The papers are made up almost entirely of diaries and account books that record Bannihr's business career, both as the owner of a trimming business in New York, and as an engraver and die sinker. Bannihr's early diaries (1883-1891) describe his life as a young working man in Cheshire, Connecticut, where he was active in Democratic politics and the district school committee. Included in the diaries are descriptions of his mechanical inventions. His wife also kept a diary for a portion of this period (1890-1893), which takes in the years of their courtship and early married life. Samples of Bannihr's work in the form of plaster casts, master molds, and metal dies are also in the collection.
Connecticut's Archives Online