Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company Records, 1902-1912 Overview of the Collection Creator Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company Title Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company Records Dates 1902-1912 (inclusive) 1902 1912 Quantity 57 linear feet of shelf space. Collection Number Cage 21 Summary A national fire insurance firm of Walla Walla, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois, whose failure in 1908 brought most of its records together for receivership. Included are correspondence, ledgers, surrendered certificates, loss claims, minutes and account books, and policy and loss ledgers. Also included are some records of the Merchants' Fire Association of Seattle, a mutual fire insurance firm, 1902-1907, a predecessor organization. Repository Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Terrell Library Suite 12 Pullman WA 99164-5610 Telephone: 509-335-6691 mascref@wsu.edu Access Restrictions This collection is open for research use. Languages Sponsor English Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Historical Note The papers of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company, which was in active business during the years 1907 and 1908 and which had its home offices at Walla Walla, Washington and its general offices at Chicago, Illinois, consist of such papers as the receivers were able to collect and preserve when the company failed in late 1908. As the collection consists of the papers used in the liquidation of the company, the collection must properly be regarded as the documentation of the dissolution of the company, rather than of its operation. Although in business for only 23 months, the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company had an extremely complex history. Originally conceived as a stock company to succeed the mutual firm operating under the name of the Merchants' Fire Association, portions of whose records are included in this collection, the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company rapidly became a nationwide writer of fire insurance, operating, in effect, from central offices in Chicago. The history of the company was characterized by several fights over control and policy, as evidenced by considerable shifting of officers and executive http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 1
personnel. In its last days, the company was to be reorganized as a new corporate entity, a move stalled only by lawsuits and receivership petitions. The main persons involved with the direction of the company were: (1) Charles H. Spencer, former manager of the Merchants' Fire Association, the first Secretary, General Manager of the company in its early months, and, after having been forced from that position, manager of the Chicago office; (2) Calvin Holloway, President of the company and later attorney for the Chicago office, concurrently with being overall head of the company; (3) Orrin Parker, a financial associate of Holloway's, who provided most of the capital for organization of the company, subject to reservations which lead to the lawsuit ending operations of the company; (4) O.P. Conaway, an insurance executive who replaced Spencer as Secretary and de facto manager of the home office and who later was the head underwriter at Chicago, concurrently with his other positions; (5) J.A. McGhee, Assistant Secretary, who was left in charge when the other officers moved to Chicago, and who was the first receiver of the company; (6) W.D. Church, manager of the Seattle branch office; and (7) Dorsey Hill, an official of Walla Walla County and Whitman College, who became the second receiver of the company and who undertook its liquidation. Use of the Collection Preferred Citation [Item Description]. Cage 21, Guide to the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company Records. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA. Administrative Information Arrangement The collection is broken up into four distinct series, plus a fifth which consists solely of papers added to the collection three years after its initial processing. Series one (Correspondence, 1904-1912) consists of such correspondence as the receiver of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company was able to secure at the time of the failure of the company. It is mainly the files of the branch offices in Spokane, Tacoma and Seattle, with some of the home office correspondence included and occasional items from general agency offices. The general correspondence of the receivers is also included, as are a few personal items of persons connected with the company. Series two (Claims, 1908-1912) is divided into three subseries. 2.1 is unfiled papers related to claims. 2.2 is reports from agencies and general agencies at the time of failure. 2.3 is policy holder claims, mostly for return premiums on unexpired insurance, with some for fire losses and other reasons. Also surrendered policies. Series three is ledgers, minute books, checkbooks, journals, account books, agency records, policy registers, policy indexes, loss registers, stock book, and receivers' accounts. Series four (Merchants' Fire Asssociation Papers, 1902-1907) consists of records of the Merchants Fire Association of Seattle, a mutual insurance firm which was the predecessor of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company; its accounts, policy registers, and reports were passed to the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company. http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 2
Series five consists of seven boxes which were added to the collection in 1975 Detailed Description of the Collection The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection. Series 1: Correspondence, 1904-1912 Container(s) Description Dates Box/Folder 1 / 1-13 Correspondence of Home Office and Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane branch offices February, 1907- February, 1908 2 / 14-17 Correspondence March, 1908- June, 1908 3 / 18-23 Correspondence July, 1908- December, 1908 3 / 24 Correspondence undated 4 / 25 Receiver correspondence. 4 / 26 Papers of Calvin Holloway, re: Walla Walla Abstract Company. 1904 4 / 27 Papers of James J. Butler, re: Republican Party politics 1907 4 / 28 Sample forms: blank policies, reports, rider clauses. Printed insurance supplies and advertising, including a catalog of insurance supplies. Series 2: Claims, 1908-1912 Container(s) Description Dates Series 2.1: Unfiled papers related to claims. Box/Folder 5 / 29 Miscellaneous bills and expenses. http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 3
