Wanting the name of the dealership that first sold my car

[51HJ]

I have been able to trace down all past owners of my 1951 Henry J and because of the privacy act, I'm unable to get the name of the dealership that sold it in 1951, maybe at the end of 1950, title was transfered January 5, 1951
The Kaiser Frazer Dealer was in Fairbury, Nebraska. If any of you know how to find this information, please email. Thanks, Steve

[Fid]

Hi Steve, this is interesting as I remember going to Fairbury, NE in the mid 70s to hunt down a Henry J that one my father's drivers had spotted there. We eventually found it but I know it wasn't yours as it was already shot and unrestorable. Joe Frazer used to have a nice compiled list of  dealers. I believe there was one in Beatrice, NE which is not too far from Fairbury. Jim L, do you still have that list and is it still on line?

[51HJ]

Hi Lowell, the dealership was in Fairbury, Ne. The DMV would only give me the town, but not the name of the dealer. She did say that it didn't have Kaiser Frazer in the name. I tryed to explain to her that the dealer wasn't in business any more but that didn't matter to her.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Contact the Library in Fairbury and ask them if it is possible for them to look up a business ad in the local paper, sometime between September 25 and October 1 1950.  You are looking for an ad announcing that the new Henry J automobile was on display at a local dealer, and would like to know the name of the dealership in the ad.  Failing that, you can try the main library for the largest city to Fairbury (like Topeka, or Kansas City, whatever).  Same time frame and ad; it will list a dealer in town that may be identified as "Distributor" and the cities in the sales territory;  Ask them to see if they have al isting for Fairbury and of so, what is the name of the dealership?

Failing that, you can contact the local paper in Fairbury.  Let them know that you have a car sold by the Kaiser-Frazer dealer in town and you would like to know who the dealer was in September 1950 off the introduction announcement ad that ran in the paper.

[pnw_oldmags]

DEALER NAME                         ADDRESS             CITY             STATE   SOURCE   YEARS
KENNEDY EQUIPMENT CO    358 NORTH MAIN   AINSWORTH   NE   DLR NEWS   1955
HINZ IMPLEMENT & AUTO                                   BEATRICE   NE   LAPE LIST   1952
LARSON MOTOR COMPANY                           BROKEN BOW   NE   OTHER              1947
RICHARDSON MOTOR CO.                            CAMBRIDGE   NE   DLR NEWS   1954
HIWAY MOTORS             0                        COLUMBUS   NE   DLR NEWS   1950-51
ROOS MOTORS              2ND & PINE             CRAWFORD   NE   DLR NEWS   1955
BOWER BROTHERS MOTORS   0                        FREEMONT   NE   DLR NEWS   1950-54
JESS LANDHOLM SALES                            FREEMONT   NE   DLR NEWS   1956
SLOAN COMBS MOTOR CO.                            GRAND ISLAND   NE   DLR NEWS   1956
STASSER GARAGE                                      HAIGLER   NE   LAPE LIST   1948
ALBERS K-F MOTOR CO                                    HASTINGS   NE   DLR NEWS   1951
GUY MARSH MOTOR CO 123 SOUTH LINCOLN AVE   HASTINGS   NE   DLR NEWS   1947
MACK GIERMAN MOTORS                           HASTINGS   NE   DLR NEWS   1949
SAMWAY'S K-F MOTORS                           KERNEY              NE   DLR NEWS   1951-54
AUTO RANCH OF LINCOLN                            LINCOLN   NE   DLR NEWS   1957
CORWIN L. HUBERT MOTORS   1120 P STREET          LINCOLN   NE   DLR NEWS   1952
WALTER BLACK MOTORS                           LINCOLN   NE   VARIOUS   1947-48
ESTEB & SON                                                 MC COOK   NE   DLR NEWS   1948
MILANDER MOTORS                                       MULLEN              NE   DLR NEWS   1956
FITZEKAM MOTORS                                      NEBRASKA CITYNE   OTHER   1948
MIDWEST AUTO MARKET                           NORTH PLATTE   NE   DLR NEWS   1951-54
JACOBSON MOTOR COMPANY                           OMAHA              NE   DLR NEWS   1956-57
MC ININCH MOTORS COMPANY                OMAHA              NE   OTHER              1952
MONTE WHITE K-F MOTORS  32ND & LEVENWORTH OMAHA              NE   DLR NEWS   1952-53
MOUNTAIN NASH, INC.                            OMAHA              NE   DLR NEWS   1956
NEBRASKA-IOWA MOTOR CO.   26TH AND FARNHAM  OMAHA              NE   DLR NEWS   1947
PENDER K-F                                                 PENDER              NE   LAPE LIST   1947
MAUER MOTORS, INC.                                      SOUTH SIOUX   NE   DLR NEWS   1948
YORKE MOTORS                                      STANTON   NE   DLR NEWS   1951
BREITKREUTZ & SON MOTOR & REPAIR             WISNER   NE   OTHER              1948
RICHTER & SON                                      YORK              NE   DLR NEWS   1951

