

Box 3 Folder 11

Closed Loans, 1914-1931                                                    

Correspondence

Box 3 Folder 1213

1919-1926                                                                         

1926-1932

Box 3 Folder 14

A-L                                                                                     

Box 4 Folder 1

M-Z                                                                                    

Box 4 Folder 2

Financial Reports, 1926-1932                                             

Box 4 Folder 3

Taxes, 1920-1924                                                               

Box 4 Folder 4

Trust Agreements, 1919-1932                                            

Box 4

National Granite Co., 1921-1927

Folder 5

Box 4 Folder 6

Notes (Cancelled), 1908-1932                                            

Box 4 Folder 7

O'Brien, M. B., 1931                                                           

Box 4 Folder 8

Railroad Commission (Reports and Correspondence), 1920-1934

Reorganization

Box 4 Folder 9

1905-1908                                                                         

Box 4 Folder 1012

1934                                                                                  

Box 5 Folder 1

Reports to Annual Meetings, 1913-1921                              

Box 5 Folder 2

Reports to Secretary of State, 1915-1942                           

Box 5 Folder 3

Rowen, Robert W., 1922-1928                                            

Box 5 Folder 4

Savings and Loan Building, 1893, 1906                               

Box 5 Folder 5

Schlegelmilch/Barland Property (Eau Claire), 1931              

Box 5 Folder 6

Schlegelmilch, Louise, 1917-1949                                       

Box 5 Folder 7-8

Schwartz and Valeski Lawsuit (Nels Erickson Land), 1916-1927

Box 5 Folder 9

State Guaranty Co. (Incorporation Papers), 1911                

Box 5 Folder 1012

Stillman, George H., 1903-1922                                         

Box 5 Folder 13

Stockholders, 1908-(1916-1940)                                        

Box 5 Folder 14

Towne, Isabelle, 1922                                                         

Box 5 Folder 15

Trust Agreement (Union National Bank, Union Savings Bank and Union Mortgage Loan Co.), 1906-1911

Box 5 Folder 16

Ulrich, A. E., 1936-1937                                                     

Box 5 Folder 17

Union Land Co., 1924                                                         

Box 5 Folder 18

Union Savings Bank, 1933                                                  

Box 6 Folder 1

United States National Adjustment Co., 1915-1930             

Box 6 Folder 2

Veblen, City of, South Dakota Bonds, 1914                         

Box 6 Folder 3

Western Timber, 1932-1934                                               

Box 6 Folder 4

Whitetail Oil Syndicate, 1927-1931                                     

Box 6 Folder 5

Wright, Ella, 1920-1927                                                      

Series: Correspondence, 1910-1942

Scope and Content Note:  Three major subseries, General Correspondence, Western Lands Correspondence, and T. G. Barland Personal Correspondence; and three smaller and more specialized ones, Julius Rosholt Correspondence, Bank of Shell Lake Correspondence, and Merchants Loan and Trust Company Correspondence, make up this series. Although the series contains most of the correspondence in the collection, substantial numbers of letters are also found in three other series. The LOANS and RENTALS series contain correspondence with loan recipients and renters respectively, and the BOND ISSUES series contains letters relating specifically to that phase of the business. The General Correspondence and the Western Lands Correspondence are very closely interrelated. Until about 1932 the Union Mortgage Loan Company kept correspondence files relating to its Wisconsin business separate from those concerning Western (Montana and North Dakota) business. The General Correspondence includes correspondence with investors in Wisconsin lands, Wisconsin financial institutions, and others, mainly concerning business done within the state. The Western Lands Correspondence contains similar materials, but primarily for North Dakota and Montana transactions. The General Correspondence also covers overall

