Letter, William Gleason to Kate Gleason
A letter to Kate Gleason from her father, William Gleason. William acknowledges Kate’s decision to stay at Cornell until the end of the present term and reassures her that the business will survive until then. He tells her that he has sold two gear planers, one to the United States government for the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois and the other to a company in Dayton, OH. When she gets home from college, he plans to have her take over all of the office business correspondence. He restates his feelings of optimism that he, Kate, and James can make the company profitable again within the year, at which point, he says she can resume her studies.
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Office of
William Gleason,
Manufacturer of
Machinists’ Tools,
10 Brown’s Race
Rochester, N.Y., May 14th 1885
Dear Daughter
Your kind letter is received
an in reply I will say that it is my
wish to have you stay there untill
the end of the present term. My capitol
is not impaired I could pay two dollars
for every one that I owe but then if
I was called upon to do so I could not
pay my present indebtedness without
sacrificing things on account of there
being know market. My only chance
is to hoble along untill the times improve
and then insted of Building and buying
machinery as I had to do before, simply
pay up the debt. Mr. Irwin settled the
interest with me for the year ending
May 1st 85 at 8 per c so you see it is
not so bad. With you and Jim to work
I am sure we will make up this year what
Shrinkage & Loss toock out Last year. I am going
as soon as you are home to give over
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the office business correspondence and
all to you, and I will put Mr. Burghardt
to running the gear cutters. I am going
to run the shop myself, and with the
three of us to work I will feel more encouraged
and am confident that one year will
place me all right, when you can
resume your studies. You did not
state about how mutch cash you
will require to finish the term and leave
in good shape. do so at once.
Yours & c Wm. Gleason
I have sold a 48” Planer to
Parties in Dayton O and a 72”
Gear Planer to the United States
Government for there Arsenel at
Rock Island Ill. you may remember
Col [illegible] wrote about it years
ago, he himself came here, and ordered
he is a West Pointer and a Mechanical
Engineer and he writes pretty near as
good a hand as I do.
Wm. G