Thornton Family Companies Sugar Industry Collection
Collection 545
Thornton Family Companies. Sugar Industry Collection, 1933-2013
1 foot; oversize
The Thornton Grab and Derrick Works was founded by John Adelbert Thornton in 1898 in McDonoghville. The company built sugar cane storage derricks, with Thornton designing the equipment himself. After the Great Depression, operations moved to Jeanerette, where it is now under Jeanerette Sugar Co-Operative.
This collection contains sugar industry materials from the Thornton Family Companies. These include endorsement letters regarding machinery invention, photographs, publications and machinery blueprints and sketches.
Lyman E. “Butch” Thornton, former operator of the business, donated the collection.
Series:
| A. | Letters | 1-01 through 1-07 | ||
| B. | General Records | 1-08 through 1-13 | ||
| C. | Publications | 1-14 through 1-17 | ||
| D. | Photographs | |||
| 1. | People | 1-18 through 1-19 | ||
| 2. | Equipment | 1-20 through 1-31 | ||
| E. | Oversize | Map Case 16-12 | ||
Inventory:
| Box 1 | ||||
| A. Letters | ||||
| 1-01 | Endorsement Letters Re: Thornton Cane Harvester, 1946-1967 | |||
| 1-02 | Endorsement Letters Re: Thornton Cane Grab and Cane Loader, 1933-1965 | |||
| 1-03 | Endorsement Letters Re: Cane Combine, 1958 | |||
| 1-04 | Endorsement Letters Re: Thornton Windrowing Attachment, 1938-1939 | |||
| 1-05 | Endorsement Letters Re: Crank-type Cane Pliers, 1955 | |||
| 1-06 | Licensure Letter Re: Thornton Detrasher-Loader Components, 1970-1971 | |||
| 1-07 | Miscellaneous Letters, 1953, 1968, 2003 | |||
| B. General Records | ||||
| 1-08 | Invoice, 2005, 2013 | |||
| 1-09 | History of Thornton, Grab and Derrick Works and Thornton Derrick & Equipment Co., Inc. (1 of 2) | |||
| 1-10 | History of Thornton, Grab and Derrick Works and Thornton Derrick & Equipment Co., Inc. (2 of 2) | |||
| 1-11 | Blueprints/Machinery Sketches – Foundation Reinforcing for Thornton 10-ton 50-ft. Self-Supporting Derrick; D-918-A, 1959 | |||
| 1-12 | Patents, 1906-1968 | |||
| 1-13 | Cutting Cane | |||
| C. Publications | ||||
| 1-14 | Newspaper Clippings | |||
| 1-15 | National Geographic Magazine – Vol. CXIII, No. 4, pg. 531, April 1958 | |||
| 1-16 | Miscellaneous Publications | |||
| 1-17 | Website Printout – White Oak Plantation, 2007 | |||
| D. Photographs | ||||
| 1. People | ||||
| 1-18 | Lyman E. Thornton, Sr. | |||
| 1-19 | Thornton Workers | |||
| 2. Equipment | ||||
| 1-20 | Cane Combine | |||
| 1-21 | Cane Cutter | |||
| 1-22 | Cane Cutter | |||
| 1-23 | CC Export | |||
| 1-24 | CM Stubble Shaver/Cane Rake | |||
| 1-25 | Cane Wagon | |||
| 1-26 | Derrick and Grabs and Others | |||
| 1-27 | Derrick and Grabs and Others | |||
| 1-28 | General Fields | |||
| 1-29 | Loader | |||
| 1-30 | Loader – Cane Loader | |||
| 1-31 | Muletor | |||
| Map Case 16-12 | ||||
| 1. Publications | ||||
| 1. | Acadiana Lifestyle – New Iberia, LA, 14 November 1976 | |||
| 2. | Advertisement Photocopy of Thornton Grab & Derrick Works | |||
| 2. Sketch | ||||
| 1. | Letter and Sketch: St. Mary Sugar Cooperative – Installation in Each of Two Thornton Derricks | |||
| 3. Blueprints | ||||
| 1. | Centner Section Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick Mast; D770E, July 1947 | |||
| 2. | Tower for Thornton 1947 Self-Supporting Derrick; D764E, July 1947 | |||
| 3. | Mast Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D769E, July 1947 | |||
| 4. | Tower Details Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D-783-E, August 1947 | |||
| 5. | Layout of Beams for Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick Boom; D785E, August 1947 | |||
| 6. | Layout of Beams for Mast on Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D-771-E, August 1947 | |||
| 7. | Mast Details Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D776E, September 1947 | |||
| 8. | Detail of Plate “G” Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick Mast; D789D, September 1947 | |||
| 9. | Mast Details Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D777E, October 1947 | |||
| 10. | Thrust Roller Rocker Arm Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D794E, November 1947 | |||
| 11. | Foundation Details Thornton Self-Supporting Derrick; D710E, January 1948 | |||
| 12. | Foundation Details Thornton 10-Ton 60-ft. Self-Supporting Derrick; D-917-F, February 1950 | |||
| 13. | Rear Thrust Roller Journal Thornton 60 ft.-10-Ton Self-Supporting Derrick; D-923-D, March 1950 | |||
| 14. | Front Thrust Roller Cam Adjusting Assem. – 60 ft. 10-Ton Self-Supporting Derrick; D-925-D, March 1950 | |||
| 15. | Thrust Roller Pins for 60 ft. 10-Ton Self-Supporting Derrick; D-924-D, March 1950 | |||
| 16. | Back Side Frames for Steam Hoist on Thorn Self-Supporting 6-Ton Derrick (Grand-Anse); D-933-D, April 1950 | |||
| 17. | Air Compressor Drive for Steam Hoist on Thornton Self-Supporting 6-Ton Derrick; D-941-D, May 1950 | |||
| 18. | Vertical Boom Supports; D-972-D, July 1950 | |||
| 19. | Cane Loader Grab Cyl. Ridgefield-Serise; CL-26, July 1955 | |||
| 20. | Foundation Details Thornton 10-Ton 50-ft. Self-Supporting Derrick; D-917-F, February 1959 | |||
| 21. | Self-Supporting Tower for Export – W 0311-1 | |||