Campbell Co. (Louisville, Ky.) Minute Books, 1914-1947

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Campbell Co. (Louisville, Ky.)

Title: Minute Books, 1914-1947

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection: 3 volumes

Locator Number: Mss./BB/C187

Biographical Note

Campbell Co. processed tobacco for the export market. Their factory was on Green Street in the western part of Louisville. The major markets for their tobacco were the French and British colonies of West Africa and the West Indies and South America, with Haiti being their largest market. John Hunt and Co. of Great Britain and the Compagnie Francaise de l’Afrique Occidental of France were the two largest customers for Campbell Co. tobacco. They would purchase the tobacco and send it to the colonies of West Africa. The amount of sales made to the native people depended upon the amount of money the native people were getting for their goods such as palm oil and cocoa. As a result, Campbell Co. followed the economic conditions of West Africa closely.

Campbell Co. survived the hard times of two World Wars, the 1937 flood and the Great Depression with some difficulty. In the time span covered by the minute books, the company changed presidents three times but always remained in the control of the Campbell family.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains the minute books from the directors of the Campbell Co. of Louisville, Ky. The company started as Campbell and Cummings Company but became simply Campbell Co. after WWI. The company processed tobacco for the West African Coast trade and the West Indies and South American trade. The annual meetings of the stockholders minutes include a report from the president of the company discussing the business of the past year and what they expect to do in business the coming year, trying to predict any difficulties they may face. These reports include discussion of the World Wars, Depression, the 1937 Flood and economic conditions in West Africa and the West Indies. There are discussions of the price and condition of the yearly tobacco crops and the attempt to form a Co-op in the tobacco market. Labor cost and insurance cost are discussed including minimum wage and labor shortages due to the wars. The majority of this collection has been digitized. To view PDF scans, click on the links provided in the folder list below.

Folder List

Volume 1: Minute Book, 1914-1923 (click to access PDF)

Volume 2: Minute Book, 1923-1927 (click to access PDF)

Volume 3: Minute Book, 1928-1947 (click below to access PDFs)

Subject Headings

Africa, West – Economic conditions

Campbell, Charles D., 1863-1933

Compagnie Francaise de l’Afrique Occidental

Cooperative societies – Kentucky

Depressions – 1929

Flood damage – Kentucky

John Holt and Company

Kentucky – Economic conditions

Labor – Kentucky

Lend-lease operations (1941-1945)

Minimum wage – United States

Reconstruction (1914-1939)

Sutton, Frank, 1874-1931

Tobacco – Africa, West

Tobacco – Contamination

Tobacco – Haiti

Tobacco – Kentucky

Tobacco industry – Employees

Urban renewal – Kentucky

World War, 1914-1918 – Economic aspects

World War, 1939-1945 – Economic aspects