Repository

Heinz History Center

Title

James J. Ferrigan Papers

Creator

Ferrigan, James J.

Collection Number

MSS 918

Extent

2 linear ft. linear feet (2 boxes)

Date

1890-1929

Abstract

James J. Ferrigan was the owner of the J.J. Ferrigan Co., a shoe company in Pittsburgh, Pa., as well as the president of the City Bank of McKeesport, a city councilman, and the treasurer of the Knights of Columbus, Council #955. The James J. Ferrigan Papers includes ledgers and inventories from his shoe business; bylaws and minutes of the Wild Furniture Co., of which he was a stockholder; as well as correspondence and financial records from his time as treasurer of the Knights of Columbus.

Language

The material in this collection is in English.

Author

The guide to this collection was written by Nick Hartley.

Sponsor

This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.

Publisher

Heinz History Center

Address

1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

James J. Ferrigan was born on November 19, 1865, in Philadelphia, Pa., where he attended St. Peters School until the age of fifteen. He left his studies to take a position in the National Tube Works, where he remained for nearly ten years. Ferrigan married Annie Becker in 1887, and then moved to McKeesport, Pa., where he embarked in the retail shoe business, establishing the J.J. Ferrigan Co., a shoe dealership located on Fifth Ave. in Pittsburgh. He owned and operated J.J. Ferrigan Co. from 1890 to 1910, during which time he served as president of the City Bank of McKeesport, a McKeesport councilman (from 1892 to 1894), and a stockholder in Wild Furniture Co. He also served as the treasurer of the Knights of Columbus, Council #955, from 1907 to 1911. After leaving the shoe business in 1910, he became president and general manager of the Skelly Department Store in McKeesport, Pa.

Scope and Content Notes

The James J. Ferrigan Papers consist of ledgers, inventories, correspondence, bills, checks, and other financial documents, such as certificates of company stock. Much of the material pertains to Ferrigan's shoe business, the J.J. Ferrigan Co., including 3 large ledgers and eight small inventory notebooks. Also included are Ferrigan's correspondence, receipts, and bills pertaining to his role as treasurer of the Knights of Columbus, Council #955. The remaining material concerns Ferrigan's personal finances, such as a life insurance policy and a note to himself for $2100 secured by stock in the J.J. Ferrigan Co.; documents relating to the Wild Furniture Co., such as a 1903 report of capital stock and a book of applications, bylaws, and minutes.

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Peter Kemp in 1993.

Archives accession # 1993.0001

Preferred Citation

James J. Ferrigan Papers, 1890-1929, MSS 918, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Nick Hartley on 02/13/2013.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

Corporate Names

• J.J. Ferrigan Company.

Geographic Names

• McKeesport (Pa.)

Other Subjects

• Knights of Columbus.
• Shoe industry--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.

Container List