Billhead of the Month: F.F. Adams Tobacco Co.

The firm’s history can be traced back to Charles Athearn of Buffalo who established the Chas. Athearn & Co. in 1847 which was located at 259 East Water Street. Cyrus Adams was the manager of a little store located at 420 East Water Street. Athearn never came to Milwaukee and on his death in 1854 his firm was sold to Adams which continued the business under the name C. Adams & Co. until 1860 when Francis F. Adams purchased his brother Cyrus’ interest (Cyrus went to California) and continued the business under the name F.F. Adams & Co. Francis was described as a sharp, keen business man. In 1884, the business was averaging $1 million a year. F.F. Adams’s tobacco factory was called the Badger State Tobacco Works. The favorite brands manufactured by the firm were, in smoking tobacco: Peerless, Excelsior, Standard, Dexter, and Old Tom; and in chewing tobacco, Aromatic, Moss Rose, Pride of the West, and Ambrosia. At some point Henry Avers becomes involved with the firm and the firm name changed to he F.F. Adams Tobacco Co.

In 1902, the Continental Tobacco Company acquired the entire capital stock of FF Adams for $2,205,090. That would be approximately $57 million in today’s value.

This is an advertisement for the firm which shows the factory.

This billhead has the FF Adams & Co. firm name with the successor name FF Adams Tobacco Company. Below the billhead is just for FF Adams Tobacco Co. Both printed by J. Knauber of Milwaukee.

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Baking Powder Billheads

In 1843 the first modern version of baking powder was discovered and manufactured by Alfred Bird, a British chemist. In 1846, Justus Von Liebig in Germany experiments with yeast made from sodium bicarbonate and hydrochloric acid with explosive results. In 1885, Eben Horsford and George Wilson manufacture chemicals which eventually became the Rumford Chemical Works. Horsford formulated and patented Rumford Baking Powder, the first calcium phopshate baking powder. In 1889, William Wright and chemist George Rew developed a double-action baking powder marketed under the name Calumet Baking Powder. Below find some examples of baking powder billheads.

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