Here are some Nebraska Dealers but not in the Town requested.

[joefrazer]

I don't have anything more than what Jim B posted. I would do as suggested, check with the local library to see if they have any old newspapers from the era. Old phone books are always a good source too.

[51HJ]

I was told today that my car was being driven by a Kaiser Frazer salesman to show it off the NEW Aloha Green car and it wasn't at a dealership. Did salesman drive the cars to different Dealers back then?

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Couple of questions:

1.  I wonder what is meant by "Kaiser-Frazer Salesman"?  Besides the sales staff at a dealership, distributors had wholesale salesmen who called on those vehicle-related businesses in an effort to get them to eitier commit to purchasing factory-branded parts rather than general aftermarket goods (like K-F branded oil filters which worked in a number of vehicles besides Kaisers or Frazers) or to present the Kaiser-Frazer dealer program in hopes of getting a store opened up in a locale where the company had no coverage.  During the 1951 model year, some distributors would set up a new dealer for approx. $5,000.00 if the business involved was financially sound.

2.  Was he an "associate dealer"?  In some rural areas where there was no coverage, there were people who were the equivilent of a route sales person who would represent a regular dealer from an adjacent area.  They were normally commission-paid.  I have copies of the factory-approved associate dealer form for Kaiser-Frazer as well as materials on it from Chrysler Corporation as used in the 1930's.

Personally, I would guess the salesman worked the wholesale side of the distributor for a sales territory. 

[51HJ]

Is there anyway to come up with names of "associate dealers" ? I have had the library in Fairbury, Ne. look in old newspapers  and old phone books. I have come up there a few names, but nothing to verify a relation  to Kaiser Frazer. I'm also at a dead end with the Nebraska Motor Vehicle, they are telling me all this information falls under the Privacy Act and I can't get it. Does anyone live in Lincoln that might be of some assistance? Thanks

[Fid]

If you have your most recent membership book, look up Wes Durst or Gaylord Becker, both longtime KFOC members living in Lincoln, NE. There's also a meet coming up in Lincoln this spring. Since I have relations in Lincoln, I may attend myself but have not decided  yet.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

1.  If there is a Nebraska Auto Dealers Association, they may have a list of state automobile dealers --new and used -- by year (I know Wisconsin put out an "annual" with this information).

2.  The problem would be figuring out what distributor sales territory Fairbury is in.  Once that can be established, it should be a simple matter to check the newspaper of that city for the announcement ad and look at the list of dealers in the distributor's territory.

3.  Associate Dealer listings are probably impossible to determine.  Not all areas had associates, as they were only a step-up from "bird dogs".

[51Deluxe]

Many towns had "city directories" with the name, address and phone  of every local business. Libraries usually have them going back many decades. A company named Polk published them and has done so since the 1700's. The Fairbury one is available here:

http://www.citydirectory.com/polk/products/4368_Fairbury-Nebraska-Polk-City-Directory.aspx