| COLLECTION INFORMATION | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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The partnership between John Louis Needham and Frank Speir Aikman in 1912, resulted the Mahdeen Company. The Mahdeen Company manufactured and sold hair tonic called "Mahdeen for Dandruff". The formula for the tonic was obtained by Mr. Needham, a Nacogdoches barber shop operator. Mr. Aikman, a traveling salesman originally from New York, was inspired by the product to provide financial backing, leading to the partnership of the two men.
In 1918 J. L. Needham died and eventually his heirs, Conrad Needham and Mrs. Mary Tom Weyman, received even shares of his stock in the company. Between 1931-1933, three serious complaints resulting from the use of the Mahdeen product were reported. Many of the papers included in this collection relate to the complaints.
In 1939 F. S. Aikman died, and in 1941 W. A. Mize, B. H. Mize, and E. C. Best purchased The Mahdeen Company. In 1965, the company was bought by a firm in Dallas which continued to sell the Mahdeen tonic under Mahdeen Laboratories.
B-53, [326 Items]
Box 1
Folder 1: Mahdeen Company partnership contracts, 1912-1915. 2 items.
Folder 2: Supplementary agreement between Needham and Aikman, 1913. 1 item.
Folder 3: Correspondence between Needham and Aikman, 1913-1916. 12 items.
Folder 4: Correspondence from Attorneys Blount and Strong, 1916. 2 items.
Folder 5: Lease for house and lot, 1915. 1 item.
Folder 6: Lien on partnership, 1918. 1 item.
Folder 7: Sale of copyright and trademark, 1927. 1 item.
Folder 8: Sale of interest in the company, 1930. 1 item.
Folder 9: Certificate of dissolution, 1941. 1 item.
Folder 10: New York sanitary codes, 1929-1931. 2 items.
Folder 11: Correspondence concerning labeling Mahdeen, 1931-1933. 15 items.
Folder 12: Sample advertising letters, cat 1930's. 2 items.
Folder 13: Advertisement circulars for barber shops, cat 1930's. 4 items.
Folder 14: Examples of bottle labels, cat 1930's. 7 items.
Folder 15: Revision notes for bottle labels, cat 1930's. 4 items.
Folder 16: Correspondence regarding Brunson suit, Nov.-Dec. 1931. 15 items.
Folder 17: Correspondence regarding Brunson suit, Jan.-Feb. 1932. 14 items.
Folder 18: Correspondence regarding Brunson suit, March 1932. 14 items.
Folder 19: Correspondence regarding alleged injuries due to Mahdeen, May-June 1932. 4 items.
Folder 20: Correspondence regarding Lade suit, Aug.-Sept. 1932. 8 items.
Folder 21: Correspondence regarding Lade suit, Oct. 1932 - Jan. 1933. 9 items.
Folder 22: Correspondence of Mahdeen Co. and Federal Trade Commission, June 1941 April 1942. 12 items.
Folder 23: Correspondence of Mahdeen Co. and Federal Trade Commission, May-July 1942. 8 items.
Folder 24: F. S. Aikman's Income tax figures (rough notes), 1922-1929. 12 items.
Folder 25: F. S. Aikman's Income tax figures (rough notes), 1930-1932. 8 items.
Folder 26: F. S. Aikman's Income tax figures (rough notes), 1933-1936. 10 items.
Box 2
Folder 1: Assets and liabilities, 1916. 2 items.
Folder 2: Assets and liabilities, 1917. 2 items.
Folder 3: Assets and liabilities, 1918. 1 item.
Folder 4: Assets and liabilities, 1919. 1 item.
Folder 5: Assets and liabilities, 1920. 1 item.
Folder 6: Assets and liabilities, 1921. 1 item.
Folder 7: Assets and liabilities, 1922. 1 item.
Folder 8: Assets and liabilities, 1923. 1 item.
Folder 9: Assets and liabilities, 1924. 1 item.
Folder 10: Assets and liabilities, 1925. 1 item.
Folder 11: Assets and liabilities, 1926. 1 item.
Folder 12: Assets and liabilities, 1927. 1 item.
Folder 13: Assets and liabilities, 1928. 1 item.
Folder 14: Assets and liabilities, 1929. 1 item.
Folder 15: Assets and liabilities, 1930. 1 item.
Folder 16: Assets and liabilities, 1931. 1 item.
Folder 17: Assets and liabilities, 1932. 1 item.
Folder 18: Assets and liabilities, 1933. 1 item.
Folder 19: Assets and liabilities, 1934. 1 item.
Folder 20: Assets and liabilities, 1935. 1 item.
Folder 21: Assets and liabilities, 1936. 1 item.
Folder 22: Assets and liabilities, 1937. 1 item.
Folder 23: Assets and liabilities, 1938. 1 item.
Folder 24: Assets and liabilities, 1939 1 item
Folder 25: Assets and liabilities, 1940. 7 items.
Folder 26: Assets and liabilities, 1941. 12 items.
Folder 27: Assets and liabilities, 1942. 4 items.
Folder 28: Report to stockholders on financial position of Mahdeen, 1940 1942. 4 items.
Folder 29: Assets and liabilities, 1965. 1 item.
Box 3
Folder 1: State of Louisiana, Certificate of Registration, 1936-1941. 6 items.
Folder 2: State of Louisiana, Certificate of Registration, 1943-1949. 7 items.
Folder 3: State of Louisiana, Certificate of Registration, 1950-1959 (excluding 1953). 9 items.
Folder 4: Certificate of Registration, Florida State Board of Health, 1961. 1 item.
Folder 5: State of Louisiana, application for registration, 1950-1957 (excluding 1955). 7 items.
Folder 6: State of Louisiana, cover letters for applications for registration, 1947 and 1958. 2 items.
Folder 7: State of Texas, Department of Health cover letter to application for registration, 1959. 1 item.
Folder 8: State of Texas, Department of Health receipt cards for registration fees, 1949-1957. 9 items.
Folder 9: State of Texas, Department of Health receipt cards for registration fees; 1943, 1945, 1947. 4 items.
Folder 10: Tax statements and receipts, 1938-1939. 2 items.
Folder 11: Tax statements and receipts, 1940-1949. 11 items.
Folder 12: Tax statements and receipts, 1953-1956, 1958-1959. 6 items.
Folder 13: Correspondence: Emery C. Best with Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. regarding his policies, 1921-1946. 9 items.
Folder 14: Insurance premium notices, receipts, etc. of Emery C. Best, 1917-1943. 4 items.
Folder 15: Insurance premium notices, receipts, etc., of Emery C. Best,1922-1960. 6 items.
Folder 16: Christmas card printed for F. S. Aikman, cat 1930's. 1 item.
Folder 17: Photographs, ca. 1930's-1985. 8 items. (1) Examples of different kinds of bottles (2 photos). (2) Safe, shown next to L. D. Pate (3 photos). (3) Detail of safe (2 photos). (4) Frank S. Aikman (1 photo).
Folder 18: Miscellaneous. 3 items. (1) Pre addressed envelope of Mahdeen Laboratories in Dallas, ca. 1985. (2) Envelope to that address returned undelivered, 1985. (3) Letter from Ruth Pouts Pochman with her recollections of incidents relating to the Mahdeen Company, 1985.
Folder 19: Articles regarding the history of The Mahdeen Company, by Lucille Fain, from The Daily Sentinel, 1985. 5 items.
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