NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG3463.AM: Charles Marion Fuller, Jr., 1874-1940
Papers: 1898-1974
Angus, Nuckolls County, Neb.: Automobile manufacturer
Size: 1 box; 0.25 cu.ft.
BACKGROUND NOTE
Charles Marion Fuller, Jr. was born in Forest City, Illinois in 1874. In 1898, at the age of 24, Fuller built his first automobile…the first built in Nebraska. Fuller established the Angus Automobile Company in Angus, Nebraska, in 1907 by selling shares at $10.00 each. The most popular of the Angus factory’s cars was a four-cylinder, Model A touring car. A roadster with the same specifications as the touring car was also available. A runabout Model C was also featured. In 1908 a group of Omaha businessmen offered to buy the company for $100 per share. Fuller consented but the other stockholders wanted to keep the company. Fuller then left the company, which led to its demise. In 1915 Fuller moved to southern California where he continued to design machines. He designed a machine to mine desert gold without the use of water and tractors for the firms of Cousins, Twin Cities, and Trundaar. Charles Marion Fuller, Jr. died in 1940.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of one box of manuscript material arranged in five series: 1) Correspondence, 1909, 1972 and 1974; 2) Personal and Family History, 1808-1940; 3) Facsimiles, Advertisements, and Photos of Angus Automobile Factory, 1898-1974; 4) Interviews; Beilharz-Ringer, 1972 and 1974; and 5) Printed Matter, 1933-1974. This collection relates to the life and career of Charles Marion Fuller, Jr.
Series 1 includes photocopies of Fuller’s letters to his fiancee, Sophie Hugg; correspondence between Fuller’s daughter Frances Fuller Beilharz, and Fuller’s sister, Bernice Fuller, concerning the history of the Angus Automobile Company (photocopies) and correspondence between Mrs. Beilharz and the NSHS concerning the collection. Series 2 consists of a summary of Fuller’s genealogy and career. Series 3 contains photos (photocopies) and advertisements depicting the Fuller car, Fuller’s own drawing of the car and his floor plan of the Angus Automobile Company factory. Photocopies are stored with the collection. Series 4 consists of the transcriptions of Mrs. Beilharz’s interviews with Mr. Ray Ringer in 1972 and 1974. Mr. Ringer owned a restored Fuller car. Series 5 consists of printed matter. It includes magazine articles dealing with Fuller’s inventions and machine designs and newspaper clippings recalling the days of the Angus Automobile Company.
Note: See the photo component [RG3463.PH] for images of the Angus Automobile Company factory and the Fuller car. See the audio component [RG3463.AU] for the original cassette tape interviews of Ray Ringer. See the NSHS Library Catalog for additional Fuller family genealogical material. A replica of the Fuller car’s rear emblem is on deposit with the Nebraska History Museum along with additional advertisements.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – Correspondence, 1909, 1972 and 1974
Box 1
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- Correspondence, 1909, 1974 and 1975
Series 2 – Personal and Family History, 1808-1940
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- Fuller genealogy, 1808-1940
Information on career of C.M. Fuller
- Fuller genealogy, 1808-1940
Series 3 – Facsimiles, Advertisements, and Photos of Angus Automobile Factory, 1898-1974
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- 1898-1974
Series 4 – Interviews; Beilharz-Ringer, 1972 and 1974
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- Interview transcripts, 1972 and 1974
Series 5 – Printed Matter, 1933-1974
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- 1933, 1961, 1965-1974
ADDED ENTRIES:
Angus Automobile Company (Angus, Neb.)
Angus (Neb.) — History
Automobiles
Buckeye Manufacturing Company (Anderson, Indiana)
Fuller, Charles Marion, Jr., 1874-1940
Inventions — Nebraska
Inventors — Nebraska
Lambert Car
St. Louis Motor Coach Company (St. Louis, Mo.)
JEP/cy 06-01-1976
Encoded TMM 04-06-2010