Guide to the S. Straight & Co. records

History of S. Straight & Co.

S. Straight & Co., a cheese and butter manufacturing company, was founded in Hudson, Ohio by Seymour Straight and his son, W. B. Straight in 1867.

The S. Straight & Co. was founded in 1867 by Seymour Straight (1816-1896) and his son, W. B. Straight. Seymour Straight was born in Charlotte, Vermont in 1816 and spent most of his childhood in western New York and later moved with his family to northeastern Ohio. In 1845, he moved to Cincinnati and took a business education course at Bartlett's Commercial College. After working for a store for a few years, Seymour Straight borrowed money to start a produce commission business in Cincinnati. His business eventually led to a partnership with Judge William S. Deming, a cheese dealer in Ashtabula County. Deming and Straight founded "Straight, Deming & Co.," one of Straight's first forays into the cheese and butter commission business. In 1867, Seymour and his son, W. B. opened two cheese factories in Hudson, Ohio and established the S. Straight & Co. The Straights continued to buy factories, eventually operating over a dozen in the Hudson area. One of Straight's factories was housed in the old Pentagon building (demolished) on the corner of College and Aurora and another was housed in what now is known as Hayden Hall on the Western Reserve Academy campus. S. Straight & Co. produced and sold cheese all over the country until 1892. Throughout his career, Seymour Straight was also involved in politics and was an outspoken abolitionist. He later helped found Straight University (now: Dillard University) in New Orleans. For a full account of Straight's life, see: The Biographical Encyclopaedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century (Cincinnati and Philadelphia: Galaxy Publishing Company, 1876).

Scope and Content

The Straight & Co. records include one account book, a letter, two ledgers, and three journals, all detailing the various business transactions of the company. The collection also includes a price list for the Straight, Deming & Co.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research use.

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research use.

The Dillard University Archives and Special Collections in New Orleans owns records relating to the founding of Straight College (University), including correspondence between Seymour Straight and Rev. R. L. Hitchcock, President of Straight College. Hudson Library & Historical Society has photocopies of the correspondence, kept in the Straight vertical file.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

[Item name, Item date], S. Straight & Co. records, Hudson Library & Historical Society

Acquisition Information

The S. Straight & Co. records were donated by the Rideout family (accession nos. 65-578, 65-579, 65-580, and 65-581).

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Polly Reynolds in 2009.

Detailed Description of The Collection