Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the James Knights Co. Records

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0847
Creators:
James Knights Co.
Dates:
1951-1981
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Cubic feet
1 box
1 Film reel
Repository:
Collection documents proposed legislation regulating the import and export of watch components. Also included is a film entitled "Crystals for the Critical".

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
The collection comprises internal company documents primarily concerning the company's efforts in producing crystals for watches. Documents include correspondence with customers, suppliers, potential and active partners, technical specifications and notes, reports, financial records, and market research. One large file contains correspondence and memoranda relating to proposed legislation regulating the import and export of watch components.
The company produced the 1951 film, Crystals for the Critical, as a marketing and employee relations tool. It documents all aspects of the work of the James Knights Company.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection is arranged into one series.

Historical

Historical
The James Knights Company of Sandwich, Illinois was founded in 1942 to develop and manufacture crystal-controlled oscillators. In creating the company, James Knights and Leon Faber were responding to the enormous demand for frequency control in military radio and telephone communications during World Ware II. Faber, a utility company employee, had previous experience making quartz crystal control units for amateur radio enthusiasts, also known as "hams." James Knights owned a local electrical supply store.
After the war James Knights produced crystal units for military aircraft radios. The firm became a subsidiary of CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply) in 1964 and the company name changed to CTS Knights. In addition to supplying crystals for use in military applications, the company manufactured crystal oscillators for use in a variety of other electronic devices including computers. During the early 1970s, the company was interested in the use of crystals in watches and clocks. The paper documents in the collection focus primarily on this effort.
The company continued to produce crystal units as a division of CTS, now a global electronics firm, until 2002 when it was shut down.

Administration

Author
Wendy Shay
Custodial History
Collection transferred from the Division of History of Technology (now known as the Division of Work and Industry) to the Archives Center in 2003.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Collection donated by Gary Van Cleave in 2002.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Wendy Shay, September 2004.

Using the Collection

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
James Knights Co. Records, 1951-1981, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center
Walter Guyton Cady Paper, 1903-1974 (NMAH.AC.0046)
Virgil Eldon Bottom Collection, 1936-1983 (NMAH.AC.0148)

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Memorandums Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Specifications Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Notes Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clocks and watches Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Financial records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Motion pictures (visual works) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu