For at least twenty years prior to the formation of this Society, there were men in this country interested in the collection of records pertaining to the history of the railroads. Many of them the writer knew by personal acquaintance or through the medium of correspondence. With the Great War came the high price of scrap paper, and the railroads seized this opportunity of disposing of many of their old records in such fashion. Realizing that the individual could do but little toward the preservation of these records, two close friends, living in or near Boston, together with the writer, formed this Society.

The eastern merchant who dealt with the West in the early nineteenth century was faced with many problems. But the western merchant was still worse off. Both sets of difficulties, particularly those of the latter, are illustrated in the correspondence between Christian Shultz and his various partners, of Maysville, Kentucky, and the metal-selling firm of Nathan Trotter & Co., of Philadelphia. These letters are found in the Trotter collection in the Baker Library.

An interesting chapter in the currency history of this country is called to mind by one original document and several photostatic copies of original documents concerning the Merchants' Note scheme of 1733, found in the archives of the Society.