Eugene Mack Papers (1846-1935)

Papers of Eugene Mack, prominent farmer and business and civic leader of Addison Township, in Oakland County. The collection contains his personal and business files. It is part of the Oakland County Historical Records at Oakland University.

Biography

Eugene Mack (1845-1940) was born in Addison Township to Lewis Mack. Lewis’ father, Arnold, was one of the original settlers in the area in 1832. Eugene Mack became a prosperous farmer and businessman as well as a civic leader. He married twice, first to Frances Hosner (1865-1870) and later on to Ella Jones, and had two surviving children.

Throughout his life Eugene Mack owned several stores, bought land for lumber, and developed an orchard. He also obtained a patent for a barn door hanger in 1886. From 1906 to 1929 he managed two telephone companies, the Hibbler-Mack line and the Mack Roadway Telephone Company. In addition, he acted as administrator for a large number of estates.

Eugene Mack was also active in the local community. Between 1887 and 1892 he was Supervisor of Addison Township. Like his father and grandfather before him, he was committed to the public school of District 11 Fractional (Thus called because part of the district was in Bruce Township and part in Addison Township).

Scope and Content Note

The Eugene Mack papers consist of notebooks, diaries and ledgers as well as legal documents, correspondence, receipts and other miscellaneous documents relating to his activities as a farmer, business man, and civic leader. The Eugene Mack papers are divided into three series: Telephone, Estate Management, and Public School.

Telephone includes materials related to Mack’s two telephone companies, including founding documents, annual reports (1910, 1912-1914), financial statements, and customer lists.

Estate Management contains the records of the numerous estates Mack managed through his life, including the large Rowland Estate (1909-1934). Leonard Rowland left about $30,000 in trust, for the benefit of poor children of Oakland County. His nephews and nieces challenged the will in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Michigan. All Court documents are included.

Public School contains materials documenting the history of the Addison/Bruce Township public school from 1846 to 1917, including founding documents by Eugene Mack’s grandfather and various notebooks with the students’ and teachers’ names, attendance records, student performance, curriculum implementation, and expenses.

Eugene Mack kept detailed record of his expenses and other activities in notebooks and ledgers of various sizes. Many of those contain mixed material – related to his telephone business, estate management, accounting, farming, and more. Box 3, especially, contains materials related to all of these aspects.

Container list

- Telephone

Box 1
Ledger,  1919-1935
Day Book Ledger, 1903-1929
Western Electric Company, bulletin catalog of telephone apparatus and supplies – 1913
Annual Report of Hibbler and Mack – 1910
Annual Report of Hibbler and Mack – 1912
Annual report of Hibbler and Mack – 1913
Annual report of Hibbler and Mack – 1914

New Map of “Greater” Detroit and Suburbs – 1906
Concrete Construction about the home and on the farm – 1905
Facsimile of document:  Avon Township established meeting – original dated April 6, 1835 

Box 2
Ledger, 1907-1916
Bank book: Cover title- Eugene Mack in acct. with Heenan & Hibbler (small tan)
Folder 1: Mack Roadway and Telephone Company contracts and receipts, 1908-1929
Folder 2:  Hibbler, Mack & Company miscellaneous contracts (telephone lines), 1906-1914
Folder 3: Michigan State Telephone Co., Western Electric Company receipts and contracts, 1907-1922
Folder 4: Michigan Railroad Commission Correspondence, receipts from The Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad Co., 1906-1917
Folder 5: Misc., 1928
Folder 6: Misc. receipts, 1904-1918

- Mixed / Estates Management

Box 3
Ledger, 1865-1877 – (subj.) mixed
Ledger, 1868-1884 – (subj.) mixed
Ledger, 1884-1907 – (subj.) mixed
Ledger, 1911-1912 – (subj.) mixed
Ledger, 1890-1894 – (subj.) orchards

Ledger, 1907-1914 – (subj.) estates
Ledger, 1909-1926 – (subj.) estate (Rowland)
Ledger (Day Book), 1900-1909 – (subj.) estates (Rowland)
Ledger, 1927-1933 – (subj.) estate (Rowland)
Folder 1: Rowland Estate, 1930-1932
Folder 2: Rowland Estate, 1933-1934
Folder 3: State of Michigan Supreme Court Record no. 6097
Folder 4: misc.

Box 4 (flat, medium size)
Ledger, 1887-1889- (subj.) estates
Ledger, 1890-1902- (subj.) estates
Ledger, 1896 – (subj.) mixed
Ledger, 1900-1928 – (subj.) mixed
Ledger, 1914-1921 – (subj.) mixed

- Public School

Box 4
Primary school records of Addison & Bruce in the counties of Oakland and Macomb (Founding and history of Bruce and Addison Township school District 11 Fractional from 1846) - Binder - #4

School records of Addison & Bruce, District  11, 1893-1904 (Student attendance, performance and syllabus)

School records of Addison & Bruce, District  11, 1903-1910 (Student attendance, performance and syllabus)

Assessor’s record of expenditures, 1901

Attendance records, 1901-1909 and 1909-1917

Box 5
Folder 1: School of Addison and Bruce , 1900-1916 (misc., including teachers' reports to directors)
Folder 2:  School Annual Statistical Reports, 1899-1917 (including financial reports, curriculum and student information)