History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

" In 181)0 there were but eight manufacturers of fur and wool hats in Danbury. Wc have now twelve, and the largest of these is twice as large as any at that date. There have been many changes in the firms since then, — many new firms started and failed. These we have endeavored to look u\< and obtain re- liable infornuition about them. " In 181)0 there were two firms of the Tweedys, — Tweedy, White & Co., and Tweedy Brothers. In 1864 the first firm was changed to T. E. i<e E. Tweedy, and the second was clianged to William H. Tweedy in 1861. In 1867 both these firms were merged into one under the name of Tweedy & Co., and after four years of business a stock company was formed under the name of the Tweedy Manufacturing Company, which is its present designation. "Giles M. Hoyt's factory in 1860 was in Grassy Plain, which was then a part of Danbury. In 1874, Jlr. Hoyt removed to the shop on White Street now occupied by Nichols & Hine. It liad then just been vacated by Lacey & Downs. In 1S7S he moved again to his present location, in the old laundry-building near the Danbury and Norwalk Railway. "A. T. Peck was in the winter of 186:! engaged in hutting with his brother-in-law, Anson Taylor, in the old comb-factory which stood on the site of Bcckerle and Co.'s new factories. Mr. Taylor had j'ust received a patent for combining pieces of waste silk with fur, and they were manufacturing hats under this patent. It was said that a hat, after being 'jacked up,' was nmde to look like a silk hat, and at a much less cost. They were made in all styles. Mr. Taylor died soon after the manufacture began, and Mr. Peck then went out of business. "In 1864, Shethar & Lacey built a small shop near the Phienix factory, and ran it for a few years. "The T^nion Hat Company, composed of W. H. Youngs, H. C. Ely, Kellogg Nichols, and Cyrus Ray- mond, started in that building in 1869. In 1872 they discontinued business. It was oci-uiiied between this time and 1875 by Casper Zeigler, and in that year William Bcckerle took it. He remained here one year, and in 1876, after taking into i)artnership C. H. Piex, T. F. Fay, and J. H. Shuldice, he removed to the old comb-shop near Pahquioque Avenue. This shop soon i)roved too snuill for the firm, and from time to time they added to its capacity by building on numerous additions and erecting small buildings for make-shops, coloring-shop, etc. In December, 1879, the establishment was totally destroyeil by fire. Work was immediately resumed, and now the new factories, exceeded by but one establishment in town, arc nearly complete. " In 18()5, .1. ( I. Meeker began business as a hatter in a factory on Canal Street. This building, for a few months jirevious to this, had been used by journeymen hatters, who took out work from our larger firms for manipulation in one branch only. They were not wdiat might be called manufacturing hatters, and for that reason we have not secured their names. In 1877 this factory was completely destroyed, and the next year the present commodious and enlarged building was completed and occupied by D. W. Jleeker, a brother of the first named. He still car- ries on business there. "As early as 1844, Ran.som Brothwell, father of Theodore Brothwell, had a shop in Mill Plain. He started it earlier than this, but this is the first we can find of him. It was situated on the present farm of Oliver Burchard, and some time after (in 1848) he removed to a factory on the site of the jjresent black- smith-shop. " The next we find of hatting in that hamlet is a shop run by P. A. Sutton. This changed hands many times, being owned successively by A. Solomon, now 242 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. of Norwalk, Harry Jennings & Son, and Stone & Downs. The latter were burned out in 1867, and Mr. Downs tiien retired. IJenjamin Stone then Ijuilt the shop now oecupied by H. M. Senior & Son, ran it for about nine montlis, and tlicn went to New Jersey. C. B. Prindle occupied it next for about six | months, and Senior bouglit it in 1871. John Harvey was a partner of Senior for one year. In 1878 the present firm was formed. " In 180(), C. B. Prindle and Edward Gage took out work to size. The original shop stood just west of I the present building. In 1869, Mr. Gage went out, and Mr. Prindle took it. ' Prindle & Co.' soon after became the title of the firm, and they finished hats complete. In December, 1877, the Mill Plain Manu- facturing Company, a joint-stock corporation, took the factory now standing, which was l)uilt in 1871. In 1879, Mr. Prindle went it alone, and is now doing business there. " It is related that at the time of Mr. Brothwell they were making what wjis known as the 'coney' hat. These hats were always worth just a dollar. If no money Wiis forthcoming on pay-day, the men were given as many hats as there were dollars du'e them. These they spent at the stores the same as cash, and the storekeepers sent them to New York to sell. Mr. Brothwell never used the neat packing-ca.ses of to-day, but used to go out and knock boards oft' the fences and make eases. 1 " In 1860 the old firm of Crofut, Bates & Wildman was Henry Crofut. From that time to now there have been four different partners besides Mr. Crofut. First, I Rollo Nichols was admitted, under the firm-name of H. Crofut iS: Co. Then George K. Nichols w;us ad- mitted, then Joseph H. White, the firm still retaining the old name. The present firm is Crofut, White & Peabody, the Messrs. Nichols being both dead. Jlr. Peabody was admitted in 1878. " The firm once occupied the factory on West Street, which was burned in 18C4, in addition to the ' Pah- quioque' shop. " Tlu' firm of E. A. Mallory & Co. in I860 was formed of Mallory and P. A. Sutton. In 1864, Mr. Mallory associated with him his brother, Samuel Mallory, and this firm continued till 1866. .Samuel Mallory then retired, and until 1872 E. A. Mallory wsis again alone. In that year lie took in his son, Charles H. Mallory, and this coMi]irises the present firm. " In 18(i2, Mr. S. C. IloUey began the manufacture of wool hats in the .shop then standing at the Main Street bridge, which had before that been used by Crosby & Wildman. For a short time J. H. Cesner was his partner. In LSlio, Mr. A. N. Wildman con- nected himself publicly with the firm, and the 'Co.' was added to Mr. HoUey's name. In 1868 the factory was burned. The same year they built the factory on River Street now occupied by them. Mr. A. B. Holley became a memBerof the firm in January, 1876, though the firm-name was not changed. " Shethar & Lacey was the name of a new firm which purchased the Montgomery factory, on White Street, in 1865. For one year they continued business, and then admission to the firm was given to Henry Starr and Thomas Lawrence, under the firm-name of Shet- har, Lacey & Co. One more year passed and this firm dissolved, and in its place was the firm of Lacey, Hoyt & Co., composed of W. F. Lacey, Theodore Iloyt, Moses Collier, Ives Bushnell, and George Downs. In 1872 the firm went out of business. Lacey, Downs & Co., the company being C. H. White, then formed a copartnership and manufactured hats for a time. Lacey & Downs were before this time associated in the fur-cutting business iu the Pli<eni.\ factory, re- cently destroyed by fire. Their hatting experience continued but a short time. " Elijah Sturdcvant continued the business at the factory in Beaver Brook District until Aug. 31, 1S73. On tliat date the building was totall)' destroyed by fire at a loss of sixty thousand dollars. For four years the ruins lay about as the fire left them, and it was in 1877 that the place was rebuilt. James S. Taylor then took the factory, and from that time to this a desultory trade has been carried on there, a young firm running through one trade and then suc- ceeded by another, which was in turn run out by another. None of them seemed to have had niudi success*. In 1879, D. E. Leowe & Co. took it, but in 1880 they dissolved. Mr. Taylor has always occu|)icd part of the factory as a forming-shop. " Nichols & Hine were burned out in Bethel in the spring of 1878. In the fall of the same year they came to Danbury, and took the old Lacey, Downs & Co. factory on White Street, where they still remain, having been eminently successful. " We now have given the hat-manufacturers since 1860, so far as we can trace them. Next in order come the fur-cutters. The firm of W. A. & A. M. White, which was the jirincipal one in the trade at that time, is still running. Their factory was totally destroyed l>y fire in 1874. It w;is immediately re- built with brick, and is probably one of the most con- veniently arranged est^iblishments in the country. The firm-name remains the same, though new blood has been added to it in the persons of the sons of the original Whites, who bear the same names. " W. F. Lacey and George Downs went into partner- ship with Stephen Hurlbut in 1862 under the name of llurlbut & Co. In 1864, Mr. Hurlbut left the linn and started in business in Peck's comb-shop, where Beckerle & Co.'s factories now stand. He continued business until 1869, when he wa.s killed by a runaway team. " Pett'r Robinson, in 1S6.'), began the fur-cutting busi- ness in a shop belonging to the Tweedys. In 1K67 he purchased a building at Beaver 15rook, and admitted to partnership Mr. John Tweedy. In 1870 the busi- ness was so extensive that greater accommodations were made necessary, and the firm imrchased the fac- DANBUllY. 243