Addison W. Lee Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-1163

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The papers of the Addison W. Lee Family are comprised of correspondence, clippings, printed and photographic material of a Deshler, Ohio, industrialist and banker.

Dates

Creation: 1910-1962

Extent

.25 Cubic Feet (1 half legal manuscript box)

Creator

Lee Family (Family)
Lee, Addison W. (Person)

Scope and Contents

The material in the Addison W. Lee Family papers includes one piece of correspondence from Addison Lee to his family, but more material related to his son, Raymond W. Lee, who had a degree in marine engineering from the University of Michigan. The correspondence that isn’t strictly family-related includes a few letters from H.L. House of Deshler regarding the care of some property that Raymond had in the Deshler area. Some minor business correspondence of Addison W. Lee, representing Lee & Weaver Manufacturers, can also be found in the collection of the Deshler Land Company.

Biographical Sketch

Addison W. Lee (1829-1911) built the first stave mill in Deshler in 1873. He was born in Huron County, Ohio, on July 14, 1829. He headed to California during the 1848 gold rush and unlike so many others found success in the goldfields. He returned to Ohio and around the time of the Civil War entered the stave mill business forming the partnership of Lee & Weaver in Toledo. He came to Deshler as before stated and opened perhaps the second industry in the new town. The stave mill grew to become one of the “most extensive” in northwest Ohio. Lee became an important financial investor in Deshler and was the proprietor of the Bank of Deshler. He died Tuesday, March 21, 1911, in his room at the Fayram Hotel in Deshler.

The son of Benjamin Lee and Mary Werner, Addison had one son, Dwight Linden Lee, from an earlier marriage, and Raymond Werner Lee from his marriage to Mary E Pierson. William M. Fitzwilliam is half-brother to Raymond Lee from Mary Pierson’s prior marriage to Cary Fitzwilliam. Raymond W. Lee was married to Marjorie Brode, who is also represented in this collection, and later he married Mildred Ione Seymour.

Some genealogical family sheets provided by the donor are included with this collection.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.