Call Number
CWM Mss 14
Title
Gollmar Bros. Business Records, 1892-1916. (10 c.f. 10 boxes)
Historical Note
The Gollmar Brothers, cousins to the more famous Ringling Brothers, started their own circus in Baraboo with a moderate sized overland wagon circus in 1891. The business grew steadily until 1903 when the brothers switched to rail transportation. At its peak the show used up to 22 rail cars and became a major circus in the mid-west. The Gollmar Brothers operated the circus until 1916. During the winter season of 1916-1917 they sold off the equipment and leased the name to James Patterson of Paola, Kansas, a well known carnival operator. Patterson used the title of Gollmar Bros. and James Patterson Combined Circus for a single season, 1917.
For almost five years the title remained dormant. In early 1922 the Gollmar’s granted a 5 year lease of their title to Jerry Mugivan of the American Circus Corporation and was one of four operations run by Mugivan and his partners. In 1922 Frank Gollmar rejoined the show to head the advance department however the Gollmar title was shelved in 1923 in an effort to cut back on operational costs. After a brief revival of the title for the 1925 and 1925 the name was again shelved and in 1926 the lease with Mugivan ended and with it the last circus bearing the Gollmar name.
Scope and Content
The collection is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically and comprises of the business records of the Gollmar Bros. Circus during the years the brothers operated the show (1891-1916). The collection consists entirely of ledgers and does not contain records for the show’s first year, 1891, nor are there records for the years 1897-1899. Coverage of 1902, 1908, and 1911 is also very limited.
The company’s system of accounting seems to have changed over the years. As might be expected, as the size of the operation expanded, specialization in occupations became necessary. Where there was one payroll ledger in 1893, there are five in 1916.Canvas-men and hostlers were separated from other workmen in 1895. Property men were a separate department in 1896. In 1901 there were nine different payroll classifications, by 1916 there were nineteen.
When the Gollmar Bros. began using railroad transportation in 1903, a transportation classification was added, as was a ledger section for train porters. Paper Reports, ledgers detailing each day’s distribution of lithographs posters, curriers, heralds, and other advertisement materials sent to the show from the advance, exist for 1905 and most subsequent years. The earliest commissary ledger is 1909. In 1905 the brothers initiated a new set of records detailing the show’s profit and loss figures over and above the daily receipts records.
Presented by Viola Gollmar August 29, 1971
Container List
Box Vol.
Box 1 Vol. 1 Receipts and city expenses, 1892-1893
Box 1 Vol. 2 Payroll, 1893
Box 1 Vol. 3 Receipts and city expenses, 1893-1894
Box 1 Vol. 4 Payroll, 1894
Box 1 Vol. 5 Payroll, 1895
Box 1 Vol. 6-7 Payroll, 1896
Box 1 Vol. 8 Receipts and expenses, 1900
Box 1 Vol. 9 Daily Receipts and expenses, 1901
Box 1 Vol. 20 Daily Receipts and expenses, winter, 1901
Box 1 Vol. 10-12 Payroll, 1901
Box 1 Vol. 13 Payroll, 1902
Box 1 Vol. 14 Daily receipts and expenses, 1903
Box 1 Vol. 15-16 Payroll, 1903
Box 1 Vol. 17 Payroll, 1903-1904
Box 1 Vol. 18 Payroll, 1904
Box 2 Vol. 1-3 Payroll, 1904
Box 2 Vol. 4 City receipts and expenses, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 5-6 Payroll, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 7 General account, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 8-9 Lithograph records, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 10 Winter expenses, 1910-1912
Box 3 Vol. 1 City receipts and expenses, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 2 Equipment inventory, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 3-6 Payroll, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 7-8 Lithograph records, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 1 General receipts and expenses, 1907
