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.

Billhead of the Month: Schmit Bros trunks Oshkosh WI

I picked up this Schmit Brothers billhead recently in Eau Claire. I currently have it for sale on ebay right now. It is a nice triple graphic billhead. Here is my ebay write up: 1895 billhead for The Schmit Brothers Trunk Company manufacturers of trunks, traveling bags and valises of Oshkosh Wisconsin. Great header graphics with three images. Left side is the firm’s mill at Summit Lake, middle is the firm’s factory and left side is the firm’s warehouse. Billhead has creases. Peter Schmit was born in 1840 in Prussia. He emigrated to the U.S. in June 1854 and located inRacine WI. He was engaged in farming until 1861 when he enlisted in Company D, 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He engaged in the battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Mine Run, Bull Run, Gettysburg, Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. He was mustered out in June 1865. He came back to Racine and kept a hotel until 1866 when he joined his brother Henry’s trunk business. Henry had established the bus...

Newest edition to my collection - Widdicomb Furniture Co.

Lately, I can't help but buy some U.S. letterheads and billheads. I have an affinity for billheads / letterheads / receipts from the 1870s. Here is a recent purchase for the Widdicomb Furniture Co. of Grand Rapids Michigan. For 145 years, the Widdicomb name has been recognized in the furniture world. The earliest Widdicomb company was organized in 1857, by George Widdicomb, a British trained cabinet maker, employing 12 men, plus his four sons Harry, William, George Jr., and John. Except during the Civil War, a Widdicomb furniture firm was run by the family until 1916. The John Widdicomb Co. was founded in 1897 when John left the parent company to form his own firm. Though he died in 1910, that firm continued under his name until the 1990’s, and purchased the title of the original company in the 1970’s.

THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

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