Tolley baking records

1887-1979

The collection include recipes, recipe notebooks, baking industry magazines and publications, photographs, conference reports, two manuscripts, product promotional materials, and a small amount of correspondence and clippings documenting the careers of the family in the commercial baking industry (particularly John W. Tolley and his son, Albert E. Tolley). The records span from 1887 to 1977.

At the heart of the collection are the nine recipe notebooks, each containing hundreds of mostly industrial-sized handwritten and/or typed recipes for bread and other baked goods. Three of the notebooks belonged to John W. Tolley when he was employed by the Ward Baking Company and date from ca. 1903-1910; one is undated.

Four recipe notebooks belonged to Albert E. Tolley and span from 1924 to 1977. The notebook titled Cakes contains typed recipes with a numbered index of baking companies in the front, indicating from which company the recipe came (ca. 1930s). An untitled notebook dates from when Albert E. Tolley worked for Joe Lowe Corporation (1954-1977; bulk dates 1964-1967).

There are two additional recipe notebooks whose ownership is unclear: The Fleischmann Travelling School for Bakers [cover title], (The Fleischmann Company, July 1933), and an untitled notebook containing fifteen sets of recipes for bread and desserts published in Baking Industry Magazine (1961-1962).

Of particular note are the product promotional materials for Tip-Top Bread and Starlet Bread. These include volvelle games for Tip-Top Bread: "Know Your U.S.A.," "Tip-Top Questions and Answers," "Principal Bridges of the U.S.A.," "The Flag of the United States of America – When and How to Display'Old Glory'," an artist's "palette" advertising Tip-Top Bread, and "Ward's Tip-Top Bread" red, white and blue embroidered fabric patches.

A packet prepared for Albert E. Tolley, V.P. (General Baking Company), for the launch of Starlet Bread, a special formula dark bread, describes the plan for the Starlet Luncheon at The Hotel Park-Lane, October 9th, 1952. Included are a press release, clipping and photos—one of Joy Bennett, "most typical of Starlet bread." The photo caption sheet relates how a "giant replica of the bread was literally brought to life by models who emerged from the loaf while Milton Cross narrated a'Symphony of Progress,' a symbolic description of the birth and growth of General Baking and the baking industry."

Also among the records are several conference reports and booklets for the Ward Baking Company and Continental Baking Company (1924-1953). Booklets include How Much Do You Know About Bread? (American Bakers Association, 1953) and The Stars Guide You, a booklet with horoscopes to tie-into the "star end wrapper" of Tip-Top Bread (undated).

Materials relating to John Walter Tolley span from 1887 to 1954 and include loose handwritten recipes for bread, rolls, cakes, Instructions for Using Arkady Yeast Food - Straight Dough Method in War Breads, and recipes written on all manner of paper and forms, and other ephemera. Materials relating to Albert E. Tolley range from 1941 to 1977 and contain an American Society of Bakery Engineers membership certificate, 1965 and two manuscripts. One is a speech given in Philadelphia by Albert E. Tolley on the baking industry, March 14, 1977; the other appears to be his resumé, 1919-1977. There is also an obituary from The Montclair Times (N.J.), December 29, 1977. Of note is a letter and ink caricature of Tolley by Nino Falanga with a letter from Baking Industry Magazine, October 26, 1955.

There are also ca. 20 photographs of Albert E. Tolley, John W. Tolley, William B. Ward, baking company plants, products, and employees, including the Ward Baseball Team (ca. 1920s-1941). Also included are photos by Brown Brothers, as well as Irving Underhill photographs of the Tolley Cake Company, New York City plant and products (undated).

Seven bakery industry magazines with articles written by or including a Tolley family member are also found in the collection and span from 1933 to 1967. The small amount of correspondence (1905-1972) includes a letter from Albert E. Tolley to Ward Baking Company managers including Paradise Fruit Cake instructions, August 28, 1945.

Among the loose materials is an Ebinger Baking Company stock certificate belonging to Emelie Tolley (Albert E. Tolley's daughter, 1972). Included with some materials are handwritten cards identifying them, probably written by Emelie Tolley.