William Hobart Papers

The William Hobart Collection holds great significance because it displays through the use of photographs, correspondence, company records, and other media the evolution of a company from its beginnings as a small family-owned business based out of Troy into a substantial national foodservice and food retail industry. The collection covers important landmarks such as acquisitions, documents the Hobart brothers family life, the Hobart Institute of Technology, and Troy community development directly related to the Hobart’s contributions.

Series I, The Hobart Brothers Company, which is divided into six subseries, encompasses the entire span of the company from its creation through the year 2010. The series includes a wealth of information about the development of the corporation and outlines the implementation of appliances and expansion into the global marketplace.

Subseries IA, Correspondence, is comprehensive and includes correspondence from the offices of the executives (Hobart brothers), management, and general stationary used in the company throughout the years. For correspondence relating directly to the acquisition, see the Acquisition and Mergers Subseries IB.

Subseries IB, Acquisition and Mergers, mainly includes information regarding the merger with Illinois Tool works and the acquisition of PrestoLite. Most related items are articles in Troy newspapers and drafts of letterheads written to management and employees and are dated 1996/1997.

Subseries IC, Company Promotional Information, contains brochures from the 1950s sent to other corporations that contain detailed photographs of employees operating factory equipment , a brief summary of the company’s history, and the business tour to Russia in 1990.

Subseries ID, Annual Reports, consists of reports from mainly the 1960s and 1970s. Reports include nominations of directors and an overview of appliances added to the company’s manufacturing inventory.

Subseries IE, Community Relations, contains items relating directly to the company and its contributions to the community of Troy at large. It includes a Troy Sesquicentennial Celebration program covering the years of 1814-1964.

Subseries IF, Electric Car, contains blueprints, graphs, sketches, and articles relating to the development of the proposed engine and battery for an electric car model. Photographs of the electric car engine are included in Series III.

Series II, Hobart Institute of Technology, contains course catalogs, brochures with historical timelines (most likely used for advertising purposes), and programs from celebrations relating to the Institute. The dates span from 2004-2010.

Series III, Photographs, is divided into two subseries and includes family photographs, photographs of the city of Troy, Troy Graduation photographs, the Hobart homes, Hobart appliances, the proposed electric car, and signed photographs from the 1992 President George H.W. Bush campaign. There are three glass plate negatives included. Two are depicting Charles Hobart and one depicts an unidentified home.

Subseries IIIA, Family, contains portraits of Charles Clarence Hobart, Lou Hobart, Martha Hobart, William Hobart, and Edward Hobart. There are also a variety of unidentified glass slides and photographs.

Subseries IIIB, General, includes five concentration areas:

Hobart Homes and Buildings includes C.C. Hobart’s house, Frances Hobart’s house and photographs from 1961. It also includes older unidentified photographs which may date back to the 1900s. It also contains Hobart Company building photographs, includes two copies of photographs and a blueprint, possibly of plans for expansion during the 1950s.

Products and Appliances, includes copies of three photographs of appliances from approximately the 1960s. It also contains photographs of the battery and engine at various stages of development.

City of Troy, General information and Graduation Photographs contains items from 1909, 1930, and a yearbook from 1931. President George Bush Campaign Contribution includes autographed photographs sent to the Hobart family for support of his 1992 campaign.

Hobart Brothers 75th Anniversary includes photographs from the 1992 celebration.

Series IV, Family History, includes a Xeroxed copy of the Hobart name family history, Julie DuCamp Hobart’s awards and community achievements, and press information regarding Edward Hobart’s funeral in July 1985.