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Hennessy Company records, 1889-1941

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hennessy Company (Mont.)
Title
Hennessy Company records
Dates
1889-1941 (inclusive)
Quantity
48 linear feet
Collection Number
MC 228 (collection)
Summary
The Hennessy Company was a mercantile business in Butte, Montana, that operated in conjunction with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Branch stores were later established around the state. Records include financial records (1889-1947), legal documents (1905-1918), and a record of court proceedings (1910-1929). There are subgroups of records for the Centerville Branch store (1913-1917), the Butte Wholesale Grocery Company (1916-1924), the Copper City Commercial Company, of Anaconda (1896-1931), the Dominant Motor Company (1918-1920), the M.J. Connell Company (1920-1931), and the MacCallum and Cloutier Mercantile Company, of Anaconda (1910-1923).
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

Daniel J. Hennessy was born in Frederickton, New Brunswick, Canada, in September 1854. After leaving school at the age of 13 he worked at a grocery store and later a dry goods store. In 1879, he moved to Montana Territory and settled in Butte where he worked for the E.L. Bonner and Company store under the management of Michael J. Connell. In 1886, he opened his own store, across the corner of Main and Granite from his old employer. In 1889, it was incorporated as the D.J. Hennessy Mercantile Company. In about 1900 the Company built a large new store, which became the most complete department store in the northwest, and operated in close conjunction with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. After Hennessy's death on January 27, 1908, the business was reorganized with part of the business continuing under the name Hennessy Mercantile Company, and a new holding company called The Hennessy Company being formed to acquire other stores and conduct a wider business. Eventually the Hennessy Mercantile Company expired. In the early 1910s all of the stock of The Hennessy Company was acquired by H.B. Claflin and Company of New York, a mercantile holding company. In 1914 this company went bankrupt and in doing so wrote notes on the assets of the Hennessy Company. To protect the Butte business, local manager C.J. Kelly got himself appointed receiver of the company and of Claflin's other Butte area stores; the M.J. Connell Company, the Copper City Commercial Company, and the MacCallum and Cloutier Mercantile Company. After the receivership closed in April 1915, these companies continued to be administered by Hennessy's.

Around 1890 Michael J. Connell reorganized E.L. Bonner and Company under his own name and in 1892 incorporated as the M.J. Connell Company. After M.J. Connell left Montana, Daniel Coleman took over management of the store. In 1914 as part of the Hennessy receivership the store effectively merged with Hennessy's. In January 1924 the merger became formalized and Connell's went out of business.

To serve the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's smelter town of Anaconda, D.J. Hennessy opened a branch there in 1890. Around 1894 the name was changed to the Copper City Commercial Company. This company, and its rival the MacCallum and Cloutier Mercantile Company (opened in 1887 by A.C. MacCallum, Charles A. MacCallum, and Augustin P. Cloutier and incorporated in 1902), were both merged into the Hennessy Company as a result of the receivership.

The Butte Wholesale Grocery Company was founded in August 1905 by James S. Casey, Charles E. Virden, A.P. Henningsen, and others. During the 1910s the company was operated as part of the Hennessy Company. On December 31, 1923, Hennessy's sold its interest in the Company to the Ryan Wholesale Company. Its name was changed in 1935 to the Ryan-Butte Company, and in 1959 to the Ryan Grocery Company.

Nothing is known about the Dominant Motor Company except that it operated an automobile and truck business at 55 West Granite in Butte, during the late 1910s. It was not formally incorporated.

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Content Description

Records of the Hennessy Company, and its predecessors the D.J. Hennessy Mercantile Company and the Hennessy Mercantile Company, consist largely of financial records, predominantly during the 1910s to 1920s. Also included are a register (1910-1929) of court cases involving the Company, and agreements (1905-1910, 1917-1918) concerning lease/purchase of home furnishings.

There are subgroups of financial records for the Company's Centerville Branch (1913-1917), Butte Wholesale Grocery Company (1916-1924), the Copper City Commercial Company (1896-1931), the Dominant Motor Company (1918-1920), the M.J. Connell Company (1920-1931), and the MacCallum and Cloutier Mercantile Company (1910-1923).

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by subgroup and series. Some material housed in Manuscript Volumes. NOTE: Volumes are not arranged on shelves in numerical order, refer to volume listing posted on shelves to determine location of certain volume.

Location of Collection

12:5-7

Location of Collection

146:1-7 (volumes)

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Automobile industry and trade--Montana--Butte
  • Furniture industry and trade--Montana--Butte
  • Grocery trade--Montana--Butte
  • Retail trade--Montana--Anaconda
  • Retail trade--Montana--Butte
  • Wholesale trade--Montana--Butte

Corporate Names

  • Hennessy Company (Mont.) (creator)

Geographical Names

  • Anaconda (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Butte (Mont.)--Commerce
  • Centerville (Silver Bow County, Mont.)

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 1991
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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