Lay Brothers Fisheries, Inc., records

 Collection
Identifier: GLMS-0094

Collection Organization

Thecollection allows researchers to examine the operations of a Lake Erie fishing company from 1889 to its closing in 1961. The Lay family of Sandusky, Ohio retained ownership throughout the company's history. Series on financial and legal papers form the largest part of the collection.

Financial records for the Lay Brothers company cover the years 1889-1956. Account ledgers, payroll information, sales figures and fish catch data give a detailed view of the growth and decline of a Great Lakes fishing company over nearly six decades.

Scattered financial information on other businesses owned by the Lay Brothers or with whom they transacted business dates from 1893-1951. The Ashtabula Fish Company, Huron Fish Company, Port Clinton Fish Company, and the Stockholm Fish Company are represented here.

Legal files for Lay Brothers Fisheries are present for 1910-1970. Deeds, leases, bills of sale, family estate files and stock certificates are found in this series.

A drawing series contains items from 1894 to 1960. The drawings show plats for Lay Brothers property and plans for company buildings. Eighteen diagrams of trap nets record how their fishing industry tools were constructed and used.

Correspondence, A-Z, 1931-1953

 File – Box 1, Folder: 1-9
Dates
Creation: 1931-1953

Legal, Lay Brothers Fisheries Files, A-Z, 1910-1970

 File – Box 1, Folder: 10-28
Dates
Creation: 1910-1970

Account Books, 1922-1924, 1938-1942, 1947

 File – Box 2, Folder: 1-7
Dates
Creation: 1922-1924, 1938-1942, 1947

Balance Sheets, 1954

 File – Box 2, Folder: 8
Dates
Creation: 1954

Bills of Lading, 1955-1956

 File – Box 2, Folder: 9
Dates
Creation: 1955-1956

Employee Payroll Ledger, 1937-1945

 File – Box 2, Folder: 10
Dates
Creation: 1937-1945

Expense Ledgers, 1936-1944

 File – Box 3, Folder: 1-2
Dates
Creation: 1936-1944

Financial Statements, 1931-1937, 1948

 File – Box 3, Folder: 3
Dates
Creation: 1931-1937, 1948

Fish Records, 1889-1891, 1897-1954

 File – Box 3, Folder: 4-7
Dates
Creation: 1889-1891, 1897-1954

Frozen Fish Records, 1939-1955

 File – Box 3, Folder: 8
Dates
Creation: 1939-1955

General Ledger, 1925-1927

 File – Box 3, Folder: 9
Dates
Creation: 1925-1927

Loan Account Book, 1906-1936

 File – Box 3, Folder: 10
Dates
Creation: 1906-1936

Price Lists, 1946-1950

 File – Box 3, Folder: 11
Dates
Creation: 1946-1950

Sales Record (see oversize items), 1956

 File – Box 3, Folder: 12
Dates
Creation: 1956

Sales Tax Records, 1935-1940, 1953-1954

 File – Box 3, Folder: 13-16
Dates
Creation: 1935-1940, 1953-1954

Time Book, 1935-1937, 1946-1948, 1953-1956

 File – Box 3, Folder: 17-19
Dates
Creation: 1935-1937, 1946-1948, 1953-1956

Unemployment Reports, 1939-1940

 File – Box 3, Folder: 20-21
Dates
Creation: 1939-1940

Ashtabula Fish Co., Corporate Records, 1915-1931

 File – Box 4, Folder: 1
Dates
Creation: 1915-1931

Avery Paper Company, 1893

 File – Box 4, Folder: 2
Dates
Creation: 1893

Huron Fish Co., 1936

 File – Box 4, Folder: 3
Dates
Creation: 1936

John Lay, Sr., 1935-1936

 File – Box 4, Folder: 4
Dates
Creation: 1935-1936

John Lay Realty Co., 1931-1932, 1936

 File – Box 4, Folder: 5
Dates
Creation: 1931-1932, 1936

Lyons and Lay Realty Co., 1925-1926, 1932

 File – Box 4, Folder: 6
Dates
Creation: 1925-1926, 1932

Perry St. Dock Co., n.d.

 File – Box 4, Folder: 7

Port Clinton Fish Co., 1935-1936, 1947-1948

 File – Box 4, Folder: 8
Dates
Creation: 1935-1936, 1947-1948

Stockholm Fish Co., 1922-1936

 File – Box 4, Folder: 9-10
Dates
Creation: 1922-1936

Drawings of Fish from U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Bulletins (11 items), n.d.

 File – Box 5, Folder: 1

Copies of plats on Catawba Island, Ottawa County, Ohio, re: Alva Barnum property, 1894, 1928, 1955

 File – Box 5, Folder: 2
Dates
Creation: 1894, 1928, 1955

Newsclippings, (15 items), 1872-1961 (scattered dates)

 File – Box 5, Folder: 3
Dates
Creation: 1872-1961 (scattered dates)

Office Equipment: 20 rubber stamps, 1 copper stencil for company name, 1 pencil sharpener cutter

 Item – Box 6

Fishing Equipment: 1 phonometer timing device, 3 net weights, 48 net needles, 3 fishing knives, 1 key, 65 edged tool bits, 1 cord comb for nets?, 1 wall mounted metal hook for hanging cord, 1 metal tag

 Item – Box 6

Artifacts - Taffrail Log

 Item – Box 7

Artifacts - Assorted dials and equipment parts

 Item – Box 8

Stockholm Fish Co. Fish Records, 1923-1930

 Item – Volume 1
Dates
Creation: 1923-1930

Fish Records, 1930-1954

 Item – Volume 2
Dates
Creation: 1930-1954

Cash Book, 1956

 Item – Volume 3
Dates
Creation: 1956

Fish Records, 1897-1930

 Item – Volume 4
Dates
Creation: 1897-1930

Nine blueprints for the Port Clinton Fish Co. grounds and buildings, unknown date

 Item – Box 9

Plat of Lay Brothers dock at the foot of Wayne Street in Sandusky, Ohio, 1932

 Item – Box 10
Dates
Creation: 1932

Plat of Parat of Fractional Section 13 in Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, owned by Leo Hopfingel, 1939

 Item – Box 10
Dates
Creation: 1939

Floor plan and elevation for summer house of C. O. Weilbacher of Columbus, Ohio, 1960

 Item – Box 10
Dates
Creation: 1960

Curve data for Sandusky, Ohio Harbor, n.d.

 Item – Box 10

Front elevation of Lay Brothers Fisheries office building, Sandusky, Ohio, by Alfred Schnurr, Jr., 1932

 File – Box 26, Folder: Oversize 1
Dates
Creation: 1932

Print of fisherman painting by McKell given to Charles E. Lay by Governor Cooper of Ohio, n.d.

 File – Box 26, Folder: Oversize 2