Forbes K. Merkley collection
Scope and Contents
The Forbes K. Merkley collection contains materials relating to the For-Mar Farms and Merkley’s livestock. Included are letters of congratulations to Merkley for his prize-winning cattle, photographs, newspaper clippings and articles. There is also a magazine printed by an association of which his wife was a member. In the articles she is mentioned for her charitable donation of For-Mar farm to Genesee County.
Dates
- Creation: 1948 - 1970
Creator
- Merkley, Forbes K. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.
Biographical Note
Forbes K. Merkley originally served as the president and manager of the Genesee Dairy Company from 1929 until it ceased operations in 1973. Both he and his wife, Martha, owned a large amount of land in Genesee County which they continued to expand. They eventually began farming operations and called the farm, For-Mar, which is named for Martha. During its operation For-Mar produced many prize-winning cattle. Most specifically, Minnow Creek Eden Repeat, was one of Merkley’s most prized cows and Merkley subsequently appeared in many magazines and articles due to his success. In 1970, the Merkleys’ donated For-Mar Farm to Genesee County as the For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum.
Extent
0.25 Cubic Feet (, 6 folders)
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
A gift of William Messina.
Legal Status
Copyright: Donor(s) have transferred any applicable copyright to Michigan State University but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright was not transferred. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Property Rights: Michigan State University
Subject
- For-Mar-Farms (Organization)
- Title
- Forbes K. Merkley Collection
- Status
- 4 Published And Cataloged
- Author
- J. Russell
- Date
- September 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the University Archives and Historical Collections Repository
Conrad Hall
943 Conrad Road, Room 101
East Lansing MI 48824 US
517-355-2330
archives@msu.edu