bottlekid76
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I was able to add a really early pontiled soda from New York to my collection recently. I found this according to Tod's awesome site...
Thomas W. Newton was born in about 1802 in Pennsylvania according to the 1870 New York City Census, but this date could not be collaborated. We do not have much information on Newton's years in Philadelphia. He first appears as a machinist and turner at 62 Dock Street in the 1831 Philadelphia Directory. Ice skates of a new design were mentioned as being manufactured by Thomas W. Newton at 60 Dock Street in the September 1832 issue of the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine. On July 30, 1833, Newton and Joseph H. Laning received a patent for an improved water hydrant. In the years leading up to Newton's move to New York City, he is listed as a plumber at various locations along or near Market Street. The following directory listings show Newton's transition form a plumber in Philadelphia to a soda water bottler in New York City:
1842 Philadelphia Newton Thomas W., plumber, 495 High
1843 Philadelphia Newton Thomas W., plumber & gasfitter, 26 N 13th
1843 New York Newton Thomas W., patent soda fountains 13 Beekman
1844 New York Newton Tho's W. min. water, 290 B'way, h. 527 Pearl
1844 New York Newton & Co. mineral water, 290 Broadway
1845 New York Newton Thos. W. min water, 290 B'way, h. 523 Pearl (Doggett's)
1845 New York Newton & Co. mineral water, 290 Broadway (Doggett's)
1846 New York Newton Thos. W. mineral water, 290 B'way, h.171 Grand
1846 New York NEWTON & CO. mineral water, 290 Broadway (See Appendix, page 7)
1847 New York Newton Thos. W. mineral water, 7 Elm, h.7 Elm
1847 New York NEWTON & CO. mineral water, 7 Elm
1848 New York Newton Charles W., 316 Broadway, h. 18 Elm
1848 New York Newton Thomas W. mineral water, 316 Broadway, h.18 Elm
1848 New York Newton & Co. mineral water, 316 Broadway
1849 New York Newton Charles W. lawyer, 61 Wall, h. 45 Bond
1849 New York Newton, Thos. W. late mineral water, r. 273 W. 18th
1850 New York Newton, Thomas W. soda water, Centre c Leonard, h. Brooklyn
Newton was clearly bottling soda water in New York due to his winning a diploma for "the best bottled Soda water with syrups" in October of 1843 from the American Institute in New York. It is interesting that Newton was located at 7 Elm Street for only one year. Part of the issue may have been the neighborhood. In the September 4, 1847 edition of the New York Tribune, we find Newton was a complainant against "persons for keeping houses of ill-fame." These included a number of women from numbers 11, 12, 25, 27, 27 1/2, 29, and 30 Elm Street. In 1849 Newton appears to have left the soda water business. In 1850, we find that Newton was living in Brooklyn and it appears he briefly reentered the soda water business but soon returned to his older profession as a plumber and gasfitter. He likely resided in Brooklyn until 1854, when he resurfaces as a gasfitter living at 38 Eldridge in New York City. From an 1877 article in the New York Sun newspaper we find that Newton was a gas engineer for the Bowery Theater for 35 years. Newton appears to have died in late 1878 or early 1879, as this is the last year that he is listed as an engineer living at 256 Madison Avenue in the New York Directory and he could not found in the 1880 Census. He would have been about 76 years old.
There is only one known Newton & Company bottle that dates to the early period being covered by this article. This bottle dates to 1844. There are four later bottles from this firm that date from the period1845-1848. The best of these is a rare scalloped shouldered blue soda that dates to 1848.
I was able to add a really early pontiled soda from New York to my collection recently. I found this according to Tod's awesome site...
Thomas W. Newton was born in about 1802 in Pennsylvania according to the 1870 New York City Census, but this date could not be collaborated. We do not have much information on Newton's years in Philadelphia. He first appears as a machinist and turner at 62 Dock Street in the 1831 Philadelphia Directory. Ice skates of a new design were mentioned as being manufactured by Thomas W. Newton at 60 Dock Street in the September 1832 issue of the American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine. On July 30, 1833, Newton and Joseph H. Laning received a patent for an improved water hydrant. In the years leading up to Newton's move to New York City, he is listed as a plumber at various locations along or near Market Street. The following directory listings show Newton's transition form a plumber in Philadelphia to a soda water bottler in New York City:
1842 Philadelphia Newton Thomas W., plumber, 495 High
1843 Philadelphia Newton Thomas W., plumber & gasfitter, 26 N 13th
1843 New York Newton Thomas W., patent soda fountains 13 Beekman
1844 New York Newton Tho's W. min. water, 290 B'way, h. 527 Pearl
1844 New York Newton & Co. mineral water, 290 Broadway
1845 New York Newton Thos. W. min water, 290 B'way, h. 523 Pearl (Doggett's)
1845 New York Newton & Co. mineral water, 290 Broadway (Doggett's)
1846 New York Newton Thos. W. mineral water, 290 B'way, h.171 Grand
1846 New York NEWTON & CO. mineral water, 290 Broadway (See Appendix, page 7)
1847 New York Newton Thos. W. mineral water, 7 Elm, h.7 Elm
1847 New York NEWTON & CO. mineral water, 7 Elm
1848 New York Newton Charles W., 316 Broadway, h. 18 Elm
1848 New York Newton Thomas W. mineral water, 316 Broadway, h.18 Elm
1848 New York Newton & Co. mineral water, 316 Broadway
1849 New York Newton Charles W. lawyer, 61 Wall, h. 45 Bond
1849 New York Newton, Thos. W. late mineral water, r. 273 W. 18th
1850 New York Newton, Thomas W. soda water, Centre c Leonard, h. Brooklyn
Newton was clearly bottling soda water in New York due to his winning a diploma for "the best bottled Soda water with syrups" in October of 1843 from the American Institute in New York. It is interesting that Newton was located at 7 Elm Street for only one year. Part of the issue may have been the neighborhood. In the September 4, 1847 edition of the New York Tribune, we find Newton was a complainant against "persons for keeping houses of ill-fame." These included a number of women from numbers 11, 12, 25, 27, 27 1/2, 29, and 30 Elm Street. In 1849 Newton appears to have left the soda water business. In 1850, we find that Newton was living in Brooklyn and it appears he briefly reentered the soda water business but soon returned to his older profession as a plumber and gasfitter. He likely resided in Brooklyn until 1854, when he resurfaces as a gasfitter living at 38 Eldridge in New York City. From an 1877 article in the New York Sun newspaper we find that Newton was a gas engineer for the Bowery Theater for 35 years. Newton appears to have died in late 1878 or early 1879, as this is the last year that he is listed as an engineer living at 256 Madison Avenue in the New York Directory and he could not found in the 1880 Census. He would have been about 76 years old.
There is only one known Newton & Company bottle that dates to the early period being covered by this article. This bottle dates to 1844. There are four later bottles from this firm that date from the period1845-1848. The best of these is a rare scalloped shouldered blue soda that dates to 1848.
] Ace
