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Merchants and Planters Oil Company records (MS 260)

Correspondence, contracts, credit reports, and leases in this collection document the business of Houston, Texas based Merchants and Planters Oil Company, particularly during the last period of its existence, 1930 through 1941. This company was owned by William Marsh Rice and associated with Rice Institute after Mr. Rice's death.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Organizational History

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Index Terms

Related Material

Administrative Information

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series I. Correspondence (1931-1941)

Series II. Contracts (1935-1940)

Series III. Credit Reports by Dun & Bradstreet (1936-1938)

Series IV : Leases, Indentures (1893-1934)

Guide to the Merchants and Planters Oil Company
archives, 1894-1941

Descriptive Summary
Repository: Rice University, Fondren Library
Creator: Merchants and Planters Oil Company
Title: Merchants and Planters Oil Company archives
Dates: 1894-1941, Bulk Dates 1930-1945
Quantity: 18 linear feet, or 15 cubic feet
Abstract: Correspondence, contracts, credit reports, and leases in this collection document the business of Houston, Texas based Merchants & Planters Oil Company, particularly during the last period of its existence, 1930 through 1941. This company was owned by William Marsh Rice and associated with Rice Institute after Mr. Rice's death.
Identification: MS 260
Language: Materials are in English.

Organizational History

Merchants and Planters Oil Company, manufacturers of cottonseed oil, oil cake, meal and linters, based in Houston, Texas, was founded in 1890. The business was one of a number of cotton-based businesses owned by Rice Institute founder, William Marsh Rice at the time of his death in 1900. On September 8, 1900, a powerful hurricane struck the Gulf Coast, causing severe damage to one of the company's warehouses and inventory. The business manager telegraphed Rice stating that the company needed money for repairs; the sum nearly equaled the total of Rice's most liquid assets. This financial turn of affairs accelerated an already brewing plot to murder Rice for his extensive fortune, and indeed Rice was killed on September 23, 1900 by his valet and a lawyer marginally associated with Rice. (See Rice University Archives and general Rice University histories for further information on the story of William Marsh Rice.)

At that time B.B. Rice, the youngest son of William Marsh Rice's brother F.A. Rice, was the secretary and treasurer for the company. Probably shortly after his uncle's death, B.B. Rice became the Vice President and general manager of the company, a position he held until the company's demise in 1941. In some correspondence, William Marsh Rice II, an older brother of B.B. Rice, is referred to as president of the company, although it remains unclear who actually was president. The Rice Institute Board of Trustees were members of several governing boards and both W.M. Rice II and B.B. Rice were members of the Board of Trustees. By the terms of his will, the Institute inherited all of William M. Rice's businesses, and the Board of Trustees was ultimately responsible for the management of those businesses. Therefore, a close connection between the company and Rice Institute existed, with many of the company's papers and contracts being sent to the Institute for signature.

The company bought cottonseed and manufactured various products such as Polar White shortening for retail sale through brokers. Having persevered through the Depression, a December, 1940 cottonseed storage and equipment warehouse fire put the company out of business.

The history of the company is very hazy, little is known about the years before 1935. Papers pertaining to prior years have been lost or destroyed. This void may be explained by business practices of keeping only a limited number of previous years' records.

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Scope and Contents

Correspondence, contracts, credit reports, and leases in this collection document the business of Houston, Texas based Merchants & Planters Oil Company, particularly during the last period of its existence, 1930 through 1941. The largest of the four series is the first, Correspondence (1931-41), relating to product orders, inventory, billing, and railroad transportation of goods for clients such as wholesale grocers and other businesses, in Texas, Louisiana, and other U.S. states. Small maps and blueprints of various sections of Houston date from 1908-1927, and are located in IV. Leases (1893-1934).

This material reflects the cottonseed market workings of the early 20th century, including relations between growers, brokers, and manufacturers of various cottonseed products. Additionally, a close connection between the company and Rice Institute existed, in that William Marsh Rice, founder of Rice Institute, owned the company at the time of his death, after which the new Rice Institute became responsible for the management of the company. As a result, many of the papers and contracts were sent to the Institute for signature.

