The Jack Daniels and Motlow paperwork
Paperwork... newspaper articals, older ads, checks and other distillery paper items from 1880 up to 1970. In this section of the Jack Daniels Collectors Page I will show you some cool items I found over the years. Not new stuff but some real old newspaper articals and other work. For some of you these items are known allready from different places here on the Jack Daniels Collectors Page. I have just placed them together and added some extra articals so you can find them again if you need it. Enjoy!
Mr Jack Daniels Signiature
I want to start this page with my number one item... the autograph of Mr. Jack Daniels himself. He owned this book and has written his name incl. his address where he lived back then on the frontpage of it. Check it out! It's dated Aug.26 1878, Mr. Jack Daniel's was 26 years old (!).
(click on the book for a close up)
The book is titled The Life and Explorations of David Livingstone, LL.D. by John S. Roberts including Extracts from Dr. Livingstone's Last Journal by Rev. E. A. Manning, Augusta ME: Published by E. C. Allen & Co. 1875. The book is in rough shape and shows its 129 year age. At this moment I am working on a COA (Certifucate of Authenticity) from the distillery.
So far I got these nice words from them: "I think it is undoubtedly a book that Jack Daniel owned. The ink and writing are very much in the style of the time. The book is typical of what might be read for pleasure at the time" by George Stone, laboratory manager at the Jack Daniel's Distillery (09/03/2003)
Court document dated June 9, 1890
The Reverand, Daniel Houston Call, ran a small general store and taught Jack the ropes of running a business. The Reverand also had a small still that he ran to supplement his income. After workin in the store for a year or so Jack started working at the still, and learned the art of making whiskey by the Lincoln county process, which is still used to this day at the Distillery in Lynchburg.
Anyway, enough of the history. This item is an official court document from Lynchburg, Tennessee that is dated, June 9, 1890. When closed the document measures about 3 x 5 inches.
The front of the document states that it is Magistrates Warrant no. 521, for the year of 1890. It goes on to show D. H. Call Plaintiff vs R. A. Foster Defendant. It then shows the date exectuted, time of the court date and the presiding Judge.
Jack Daniels signed distillery check (I) 1899
I got a couple of checks signed by Mr. Jack and a few signed by Lem Motlow. The first two are distillery-checks and I am not 100 % sure but it looks like they are signed by Mr. Jack him self. The one on the top is from 16 August 1899 and the one below is from 27 March 1899. Click the check for a close up.
Close up from Barrel 
Check was printed by the Brandan Printing Co. 309 Fifth Avenue, North Nashville. This company stopped in 1922.
Is this Mr. Jack Daniels signiature??
Jack Daniels signed distillery check (II)
Click check for close up
Lem Motlow Signed transportation sheet 1899
Another real old item is this transportation sheet signed by Lem Motlow or Mr Jack Daniel's...
Distillery letter/envelope used by Lem Motlow 1901
Original vintage letter and envelope written in May 1901 by Lem Motlow to his brother Felix Motlow who was in school at Vanderbilt in Nashville Tenn. Signed and dated by Lem sending Felix some money with instruction to give Tom $10.00 and that Clara is not doing "much good".
I made an extra close up from the prints on top of the letter. You don't see these letterheads and envelopes often.
Is this the famous "Belle of Lincoln" ?
Below you see the orginal envolpe used back in 1901 with a 2 cents stamp Mailed urly in the morning in Lynchburg and arrived later that same day in Nashville (see stamps).
Below a very nice price list from the Tennessee Distilling company in Evansville, Ind. You will find some cool Jack Daniels bottles on it for a reasonable price... I do not know if this is the same company as the Gunters Bros from Evansville, Ind.
(click on the price list for a close up)
(click on the price list for a close up)
This price list was send in a small envoloppe and it a free coupon in it as well! Both are pictured below.
Inheritance check of "Uncle" Jack Daniel's 1913
The next piece of history I bought on my last trip to the US, and what a piece! Below you see a check of $ 800.00 signed by Lem Motlow and Dick Daniel's (cousin of Mr. Jack and owner of the distillery when Mr. Jack Died). This check was part of the inheritance of "Uncle" Jack Daniel's to Mrs. Dora Stephens (who lived in Tullahoma back then). Dated 30 December 1912 and stamped/mailed in Lynchburg, TN.
Dick Daniel never showed the commitment Mr. Lem Motlow had for the distillery so Mr. Lem Motlow bought out Dick Daniel's share of the distillery before 1909. To own a signiature of Dick Daniel's is off course almost as rare as a signiature of Mr. Jack himself....
