All the minutes of the new Vegetable Growers Supply Co. were handwritten by J. B. Molitor himself. As I read these minutes more than 100 years removed from their original writing in 1918 and 1919, I have come to learn J. B.’s formulaic but in some places idiosyncratic use of language, including his very consistent misspellings of a few words and the peculiarities of his cursive letter forms. It’s a window into the past and a style of writing no longer used and the style contrasts sharply with today’s notes and minutes even more so in its handwritten form. The pen is far less forgiving and correctable than the computer and its software and thus requires more concentration.

But not all the company’s minutes are handwritten. The minutes and documents related to the initial issuance of initial stocks and in this case, the expansion of capital stock from $25,000 ($400,000) to $75,000 ($1.2 million) are typed. Lawyers are involved and the business seems more serious. The initial round of shares sold in November 1919 and since sold totaled about 494 at $50 a share or nearly all of the $25,000 initial offering. J. P. Smith needed shareholder approval to raise more capital.

So J. P Smith called the directors to order at special board meeting on February 22, 1919 at 8 pm at the company’s office at 1815 Birchwood Avenue, Chicago, IL (north of Touhy Ave and West of Clark Street in Rogers Park). All the board members were present (J. P. Smith, Joseph Rengel, P. F. Dilger, John B. Molitor, Michael Leider, Anthony Kurtz, Frank Herff, Henry Didier, Matt Hoffman, Ferdinand Kutz and Nicholas Platz).

The board proposed a motion to hold a special meeting of all the stockholders on Saturday, April 12, 1919 at 7 pm to vote on the threefold expansion of capital. This meeting will require public notification required by law. This motion and the preamble regarding the board members present are typed, as they relate to the expansion of capital. The rest of the minutes are handwritten, indicating that J. P. Smith had the necessary resolution drawn up before the special board meeting.

After proposing, but not yet approving this resolution, the board moved on to other important business: to set the prices of the boxes to be manufactured. The boxes from the first shipment of lumber were set at $45 per 1,000 boxes, or about 72 cents per box in today’s dollars. The prices for lettuce boxes nailed up was set at $57.50 per 1,000 or about 92 cents per box in today’s dollars. (I am not certain what prevailing box prices were at the time and am still researching this!)

The board then agreed to hire a bookkeeper for J. P. Smith at the cost of $18 per week ($288) and to purchase fire liability insurance for the two trucks, a one-ton truck and a two-ton truck. The liability caps are $1,300 ($20,800) and $1,700 ($27,200) respectively. The board also approved taking out workers compensation insurance for up to $100 a week in payroll ($1,600) and for the president to insure the shop, the nailing machines (more on that in a future post) and boxes against fire.

And of course the last order of business, after clearing pricing and insurance needs, was to approve the resolution for the shareholder meeting in increase capital stock. That motion was made by Robert F. Dilger, seconded by Henry Didier and passed. Interestingly enough, I can detect a sort of passing around the responsibility for making and seconding motions as nearly all the board members found their way into the minutes.

Knowing that the number two occupation for Luxembourgers in Chicago behind working in a greenhouse was most likely serving as a barkeep, the one unresolved question, unanswerable from the minutes is whether alcoholic libations (beer) was consumed before or after the meeting. The oral tradition I received was that drinking occurred generally before. However I cannot confirm that through a close examination of J. B. Molitor’s handwriting and no mention is ever made in any minutes.

Perhaps J. B. Molitor did not drink. Or he was very practiced at it.