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A topic for recording information regarding the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co.
If you have any details of the above company, advertisements, examples of their work, etc., anything that you are willing to share, then here's the place to post it.
The magnificent sterling silver flatware service to be given by the members of the New York Athletic Club to George Goldie, the retiring athletic instructor, is the product of the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co., Wallingford, Conn. The service consisting of 103 pieces,in the chaste and artistic "Waverley" pattern, is arranged in a beautiful metal bound chest of oak bearing a tablet with the inscription, " Presented to George Goldie, by the Members of the N. Y. Athletic Club, October, 1893." On each piece is engraved the letter G. The committee having the presentation in charge made a thorough examination of the work of various firms before awarding the palm to the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. To those familiar with the delicate grace and beauty of the "Waverley" pattern, it is unnecessary to say that the committee is more than satisfied with their selection.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 1st November 1893
The R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co., Wallingford, has the contract to furnish silverware for the new hotel in Washington, D. C, known as the New Willard. The order calls for about $10,000 worth of stock.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 10th September 1902
Born into the jewelry and silverware business, and identified with it from his earliest days it is safe to say that John Barton, Jr., representative of R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co.. Wallingford, Conn., possesses a broadness of knowledge of the trade, second to none among the knights of the grip in the silver and jewelry lines. He was born in Salem, Mass., March 31, 1844, as was also his father, now deceased, who was a watchmaker and silversmith but who made his spoons by hand. When the subject of this sketch was quite young his father moved to Lynn, where he had a jewelry store for many years. John Jr's. school days were spent in Lynn with the exception of one year at Wilbraham Academy. One day in 1861 a man who sold his father silver plated ware and who had been agent for Boston and the east for Rogers Bros. Mfg. Co., then of Hartford, Conn., informed Mr. Barton, Sr., that he had taken the agency of the Meriden Britannia Co., with an office and salesroom in the Parker Building, Boston, afterwards burned in the great fire, and said he would like to engage John as a clerk. John accepted the offer and remained with him for a year when the Meriden Co. closed the office and offered him a position at the factory. He went to Meriden Aug. 1, 1862, and remained there 16 years, when receiving an offer from the Wallaces, of Wallingford, he joined them, and his time of service with them has been of equal length as with the Meriden Britannia Co., 16 years. He has seen the business of the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. grow to marvelous proportions and assume the position of the most extensive of spoon manufacturers in America, the factory's capacity being 1,000 gross per day. It has been Mr. Barton's boast that he has sold more spoons direct to the trade than any other agent living, and he says he knows the elder Mr. Wallace had made more spoons up to the time of his death (Jan. 1, 1892) than any other maker of his day. He has covered a good portion of the United States and Canada with their samples, but most of his time is divided between Baltimore and Boston, where the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. have a large trade, which is increasing every year. Mr. Barton is married, and being in the silver line he recently celebrated his silver wedding. He has resided in New Haven, Conn., for the past fifteen years. His business card is peculiar indeed, the front disclosing a silhouette of himself and the back containing a reprint of a poem from Puck on " Spoons."
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 10th January 1894
William W. Rich, former president of Wallace Silversmiths, and a former resident of Wallingford, died Saturday at Ball Memorial Hospital, Muncie, Ind. after a brief illness.
At the time of his death Mr. Rich was president of the Ontario Corp. of Muncie. Prior to holding the presidency of Wallace Silversmith, he was manager of Oneida Ltd., Oneida, N.Y. He was a member of the 24 Carat Club of New York City.
He is survived by a daughter Mrs. J.L. Skinner and a son, Van P. Smith, both of Muncie; and four grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held today at 1:30 p.m. at the Campbell Dean Funeral Home, Oneida, N.Y. and the burial will be in that city.
Nowadays ways are being found to make nearly everything an advertising department turns out help to carry the advertising message or to interpret the business to the public.
B. W. Magee, advertising manager for R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co., silversmiths, Wallingford, Conn., has discovered a way to make even the border used on that firm’s mailing labels carry the message of the Wallace business, as shown by the interesting illustration above. The border on this label was drawn by one of the firm’s designers. Says Mr. Magee in writing about it: “Many firms could turn to their own designers for such art work as this. In most cases these designers are saturated with the spirit of the work to be done and they will handle it more intelligently than would an outsider. Generally they can work on odd jobs of this kind during their spare minutes or hours, and it affords them a welcome change from their regular work.”
Certainly this silverware border is not only appropriately decorative, but it is mighty good advertising for this firm, for it shows pictures of more than twenty—five pieces or sets of silver made and sold by this company. These pictures are actual sketches from catalogue numbers, and they serve to remind the jeweler who receives a package bearing this label of the various lines—flat silver, hollow ware, toilet ware, etc.— made by Wallace.
The incorporation on the label of an illustration from the Wallace advertising adds to the general advertising tie-up. Border and picture together furnish something for the eye to look at besides words—something to make the eye linger, to hold attention just that second or two longer that photographs an image or registers an impression on the human mind.
Advertisers in many other lines of business could utilize this idea in connection with their border designs. However, judgment should be exercised in the use of such borders. While a pictorial border like this one is well suited to a mailing label. it used around an advertisement it might conceivably draw people’s attention away from the text of the advertisement and thus defeat its object. However, with certain modifications this mailing label could almost be turned into an effective, full-page advertisement for Wallace silverware.