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Arrangement

Series include: Series I. Correspondence (1931-1941), 16 linear feet (16 cartons), Series II. Contracts (1935-1940), 1 linear foot (1 carton), Series III. Credit Reports (1936-1938), 0.5 linear feet (21 folders), and Series IV. Leases (1893-1934), 0.5 linear feet (25 folders)

Arrangement within each series is chronological by year, followed by alphabetical by correspondent or company.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

No access restrictions; this material is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Merchants and Planters Oil Company archives must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

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Related Material

Baker & Botts Papers

Rice University Archives

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Index Terms

Subjects (Persons)

Rice, William Marsh, 1816-1900.

Subjects (Organizations)

Baker & Botts.
Rice University, Houston, Tex.

Subjects

Cottonseed -- Texas.
Cottonseed oil -- Southern States -- History -- 20th century.
Cottonseed oil.
Food brokers.
Grocery trade - Southern States - 1900-1940.
Shortenings.

Formats

Blueprints.
Contracts.
Correspondence.
Leases.
Maps.
Reports.
Telegrams.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Merchants and Planters Oil Company - Papers, 1894-1941, MS #260, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University

Acquisition Information

Frank Vandiver and William Masterson donated the papers 1965, which were found on the sidewalk outside Wiess College. No one is certain of how or when these papers came to the Rice campus, but the collection was retrieved from the garbage around 1965, with most of the papers having been damaged by neglect and exposure to the weather.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Box
1-16 Series I. Correspondence (1931-1941)
Box
1-15 Subseries A : General Correspondence (1931-1941), 14 feet (14 cartons).
Correspondence largely regarding orders, inventory, and billing for clients including wholesale grocers and other businesses, in Texas, Louisiana, and other U.S. states. This material is arranged in chronological order by year, then alphabetical by company name, and within a company's correspondence, again chronologically. Much of the correspondence includes a carbon copy of the Merchants & Planters Oil Company's outgoing communications. A very few folders are not strictly correspondence, but might be an inventory or a grouping of newsletters or reports such as Market Reports, National Cottonseed Products Association, South Texas Cotton Seed Products Association, and Texas Cottonseed Crushers' Association newsletters.
Box Folder
1 1 1931
1 A-Z
2-3 1934
2 A-R
3 S
Box
1-3 1935
Box Folder
1 4 A
5 Alexander Grocery Company
6 American District Telegraph Company
7 Anderson Brothers
8 Armour and Company
9 Atlanta Wholesale Grocer Company
10 Avoyelles Wholesale Grocery Co.
11-12 B
13-14 Black, W. M. and Company
15-17 C
18 Central Texas Wholesale Grocery Company, Athens, TX
19 Central Texas Wholesale Grocery Company, Mexia, TX
20 Cooperative Association
21 Crossett Mercantile Company
22 D
23 Desha Wholesale Grocery Company
24 Dublin Wholesale Grocery Company
25 E
26 Everett and Sons
27 F
28 Fidelity Products Company
29 G
30 Gladney, A.T.
31 Gordon, Sewall & Company
32 Great A. & P. Tea Company
33 H
34 Heard, Raymond Inc.
35 I
36 International Great Norhtern Railroad v. Merchant & Planters Oil Co.
37 Inventory
38 J
39 Jefferson Wholesale Grocery Company
40 K
41 Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company
Box Folder
2 1 L
2 Lawrence Grocery Company
3 Liberty Grain & Grocery Company
4 Livingston Grain & Grocery Company
5 Louisiana Tax Matters
6 Lynn, V. Frank Company
7-8 M
9 Machinery
11 Milam's Spot Cash Wholesale House
12 N
13 National Cottonseed Products Association, newsletter
14 O
15-16 P
17-18 Pelican Provision Company
19 Proctor & Gamble Company
20 Q
21 R
22 Requisitions, Lard plant
23 Rice, Ben B. (officer of Merchants & Planters Oil Co.)
24-25 S
26 Salley, C.T., Cash Wholesale
27 Schuhmacher Company
28 Sealy Oil Mill & Manufacturing Company
29 Shipping (correspondence with railroad companies)
30 Sims Wholesale Grocery
31 Simmons, J.W.
32 Smith's Flour & Feed Company
33 South Texas Cotton Oil Company
34 Southern Pacific Lines (railroad)
35 Southwest Box Company
36 S.T. Landry Wholesale Grocery
37 Steinberg Maas Company
38 Sutherland Paper Company
39 T
40 Texas Grocery Company
41 Texas & New Orleans Railroad
42 Theriot, Gaston, Cash Stores
43 Tipps & Houston
44 U
Box Folder
3 1 V
2 Varino, Frank, Company
3 Vasek, W.H., Candy Company
4-5 W
6-7 Weatherly, E.M.
8 X,Y,Z
Box
3-5 1936
Box Folder
3 9 A
10 Alexander Grocery Company
11 American District Telegraph
12 Anderson Brothers
13 Anthony, R.E.
14 Armour & Company
15 Atlanta Wholesale Grocer Company
16 Avoyrelles Wholesale Grocery Company
17-18 B
19 Baker, Botts, Andrews & Wharton (attorneys)
20-21 Black, W. M.
22-23 C
24 Central Texas Wholesale Grocery Company, Athens, TX
25 Central Texas Wholesale Grocery Company, Mexia, TX
26 Commerce, Dept. of
27 Cooperative Association
28 D
29 Delta Cash Wholesale
30 Dermott Grocery & Commission Company
31 Dodd, Howard, Company
32 E
33 Edge, W.M., Company
34 Everett & Sons
35 F
36 Fidelity Products Company
37 Frey Brothers
38 G
39 Gladney, A.T.
40 Goose Creek Grain Company
41 Gordon, Sewall & Company
42 Great A. & P. Tea Company
43 Green, R. H.
Box Folder
4 1-2 H
3 Heard, Raymond, Inc.
4 I
5 Inventory
6 J
7 Jefferson Wholesale Grocery Company
8 K
9 Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company
10 L
11 Louis Levy Grocer Company
12 Liberty Grain & Grocery Company
13 Livingston Grain & Grocery Company
14 Lynn, V. Frank, Company
15-17 M
18 Market Wholesale Grocer Company
19 Meador & Barnett, Inc.
20 Milam's Spot Cash Wholesale House
21 Missouri Pacific Lines
22 N
23-24 National Cottonseed Products Association
25 O
26 P
27 Pailet, Maurice Brokerage Company
28 Panola Grocery Company
29 Paterson Parchment Paper Company
30-31 Pelican Provision Company
32 Picoffs, Maurice, Company
33 Proctor & Gamble Company
34 Q
35 R (1 of 2)
Box Folder
5 1 R (2 of 2)
2 Rice, Ben B. (officer of Merchants & Planters Oil Company)
3-4 S
5 Salley, C.T., Cash Wholesale
6 Shortening Bulletins
7 Simmons, J. W.
8 Smith's Flour & Feed Company
9 South Texas Cotton Seed Products Association
10 Southern Brokerage Company
11 Southern Pacific Lines
12 Southwest Box Company
13 Steinberg Maas Company
14 Sutherland Paper Company
15 T
16 Texas & New Orleans Railroad
17 Texas Cottonseed Crushers' Association
18 Texas Grocery Company
19 Theriot, Gaston, Cash Stores
20 Tipps & Houston
21 Traffic file (regarding costs of rail transportation for products)
22 U
23 V
24 W
25-26 Weatherly, E.M.
27 X, Y, Z
Box
5-8 1937
Box Folder
5 28-29 A
Box Folder
6 1 Accident Information (Workmen's Compensation reports and correspondence)
2 American District Telegraph
3 Anderson Brothers
4 Anthony, R.E.
5 Armour & Company (Armour Soapworks)
6 Armstrong Packing Company
7 Avoyelles Wholesale Grocery Company
8-9 B
10 Baker, Botts, Andrews & Wharton (attorneys)
11 Baker, Lawhon & Ford, Inc., Alexandria, La.
12 Baker, Lawhon & Ford, Inc., Monroe, La.
13 Baker, Lawhon & Ford, Inc., Shreveport, La.
14 Barnhill, E. F., personal (officer of Merchants & Planters Oil Company)
15 Best Foods, Inc.
16-18 Black, W.M.
19-20 C
21 Central Texas Wholesale Grocery Company, Athens, TX
23 Commerce, Chamber of (Houston and U.S.)
24 Commerce, Dept. of (U.S.)
25 Crane Company
26 D
27 Delta Cash Wholesale
28 Dermott Grocery & Commission Company
29 Dodd, Howard, Company
30 E
31 Edge-Cline Company
32 F
33 Faulk Grocery Company
34 Fidelity Products Company
Box Folder
7 1 G
2 Gladney, A.T., Groceries - Hardware
3 Gordon, Sewall & Company
4 Gough Brokerage Company
5 Great A. & P. Tea Company
6 Green, R.H., Wholesale Grocery Company
7 Grubbs Tank Line
8 H
9-10 Heard, Raymond, Inc.
11 I
12 Inventory
13 J
15 K
16 Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company
17 L
18 Lacy-Logan Company
19 LeFlore Grocery Company
20 Louisiana, State of, Bureau of Food and Drugs
21 Lynn, V. Frank, Company
22-23 M
24-26 Meador & Barnett
27 Milam Spot Cash Wholesale
28 Missouri Pacific Lines
29 N
30-31 National Cottonseed Products Association
32 O
33-34 P
35 Paterson Parchment Paper Company
Box Folder
8 1 Pelican Provision Company
2 Proctor & Gamble Company
3 Q
4-5 R
6 Rice, Ben B. (officer of the Merchants & Planters Oil Company)
8 Richmond Cotton Oil Company
9 Ritchie Grocery Company, Bastrop, La.
10 Ritchie Grocery Company, Monroe, La.
11 Ritchie Grocery Company, Ruston, La.
12-14 S
15 Shortening bulletins (regarding price changes)
16 Smith Flour & Feed Company
17 South Texas Cottonseed Products Association
18 Southern Brokerage Company
19 Southern Pacific Lines (a.k.a. Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company)
20 Southwest Box Company
21 Sutherland Paper Company
22-23 T
24 Tax - City of New Orleans
25 Taylor-Lowenstein Company
26 Texas Cottonseed Crushers' Association
27 Toma, Joseph E., Grocery Co.
28 Traffic file (regarding costs & management of rail transportation for products)
29 U
30 V
31 Van Loan & Bigner
32 Varino, Frank, Company
33-34 W
35 Weatherly, E. M.
36 X, Y, Z
Box
8-11 1938
Box Folder
8 37 A
38 American District Telegraph
39 Anthony, R.E.
40 Armour & Company
41 Avoyelles Wholesale Grocery Company
42-43 B
Box Folder
9 1 Baker, Botts, Andrews & Wharton (attorneys)
2 Baker, Lawton & Ford, Inc., Alexandria, La.
3 Baker, Lawton & Ford, Inc., Monroe, La.
4 Baker, Lawton & Ford, Inc., Shreveport, La.
5 Best Foods, Inc.
6-8 Black, W.M. & Company
9-10 C
11 Commerce, Chamber of (Houston and U.S.)
12 Commerce, Dept. of (U.S.)
13 Continental Can Company, Inc.
14-15 Cottonseed Oil and Market Reports
16 Cuero Cotton Oil & Manufacturing Company
17 D
18 Delta Cash Wholesale Company
19 Dermott Grocery & Commission Company
20 Dodd, Howard, Company
22 Drew Grocery Company
23 E
24 F
25 Faulk Grocery Company
26 G
27 Gordon, Sewall and Company
28 Great A. & P. Tea Company
29 Green, R. H.
30 Grubbs Tank Line
31 H