Stock and Legal Records
name: label: Names
content: Sohmer, Frank
label: Names
content: Sommer, Sebastian
label: Collection Author
content: Falcone Custom Grand Pianos
label: Collection Donor
content: Pratt, Read and Company
label: Collection Creator
content: Sohmer & Company
topic: label: Topic
content: Piano makers -- Litigation
label: Topic
content: Piano makers
label: Topic
content: Piano makers -- Salaries
label: Topic
content: Licenses
label: Topic
content: Contracts
setName: label: See more items in
content: Sohmer & Co. Records
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1882 - 1985
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0349, Series 1
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Agreements
label: Type
content: Letters patent
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Legal documents
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Agreements
label: Genre/Form
content: Letters patent
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 1930-1950
label: Genre/Form
content: Legal documents
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Stock Records for Sohmer & Co. consist of two stock certificate books, dating from 1940 to 1955.  The Legal Records, dating from 1882 to 1985 are arranged chronologically.  Included are the letters patent for inventions in the piano industry.  The legal records also include a 1936 license agreement with Pratt, Read & Co., as well as a series of agreements between Harry Sohmer and his cousin Frank in regard to salaries for the years 1932 1934.  Perhaps the most colorful event in Sohmer's history was the complaint filed by Hugo Sohmer and Josef Kuder against the Sebastian Sommer Piano Company in 1894.  Additional information about this complaint is found in the publications about Sohmer (Series 11) which include the stenographic transcript of the hearings as reported by the Musical Courier. The series also includes records of the litigation Kahn vs. Sohmer, and correspondence between the Sohmer Company and its lawyers, Briesen and Schrenk, from 1930 to 1936, as well as a copy of Hugo Sohmer's will of 1911.