administrative topics ranging from the company's credit relationship with major Milwaukee and Chicago financial institutions to routine matters such as ordering office supplies. The earliest General Correspondence is arranged by time periods of approximately a year in length, and alphabetically thereunder by the first letter in the correspondent's name. After 1913 the General Correspondence is in chronological order. Western Lands correspondence is arranged chronologically throughout. From September 1924 through December 1928 the Union Mortgage Loan Company employed T. B. Culver to oversee its Western interests and from January 1929 through February 1932 it employed A. R. Craft in the same capacity. During these periods of employment nearly all the Western Lands Correspondence is to or from these individuals. After February 1932 financial conditions made it impossible for the company to retain a Western agent. Also after February 1932 they ceased filing Western Lands Correspondence separately, but included information on Montana and North Dakota business in the General Correspondence. Separate correspondence files were maintained for the Bank of Shell Lake and the Merchants Loan and Trust Company, two financial institutions with which the Union Mortgage Loan Company had extensive dealings. The Bank of Shell Lake had a semi-exclusive arrangement to represent the Union Mortgage Loan Company in Washburn County. The bank received a commission on loans it secured for the company and received interest and principal payments for Washburn County loans. The Merchants Loan and Trust Company of Chicago frequently loaned operating capital to the Union Mortgage Loan Company. The T. Gordon Barland Personal Correspondence includes letters to and from family members, correspondence stemming from the Union Mortgage Loan Company's management of property and investments of various members of the Schlegelmilch and Barland families, and information on T. Gordon Barland's personal investments. As such, the letters not only convey family news, but also closely parallel the affairs of the Union Mortgage Loan Company. Of particular value is the correspondence between T. Gordon Barland and his aunt Kate Schlegelmilch, his brother George, and his sister Agnes (Agnes McDaniel after 1933). Kate Schlegelmilch,

the widow of T. Gordon Barland's predecessor as Union Mortgage Loan president, lived in Los Angeles but had substantial property holdings in Eau Claire and considerable stock in the company. She and, to a lesser extent, George Barland received frequent reports on the condition of the business and in the 1930's, on T. Gordon Barland's conflicts with the board of directors over how to handle the company's financial problems. Agnes Barland worked as a nurse in Siam (Thailand) for a period in the 1920's and again from about 1933 to 1938. Her letters often comment on her experiences and work in that country. T. Gordon Barland's personal financial dealings reflected in this subseries include commodity trading and oil interests in Montana and Oklahoma. Researchers interested in additional T. Gordon Barland papers should see the Barland-Schlegelmilch Family Papers, 1851-1975 (Eau Claire Mss AG).

Box 6 Folder 611

Bank of Shell Lake, 1915-1925                                           

Barland, T. G. (Personal)

Box 7 Folder 1-9

1917-1926 September                                                        

Box 8 Folder 112

1926 October-1931 June 9                                                 

Box 9 Folder 111

1931 July-1935 July                                                           

Box 10 Folder 111

1935 August-1940 December                                              

General                                                                              

Box 11 Folder 1-6

1910 September-1911 May                                                 

Box 11 Folder 611

1911 May-1912 September                                                 

1912 March-1913 February

Box 11 Folder 12 

A-B                                                                                     

Box 12 Folder 1-7

C-Z                                                                                     

Box 12 Folder 814

1914-1922 August                                                              

Box 13 Folder 112

1922 September-1924                                                        

Box 14 Folder 1-9

1925-1931 June                                                                 

Box 15 Folder 1-9

1931 July -1932 December                                                 

Box 16 Folder 111

1933 January-1934 October                                                

Box 17 Folder 115

1934 November-1937 December                                         

Box 18 Folder 1-6

1938 January-1942 December                                            

Box 18 Folder 710

Merchants Loan and Trust Co., 1914-1921                          

Box 19 Folder 111

Rosholt, Julius (President of Union Mortgage Loan Co.), 1910-1911                                                                         

Western Lands

General

Box 20 Folder 1-9

1910-June 1915                                                                 

Box 21 Folder 1-9

1915 July-1924 April                                                           

Box 22 Folder 1-4

1924 May-1925 December                                                  

Culver, T. B.                                                                       

Box 22 Folder 5-9

1924 September-1925 June                                                

Box 23

1925 July-1926 April

Folder 110

Box 24 Folder 1-8

1926 May-1928 December                                                  

Craft, A. R.                                                                         

Box 24 Folder 911

1929 January-1930 April                                                     

Box 25 Folder 1-5

1930 May-1932 February                                                    

Series: Financial and Accounting Records, 1907-1942   

Scope and Content Note: This series contains several different types of records, most of which are self explanatory. The earliest records are in a multi-purpose volume labeled “general account book, 1907-1910.” Among the records it contains are lists of clients and amounts of loans made, bank balances, and profit and loss statements. The other principal records in the series are ledgers, which show receipts and expenditures by account (first mortgages, commissions, buildings, profit and loss, etc.) and chronologically thereunder; cash receipts journals and disbursements journals which record transactions chronologically; and Reports and Statements which provide regular summaries of the financial condition of the company.

