Meneely and Company Records, 1825-1945

Historical Note:*

Meneely and Company was founded in 1826 by Andrew Meneely (1801-1851) in what was formerly known as West Troy (originally Gibbonsville), and is now Watervliet, New York. Meneely studied under Julius Hanks, the first man to open a bell foundry in the Troy area, and married Philena Hanks, daughter of Rodney Hanks, who was Julius's brother. Following the marriage, Meneely became the proprietor of Julius's foundry in Gibbonsville; Julius Hanks continued to operate his own foundry in Troy. In addition to bells, Meneely produced town clocks, chimes, and civil engineering instruments.

The timeline of the firm's history is as follow:

*Information for this section was obtained from History of Rensselaer Co., New York by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester (Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1880) and Troy and Rensselaer County, New York: A History by Rutherford Hayner (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1925).

Scope And Content Note:

The materials are a representative sample of the company's business documentation. Due to limits in staff and resources, most carbon copies, letterpress copies, and other items in poor condition were eliminated during the appraisal process. What remains is an incomplete collection of correspondence, bills, bookkeeping materials, deeds, and mortgages pertinent to Andrew Meneely. Business records are most complete for the years 1870 through 1890.

Business records are supplemented by a small sampling of the company's catalogs, chime music, programs from performances in which bells made at the Meneely foundry were used, miscellaneous printed items and some photographs.

Series Descriptions:

The Meneely Bell and Co. records are divided into fifteen series:

Series I: Correspondence, 1836-1945 (Boxes 1-44)

Consists of business letters received by Meneely Bell and Company between 1836 and 1945. Correspondence includes requests for catalogs, prices, and delivery information. Often included are preliminary sketches of churches, bell towers, bell inscriptions and orders.

Series II: Personal Correspondence, Andrew Meneely, 1801-1851 (Box 44, Folder 27)

This series is comprised of personal correspondence written by Andrew Meneely to his children, primarily to his son, Edwin. Additional items include letters from Edwin to his father, a letter from Andrew Meneely's brother, John, and miscellaneous correspondence.

Series III: Legal Papers, 1825-1888 (Box 45)

This series is divided into four sub-series: miscellaneous legal papers, comprising preparation 
for court cases, trial information, and other legal documents from 1834 to 1888; deeds and mortgages from 1825 to 1887; bonds of indebtedness from 1825 to 1878, and patent and copyright papers from 1857 to 1874.

Series IV: Bills, Receipts of Payment, and Shipping Receipts, 1857-1905 (Boxes 46-52)

This series is divided into two sub-series: bills incurred by Meneely Bell and Company throughout the course of business, and receipts documenting payment to those businesses and individuals from 1857 to 1894. Shipping receipts are from the year 1905 only.

Series V: Canceled Checks and Check Registers, 1852-1906 (Boxes 53-54)

Canceled checks from 1852 to 1906 and one check register spanning 1855 and 1856.

Series VI: Bookkeeping Records, 1833-1942 (Boxes 55-63)

This series, divided into eight sub-series, is composed of journals, ledgers, statements of sales, trial balances, promissory notes, reports, one daybook and one cashbook. Dates span 1833 to 1942.

Series VII: Copybooks, 1911-1919, 1928, 1931 (Boxes 64-65)

Four copybooks of correspondence, two covering 1911-1919, one from 1928, and one from 1931.

Series VIII: Hemisphere Bell (Box 65)

This series consists of a ledger with the label Hemisphere Bell. This ledger, however, has no entries.

Series IX: Sizes of Frames and Wheels and Minutes of Meetings, 1918-1939 (Box 65)

This series consists of one bound volume divided into two parts. The first part contains information on the sizes of frames and wheels. The second part contains minutes from board meetings. The volume spans the period from 1918 to 1939.

Series X: Catalogs (Boxes 66-67)

Assorted catalogs of bells and Meneely products

Series XI: Chime Music (Box 67)

Samples of chime music to be played on Meneely chimes

Series XII: Programs (Box 68)

Programs from concerts in which Meneely bells and chimes were used.

Series XIII: Photos and Pictures (Box 68)

Miscellaneous photographs, pictures from catalogs, and drawings generated for publicity and company use throughout the course of business. Some personal photographs mixed in.

Series XIV: Miscellaneous Printed Materials (Box 69)

This series contains miscellaneous printed materials including ads in papers and magazines promoting Meneely Bell, fliers, postcards, and other print materials.

Series XV: Miscellaneous Business Records (Box 69)

This series, divided into four sub-series, consists of blueprints, mason's and carpenter's specs from early in the foundry's history, newspaper clippings of metal market reports from the paper The American Metal Market and Daily Iron and Steel Report, and an assortment of other business documents that do not fit in the above series.

Related Resources:

The records of the rival firm, Meneely Bell Co. (Troy, N.Y.) are also held by the New York Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections. This record group comprises approximately 12 cubic feet consisting chiefly of account books. An unpublished finding aid is available in the repository.

The archive of Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway also includes records of Meneely and Company, in particular the ledgers and journals that cover the period from 1860 to 1925. 

Box and Folder List: