Hey all you Virginians

[jcrlanger]

Hope you guys can help with this one. Gary and myself have been at this park in Charlotte we believe was built on a pre-1910's dump. I found this bottle today and found out that it may be a pre-turn whiskey of some sort. It says 'J & E Portsmouth Alexandria Norfolk, VA' I'm hoping one of the great members here from Virginia have seen this before. If you haven't I'll feel even better []

thanks in advanced
John

 

[Road Dog]

Fairly common. I have seen several different variations of their bottles.

 

[marjorie040]

Hello JC.....,
I'm not from Virginia but I love researching the stories behind the bottles.

I found a John Mahoney in the 1900 Federal Census who was a "rectifier & distiller" in Portsmouth City, Va.

John Mahoney was born in Ireland (where else?) in 1835 and immigrated to this country in 1856, married an Irish girl named Bridget and they had three sons.

After John died (sometime between 1900-1910) his three sons Mathew, James and George were listed in 1910 also as "distillers" I couldn't read the rest of the words under occupation.

By 1920 George and James' occupation in the census changes to "soft drink manufacturers". Prohibition I suppose.All this information was from Portsmouth.

By the way, the same John Mahoney was a "potter" earlier in the census' of 1870 and 1880 in Boston. Since there is no record of the census of 1890, it's difficult to know just when John started in the "rectifier" business thus exactly when your bottle was manufactured.
I hope this information is of interest....I love their stories!

Regards,

 

[jcrlanger]

Thanks for the replies and history. I love to be able to tell history on peices.

 

[diggermeister]

Hey Hey John, I'm glad to see the spot starting to produce! I'm heading there tomorrow and since you'll be on maneuvers maybe I'll have a chance to find a keeper or two [8|]...