Box 91 Volume 1

General Account Book, 1907-1910                                      

Ledgers

Box 92 Volume 1

1913-1932                                                                         

Box 93 Volume 1

1913-1939                                                                         

Cash Receipts Journals

Box 25 Folder 6

1911 December-1914 December                                         

Box 94 Volume 1

1915 January-1917 January                                                

Box 95 Volume 1 

1917 February-1920 May                                                    

Box 96 Volume 1

1920 May-1922 November                                                  

Box 97 Volume 1

1922 November-1925 November                                        

Box 98 Volume 1

1925 November-1929 November                                        

Box 99 Volume 1

1929 November-1935 December                                         

Disbursements Journals

Box 100 Volume 1

1912 August-1917 January                                                 

Box 100 Volume 2

1917 February-1919 April                                                   

Box 101 Volume 1

1919 May-1921 February                                                    

Box 102 Volume 1

1921 March-1923 March                                                     

Box 102 Volume 2

1923 April-1925 May                                                          

Box 103 Volume 1

1925 May-1928 June                                                          

Box 103 Volume 2

1928 July-1931 December                                                  

Audits                                                                                 

Box 25 Volume 7

1916-1925                                                                         

Box 26 Folder 1

1929-1931, 1941                                                               

Inventories                                                                         

Box 26 Folder 2

Accounts, 1931-1936                                                          

Box 26 Folder 3

Delinquent Interest, 1921-1925                                          

Reports and Statements                                                     

Box 26 Folder 4-5 

Annual, 1907-1927, 1938-1939                                          

Box 26 Folder 6

Miscellaneous, 1907-1934                                                   

Monthly

Box 26 Folder 7

1912-1916 May                                                                  

Box 104 Volume 1

1916 June-1932 July                                                          

Box 26 Folder 8

1932 August-1939                                                              

Box 104 Folder 1

Weekly, 1910-1913                                                            

Box 27 Folder 1

Tax Audits, 1906-1921                                                       

Taxes

Box 27 Folder 2

Capital Stock, 1916-1941                                                   

Box 27 Folder 3

Correspondence, 1912-1928                                               

Box 27 Folder 4

General, 1916-1917                                                            

Box 27 Folder 5-8

Income, 1911-1941                                                            

Box 28 Folder 1

Income (Miscellaneous Working Papers), 1916-1921           

Box 28 Folder 2

Real Estate, 1910-1938                                                      

Box 28 Folder 3

Trust Deed Land, 1929-1936                                              

Series: Loans, 1905-1942  

Scope and Content Note:  The primary business activities of the Union Mortgage Loan Company, the making of loans and the executing and subsequent selling of mortgages, are documented in this series. It contains three sets of volumes, entitled  closed Wisconsin loans, closed western loans, and second mortgage record respectively; some miscellaneous inventories or lists of various types of loans; and an extensive set of files on individual mortgages. The closed loans volumes provide a

summary of transactions made on individual loans extended by the company. They show the dates of the loans, the instrument (usually a first mortgage), the name of the person to whom the mortgage was sold, record of payments, county where the property is located and legal description, and valuation of the property. The second mortgage record contains names of the parties involved, description of property, amount, record of payments, and amount of the first mortgage on the property. The company maintained a separate file or packet for each mortgage it executed. The packet label includes the following information: name of loan recipient; loan number (assigned by the company); amount; interest rate; date of loan and date due; acreage, county location, and valuation of security for the loan; and name of person to whom the mortgage was assigned or sold. The files themselves generally contain a loan application, an appraiser's report on the property, loan extension documents, a satisfaction of mortgage document, tax receipts, and correspondence between the company and the loan recipient. These documents contain a wealth of information which lends itself to aggregation and statistical study. The loan applications, for example, are on standardized forms and give data on the applicant including age, marital status, nationality, and number of children at home. The forms also generally show the purpose for which the loan was wanted; the date and price for which the applicant originally purchased the farm; existing encumbrances; the number and types of livestock owned by the applicant; the buildings on the farm and their size and valuation; and type of soil, number of acres free of stumps, crops produced in the previous year, and principal farm implements owned. The correspondence, on the other hand, provides a more subjective picture of farm conditions and particularly of the crop failures, economic problems, and foreclosures of the 1930's. The mortgages are organized in two groups: those made before the 1934 reorganization and those made after it. The post-reorganization files are relatively few in number and primarily cover loans made within the city of Eau Claire. They are in numerical order, which closely parallels a chronological arrangement. The prereorganization mortgages are subdivided into Wisconsin loans and Western (Montana and North Dakota) loans and are arranged numerically within each category. The

