Guide to the Oliver Iron and Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1863-1930, 1959 AIS.1964.06
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Oliver Iron and Steel Company Records
Creator
Oliver Iron and Steel Company
Collection Number
AIS.1964.06
Extent
5 Linear Feet
Date
1863-1959
Abstract
Henry William Oliver's steel company evolved from its creation in 1863 as a manufacturer of nuts and bolts to one of the largest manufacturers of bar iron and iron specialties in the United States by 1880. In 1888, the company was incorporated under the name Oliver Iron and Steel. Oliver's company dealt with the Carnegie Steel Company and also made agreements with Henry Clay Frick. The collection includes a minute book of the board of directors, charters, agreements, patents, partnership agreements, mortgages, trade catalogs, and scrapbooks on the life of Henry W. Oliver (1840-1904).
Language
English
.
Author
Archives Service Center Staff. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in January 2002.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
Henry W. Oliver was born on February 25, 1840, in Ireland and two years later his family settled in Pittsburgh. Oliver began working at the age of thirteen as a messenger boy for the National Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh. Oliver worked at various jobs until 1861 when he served in the Civil War. In 1863, he formed a partnership with William J. Lewis and John Phillips to create the firm of Lewis, Oliver and Phillips to manufacture nuts and bolts on a small scale. By 1866, two of his brothers joined the firm and in 1880, they formed the firm, Oliver Brothers and Phillips. By this time, the company was one of the largest manufacturers of bar iron and iron specialties in the United States. In 1888, the company incorporated under the name of Oliver Iron and Steel Company. Oliver was involved in working with the Mesabi Ore region in Minnesota and became politically active with the Republican Party in Pittsburgh. He married Edith Cassidy in 1862. The Olivers had one daughter. Oliver died February 8, 1904.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection includes a minute book of the board of directors, charters, agreements, patents, and partnership agreements 1863-1891 of Lewis, Oliver and Phillips. Further documentation includes mortgages and patents from 1887-1891 of the Oliver Coke and Furnace Company, miscellaneous records from 1888 of the Hainesworth Steel Company, and trade catalogs. The collection contains scrapbooks about the life of Henry W. Oliver, 1840-1904 as well as published genealogical information about the Oliver and Rea families.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
This collection was a gift of Henry Oliver Rea on January 15, 1964.
Preferred Citation
Oliver Iron and Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1863-1930, 1959, AIS.1964.06, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
Oliver Iron and Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1863-1930, 1959, AIS.1964.06, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Oliver Iron and Steel Company Papers, Pittsburgh, PA, Records, 1863-1930, 1959, AIS 64:4, Archives of Industrial Society, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Archives Service Center Staff in 1964.
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Hainesworth Steel Company
Oliver Coke and Furnace Company
Oliver Iron and Steel Company
Personal Names
Oliver, Henry William
Genres
Business records
Other Subjects
Personal papers
Steel industry and trade -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Business and Industry
Iron industry and trade -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
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