The business papers of Frederic Tudor, who for half a century was known throughout the country as the Ice King, have recently been deposited in Baker Library by his grandson, also a Frederic Tudor. These business records comprise the story of one of the most unique business enterprises ever undertaken. The material includes account books, letter books, and unbound letters so absorbing in their interest that it is hard to turn away from them.

It is remarkable to see how the items of manuscript material in a particular field, coming in over a period of years and from numerous sources, do, in the final analysis, dovetail together to form one unified collection. The result is like a piece of mosaic. This is the thing which fascinates the collector. Each item alone may seem more or less insignificant, but the whole is more complete because of the least significant part.

Along with the records of the general store of Alfred and Andres Lefebvre, which were given to the Society by Charles P. Howland and were mentioned in the May Bulletin, came a smaller group of accounts, those of the Hacienda de San Bartolomé del Monte, located in the Provincia de Tlaxcala, Mexico. This second group, which includes 27 volumes — journals, ledgers, and cash books — covers the period 1869–1905.

Among the collections of business records brought together by the Business Historical Society and Baker Library there is one which is outstanding for its size, its completeness, and for the fact that it represents a longer period of time than any other single collection. This is the Trotter collection, the records of a family of Quaker merchants of Philadelphia.