method of assigning numbers in the early years was inconsistent, but later the numbers for Wisconsin and Western loans were assigned serially, and therefore approximately chronologically. To distinguish them from Wisconsin loans the number 1 was added to the front of the Western loan numbers. Thus sequentially Western loan number 11,186 was made after Wisconsin loan number 1185 and before 1187. Box 31, folder 10 contains a numerically arranged calendar of loans made. It shows the loan number, name of recipient, and county where the property is located. A total of approximately 2170 mortgage packets were received with the collection. All but about 120 of these predate the 1934 reorganization of the Union Mortgage Loan Company. Of the pre-reorganization mortgages approximately 68 percent covered Wisconsin lands and the remaining 32 percent were on Western lands. Due to the volume of these files and their consistent and often routine contents, only a sample has been preserved. Packet labels, loan applications, and extension documents were saved for all mortgages. Within each category of mortgages (pre-reorganization Wisconsin, pre-reorganization Western, and post-reorganization) every tenth complete file was preserved.

Closed Wisconsin Loans

Volume 1, (1905-1912)-1917

Box 28 Folder 4

Index                                                                                  

Box 28 Folder 5-8

Pp. 1-574                                                                           

Box 29 Folder 1-2

Pp. 575-643, 672-736, 751-1218                                        

Volume 2, 1908-(1913-1929)

Box 29 Folder 3

Index                                                                                  

Box 29 Folder 4-7

Pp. 1-479                                                                           

Box 30 Folder 1-5

Pp. 480-1050                                                                      

Closed Western Loans, 1907-1921

Index

Box 30 Folder 7

Pp. 64-451                                                                         

Box 31 Folder 1-4

Pp. 452-951                                                                       

Box 31 Folder 5

Miscellaneous                                                                     

Box 104 Folder 2

Second Mortgage Record, 1910-1912                                  

Inventories

Box 31 Folder 6

First Mortgages, 1917-1919                                                

Box 31 Folder 7

Loans, 1923                                                                        

Box 31 Folder 8

Loans Under Foreclosure, 1926                                           

Box 31 Folder 9

Second Mortgages, 1917-1918, 1930-1934                         

Box 31 Folder 10

Calendar of Mortgages (Nos. 101-249, 1255-2959)             