Series 2.2: Reports from agencies and general agencies at the time of failure. Box/Folder 5 / 30 Orrin Parker bankruptcy papers 1912 5-7 / 31-35 Central Department (Chicago) accounts as of December 29, 1908. 8-9 / 38 Eastern Department (New York) accounts as of December 29,1908. 9 / 39 Surrendered Certificates of Agency Appointment, Eastern Department. 10 / 40 Seattle Branch Office accounts. 10 / 41 California General Agency accounts. Series 2.3: Policy holder claims, mostly for return premiums on unexpired insurance, with some for fire losses and other reasons. Also surrendered policies. Box 11 Re-insurance daily reports on the State Mutual Co-op Insurance Company, Moscow, Idaho; that company being in receivership and passing policyholder claims on to the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company. 12-67 Policy holder claim for return premium on balance of paidup insured period remaining after the company went into receivership. Correspondence, assignments and proofs of claim attached. Arranged in bundles and numbered 1-1746 and indexed in Receivers' ledger (Number 73). 68-69 Miscellaneous claim, including fire losses not paid at time of failure of the company, adjuster's reports, correspondence, proofs and other documents attached. Also miscellaneous bills for salaries and expense accounts. Arranged in envelopes in a numerical series indexed in Receivers' Ledger (Number 72). 70 Rejected claims: claims rejected by the receiver on fire losses, returned premium on unexpired insurance and other bills. http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 4
Arranged in envelopes in a numerical series indexed in Receivers' Ledger (Number 74). Series 3: Legders, 1907-1909 Container(s) Description Dates Box 71 Minute Book, with Articles of Incorporation and by-laws. 72 Receivers Accounts: Misc. claims. 73 Receivers Accounts: general claims. 74 Receivers Accounts: rejected claims. 75 Receivers Accounts. 76 Stockbook and stock registry. 77 Closing balances 78 Checkbook, Seattle 79 Checkbook, Walla Walla 80 Checkbook, Walla Walla 81 Checkbook, Chicago 82 Checkbook, Chicago 83 Bankdraft stubs, losses paid 84 Bankdraft stubs, losses paid 85 Journal 86 Re-insurance journal 87 Re-insurance journal http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 5
88 Record of premium received 89 Record of premium received 90 Cash accounts 91 Cash accounts 92 Cash accounts, Walla Walla 93 Collections Register 94 Loss Register 95 Journal 96 Journal 97 Cash Accounts, Seattle 98 Agents' Register 99 Agents names 100 Agents names 101 Agents reports 102 Agents register and reports 103 Agents 104 Record of policy numbers sent to agents 105 Re-insurance Register 106 Re-insurance Register 107 Reinsured register 108 Reinsured register http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 6
109 Reinsurance with Queen City and Anchor Companies 110 Cancellations and endorsements of policies 111 Cancellations and return premiums (California) 112 Cancellations and endorsements (Central Dept) 113 Return Premiums Register (Western Department) 114 Return Premiums Register (California) 115 Return Premiums Register (Montana, Utah, Idaho, Alaska) 116 Yearly Summary 117 Central Department reports 118 Monthly totals 119 Monthly Reports (Eastern Department) 120 Monthly Reports (Central Department) 121 Western Department Reports 122 November 1908 Reports 123 December 1908 Reports 124 Policy index (Washington) 125 Policy index (Central Department) (Policy indexes contain very little material. -their principle use was the location of a policy holders entry in the policy register. The two indexes here are samples of this type book; 10 similar item were discarded.) 126 Eastern Department Daily report and policy register 127 Central Department Daily report and policy register 128 Central Department Daily report and policy register http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 7
129 Central Department Daily report and policy register 130 Home Office policy register 131 Policy register, Central Department 132 Policy register, Washington State 133 Policy register, Southern Department 134 Policy register, Texas 135 Policy register, North Carolina 136 Policy register, Arkansas 137 Policy register, California 138 Policy register, Montana 139 Policy register, Utah 140 Policy register, Idaho 141 Policy register, Washington 142 Policy register, Kansas 143 Policy and loss register, misc. 144 Walla Walla agency register 145 Policy Register, Central Department, Ohio 146 Policy Register, Southern Department, Texas, Oklahoma 147 Policy Register, Central Department, Indiana 148 Policy Register, Central Department, Missouri, Minnesota 149 Policy Register, Southern Department, North Carolina http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 8
150 Policy Register, Southern Department, South Carolina, Louisiana 151 Policy Register, Southern Department, Arkansas 152 Policy Register, Central Department, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska Series 4: Merchants' Fire Asssociation Papers. The predecessor firm of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company, the Merchants' Fire Association was organized as a mutual fire insurance company in Seattle in 1902. It did business through agents throughout the state of Washington during its 5 year history. The Merchants' Fire Association manager, Charles H. Spencer, was an instigator of the efforts which lead to the founding of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company in 1907, its reinsuring of Merchants' Fire Association policies, and its purchase of Merchants' Fire Association's assets. Spencer also became the Secretary of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company, and was also the de facto manager until he was forced out during the struggles for control. The papers of the Merchants' Fire Association consist of those records which were required for the carryover of policies from one company to the other. Some Merchants' Fire Association policies extended for a sufficient length of time that they outlived the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company; as a consequence some of the Merchants' Fire Association papers are relevant to the liquidation claims made on the assets of the Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company., 1902-1907 Container(s) Description Dates Box 153 Contract transferring Merchants' Fire Association business to Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company 153 Reports on policies carried over to Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company 154 Cash Book 155 Re-insurance Ledger http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 9
156 Policies in force February, 1907 157 Checkbook 158 Policy Register 159 Agents Register 160 Collections Register Added Materials, March, 1975 Container(s) Description Dates Box 161 Re-Insurance Register 162 Index 163 Index, Losses and Misc. Claims 164 Index 165 Index 166 Index 167 Index Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Insurance companies--washington (State)--Seattle--Records and correspondence Insurance companies--washington (State)--Walla Walla--Records and correspondence Insurance, Fire --Washington (State)--History--Sources Corporate Names : Merchants' Fire Association --Archives (creator) Walla Walla Fire Insurance Company --Archives (creator) http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 10
Finding aid prepared by Lawrence R. Stark 2012 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West: http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/cc-attr.shtml http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv89947 11