The following information about the collection is from a note in the bibliography of George Wesley Sieber, Sawmilling on the Mississippi, the J.W. Young Lumber Company, 1850 -1900. PhD dissertation, The University of Iowa, 1960:
The major source of information for this work was the W. J. Young & Company Collection in the Main Library at the State University of Iowa, Iowa City. Some of the items in the collection are not labeled; some letter books are without covers; pages are missing, as well as entire volumes; but on the whole the material is quite complete and well preserved, and consists approximately of the following: 186 Letter Press Books, averaging 1,000 pages, including estimates, invoices, other correspondence with customers, and letters touching upon the problems of obtaining sawlogs, manufacturing, and marketing lumber. Many of the letters are in Young's handwriting and quite readable to the practiced eye, although occasional pages are so indistinct as to make their reading impossible, or at best, an extremely slow process. Some of the volumes contain their original numbers on the bindings. Others are numbered inside the covers, or on the first page. The headings: General Letters; Estimates; or Invoices, are on numerous covers. Book 57 is particularly valuable for information on the administration of pine lands and logging and is in Box 173.
A second group of Letter Press Books, in chronological order on the same shelves with the others, consists of books not used at Clinton, but at the branch yards of Wheatland, Belle Plaine, Tama, Council Bluffs, and Omaha. These volumes are lettered inside the covers from A to U. Much of the branch yard correspondence was with the Clinton home office, and the same letters are in Box 56 of the firm's incoming correspondence.
The Incoming correspondence is spread among 174 boxes, average size being 6x6x24 inches. They are numbered and labeled only vaguely as to contents. The vast majority of the letters consist of dealers' orders for lumber. Some of the boxes contain nothing but freight bills, loading slips, time tickets, and cancelled checks. Boxes 42, 54, 64, 108, 109, and 153 contain some of Young's personal receipts and correspondence, including a few letters from Frederick Weyerhaeuser. Box 174 contains Young's family correspondence.
INVENTORY
Letterpress Books
1. June 1855-May 30, 1860
2. May 30, 1860-April 10, 1862
3. April 10, 1960-January 27, 1863
4. January 28, 1863-October 19, 1863
5. October 20, 1863-July 7, 1864
6. July 8, 1863-March 13, 1865
7. March 14, 1865-JuIy 24, 1865
8. November 6, 1865-May 15, 1866
9. Novembe 6y, 1865-May 15, 1866
10. May 15, 1866-September 13, 1866
11. September 13, 1866-April 6, 1867
12. April 6, 1867-April 8, 1868
13. October 2, 1867-April 8, 1868
14. April 9, 1868-August 19, 1868
15. August 19, 1868-November 25, 1868
16. November 25, 1868-April 5, 1869
17. April 5, 1869-June 1, 1869
18. June 1, 1869-September 9, 1869
18a. Council Bluffs. May 3, 1869-August 1869
18b. Council Bluffs. Augut 20, November 9, 1869
19. September 9, 1869-January 8, 1870
20. Yards. July 1, 1869-October 7, 1870
21. January 8, 1870-May 25, 1870
22. May 26, 1870-October 28, 1870
22a Council Bluffs. July 16, 1870-October 28, 1870
G. Council Bluffs. October 29, 1870-April 5, 1871
23. October 28, 1870-January 10, 1871
F. Omaha. Augst 6, 1870-May 8, 1871
x-1: Yards. October 8, 1870-August 31, 1871
24. January 11, 1871-May 8, 1871
25. May 9, 1871-September 4, 1871
k. May 9, 1871-March 12, 1872
