Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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Traintime
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Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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A solid piece fork, with very plain pattern, has surfaced bearing no marks beyond Meacham Bros. in script on the handle's reverse. Trying to locate such a duo leads to a reference in Chicago manufacturing called Reliance. Now, Reliance Plate was a brand name of Oneida Community. However, their oldest pattern dates back to 1900 and is found to be made with several different marks including Reliance Mfg. Co.. In addition, Jeweler's Circular from 1899 shows that this was a Chicago area firm owned by J. W. Meacham...at that time he was going to relocate the firm to Milwaukee where he would be joined by an interest of a brother with some marketing ties referred to as Colonel Meacham: https://books.google.com/books?id=HXQoA ... rs&f=false
Much later years show J. W. Meacham is running a "Reliance Silver Company" in Milwaukee, with no mention of the named brother. Could Meacham Bros. be a gap between Reliance Mfg. and Reliance Silver?
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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Images:

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Marked like a user, retailer, or possibly supplier/wholesaler...but no other maker marks are found.
Traintime
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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1894-J.W. Meacham in Chicago but related to Meriden Britannia: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=36151&p=122413&hil ... 90#p122413

1895-J.W. Meacham tied tied Rockford Silver Plate Company: more of Trev's postings.
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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1924 (J.C.)- Justin W. Meacham now noted as "former" partner of Reliance Silver Co. (President is now a Mr. Montgomery and his brother is sales representative). Meacham noted as Civil War Veteran who had been involved in organizing in that state, thereby placing him in Wisconsin as early as the 1860's: https://books.google.com/books?id=BEIcA ... ee&f=false
Traintime
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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Correction: While Meacham was one of the 449 veterans who originally organized the Wisconsin Commandery, this is something occuring sometime after the war era. He was one of three survivors left by 1924.
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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In trying to backtrack this, the earliest reference to Reliance Manufacturing Company seems to be a patent filing for trademark in 1893 with a New York address...it was a found reference in a 1912 notice of "Interference" being filed with the pat. offices.

Beyond that, Reliance is normally shown to be some kind of headquarters company which runs plants in many different local settings primarily in clothing/workwear shops. In one such case, the community had to front the funds for a building to be able to get this organization to open a factory. Even more odd, this conglomerate reportedly is known to have employed as much as half their work force from low-wage prison labor ("slave labor" to many). This seems to have been one if their primary methods if competing with union labor at other manufacturer plants. [This firm may be working both out of Chicago and New York.] This stitch work is said to have been marketed to farmers, but railroad and factory workers seem to be prime consumers also.

How the silver plate maker just might be related is still unknown. Henry Sears was also in Chicago and making the same 1900 era pattern associated with Reliance Mfg. and others.

The historic Reliance Building of Chicago has not been pegged to this company in any way, but neither has it's odd name been fully explained.

Finally, while Reliance Plate marks have been ascribed to Oneida Community, this is not itself a confirmation that such claim can link Oneida directly to the earlier manufacturer. Even Rainwater seemed to avoid listing this name. What the Meacham Bros. were doing together or individually appears to be an incomplete story.
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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J.C. for 1920 still has Reliance Mfg. Co. among list of firms (silver, glass, jewelry, luggage) using Bush Terminal Bldg., and not related to work clothes nor early automobiles. Oneida Community is also listed separately: https://books.google.com/books?id=qf0bA ... er&f=false
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Re: Reliance Manufacturing Company-Meacham Bros.?

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J.C. for 1917 has a factory address in Providence Rhode Island on Reliance: https://books.google.com/books?id=_PwbA ... te&f=false
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