Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection
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American Wood Type
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Rube Mandel starts producing wood type in New York City. Mandel acquires Empire Wood Type holdings in 1936. Changes company name to American Printing Equipment & Supply Co. Last catalog listing of wood type in 1968. Company continued to produce wood type until 2001. Company continues in business as American Printing Equipment & Supply Co. Edward A. Capen starts producing wood type in New York City. Only reference to this company is a quote by Rube Mandel in a 1956 interview featured in American Printer and Lithographer. Father and son, Claude & Wilbur Persons start independent type foundry in Buffalo, NY. Starts producing wood type at Delvan, NY factory in 1916. Foundry closes in 1970. It is assumed, though unconfirmed, that this is when wood type production ended as well. John Stevens & William Wood patent process for laminating celluloid to wood in April, 1884. (Patent No 297,098) Brooklyn Daily Eagle begins testing celluloid wood type for Stevens & Wood in late 1884. John Stevens & William Wood begin commercially producing “enameled” wood type in New York City. Halts operations in 1895. Morgans invents his own version of the combined router/pantograph between late 1870 and early 1876. George Young & William T. Morgans start producing wood type in Napanoch, NY. Fire destroys plant in Napanoch. Young sells shares to H.K. Wilcox. Company moves to Middletown, NY. Company name is changed to Morgans & Wilcox Mfg Co in 1880. Morgans dies unexpectedly in 1882, leaving his widow to run the company. Frederick Gerken starts manufacturing wood type in New York City. At some point moves to Queens. It is currently undetermined when company closed. Frank Gerhardt starts producing wood type in Brooklyn, NY. Changes company name to American Brass & Wood Type Co in 1922. It is currently undetermined when company stopped production . William Leavenworth and A.R. Gillmore combine the pantograph with the lateral router, developing the machinery that will be used into the 20th century to produce wood type. After 1834 Leavenworth enters into partnership with J.M. Debow, his father-in-law, to manufacture wood type commercially in Allentown, NJ. E. R. Webb supervises Leavenworth & Debow’s type production starting in 1836. Invents the lateral router while in partnership with David Bruce, Jr. The lateral router made the mass production of wood type possible. Wells begins manufacturing wood type on his own in New York City and issues the first wood type catalog in 1828. Officially organizes to become D. Wells & Co. George Bruce buys out Leavenworth & Debow and sells it to E.R. Webb at “exceedingly generous term” in early 1839. Webb uses this to go into partnership with Darius Wells in late 1839. Company name is changed to Wells & Webb. Wells sells partnership to Webb in 1854. Company name is changed to E.R. Webb & Co. Heber Wells, Darius Wells’ youngest son, buys company after Webb’s death in 1864 with Alexander Vanderburgh and Henry Low. Changes company name to Vanderburgh, Wells & Co. Changes company name to Heber Wells, after buying out business partners. Allen invents his own version of the combined router/pantograph in 1836. Starts type production in South Windham, CT. Allen begins selling his wood type exclusively through George Nesbitt of NYC starting in 1837. William & Samuel Day work for Allen before moving to Ohio to form their own company in 1845. Horatio & Jerimiah Bill work for Allen before forming their own company in 1850. Last listing with Nesbitt in 1851. J.G. Cooley accquires Edwin Allen’s holdings in 1852, and continues production of wood type in South Windham. William Page works for Cooley in 1855–56 before leaving to form partnership with James Bassett. Cooley enters into partnership with Robert Lindsay in 1864, sells South Windham factory and moves to New York City. Changes company name to John G. Cooley & Co. Enters into partnership with Samuel T. Dauchy in 1866. Changes name of company to Cooley & Dauchy. J.E. Hamilton develops process to make wood veeneer type. Starts producing wood type in Two Rivers, WI. Goes into partnership with Max Katz to raise capital. Changes company name to Hamilton & Katz. Katz sells interest to William Baker. Company name is changed to The Hamilton Co, refered to informally as Hamilton & Baker. Hamilton buys out Baker’s interest. Changes company name to The Hamilton Mfg Co. Hamilton buys William H. Page Wood Type Co in 1891. Hamilton buys Heber Wells company in 1898. Hamilton buys Morgans & Wilcox Mfg Co in 1899. Hamilton buys Tubbs Mfg Co in 1918. Stops producing wood type in 1985. Company continues in business as Thermo Fisher Scientific. Hamilton Wood Type & Printng Museum opens in 1999. William H. Page purchases the equipment from the defunct H. & J. Bill Co and enters into partnership with James Bassett. Page & Bassett start producing wood type in South Windham, CT. The following year they move factory to Greenville, CT. Samuel Mowry replaces Bassett as partner. Company name is changed to Page & Co of Greenville, Ct. Changes name of company to William H. Page & Co. Page buys the entire operation of Cooley & Dauchy in 1869. Mowery retires from firm. Company moves to Norwich, CT. and name is changed to William H. Page Wood Type Co. Charles Tubbs, who had worked for Page since 1860 leaves with, John Martin, and George Keyes to form American Wood Type Co. George Setchell enters into buisiness with Page in 1881 and together they improve, and patent, the die-cut production method. Setchell sells all interests to S.T. Dauchy in 1889. Dauchy becomes president of company and oversees sale to Hamilton. Brothers Horatio & Jerimiah Bill start producing wood type in Lebanon, CT. They move to Willimantic, CT the following year. Stark joins the company as a business partner. The name of company is changed to Bill, Stark & Co. In early 1854 company is renamed H. & J. Bill Co. It closes in late 1854. David Knox along with Edwin & Thomas Ferry, John McNulty, and M.S. Richards start producing wood type in Fredricksburg, OH. A flood destroys the factory in 1858. Charles Tubbs, John Martin, and George Keyes start producing wood type in South WIndham, CT. in the factory built by Edwin Allen in 1851, and sold by J.G. Cooley in 1863. All three had been employed by William Page. Changes company name to Tubbs & Co in 1902. Charles Tubbs dies in 1903. Company is moved to Ludington, MI and name is changed to Tubbs Mfg Co. Brothers William & Samuel Day start producing wood type in Fredricksburg, OH, the first wood type manufacture west of the Allegheny Mountains. Four striking employees, Edwin & Thomas Ferry, John McNulty, and M.S. Richards leave to form their own company. After the strike, production is moved to the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. Company name is changed to W.T, J.R. & S.D. Day & Co. Fire destroys equipment at prison in 1857, ending production. Brothers accquire J.D. Foster & Co. in Cincinnati, a press manufacturer. Production of wood type resumes. Company name is changed back to W.T. & S.D. Day & Co. Company closes in 1862. Only known specimen book from company is dated 1950 and lists a New York and Chicago address. Hamilton buys Tubbs Mfg Co in 1909. Timeline
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