DEMOREST
SEWING MACHINE MANUFACTURING CO.
from 1862 to 1907
1854-55
DEMOREST M ME. M. W.
fashions, 375 Broadway
Demorest William J. late drygoods, home: 375 Broadway
Deinorest W. J. merchant, 375 Broadway (as recorded in NYCD)
--------------------------------------------------------
1855-56
DEMOREST MARGARET W.
fashions, 375 Broadway
Demorest William J. late drygoods, home: 375 Broadway
--------------------------------------------------------
1856-57
DEMOREST MARGARET W.
first premium pattern &. dressmaking emporium, Paris fashions, 375 Broadway;
home: Bergen
--------------------------------------------------------
1857-58
DEMOREST MARGARET W.
first premium pattern &. dressmaking emporium, Paris fashions, 375 Broadway;
home: Bergen
--------------------------------------------------------
1858-59
Demorest Wm. J.
milliner, 375 Broadway & 322 Canal;
home: 55 Sixth Av.
--------------------------------------------------------
1859-60
DEMOREST ELLEN L.
imp. fashions, 375 Broadway,
& skirts, the cheapest & best, wholesale & retail, 320 Canal,
& patterns of all the latest Paris, London & N. Y. fashions, in advance of the published modes, 322 Canal;
home: 45 Charlton
--------------------------------------------------------
1860-61
DEMOREST ELLEN L.
skirts, 119 1/2 Eight av. 473 Broadway, 244 1/2 Grand & 320 Canal
home: 45 Charlton
--------------------------------------------------------
1861-62
DEMOREST ELLEN L.
fashions 473 Broadway, 299 & 320 Canal, 244 Grand, 119 Eight av. & 27 E. 14th
home: 27 E. 14th
--------------------------------------------------------
M'me DEMOREST
from 1862 to 1865
Factory: Green Street, N.Y. (Running Stitch Sewing Machine)
Offices: 473 Broadway, New York
see: BARTLETT
Branch: 320 Canal Street, N. Y. (Miss Kate Curtis)
Branch (from 1861) & home: 27 East, 14th Street, New York
***
1866
Offices: 473 Broadway, New York
home: 27 East, 14th Street, New York
***
1868-69
Offices: 473 Broadway & 838 Broadway, New York
home: 838 Broadway, New York
***
1870-75
Offices & home: 838 Broadway, New York
***
1876-77-78
Offices: 17 East, 14th Street & 10 Astor Place, New York
home: 63 Irving place, New York
***
1880-81
Offices: 17 East, 14th Street & 10 Astor Place, New York
home: 21 East, 57th Street, New York
***
1886
Offices: 15 & 17 East, 14th Street & 10 Astor Place, New York
home: 21 East, 57th Street, New York
***
1886-1887
DEMOREST FASHION & SEWING MACHINE CO.
from 1888 to 1892
17 East, 14th Street, New York
home: 21 East, 57th Street, New York
DEMOREST MANUFACTURING COMPANY
from 1892 to 1907
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
COMPANY HISTORY
Lycoming is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. Headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines including the only FAA-certified aerobatic and helicopter piston engines on the market. The company has built more than 325,000 piston aircraft engines and powers more than half the world's general aviation fleet, both rotary and fixed wing. The company is currently part of Textron's Avco Corporation.
Lycoming claims to have been founded in 1845 by "M'me Ellen Louise Curtis Demorest"; however, the early history of the company (especially prior to 1860) is unclear (biographer Ishbel Ross notes that the marriage of Ellen Louise Curtis to William Jennings Demorest took place in 1858, somewhat later than the purported date of establishment of the company).
Mr. J. Demorest of 375 Broadway, introduced his new patent portable Magic Summer stove and put it in operation. A hollow metal ring containing a quart of alcohol, supports above it entirely distinct from it, a series of circular tin ovens. At the bottom is a small metal covered cup whose sides are perforated in many places. A small pipe from the alcohol below is introduced to the bottom of this cup, the stream regulated or shut off at pleasure by a cock. The cup contains a quantity of fine wire so closely pressed together as to resemble the sponge. A semicircle of metal provided with similar wire sponge, being first saturated with alcohol (having a stout wire handle to it) is lighted by a match, then applied around the bottom of the cup, this heat soon causes the alcohol to fill the sponge in the cup, which now burns the gas of the alcohol, producing neither smoke, soot or smell, nor does any very sensible heat radiate from its outside, while a pure and strong heat exists within. Sad iron heating, steak cooking, bread baking, water boiling, all proceed at once in the ovens over oven. The cost of boiling one gallon of water is proved to be but one cent. The circular reservoir of alcohol under all is so entirely separate that it receives no heat during the cooking and cannot explode. A small stove costs six dollars, large one twelve dollars. Demorest's object is to produce neat, perfect cooking on one's table in summer and when fuel and cooks are wanting. Common gas of our streets will answer as well as alcohol.
American Institute 1856
In New York, between 1860 circa and 1887, the Demorest's published fashion magazines and operated the Demorest Fashion and Sewing-Machine Company (sometimes known as the Demorest Manufacturing Company) producing "Demorest Running Stitch Machine" ($5) and "Bartlett & Demorest's Sewing Machine" ($25) and selling Ellen Demorest's innovative paper patterns for dressmaking. During this period, Ellen Demorest patented several fashion accessories, while her husband patented improvements to sewing machines and an apparatus for the vulcanization of rubber.
The Demorest Manufacturing Company is one of the large industries of Williamsport in which iron is involved. In brief, the history of this establishment is as follows :
In 1883 Madame Demorest retired and sold her interest to Gerrit S. & Frank M. Scofield, (advertising agents from New York). They sold in 1888 to the Demorest Fashion & Sewing Machine Company with offices at 17 East, 14th Street, New York
In 1887 Demorest sold the pattern business.?
In 1892 the business was transferred to the Demorest Manufacturing Company of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (The factory was built in Williamsport in 1889, the citizens subscribing $100,000 in stock).
The buildings covered six acres and the capital was $300,000. In 1892 the employes were 250 and an average of fifty sewing machines were turned out daily (20.000 annually) and the company sold them for between $19.50 and $55.00 each. Opera chairs and the " New York " bicycle (designed by employee S. H. Ellis) were also manufactured.
Hugh McDonald, manager of the Demorest Sewing Machine Works, in 1889, he went to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the purpose of establishing the plant of the Demorest Sewing Machine Company. This he accomplished successfully and has since been general manager of the works. Mr. McDonald is the patentee of many of the parts used in the manufacture of the Demorest sewing machine; hence he is an invaluable man to that company. He also has a patent on a bicycle, which the company is now manufacturing.
He is agent for Lycoming county for William Jessop & Sons' celebrated steel and machinists' supplies of different kinds.
In 1895 William Jennings Demorest died.
In 1900 about 250.000 machines in use. (click on the picture below)
By 1907, the manufacture of sewing machines had become unprofitable for Demorest and the company was sold and restructured as the Lycoming Foundry and Machine Company, shifting its focus toward automobile engine manufacture.
see also: