Vernors Ginger Ale 150th B-Day

[iggyworf]

Yes, Bob I did read most of that one. Yeah, I tend to agree it wasn't till after the war that he started to make it. Leon I like your Sum up of the story.
It would be neat to check out his collection in person.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Here's an even closer look at Keith Wunderlich's incredible collection ...

http://photos.metrotimes.com/62012-2/?slide=1&img_1455-2

 

[hemihampton]

Wish they shown his cans of Vernors more, Lots of cans I did not see, Seen a few soda company's sell a Swiss Creme Soda can but never seen one by Vernors. LEON.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

In Search of ...

Proof-positive verification that James Vernor had a Soda Fountain at 235 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

Please note it is not my intention to create controversy or upset any apple carts, but I feel it would be an injustice to any discussion about the history of Vernor's Ginger Ale not to question certain aspects of those histories that in some cases don't appear to be based on facts. Which, to my surprise, is exactly what I discovered when attempting to find verification about James Vernor having a soda fountain at his first location on the southwest corner of Woodward and Clifford. Even though about 99.9% of the accounts about Vernor's mention a soda fountain, some of which that even say his first glass of ginger ale was served over the counter of that soda fountain, I just can't for the life of me find an account from that actual time period between 1866 and 1880 that supports those claims. My investigation into this involved no less than ten hours of searching through ...

1. U.S. Census records
2. Detroit Business Directories
3. Newspaper Archives
4. Periodical Publications
5. Etc.

... and in none of sources could I find proof-positive verification that James Vernor had a soda fountain at 235 Woodward Avenue. So if anyone should ever find a verifiable reference for the supposed soda fountain in an account that was published anytime between 1866 and 1880, please share it with us and I will do the same.

Note: I do not consider accounts from the early 1900s, such as a popular one from 1919, as verifiable. Some of those accounts were written 50+ years after the fact and do not necessarily support something that was supposed to have occurred between 1866 and 1880.

Lastly: I would like to emphasize I'm not saying that James Vernor did not have a soda fountain at 235 Woodward, I'm just saying that I cannot find bona fide proof of it!

Respectfully,

Sodapopbob

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

As crazy as it might seem, after no less than 60 hours of searching various aspects about Vernor's, this newspaper snippet is still the absolute earliest published account I can find that refers to James Vernor's ginger ale. The only other reference I can find that even comes close to this is the 1911 Trademark document where it mentions 1880.

The Detroit Free Press - Detroit, Michigan - June 28, 1884

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

This is for anyone who wishes to search through Detroit directories between 1852 and 1895. I personally prefer the same directories found on Ancestry.com because those are more easily searchable, whereas with these you have to figure out how to navigate through them. But because these directories are free to view and Ancestry.com requires a paid subscription, they are likely to appeal to more people. Check'em out and see what you can find ...

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/detroit/DetroitRLPolkCityDirectories.html

Also check out this publication from 1891 about Charles L'Hommedieu ...

"The Pharmaceutical Era" ~ February 1, 1891

(Scroll to or click on Page 69)

https://books.google.com/books?id=M...blfCq04FBDoAQgkMAA#v=onepage&q=vernor&f=false

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Because it is rare to find accounts in an individual's own words, check out this documented testimony from James Vernor Jr. regarding bottling taxation. (Which has a lot of other interesting information as well)

From ...

Internal-Revenue Hearings - May 9-27 1921

(If necessary, scroll back to Page 614 for the start of the testimony)

https://books.google.com/books?id=O...Ak#v=onepage&q=Vernor's soda fountain&f=false

 

[iggyworf]

Good work Bob! I will try to look thru some of those Detroit directories. I have access to ancestry.com also.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Rich

Thanks!

I don't know how familiar you are with Ancestry.com but if you dink around with it there is a way to isolate various directories without pulling up a bunch of other stuff. Once they are isolated you can then search any name or date you desire. Its definitely better than the link I posted because with those you have to figure out what's what on what page and then scroll through a jillion pages looking for the right listing. By the way, I found some interesting information about Vernor's "Outfits" that I will explain about later.

Bob

 

[hemihampton]

Thanks for the Links Bob. Here's a old Vernors Cap I recently picked up. LEON.