Mortgages, 1906-1942

Pre-reorganization

Wisconsin

Box 32 Folder 120

Nos. 203-651                                                                     

Box 33 Folder 119

Nos. 652-847                                                                     

Box 34 Folder 117

Nos. 848-1072                                                                    

Box 35 Folder 116

Nos. 1073-1220                                                                  

Box 36 Folder 118

Nos. 1221-1381                                                                  

Box 37

Nos. 1382-1538

Folder 118

Box 38 Folder 116

Nos. 1539-1634                                                                  

Box 39 Folder 116

Nos. 1635-1760                                                                  

Box 40 Folder 111

Nos. 1761-1867                                                                  

Box 41 Folder 114

Nos. 1868-2012                                                                  

Box 42 Folder 114

Nos. 2013-2114                                                                  

Box 43 Folder 112

Nos. 2115-2220                                                                  

Box 44 Folder 110

Nos. 2221-2308                                                                  

Box 45 Folder 1-9

Nos. 2309-2479                                                                  

Box 46 Folder 111

Nos. 2480-2541                                                                  

Box 47 Folder 113

Nos. 2542-2613                                                                  

Box 48 Folder 112

Nos. 2614-2676                                                                  

Box 49 Folder 110

Nos. 2677-2733                                                                  

Box 50 Folder 111

Nos. 2734-2793                                                                  

Box 51 Folder 113

Nos. 2794-2875                                                                  

Box 52 Folder 114

Nos. 2876-2959                                                                  

Western

Box 53 Folder 120

Nos. 10,001-10,530                                                            

Box 54 Folder 116

Nos. 10,531-10,763                                                            

Box 55 Folder 117

Nos. 10,764-10,991                                                            

Box 56 Folder 112

Nos. 10,992-11,185                                                            

Box 57 Folder 111

Nos. 11,186-11,495                                                            

Box 58 Folder 1-9

Nos. 11,496-11,736                                                            

Box 59 Folder 1-9

Nos. 11,737-11,837                                                            

Box 60 Folder 1-9

Nos. 11,838-11,940                                                            

Box 61 Folder 112

Nos. 11,941-12,169                                                            

Box 62 Folder 111

Nos. 12,170-12,311                                                            

Box 63 Folder 1-7

Nos. 12,312-12,921                                                            

Post-reorganization                                                             

Box 63 Folder 811

Nos. 1-51                                                                           

Box 64 Folder 114

Nos. 52-137                                                                       

Box 65 Folder 1-9

Nos. 138-175                                                                     

Series: Rentals   

Scope and Content Note: The RENTALS series documents another major line of business for the Union Mortgage Loan Company. The company rented its own land and, on a commission basis, rented farms for clients who had purchased mortgages and then had to foreclose. In many cases the company was simultaneously trying to sell the properties it rented. Records in this series include an account book, and individual files on the rental properties. The volume and the files are arranged by the name of a former owner (by which each property was commonly known, i.e. the John Smith farm). The account book shows the names of the renter and the recorded owner; legal description of the      property; county and state where located; receipts from the rental agreement; and disbursements for such things as taxes and building maintenance. The Rental Property Files include contracts, crop report forms, tax information, and correspondence. The correspondence is generally between the company and the renters, but also included are some exchanges with the property owners and potential buyers. Because many of the properties covered in this series were acquired by the foreclosure of Union Mortgage Loan Company mortgages, it is frequently possible to link the Rental Property File with the Mortgage Files (LOANS series) on the same piece of property.

