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Collection Overview

Creator:
Enoch Morgan's Sons Co.
Title:
Enoch Morgan's Sons Co. Collection
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/4f16c288w
Dates:
1844-1987
Size:
18 boxes and 13.3 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-18
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of records of the nineteenth-century New York City-based soap manufacturer Enoch Morgan's Sons Company, including business records, correspondence, and advertising and promotional materials for Sapolio soap, its best known product.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of Enoch Morgan's Sons Company records: 1) business records, including a day book (1861-1864), minute books and other ledgers; 2) business correspondence from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century [note: the personal correspondence and financial documents belonging to the Morgan family members of the company have been moved to the the Hudson Review Archives collection, C1091]; 3) advertising and promotional materials regarding the company and Sapolio soap, including copies of "Excelsior," the Bret Harte promotional poem/pamphlet, Sapolio games, publicity releases, and advertising campaign materials) other items, such as bars of Sapolio soap in their original wrappers, photographs, books, and office stamp tools.

Collection Creator Biography:

Enoch Morgan's Sons Co.

Based in New York City, Enoch Morgan's Sons Company was founded in 1809; its best known product was Sapolio soap, first put on the market in 1869. Enoch Morgan married a daughter of the firm's founder, David Williams, and Morgan's three sons -- John Williams, William Henry, and George Frederick -- eventually took over the business. The firm was incorporated on April 14, 1876, with John Williams Morgan as president. Upon his death in 1881, he was succeeded by his youngest brother, George Frederick Morgan (1846-1925), who presided over the company during the height of its success. Much of the success was credited to the hiring of Artemas Ward as the firm's advertising manager in 1885. A pioneer of modern advertising and publicity, Ward made Sapolio a household name. By depicting the name and product in a fanciful scene and using clever poems and captions to sing its praises, Ward succeeded in blending promotion with diversional amusement. Today, Sapolio advertisements culled from old magazines are collector's items. In 1892, Ward achieved his greatest advertising exploit: to send Captain William Albert Andrews, a trans-Atlantic sailor and piano-maker, from Atlantic City to Palos, Spain in a fourteen-foot boat named "Sapolio." Though Andrews had made this voyage before in a twenty-foot boat with his brother, the "Sapolio" was nothing but a canvas-covered, folding, collapsible boat. This fact attracted much attention by the press, and generated free advertising for Sapolio. Ward planned the event to coincide with the celebration of Columbus' voyage 400 years earlier, and exhibited the seaworthy "Sapolio" afterwards at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

George Frederick Morgan's elder son, John Williams Morgan (1895-1964) and a member of the Princeton Class of 1916, succeeded his father as company president and held the position until 1949. He was a career U.S. Army Reserve officer who served in both World Wars and retired with the rank of Major General. He also was president of the Cox Gelatine Company, a subsidiary of Enoch Morgan's Sons. His only son, George Frederick Morgan (1922-2004), was a poet and co-founder of The Hudson Review literary magazine and a member of the Princeton Class of 1943 (please refer to Series 8 of The Hudson Review Archives collection (C1091) for the bulk of the personal correspondence, financial documents and other items relating to the Morgan family that have been integrated from this collection into that one).

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Paula Deitz in 2006.

Custodial History

The records were in the possession of the Morgan family in New York City until coming to Princeton in 2006.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was initially processed by Carolina Gamboa-Hoyos in December 2008 and completed by Sylvia Yu in July 2010. Finding aid written by Sylvia Yu in August 2010.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Enoch Morgan's Sons Co. Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/4f16c288w
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-18