(click on the check for a close up)
With the check came this letter to Mrs. Dora Stephens explaning how much here "piece" of the Jack Daniel's inheritance was incl. the tax of $ 49.29.
On the backside of the letter someone has made a few notes with pencil. This could have been done by Mrs. Dora Stephens for administation reasons because she is talking about "uncle Jack" ... (?)
During the time between 1914, and up to about 1920, when the prohibition against Alcohol went nation wide, anyone who previously distilled alcohol in states where Probition had started, could not distill, distribute or sell there commodities in those states. To get around this little delima, they found that they could manufacture there goods and supply their customers through out of state distributors.
This is exactly what happened in Lynchburg at Jack Daniels distillery. This ad is a Brochure from The Tennessee Distilling co., Evansville, Indiana, which was one of the distributors of Jack daniels whiskey during this time.
This Brochure, which dates from 1914 to 1916, is for Jack Daniels Whiskey, along with about sixty other unusual brands of alcoholic beverages from the time.
When opened, the list of products start. There are about 70 in all. The list begins with, Tennessee Whiskies which include Belle of Lincoln, Old Privite Stock, Jack Daniels Old #7, Old Maxwell House, Special Tennessee Whiskey, among others.
The Jack Daniel Distilling co., Hopkinsville c.1916
This ad is a Brochure from The Jack Daniel Distilling co., Hopkinsville, Kentucky, which was one of the distributors of Jack Daniels whiskey during this time.
On the front, it depicts an eagle taking flight in front of an American flag with the saying, "UNDER ONE FLAG".and in the background BERNHEIM DISTILLERY, finest American Whiskeys.On the rear, the top reads JACK DANIEL DISTILLING CO. Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It is dated December, 20 1916 and signed F. M. Counts, Kelso, Tennessee.
Lem Motlow signed checks 1919-1943
The next 4 checks are all signed by Lem Motlow and they date between 1919 and 1943. There is a Lem Motlow printed check of 1919, a Lynchburg Hardware Store (!) check dated 1926, a Lem Motlow Mule and Grain check (!) and last but not least a Distillery check for just after prohibition ended. That last check was signed by Lem in 1943.
Lem Motlow check
Click check for close up
Lynchburg Hardware Store check
Click check for close up
Lem Motlow Mules and Grain check
Click check for close up
Jack Daniels Distillery (after prohibition) check
This is one of the first checks printed after prohitition. One real cool thing about this check it the word Distillery that is spelled "Distrillery" ! Ain't that cool! (Thanks to Ben Moller's for noticing it!)
Click check for close up
Lem Motlow signed (back side) checks
The next two "checks" are written and signed on the back side... I do not know who signed it.. they are both dated in 1927. They are signed to Mary's for a car?
Click check for close up
Click check for close up
Agreement June 1927
Another nice and old signed paper in my collection would be this agreement made between Lem Motlow and J.D. Boyd. Click on the "thumb Agreement picture" below and another window will open with the bigger and readable version of the agreement.
click the picture
Lem Motlow Nashville Times 1937
This is a real cool newspaper artical from 1937, The Nashville Times. It's an interview with Lem Motlow about the restart of the distillery after the prohibition. click on the paper and it will open a pdf screen with a good close up from the paper to read/or print. It's big so it might take some download time...
click the picture
Lem Motlow Nashville Tennessian 1937
Another cool paper artical would be this Nashville Tennessian from the same year. Again click the big picture for close ups.
click the picture
Best picture of this paper is absolute the barn picture below. See all those great old bottles just laying around as garbage! There is a fortune on that table.. if they only knew... I have been watching (and drooooowling) for hours at that picture! Love it...
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Fortune magazine july 1951
Fortune magazine is America's longest-running business magazine. Henry Luce founded the magazine in 1930. His publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner, the world's largest media conglomerate, before it was acquired by AOL in 2000. Fortune is especially known for its annual features ranking companies by revenue. In there issue of july 1951 they made a piece about the Jack Daniels Distilery and there ways of business.
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Click here for a PDF file of the artical. It's big (2.9 mb) and detailed and good enough for you to print your own version. Fortune 1951 |
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True Magazine 1954 Jack Daniels Special
Back in September 1954 the True came out with a special issue with a interview with the Motlow brothers. It was a 8 page filled story with full color pictures of an old distillery. Beautiful pictures. I found out that there are two specials printed. The magazine it self has about 124 pages and was sold for 25 cents. Later the printed the interview again and sold it seperate for 35 cents. Below an image of both specials. If you click the image on the left side you will get to see the magazine inside in PDF (it's a big file, 2.2 mb). Print it, save it... enjoy it!
Click for close up left picture
