Henry B. Joy Historical Research (Organization)
- Henry B. Joy Historical Research records, ca. 1812-1937.
- 27 linear ft., 2 oversize volumes, and 2 oversize folders.
The Henry B. Joy Historical Research was an organization of professional researchers established by Henry B. Joy to gather material, to do historical research, and to produce biographical studies first of James F. Joy, Detroit attorney and railroad entrepreneur, and second, of Abraham Lincoln.The records consist primarily of photostatic copies and typescripts of original documents.
Within the first series of the collection, James F. Joy papers (8 linear ft.) is found about 5 linear feet of business correspondence, relating in part to the various railroads Joy was associated with, including Michigan Central, Illinois Central, Chicago and Aurora, Central Military Tract, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Burlington & Missouri River, Hannibal & St. Joseph, Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs, Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf, Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston, and Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific. The second series in the collection, Railroad Enterprises (8.5 linear ft. and 2 oversize volumes), is the material accumulated by the Joy research organization pertaining to James F. Joy's activities as a railroad entrepreneur. This series is composed of nine subseries relating to eight railroads or railroad groupings and one general topical file of research information. The railroad subseries include: Michigan Central Railroad, Illinois Central Railroad, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, Burlington &Missouri River Railroad, Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, and Kansas City and Cameron Railroad. The two railroad groupings are for the subsidiaries of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and those railroad lines known as the River Roads. The River Roads included the Chicago, Clinton & Dubuque, the Clinton and Dubuque, the Dubuque and Minnesota, the Chicago, Dubuque & Minnesota, and the Chicago, Clinton and Minnesota. In 1846, Joy and an associate, John W. Brooks,purchased the Michigan Central Railroad line from the state of Michigan. Brooks later became a director of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and president and director of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. The John W. Brooks series (4.5 linear ft.) consists of copied business correspondence.