x-2. Council Bluffs. April 6, 1871-September 26, 1871
x-3. Council Bluffs. September 26, 1871-March 8, 1872
L. Council Bluffs. March 11, 1872-October 18, 1872
x-4. Omaha. March 12, 1871-October 24, 1872
27. September 5, 1871-December 30, 1871
28. Yards. September 1, 1871-November 8, 1872
29. Yards. November 9, 1872-January 31, 1874
30. May 30, 1872-September 26, 1872
31. January 3, 1872-May 30, 1872
32. September 26, 1872-December 7, 1872
M. Omaha. October 26, 1872-October 24, 1873
N. Council Bluffs. November 4, 1872-April 11, 1873
33. October 22, 1873-October 24, 1873
34. December 7, 1872-April 8, 1873
35. April 8, 1873-June 19, 1873
36. June 19, 1873-August 22, 1873
37. August 23, 1873-October 21, 1873
38. February 5, 1874-April 2, 1874
39. Apri1 3, 1874-May 30, 1874
40. June 1, 1874-August 8, 1874
41. August 10, 1874-November 18, 1874
42. November 19, 1874-March 29, 1875
43. March 30, 1875-June 24, 1875
44. June 25, 1875-September 21, 1875
45. September 21, 1875-December 31, 1875
O. Omaha. June 10,1874-March 4, 1875
P. Omaha. March 3, 1875-September 15, 1875
Q. Omaha. September 16, 1875-April 25, 1876
V. Omaha. October 25, 1873-June 9, 1874
46. January 1, 1876-April 22, 1876
47. April 24, 1876-July 11, 1876
48. July 12, 1876-October 9, 1876
49. October 9, 1876-January 30, 1877
50. January 31, 1877-April 13, 1877
51. April 14, 1877-June 26, 1877
52. June 27, 1877-October 9, 1877
53. October 9, 1877-February 18, 1878
54. February 19, 1878-July 4, 1878
55. July 5, 1878-October 31, 1878
R. Omaha. March 21, 1876-June 2, 1877
x-5. Omaha orders. April 26, 1876-March 12, 1877
x-6. Omaha orders. March 13. 1877-November 6, 1877
S. Omaha. June 5, 1877-December 18, 1877
T. Omaha. December 28, 1877-March 11, 1879
U. Omaha. May 20, 1878-August 11, 1879
56. October 30, 1878-March 26, 1879
57. March 26, 1879-June 11, 1879
58. June 12, 1879-August 30, 1879
59. August 30, 1879-November 1, 1879
60. November 1, 1879-February 13, 1880
61. February 13, 1880-April 23, 1880
62. April 24, 1880-June 22, 1880
63. June 23, 1880-August 6, 1880
64. August 6, 1880-September 30, 1880
65. October 1, 1880-November 26, 1880
66. November 27, 1880-January 22, 1881
67. January 24, 1881-March 31, 1881
68. March 31, 1881-May 7, 1881
69. May 7, 1881-June 13, 1881
70. June 13, 1881-July 9, 1881
71. July 9, 1881-August 9, 1881
72. August 10, 1881-September 5, 1881
73. September 5, 1881-October 5, 1881
74. October 5, 1881-November 2, 1881
75. November 3, 1881-December 3, 1881
76. December 3, 1881-January 16, 1882
77. January 17, 1882-February 23, 1882
78. February 23, 1882-April 8, 1882
79. April 10, 1882-May 25, 1882
80. May 26, 1882-July 8, 1882
81. July 10, 1882-August 25, 1882
82. August 24, 1882-September 21, 1882
83. September 22, 1882-October 24, 1882
84. October 25, 1882-November 23, 1882
85. November 23, 1882-January 16, 1883
86. January 17, 1883-March 13, 1883
87. March 13, 1883-April 16, 1883
88. April 16, 1883-May 22, 1883
89. May 22, 1883-June 25, 1883
90. June 25, 1883-July 31, 1883
91. August 1, 1883-September 5, 1883
92. Delivered Price Lists. August 11, 1883-June 15, 1885
93. September 5, 1883-October 8, 1883
94. October 8, 1883-November 7, 1883
95. November 8, 1883-December 10, 1883
96. December 11, 1883-February 14, 1884
97. February 15, 1884-April 7, 1854
98. April 8, 1884-May 13, 1884
99. May 13, 1884-June 14, 1884
100. June 14, 1884-July 19, 1884
101. July 21, 1884-August 27, 1884
102. August 27, 1884-October 2, 1884
103. October 2, 1884-November 3, 1884
104. November 4, 1884-December 29, 1884
105. December 29, 1884-March 17, 1885
106. March 18, 1885-Apri1 21, 1885
107. Estimates. February 13, 1885-March 29, 1886
108. Invoices. April 21, 1885-June 4, 1885
109. April 22, 1685-July 8, 1865
110. Invoices. June 4, 1885-July 21, 1885
111. Invoices. July 22, 1865-September 18, 1885
112. July 8, 1885-September 18, 1885
113. Invoices. September 3, 1885-October 12, 1885
114. September 18, 1885-November 21, 1885
115. Invoices. October 12, 1885-November 18, 1885
116. Invoices. November 18, 1885-March 5, 1886
117. November 21, 1885-March 27, 1886
118. Invoices. March 6, 1886-May 11, 1886
119. March 27 1886-July 19, 1886
120. Invoices. May 11, 1886-July 6, 1886
121. Invoices. July 6, 1886-September 4, 1886
122. July 19, 1886-October 26, 1886
123. Invoices. September 4, 1886-October 16, 1886
124. Invoices. October 18, 1886-November 26, 1886,
125. October 27, 1886-February 18, 1887
126. Invoices. November 27, 1886-March 10, 1887
127. Invoices. March 10, 1887-May 10, 1887
128. February 18, 1887-May 12, 1887
129. [missing]
130. Invoices. May 11, 1887-July 2, 1887
131. Estimates. April 2, 1886-July 11, 1887
132. May 12, 1887-August 18, 1887
133. Invoices. July 2, 1887-August 30, 1887
134. Invoices. August 30, 1887-October 18, 1887
135. August 18, 1887-October 20, 1887
136. Invoices. October 19, 1887-December 9, 1887
137. October 21, 1887-December 14, 1887
138. [missing]
139. December 14, 1887-March 5, 1888
140. Invoices. December 9, 1887-April 18, 1888
141. March 5, 1888-May 28, 1888
142. Invoices. April 19, 1888-July 20, 1888
143. Estimates. July 13, 1887-September 4, 1888
144. May 28, 1888-September 7, 1888
145. Invoices. July 21, 1888-October 9, 1888
146. September 7, 1888-November 23, 1888
147. Invoices. October 8, 1888-December 13, 1888
148. November 24, 1888-March 8, 1889
149. Invoices. November 11, 1888-April 10, 1889
150. March 8, 1889-June 8, 1889
151. Invoices. April 10, 1889-July 8, 1889
152. June 8, 1889-September 5, 1889
153(a). Invoices. July 8, 1889-September 13, 1889
153(b). Invoices. September 13, 1889-November 4, 1889
154. Invoices. November 4, 1889-February 20, 1890
155. September 6, 1889-October 31, 1889
156. October 31, 1889-January 10, 1890
157. [missing]
158. January 11, 1890-April 5, 1890
159. Invoices. May 9, 1891-September 11, 1891
160. April 5, 1890-June 18, 1890
161. Invoices. May 20, 1890-July 28, 1890
162. June 18, 1890-September 8, 1890
163. Invoices. July 28, 1890-October 8, 1890
164. Delivered Price Lists. August 3, 1880-July 27, 1881
Estimates. September 1, 1881-February 11, 1885
165. Estimates. September 6, 1888-November 15, 1889
166. Estimates. November 16, 1889-December 31, 1890
167. September 8, 1890-January 15, 1891
168. Invoices. October 8, 1890-January 22, 1891
169. Estimates. January 3, 1891-September 23, 1892
170. January 15, 1891-May 29, 1891
171. May 29, 1891-November 9, 1891
172. November 9, 1891-April 5, 1892
173. Invoices. September 12, 1891-March 5, 1892
174. Estimates/Price Lists. May 14, 1892-June 16, 1892
175. April 5, 1892-August 17, 1892
176. Annual Stock Inventory. December 1891-December 1900
177. Invoices. March 5, 1892-August 15, 1892
178. Invoices. March 5, 1892-December 16, 1892
179. Invoices. December 16, 1892-June 9, 1893
180. August 17, 1892-January 27, 1893
181. Estimates. September 24, 1892-December 17, 1896
182. January 27, 1893-August 24, 1893
183. August 25, 1893-November 20, 1894
184. Invoices. December 12, 1893-December 15, 1894
185. Invoices. February 21, 1890-May 20, 1890
186. Invoices.