Box 105 Volume 1

Rental Accounts, 1919-1931                                               

Rental Property Files

Box 65 Folder 10

Aims, Charles, 1930                                                            

Box 65 Folder 11

Allen, Pearl, 1930                                                               

Box 65 Folder 12

Allen, Warren, 1917-1942                                                   

Box 65 Folder 13 

Anderson, Charles H., 1930-1935                                       

Box 65 Folder 14

Arms, O. H., 1917-1940                                                     

Box 65 Folder 15

Arnold, A. L., 1926-1937                                                    

Box 66 Folder 1-2

Baethke, William F., 1917-1942                                          

Box 66 Folder 3

Baker, Delia, 1922-1935                                                     

Box 66 Folder 4

Baker, Isaac S., 1916-1930                                                

Box 66 Folder 511

Barnes, George S., 1904-1938                                            

Box 67 Folder 1

Birdston, Mandus, 1930                                                      

Box 67 Folder 2

Bjorlin, A., 1919-1931                                                        

Box 67 Folder 3

Blair, Ernest, 1918-1930                                                     

Box 67 Folder 4

Blue, William E., 1930                                                         

Box 67 Folder 5

Blythin, J. W., 1916-1930                                                   

Box 67 Folder 6

Borgenrief, C. F., 1917-1933                                              

Box 67 Folder 7

Borg, Hans, 1919-1930                                                       

Box 67 Folder 8

Borget, Joseph H., 1920-1942                                            

Box 67 Folder 9

Boyd, William, 1930                                                            

Box 67 Folder 10

Boucher, A. C., 1929-1930                                                 

Box 67 Folder 11

Boyer, Henry, 1916-1937                                                   

Box 67 Folder 12

Brice, Fay E., 1916-1933                                                    

Box 67

Brickson, Nets, 1916-1932

Folder 13

Box 67 Folder 14

Brist, Stephen S., 1919-1934                                             

Box 67 Folder 15

Brose, George, 1920-1936                                                  

Box 67 Folder 16

Broten, Ellen, 1919-1932                                                    

Box 68 Folder 1

Brown, W. E., 1907-1942                                                   

Box 68 Folder 2

Burch, A. L., 1919-1938                                                     

Box 68 Folder 3

Carlson, Charles, 1926-1936                                               

Box 68 Folder 4

Christenson, George, 1918-1942                                        

Box 68 Folder 5

Clarke, Lyle, 1919-1942                                                     

Box 68 Folder 6

Close, David P., 1919-1931                                                

Box 68 Folder 7

Cosgrove, E. S., 1916-1928                                                

Box 68 Folder 8

Cox, William E., 1917-1929                                                

Box 68 Folder 9

Crossman, Sydney, 1918-1934                                           

Box 68 Folder 10

Crume, A. M., 1914-1932                                                   

Box 68 Folder 11

Dansavage, Sidney, 1919-1936                                          

Box 69 Folder 1

DeMark, Frank, 1919-1930                                                 

Box 69 Folder 2

Drewniak, John, 1919-1935                                                

Box 69 Folder 3

Drumater, H. J., 1916-1942                                                

Box 69 Folder 69 Folder 4

Duncan, Ora A., 1917-1939                                                

Box 69 Folder 5

Edigar, F.C., 1919-1940                                                      

Box 69 Folder 6

Edwards, Lottie, 1919-1935                                                

Box 69 Folder 7-8

Egan, Hugh, 1919-1942                                                      

Box 69 Folder 910

Egan, M. C., 1917-1942                                                      

Box 70 Folder 1

Eldridge, E.C., 1903-1931                                                   

Box 70 Folder 2

Fachner, Daniel, 1919-1934                                                

Box 70 Folder 3

Felton, Charles, 1914-1941                                                 

Box 70 Folder 4

Fish, Charles, 1907-1942                                                    

Box 70 Folder 5

Foster, Ernest, 1916-1940                                                  

Box 70 Folder 6

Foster, Lulu E., 1918-1932                                                 

Box 70 Folder 7

Frederick, John W., 1922-1935                                           

Box 70 Folder 8

Freeman, James, 1920-1931                                               

Box 70 Folder 9

Funk, John, 1919-1940                                                       

Box 71 Folder 1

Gibson, Clifford, 1921-1933                                                

Box 71 Folder 2

Gibson, William F., 1927-1934                                            

Box 71 Folder 3-5

Glass, P. A., 1916-1942                                                      

Box 71 Folder 6

Goodlaxson, Oliver, 1920-1931                                           

Box 71 Folder 7

Gordon, H. L., 1927-1935                                                   

Box 71

Gostovich, Mike, 1916-1935

Folder 8

Box 71 Folder 9

Gowens, James W., 1915-1938                                           

Box 72 Folder 1

Greely, M. C., 1918-1937                                                   

Box 72 Folder 2

Griffin, E. L., 1925-1942                                                     

Box 72 Folder 3-4

Grove, J. S., 1920-1942                                                     

Box 72 Folder 5

Hails, Robert, 1917-1942                                                    

Box 72 Folder 6

Hall, Clarence, 1924-1935                                                  

Box 72 Folder 7

Hall, Norman E., 1919-1938                                               

Box 72 Folder 8

Hanacek, Joseph, 1916-1931                                              

Box 72 Folder 9

Hanson, George J., 1927-1936                                           

Box 72 Folder 10

Harris, W. H., 1925-1942                                                    

Box 73 Folder 1

