Fonds contains the business papers from Himmelman Supply Company and several other companies owned or operated by Ernest H. Himmelman and Lawrence Himmelman. These include O.K. Service Shipping Company, Himmelman Shipping Limited, Oakland Shipping Limited, LaHave Investments Limited, Nova Hereford Farms, and Himmelman Supermarket Limited. The fonds contains a variety of business papers, including meeting minutes and administrative records, ships' vessel papers, correspondence, financial statements and ledgers, legal agreements and contracts, blueprints and maps, and photographs.

Some of the personal papers of Lawrence Himmelman are also included in the fonds, including correspondence with the LaHave School, the local fire department, and other groups, financial records, and contracts and agreements.

In 1954, a fire in the Himmelman Supermarket destroyed many of the business records. Most records in the fonds are from after this date, though some vessel papers and correspondence from before the fire survived. See individual series descriptions for more detailed descriptions of the scope and content of the fonds.

Fonds consists of 18 series. Administrative, Correspondence, Financial, and Vessel Papers Series contain records for Himmelman Supply Company and subsidiary companies. Additional records for subsidiary companies are found in series for Himmelman Shipping Company, O.K. Service Shipping Limited, Oakland Shipping Limited, LaHave Shipping Limited, and LaHave Investments Limited. Each vessel from the O.K. Service Fleet also has a series. See individual series descriptions for more detailed descriptions of their scope and content.

The Shipping Reference Collection incorporates virtually all miscellanous shipping records and reference material that were accessioned as part of "MS-8-Ref." A large portion of the collection consists of reference files on various vessels and shipping lines. A card-catalogue index known as "Master and Mates" provides references to microfilmed vessel papers, trade records, registers, and other related materials. The collection also includes photographs, slides, and published materials such as the Lloyd's Register of Ships.

The collection contains four series:

Microfilm

Shipping Line reference files

Vessel reference files

Published materials