Sayles Bleacheries records (MSS 6 SG 1)

The records of the Sayles Bleacheries are grouped according to the three major changes in their ownership, with Series A containing items labeled “William F. Sayles,” Series B items labeled “W. F. and F. C. Sayles,” and Series C those labeled “Frank A. Sayles.” Unfortunately, there is only a rough correspondence between company names printed on the records and the actual dates at which name changes occurred. For example, although William F. Sayles was the sole proprietor of the bleacheries for only the years 1847-1863, the Journals and Ledgers continue to bear his name, alone, into the 1890s (ignoring the fact that the firm’s name was changed to W. F. and F. C. Sayles when Frederick became a partner in 1863). It was not until 1868 that a series of Journals and Ledgers appeared bearing the name “W. F. and F. C. Sayles,” but these probably were limited to the “Lower Bleachery,” built in that year. Such discrepancies suggest that the user should check through all three Series in searching out the bleachery records for a particular year.

The records of the Sayles Bleacheries are very unevenly represented in this collection. They are strongest in the area of formal business records, with almost complete runs of Journals, Ledgers, and Cash Books for the years 1847-1906. The correspondence files are spotty: for outgoing correspondence, there is a strong run of letter volumes for the 1850s, 1890s, and 1900s; for incoming correspondence, there are strong holdings only for the years 1877-1881 and 1896-1904. The collection is weak in the areas of employment records, engineering records, and financial records.