Hartse, John, 1919-1934                                                    

Box 73 Folder 2

Healy, Dennis B., 1916-1937                                              

Box 73 Folder 3

Helling, Joseph, 1928-1940                                                 

Box 73 Folder 4

Hendrickson, Martin, 1925-1938                                         

Box 73 Folder 5

Herman, William, 1928-1932                                              

Box 73 Folder 6-7

Herr, John E., 1919-1942                                                   

Box 73 Folder 8

Heser, Mathias, 1920-1938                                                 

Box 73 Folder 9 

Hess, Martin, 1927-1935                                                    

Box 73 Folder 10

Hewitt, Edwin O., 1928-1931                                              

Box 73 Folder 11

Hilleboe, P. S., 1914-1942                                                  

Box 74 Folder 1

Hillman, W. C., 1921-1931                                                 

Box 74 Folder 2

Hoffman, John, 1927-1935                                                 

Box 74 Folder 3

Hohl, John J., 1930-1933                                                    

Box 74 Folder 4

Hoskins, Thomas I., 1921-1930                                          

Box 74 Folder 5

Howden, Florence, 1924-1942                                            

Box 74 Folder 6

Huddleston, Harvey, 1917-1935                                         

Box 74 Folder 7

Huddleston, Raymond, 1917-1935                                      

Box 74 Folder 8

Hvass, Chris, 1934-1937                                                     

Box 74 Folder 9

Johnson, Ben, 1923-1940                                                   

Box 74 Folder 10

Johnson, Hugo, 1919-1931                                                 

Box 74 Folder 11

Johnson, John, 1907-1919                                                  

Box 74 Folder 12

Keohane 8 Jones, 1927-1932                                              

Box 74 Folder 13

King, Pheba, 1920-1932                                                     

Box 75 Folder 1

Kingsland, A. H., 1898-1942                                               

Box 75 Folder 2

Klasson, A. P., 1919-1936                                                  

Box 75 Folder 3

Knutson, Albert O., 1920-1932                                           

Box 75 Folder 4 

Knutson, Carl, 1921-1939                                                   

Box 75 Folder 5

Kuhnley, J. W., 1919-1931                                                 

Box 75 Folder 6

Lake, George E., 1916-1938                                               

Box 75 Folder 7

Lake, Julius, 1923-1932                                                      

Box 75 Folder 8

Larsen, Christian, 1916-1935                                              

Box 75 Folder 9

Leslie, John, 1916-1931                                                      

Box 75 Folder 10

Lian, Knute H., 1916-1932                                                  

Box 76 Folder 1

Loubek, R. B., 1917-1941                                                   

Box 76 Folder 76 Folder 2

Lovell, Guy D., 1919-1941                                                  

Box 76 Folder 3

Lundquist, C. O., 1930                                                        

Box 76 Folder 4

McAllister, Albert, 1918-1938                                              

Box 76 Folder 5

McAuliffe, Francis, 1933-1935                                             

Box 76 Folder 6

McNeil, Leona, 1917-1938                                                  

Box 76 Folder 7

Madzo, Michael, 1921-1941                                                

Box 76 Folder 8

Mailey, E. L., 1929-1934                                                     

Box 77 Folder 1-2

Mandal, Odin, 1914-1942                                                   

Box 77 Folder 3

Mansfield, M. J., 1919-1931                                                

Box 77 Folder 4

Martinson, Sigrud, 1916-1942                                             

Box 77 Folder 5

Marum, Louella, 1927-1942                                                

Box 77

Mathiesen, Ole, 1927-1931

Folder 6

Box 77 Folder 7

Meeks, Thomas O., 1919-1938                                           

Box 77 Folder 8

Mierzwa, John, 1932-1934                                                  

Box 77 Folder 9

Miller, Harry H., 1917-1942                                                

Box 77 Folder 10

Moss, Reinhardt, 1932-1941                                               

Box 77 Folder 11

Mueller, John, 1917-1931                                                   

Box 77 Folder 12

Murray, John, 1917-1931                                                   

Box 77 Folder 13

Murray, Kate, 1920-1927                                                    

Box 78 Folder 1

Nelson, John, 1915                                                             

Box 78 Folder 2-6

Nicholas, Charles W., 1920-1942                                        

Box 78 Folder 7

Oftedal, Sven, 1929-1936                                                   

Box 78 Folder 8

Oliver, M. M., 1927-1941                                                    

Box 78 Folder 9

Olson, Helmer, 1921-1932                                                  

Box 78 Folder 10

Olson, Manvel, 1928-1932                                                  

Box 78 Folder 11

Orgard, Carl, 1927-1940                                                     

Box 79 Folder 1

Orton, Elmer, 1924-1932                                                    

Box 79 Folder 2-3

Pace, Mark, 1917-1932                                                       

Box 79 Folder 4

Page, J. B., 1925-1942                                                       

Box 79 Folder 5 

Parkhurst, Minnie, 1919-1937                                             

Box 79 Folder 6

Parton, Effie, 1924-1941                                                     

Box 79 Folder 7

Peterson, Clarence, 1923-1940                                           

Box 80 Folder 1-2

Peterson, John, 1925-1942                                                 

Box 80 Folder 3

Peterson, P. H., 1919-1932                                                 

Box 80 Folder 4

Peterson, Robert, 1918-1930                                              

Box 80 Folder 5

Petru, George, 1920-1934                                                  

Box 80 Folder 6-7

Phillips, D. R., 1911-1940                                                   

Box 80 Folder 8

Plomasen, Thor G., 1919-1935                                           

Box 80 Folder 9

Quammen, A. L., 1928-1939                                               

Box 80 Folder 10

Quien, E. J., 1919-1932                                                      

Box 81 Folder 1

Rainey, C. F., 1924-1933                                                    

Box 81 Folder 2

Rainey Land and Cattle Co., 1926-1938                              

Box 81 Folder 3

Rehal, Charles, 1928-1940                                                 

Box 81 Folder 4

Reichenecker, Emma, 1926-1942                                       

Box 81 Folder 5

Reisberg, Helga, 1919-1934                                               

Box 81 Folder 6

Rodewald, Herman, 1917-1931                                           

Box 81 Folder 7

Rohlf, H. E., 1916-1936                                                      

Box 81 Folder 8

Romberg, Elmer O., 1918-1929                                          

Box 81 Folder 9

Root, Orrin W., 1927-1929                                                 

Box 81 Folder 10

Rossow, A. W., 1927-1929                                                 

Box 81 Folder 11

Running, Gina, 1920-1934                                                  

Box 81 Folder 12

Sampson, A. M., 1920-1928                                               

Box 81 Folder 13

Savaried, Helen B., 1926-1938                                           

Box 81 Folder 14

Shilling, Albert T., 1920-1931                                             

Box 81 Folder 15

Schow, Ole M., 1927-1940                                                  

Box 82 Folder 1

Shaver, Charles A.1916-1936                                             

Box 82 Folder 2

Slayton, Walter C., 1930-1934                                            

Box 82 Folder 3

Smith, Ed, 1924-1941                                                        

Box 82 Folder 4

Smith, J.C., 1916--1935                                                     

Box 82 Folder 5

Steen, Carl F., 1927-1940                                                   

Box 82 Folder 6

Streeper, S. S., 1926-1941.                                                

Box 82 Folder 7

Stout, Gertrude, 1916-1932                                               

Box 82 Folder 8

Summerton, George, 1929--1931                                       

Box 82 Folder 9

Swanson, Carl F., 1923-1938                                              

Box 83 Folder 1

Swenson, Anton, 1920-1939                                               

Box 83 Folder 2

Tesnow, John F., 1924-1936                                               

Box 83 Folder 3

Thomas,Thomas, 1920-1936                                              

Box 83 Folder 4

Thompson, Allen, 1927-1933                                              

Box 83 Folder 5

Toftoy, Holger, 1927-1942                                                  

Box 83 Folder 6

Vandenbergh, Leo, 1920-1941                                            

Box 83 Folder 7

Vandervort, John, 1922-1934                                             

Box 83 Folder 8-9

Waidt, E. L., 1917-1934                                                      

Box 84 Folder 1

Wallace, W. H., 1914-1941                                                 

Box 84 Folder 2

Warren, George, 1928-1934                                               

Box 84 Folder 3

Wassman, H. C., 1928-1940                                               

Box 84 Folder 4

Weber, Frank, 1916-1934                                                   

Box 84 Folder 5-6

Weisgram, Konrad, 1916-1942                                           

Box 84 Folder 7

Wentz, A. B., 1923-1939                                                    

Box 84 Folder 8

Westlake, William, 1923-1937                                            

Box 84 Folder 9

Whitney, Bert, 1920-1937                                                  

Box 84 Folder 10

Whitney, E. J., 1929-1935                                                  

Box 85 Folder 1

Wiebe, John H., 1930-1934                                                

Box 85 Folder 2

Wiig, Laura, 1926-1942                                                      

Box 85 Folder 3

Wilcox, E. A., 1920-1932                                                    

Box 85 Folder 4

Williams, Anna, 1919-1933                                                 

Box 85 Folder 5

Williams, Ed, 1919-1932                                                     

Box 85 Folder 6

Wise, Theodore, 1929-1942                                                

Box 85 Folder 7

Wisotzke, John, 1930-1933                                                 

Box 85 Folder 8

Woodyard, Wayne, 1925-1934                                            

Box 85 Folder 9

Wroten, M. A., 1923-1931                                                  

Box 85 Folder 10

Yanish, Anton, 1920-1935                                                  

Box 85 Folder 11

Yoder, Chris, 1933-1942                                                     

Box 85 Folder 12

Zimmerman, Gaylord, 1936                                                

Series: Bond Issues, 1900-1920   

Scope and Content Note: The third major facet of the Union Mortgage Loan Company business is represented by the BOND ISSUES series. Most of these files concern bonds of Eau Claire and northwestern Wisconsin area firms for which the Union Mortgage Loan Company acted as trustee. Also included are issues for three Chicago office buildings (Diversey, Ingledale, and Kenmill). The series has two components: the Bond Sales and Payment Records and the Bond Issue Files. The first is organized by the name of the bond issue and shows the names of bond purchasers, interest rate, date purchased, date due, and record of interest payments. The Bond Issue Files generally cover the same issues as the Bond Sales and Payment Record. The files contain correspondence between the Union Mortgage Loan Company and the firm issuing the bonds covering such topics as interest payments, bond retirement, and other administrative matters. Also included in the files are contracts, deeds, and other documents concerning security for the bond issues.

Bond Sales and Payment Record                                         

Box 106 Folder 1

1908-1915(Engle Ellison and Gotzian Building Bonds)         

Box 106 Volume 1

1908-1918                                                                         

Box 106 Folder 2

1916-1937                                                                         

Box 106 Folder 3

1921-1929 (Eau Claire Hotel Co.)