Box 4 Vol. 2-3 Lithograph records 1907
Box 4 Vol. 4-7 Payroll, 1907
Box 4 Vol. 8 Store, 1907
Box 4 Vol. 9 General receipts and expenses, 1908
Box 5 Vol. 1 Payroll, 1908
Box 5 Vol. 2 Lithograph records, 1909
Box 5 Vol. 3-5 Payroll, 1909
Box 5 Vol. 6-7 Commissary, 1909-1910
Box 5 Vol. 8 Payroll, 1910-1916
Box 6 Vol. 1 Billing and cost of paper, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 2 Commissary, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 3 General accounts, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 4-6 Payroll, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 7 Receipts and expenses, 1910-1911
Box 6 Vol. 8 Receipts and expenses, 1910-1912
Box 6 Vol. 9 General expense, 1911
Box 6 Vol. 10 Receipts and expenses-local, 1911
Box 6 Vol. 11 Commissary, 1911-1914
Box 7 Vol. 1 Candy stand, 1912
Box 7 Vol. 2-6 Payroll, 1912
Box 7 Vol. 7 Privilege car, 1912
Box 7 Vol. 8 Paper and tents-bills paid, 1912-1914
Box 7 Vol. 9 Winter quarters expense, 1912-1916
Box 7 Vol. 10 Advance expense, 1913-1914
Box 8 Vol. 1-4 Payroll, 1913
Box 8 Vol. 5 Candy stand and lunch car, 1913-1914
Box 8 Vol. 6 Cash account, 1914
Box 8 Vol. 7-10 Payroll, 1914
Box 9 Vol. 1 Candy stand, privilege car and banner, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 2 Cash account, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 3 Cash book-advance, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 4 Commissary, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 5 General accounts, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 6-10 Payroll, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 10 Candy Stand, 1916
Box 9 Vol. 11 Advance, 1915-1916
Box 9 Vol. 12 Lithograph records, 1915-1916
Box 10 Vol.1 Billing reports, 1916
Box 10 Vol.2-3 Cash account, 1916
Box 10 Vol.4 Cash expense, 1916
Box 10 Vol.5 General account, 1916
Box 10 Vol.6-9 Payroll, 1916
CWM Mss 14
Title
Gollmar Bros. Business Records, 1892-1916. (10 c.f. 10 boxes)
Historical Note
The Gollmar Brothers, cousins to the more famous Ringling Brothers, started their own circus in Baraboo with a moderate sized overland wagon circus in 1891. The business grew steadily until 1903 when the brothers switched to rail transportation. At its peak the show used up to 22 rail cars and became a major circus in the mid-west. The Gollmar Brothers operated the circus until 1916. During the winter season of 1916-1917 they sold off the equipment and leased the name to James Patterson of Paola, Kansas, a well known carnival operator. Patterson used the title of Gollmar Bros. and James Patterson Combined Circus for a single season, 1917.
For almost five years the title remained dormant. In early 1922 the Gollmar’s granted a 5 year lease of their title to Jerry Mugivan of the American Circus Corporation and was one of four operations run by Mugivan and his partners. In 1922 Frank Gollmar rejoined the show to head the advance department however the Gollmar title was shelved in 1923 in an effort to cut back on operational costs. After a brief revival of the title for the 1925 and 1925 the name was again shelved and in 1926 the lease with Mugivan ended and with it the last circus bearing the Gollmar name.
Scope and Content
The collection is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically and comprises of the business records of the Gollmar Bros. Circus during the years the brothers operated the show (1891-1916). The collection consists entirely of ledgers and does not contain records for the show’s first year, 1891, nor are there records for the years 1897-1899. Coverage of 1902, 1908, and 1911 is also very limited.
The company’s system of accounting seems to have changed over the years. As might be expected, as the size of the operation expanded, specialization in occupations became necessary. Where there was one payroll ledger in 1893, there are five in 1916.Canvas-men and hostlers were separated from other workmen in 1895. Property men were a separate department in 1896. In 1901 there were nine different payroll classifications, by 1916 there were nineteen.
When the Gollmar Bros. began using railroad transportation in 1903, a transportation classification was added, as was a ledger section for train porters. Paper Reports, ledgers detailing each day’s distribution of lithographs posters, curriers, heralds, and other advertisement materials sent to the show from the advance, exist for 1905 and most subsequent years. The earliest commissary ledger is 1909. In 1905 the brothers initiated a new set of records detailing the show’s profit and loss figures over and above the daily receipts records.
Presented by Viola Gollmar August 29, 1971
Container List
Box Vol.
Box 1 Vol. 1 Receipts and city expenses, 1892-1893
Box 1 Vol. 2 Payroll, 1893
Box 1 Vol. 3 Receipts and city expenses, 1893-1894
Box 1 Vol. 4 Payroll, 1894
Box 1 Vol. 5 Payroll, 1895
Box 1 Vol. 6-7 Payroll, 1896
Box 1 Vol. 8 Receipts and expenses, 1900
Box 1 Vol. 9 Daily Receipts and expenses, 1901
Box 1 Vol. 20 Daily Receipts and expenses, winter, 1901
Box 1 Vol. 10-12 Payroll, 1901
Box 1 Vol. 13 Payroll, 1902
Box 1 Vol. 14 Daily receipts and expenses, 1903
Box 1 Vol. 15-16 Payroll, 1903
Box 1 Vol. 17 Payroll, 1903-1904
Box 1 Vol. 18 Payroll, 1904
Box 2 Vol. 1-3 Payroll, 1904
Box 2 Vol. 4 City receipts and expenses, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 5-6 Payroll, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 7 General account, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 8-9 Lithograph records, 1905
Box 2 Vol. 10 Winter expenses, 1910-1912
Box 3 Vol. 1 City receipts and expenses, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 2 Equipment inventory, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 3-6 Payroll, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 7-8 Lithograph records, 1906
Box 3 Vol. 1 General receipts and expenses, 1907
Box 4 Vol. 2-3 Lithograph records 1907
Box 4 Vol. 4-7 Payroll, 1907
Box 4 Vol. 8 Store, 1907
Box 4 Vol. 9 General receipts and expenses, 1908
Box 5 Vol. 1 Payroll, 1908
Box 5 Vol. 2 Lithograph records, 1909
Box 5 Vol. 3-5 Payroll, 1909
Box 5 Vol. 6-7 Commissary, 1909-1910
Box 5 Vol. 8 Payroll, 1910-1916
Box 6 Vol. 1 Billing and cost of paper, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 2 Commissary, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 3 General accounts, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 4-6 Payroll, 1910
Box 6 Vol. 7 Receipts and expenses, 1910-1911
Box 6 Vol. 8 Receipts and expenses, 1910-1912
Box 6 Vol. 9 General expense, 1911
Box 6 Vol. 10 Receipts and expenses-local, 1911
Box 6 Vol. 11 Commissary, 1911-1914
Box 7 Vol. 1 Candy stand, 1912
Box 7 Vol. 2-6 Payroll, 1912
Box 7 Vol. 7 Privilege car, 1912
Box 7 Vol. 8 Paper and tents-bills paid, 1912-1914
Box 7 Vol. 9 Winter quarters expense, 1912-1916
Box 7 Vol. 10 Advance expense, 1913-1914
Box 8 Vol. 1-4 Payroll, 1913
Box 8 Vol. 5 Candy stand and lunch car, 1913-1914
Box 8 Vol. 6 Cash account, 1914
Box 8 Vol. 7-10 Payroll, 1914
Box 9 Vol. 1 Candy stand, privilege car and banner, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 2 Cash account, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 3 Cash book-advance, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 4 Commissary, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 5 General accounts, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 6-10 Payroll, 1915
Box 9 Vol. 10 Candy Stand, 1916
Box 9 Vol. 11 Advance, 1915-1916
Box 9 Vol. 12 Lithograph records, 1915-1916
Box 10 Vol.1 Billing reports, 1916
Box 10 Vol.2-3 Cash account, 1916
Box 10 Vol.4 Cash expense, 1916
Box 10 Vol.5 General account, 1916
Box 10 Vol.6-9 Payroll, 1916