Eugene Barber has been named vice chairman of the fall United Fund Campaign, Francis Feeney, campaign chairman has announced.
Barber's appointment followed the death of Gerald Cooper, who was to have served as vice chairman this year.
"Our United Fund, as well as the town of Wallingford," Feeney said, "suffered a great loss with the death of Gerald Copper".
Barber, who is Manager of the Watch Case Division of Wallace Silversmiths, was chairman of the Industrial Employees Division during the 1967 campaign.
He came to Wallace Silversmiths in 1963 from Lancaster, Pa., where he worked for the Hamilton Watch Co., owner of Wallace Silversmiths. He is a past president of the Optimist Club in Lancaster, a veteran of the Air Force and a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College.
He lives at 165, Elmwood Drive, Meriden, with his wife and three children.
MORRIS, Robert Wallace, business mgr.; born Wallingford, Conn., Nov. 13, 1867; son Dennis Edward and Adeline (Wallace) Morris; ed. Wallingford High Sch.; A.B., Yale, 1892; unmarried. Came to Chicago, 1892, as mgr. for R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co., in which position has since continued; also dir. of the co. and of the Wallingford Silver Co. Baptist. Mem. Sigma Nu fraternity. Clubs: Ill. Athletic, Calumet Country, Kenwood Country. Recreation: golf. Residence: 5022 Vincennes Av. Office: Silversmiths Bldg.
Source: The Book of Chicagoans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of Chicago - 1911
Biographical record of Clifford Walter Leavenworth:
CLIFFORD WALTER LEAVENWORTH was born May 16, 1869, in Wallingford, Conn. He prepared at the Wallingford (Conn.) High School, and entered college in the beginning of Freshman year, pursuing the Mechanical Engineering course. While at Yale he rowed on the Sheff. Freshman crew, was on the University Track team (Tug of War) Junior and Senior years, and was a member of T. A.
His father, Walter James Leavenworth, was born February 20, 1845, in Roxbury, Conn. His parents were James M. Leavenworth and Julia Hurd. He was a manufacturer, with the R. Wallace & Sons Manufacturing Co., of Wallingford. He held several positions of trust, including Treasurer of the R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co., President of the First National Bank of Wallingford, was Colonel of the Second Regiment, Connecticut National Guard, and was Representative from Wallingford to the Connecticut Legislature. He was married October 23, 1867, and died January 19, 1906, in Wallingford, Conn.
His mother, whose maiden name was Nettie Amelia Wallace, was born May 14, 1844, in Watertown, Conn. Her parents were Robert Wallace and Harriet Louisa Moulthrop.
He has one brother, John Wallace (Yale Ph.B., 1904); also two sisters: Isabel Wallace, who died January 14, 1887, and Bessie A.
He married Leila Augusta Maltby, daughter of Samuel De Witt Maltby, a farmer, December 23, 1902, in Northford, Conn.
Leavenworth was elected, in 1906, Treasurer of the R. Wallace & Sons Co., manufacturers. He is a member of the Congregational church, of the Wallingford club, and the Graduates club, New Haven. In politics he is a Republican, and was on the Board of Relief in Wallingford in 1906, and has been a Burgess of the same town since 1904 to date. He was an incorporator of the Dime Savings Bank, a director of the First National Savings Bank, and President of the Wallingford Co. Inc., all of Wallingford, Conn.
Business address: R. Wallace & Sons, Mfg. Co., Wallingford, Conn.
Home address: Wallingford, Conn.
Source: Biographical Record - Yale University. Sheffield Scientific School. Class of 1891 - 1907
E. B. Whittaker, representing R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co., Wallingford, Conn.; W. J. Walker, the Towle Mfg. Co., Newburyport, Mass., and Mr. Sherrill, Sinnock & Sherrill, New York, were in Toronto last week.
Source: The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review - 25th January 1899
.......was b. 26 Mar., 1844. Leaving school at the age of 15 years he was clerk in the store of E. H. Ives, Wallingford, Ct., till 1863; enlisted in Harland's Brigade Band Sept., 1863, till discharged at the close of the Civil War, July, 1865, and returned to Wallingford till 1868. He was accountant with the Meriden Britannia Co. of Meriden, Ct., till 1887; held a business position in Chicago, Ill., 1887-1888; accountant with R. Wallace and Sons Manufacturing Co., silversmiths, Wallingford, 1888, onward; agent of Cooperative Savings Soc. of Conn., 1893. He has taken an active interest in the Genealogy of his family. He m. 28 Sept., 1871, JULIA R. YALE of Meriden.
Children:
I. Jennie Curtis, b. 21 Jan., 1873.
II. Theodore Harrison, b. 25 Apr., 1875, d. June, 1881.
III. Arthur Yale, b. 4 Feb., 1877.
IV. Clarence Deshon, b. 15 Jan., 1881.
V. Howard Stothart, b. 4 Dec, 1883.
VI. Harold Beckley, b. 6 Mar., 1890.
Source: Lane Genealogies - James Hill Fitts - 1897
An image of the display of R. Wallace & Sons Mfg.Co. at the American National Retail Jewelers' Association convention held at the Lafayette Hotel, Buffalo, N.Y. on the 13th-16th September 1921:
