The Frederick John Rank papers include diaries from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, correspondence, photographs, and genealogical materials. Notes about Frederick John Rank's diaries are in the first box. Rank wrote about daily life in the Chicago area (such as early unionization efforts at Montgomery Ward, buying a house in Chicago, and raising children), and also documented major Chicago events, such as visiting the 1893 World's Fair and the Chicago Cubs' 1908 World Series win. The bound volume by Janet Rank Spaletto features highlights from the diaries and is interspersed with copies of correspondence and photographs.