There is little documentation about Milton Hershey’s earliest confectionery efforts. Most of what we know has come from stories passed down from generation to generation. Last year the Archives was fortunate to receive a collection of six letters written by Milton Hershey while he was operating his first confectionery business in Philadelphia. The letters and related materials were donated by Mary Snavely Holly, the great-great granddaughter of Abraham Snavely, the original recipient of the letters.

Milton Hershey moved to Philadelphia in 1876 to open his first candy shop after completing his apprenticeship with Joseph Royer, a successful Lancaster, Pennsylvania confectioner. We know that the business had expanded into a second location by 1879 so we assume that Milton Hershey was enjoying some modest success. So what happened to cause the business to fail after several successful years? The letters donated by Mary Snavely Holly offer important clues.

Milton Hershey’s father was a self-proclaimed inventor who loved new ideas and possibilities. Unfortunately, he was never able to carry his ideas to successful fruition. As this letter suggests, Milton Hershey’s first business failure may have been caused by another one of his father’s inventions. The letterhead shows an image of a patent candy cabinet. Other letters in the collection relate that the candy cabinet was created by Henry Hershey, Milton’s father. Henry Hershey encouraged his son to invest in this new product. This new venture drained Milton Hershey’s financial resources and distracted him from his own business.

In the late 1880s, Milton Hershey suddenly appeared to be short on cash. Between December 1880 and early 1882, with his mother and Aunt’s encouragement, Milton Hershey wrote repeatedly to his Uncle Abraham [Mattie and Fanny’s brother] begging for financial loans. His Uncle often complied but these cash infusions could not save the business from going bankrupt in 1882.

This important collection of letters sheds light on an important moment in Milton Hershey’s early life as a confectioner. The Archives relies on donors to build its collections to be able to preserve and provide researchers access to the history of Milton and Catherine Hershey and their legacy.