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These twenty-three notebooks primarily cover the period June 1899-June 1910, although there are entries from as late as November 1943. The books relate to a variety of administrative matters at the West Orange laboratory. Included are several project number notebooks used to assign sequential numbers to each experimental project. Other items pertain to inventories and records of pattern work done in connection with laboratory projects. Among the individuals whose work appears in these books are Edison, Robert A. Bachman, Alvin D. Caskey, George A. Meister, John F. Ott, and Ludwig F. Ott. Much of the material is by unidentified storekeepers and office personnel.

Only four books have been selected. Books that deal mainly with inventory and supplies, along with similar routine record books, have not been selected.

Records not selected

Project Number Notebook, N-99-06-24.1

This notebook covers the period June 1899-January 1909. It was used by several unidentified employees for the assignment of sequential account numbers, 935-2052, to each laboratory project. The book substantially duplicates the information in N-87-11-24 and N-01-03-15. The entries provide a description of each project and the name of the person or company charged for the work.

Notebook, N-99-06-27

This notebook contains a record of scrap metal sold to three different companies during the period June-September 1899.

Notebook, Undated.40

This undated notebook was probably used during the period 1900-1902. It contains a partial alphabetical list of the chemicals stocked in the laboratory storeroom. The list was created by Ludwig F. Ott.

Notebook, N-01-05-01

This notebook covers the period May-November 1901. It was used by Alvin D. Caskey to record supplies received at the laboratory. The entries include the name of the supplier, the method of shipment, and the item received.

Notebook, N-01-11-30

This notebook covers the period November-December 1901. It was used by George Hetherington and another employee named Lockwood to record their book loans from the laboratory library.

Notebook, N-01-10-10

This notebook covers the period December 1901-February 1902. The entries deal with shipments of bearings, clamps, gears, and other hardware from the laboratory to Stewartsville, New Jersey, where the Edison Portland Cement Co. works were under construction.

Notebook, N-02-07-24

This notebook, which covers the periods July 1902-April 1903 and January 1912-June 1917, was used in both directions. The entries from 1902-1903 record nickel and copper ore samples to be assayed. The samples, numbered 175-308, were collected from Litchfield and Fairfield counties in Connecticut and from the Sudbury district of Ontario. The entries at the other end of the book record gas and water payments and meter readings for the Edison Phonograph Works and possibly other locations.

Pattern Number Books

These five notebooks contain records of pattern work done in connection with laboratory projects. The first book, which begins in December 1902 and was probably used until March 1910, is a rough record. The entries include the pattern number, laboratory project number, type of pattern, and name of the person for whom the work was performed. The other four books, which cover the period 1910-1943, are ruled with columns and comprise a more formal account. The entries include the date, name of the foundry that made the castings, name and number of the pattern, laboratory project number, material used, and name of the person for whom the pattern was made. One book (N-10-03-02) is a record of patterns and woodwork done for the Edison Storage Battery Co. The books were compiled by John F. Ott and several unidentified employees.

N-Undated.1 (December 1902-March 1910) N-10-02-08 (February 1910-March 1916) N-10-03-25 (March 1910-March 1917)

N-10-03-02 (March 1910-November 1943) N-10-04-09 (April 1910-January 1925)

Notebook, N-03-10-05.1

This notebook covers the period October-December 1903. It was used to record boarding house receipts for employees at an unidentified job site. The funds were received through Ludwig F. Ott and paid by Robert A. Bachman.

Notebook, N-06-01-11

This notebook is dated January 11-13, 1906. It was used to list chemicals stored in numbered "closets" at the laboratory and to inventory chemical apparatus. A few pages contain entries for chemical supplies taken by Alvin D. Caskey and Ludwig F. Ott.

Notebook, N-09-06-01.1

This notebook covers the period March 1906-March 1920. It was used to list employees and wages, mostly for the period after 1910. Some entries indicate weekly hours worked, while others pertain to work performed at Silver Lake, New Jersey, where the Edison Storage Battery Co. had a factory.

Project Number Notebook, N-09-01-29

This notebook is a continuation of N-99-06-24.1. It was started in January 1909 and was probably used until February 1917 by unidentified employees for the assignment of sequential account numbers, 2052-4484, to each laboratory project. It substantially duplicates the information in N-01-03-15 and N-10-07-26. The entries provide a description of each project, the name of the person or company charged for the work, and a corresponding requisition number.

Notebook, N-10-05-12

This notebook covers the period May 1910-October 1912, with a final undated set of entries that are probably from November 1912. It was used to record electrical current used on the third floor of the Edison laboratory. The entries provide kilowatt hours, measurement intervals, and other data.

Notebook, N-01-01-01.2

The inside front cover of this undated notebook is inscribed "A. Theo E. Wangemann Addresses" and is stamped "Edison Storage Battery Co " and "The Edison Portland Cement Co." The first 34 pages have been removed from the book, and the remaining pages are blank.

Notebook, N-01-01-02.1

This undated notebook contains addresses entered in pencil by an unidentified employee.