Name/Title
Hart-Hubbard: Hart-Hubbard Farm RecordsEntry/Object ID
2013.006.001-340; 2013.011.0001-1508; 2013.012.001-300; 2014.001.001-221; 2015.005.001-033Description
This collection includes detailed business and financial records of the apple growing and wholesale business of the Hubbard and Hart families, records and ephemera from the New York & New England Apple Institute, family diaries, graphic materials, and a small local ephemera collection. The Hart and Hubbard families’ primary business was their large farm in LaGrange, Dutchess County, New York – just outside of Poughkeepsie. The family also owned a wholesale market in the Bronx, NY, and an orange growing business in Federal Point, Florida. The Hubbard Family Papers record the activities and finances of a large apple agriculture and wholesale business in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley from the late 19th century to the 1960s.
Business Records Series (97.15 cubic feet)
The largest portion of the collection is the business records of both the Hart and Hubbard families’ agricultural wholesale business from 1838 to 1967, with the bulk of the records documenting the years 1910 to 1963. This consists of approximately 91.5 cubic feet of cashbooks, ledgers, journals, tax records, employment records, business correspondence, and other forms of business documentation.
The financial and employment records seem to provide a fairly complete account of the Hubbard and Hart businesses from 1910 through the 1963. The collection also contains some records from the late 19th century, although—according to the family—some of these records may have been lost in a fire. The records are fairly complete and represent the daily activity of the business with multiple types of records spanning different ledgers. The following gives an overview of the types and date coverage of the material.
The business correspondence portion of the material consists of 16 cubic feet. Correspondence is ordered alphabetically by topic and business owner. This portion includes correspondence from 1922 through 1963.
Cashbooks and ledgers account for 31 cubic feet of material. These books contain records from 1838 until 1962, with the bulk of the material dating from 1910-1962. The record appears to be complete from 1912 until 1962. An additional set of cashbooks cover the years 1838-1905 and include information from the Federal Point, Florida property. This series is an incomplete record and we can conclude that this set may fail to document the complete finances of the Hart/Hubbard operation. The cashbooks document long lists of names, figures, and dates. The ledgers span the years series of the business records include “Weekly Timebooks,” employment, and payroll ledgers. The timebooks list the names of each individual employee, the amount of hours worked each day for each week, the rate of pay, and the amount paid. The employment records trace the changes of apple pickers from local seasonal workers to migrant labor camps. Similar to the cashbooks, these ledgers include long lists of names, figures and dates. The ledger entries list transactions by individual names and provide a view of the Federal Point, Florida and Dutchess County, New York farming community. Records of transportation of apples to European markets in the pre-World War I era by railroad car and steamship is followed by the establishment of the Bronx Terminal Market, sales to the New York metropolitan area via truck transport. Sales of apples to individuals during the holiday season, particularly in the post-World War II era, are included in these records.
The Business Records Series also includes 7.5 cubic feet of tax records. Records of Florida, New York State and United States federal taxes are present, covering the years 1913-1962.
Check registers and bank statements that span 6 cubic feet and date from 1935, and the early 1950s to 1962. One box contains records pertaining to accounts held at Chase National Bank. The majority pertain to accounts held at First National Bank, Poughkeepsie into the transition as Marine Midland Bank in the 1960s. These contain stubs of checks written to various parties from accounts with First National Bank and Chase National Bank. Each stub details the recipient of the payment and the amount paid. Cancelled checks are included in the monthly bank statements.
Business Publications, 9 cubic feet, consist of articles on agricultural research, growing methods, soil condition, crop maintenance from the 1820s to the 1960s. These include articles written by E. Stuart Hubbard.
The Business records also contain 9.15 cubic feet of mixed content. This includes agricultural research, canceled checks, contracts, estate records, formal reports on production and storage, growing journals and spray records, some handwritten financial records, insurance documentation, invoices, livestock records, notebooks, sales records, shipping records and receipts, some writings from E. Stuart Hubbard on soil chemistry, and some stationary, maps, envelopes, and other business ephemera.
New York & New England Apple Institute Series (5 cubic feet)
This series consists of the papers of E. Stuart Hubbard that pertain to his affiliation with the New York & New England Apple Institute, his history of that organization, and his writings on horticulture and farm production. This includes bulletins, pamphlets and other publications created by the Institute and related organizations such as the International Apple Shippers’ Association. Also included are published lists of prices for apples across different states and regions. The 1941 poster contest collection includes 77 hand-drawn posters submitted to the New York & New England Apple Institute contest for school children.
E. Stuart Hubbard Diaries Series (1 cubic foot)
The E. Stuart Hubbard Diaries Series includes the diaries of E. Stuart Hubbard. The 24 bound journals are complete from 1949 to 1962 and provide daily entries describing life at Heartsease, the family farm, from ages 30 to 43. Journals kept by Martha White Hubbard are included in this series.
Civic Organizations Series (0.5 cubic feet)
Records from the Town of LaGrange School District #12 – 1923-1927 and the LaGrange Cemetery Association – 1915-1960 are included in this series.
Personal (9 cubic feet)
Personal correspondence spans 1862-1963 and documents Federal Point, Florida and Dutchess County, New York. Included in this series are memoir manuscripts written in the 1950s by E. Stuart Hubbard about life in Florida in the late 1800s, family history and the building of the family home Heartsease.
Ephemera Series (4 cubic feet)
The Ephemera Series consists of advertisements, music recital programs, pamphlets, and other material concerning local Dutchess County Organizations and events – 1797-1959. This includes material from many local churches, educational institutions—including the Cottage Hill Seminary, Dutchess Academy, Eastman Business College, and Riverview Military Academy. Also represented are many important Poughkeepsie organizations like the Collingwood Opera House and the Vassar Brothers Institute. Programs from the Tuesday Club cover 1898-1951.
Graphic Materials Series (4 cubic feet)
Graphic materials include photographic prints that depict the Hart and Hubbard Families’ wholesale apple business. Images of apple trees, production facilities, storage, and transportation are present along with some images of the family members themselves. For example, one image depicts the Bronx Terminal Market Mayoral Committee in the office of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Marketing materials include multi-color images used for labeling and marketing the apples and other produce.Publication Details
Publication Type
Finding AidAuthor
Gregory Wiedeman, Carla R. LeshDate Published
2015Relationships
Related Places
Place
Town
LaGrangeCounty
Dutchess County, N. Y.State
New YorkCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North America
