Introduction
L. Dietle
Chronology
Michael Whitmore is buried at the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On the tombstone, the first three numbers of the birth year are "180" and the last number is illegible. The birth month is September and the death month and year are July of 1880. The number for the death date is illegible.
1815 to 1887: The tombstone of Christian H. Wolff in the Zion Reformed Church Cemetery at Chambersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania states: "CHRISTIAN H. WOLFF. BORN IN CHAMBERSBURG, APRIL 6, 1815. DIED IN PHILADELPHIA FEB. 28, 1887." As shown farther below, this matches the death date given the 1888 book "Allegheny County's Hundred Years".
1836: Various articles, included below, indicate that the partnership of Michael Whitmore and Christian H. Wolff began in 1836.
1837: The following entries are from "Harris' Pittsburgh Business Directory for the Year 1837". One of the entries indicates some sort of business collaboration between an individual named "[W]olf at the corner of Liberty and St. Clair streets and an individual named Whitmore on Liberty Street. By 1841, the the firm of Whitmore & Wolff is listed at at the corner of Liberty and St. Clair streets (see below).
1841: The following advertisement for the business of Whitmore & Wolff is from the 1841 edition of "Harris' general business directory of the cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny...". The proprietors are listed as M. Whitmore and C. H. Wolff.
1844: The following advertisement is from the 1844 edition of "
Harris' business directory of the cities of Pittsburgh & Allegheny...":
1844: The following advertisement is from the Pittsburgh section of "Kimball & James' Business Directory for the Mississippi Valley: 1844".
1845: The following advertisement, which mentions "a full and general assortment of RIFLE BARRELS AND GUN TRIMMINGS" was published in the May 27, 1845 issue of the "Pittsburgh Morning Post" newspaper.
1847: The following advertisement is from the 1847 edition of "Harris's general business directory of the cities of Pittsburgh & Allegheny...":
1849: The following advertisement is from the 1849 book "History of Cosmopolite; or Journal of Lorenzo Dow..."
1850: The following advertisement, which is from "Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850", includes "GUN TRIMMINGS, RIFLE BARRELS" in a list of products:
1851: In the 1851 book "Annual report of the managers of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital" the firm of Whitmore & Wolff is included on a list of "...all the life members of the association which founded the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, up to the 15th April, 1851."
1853: The following advertisement is from the March 12, 1853 issue of the Morgantown, Virginia newspaper the "Monongalia Mirror". This advertisement specifically references "200 doz. Gun Locks; Gun Trimmings" (200 dozen is 2,400). The name of the company is listed as Whitmore, Wolff & Co. and the names of two business partners have been added, compared to earlier advertisements: Hugh Jones and George J. Duff.
I don't know exactly when company name was changed from Whitmore & Wolff to Witmore, Wolff & Co. but it was before this March 12, 1853 advertisement. Click here to see a picture of a lock that branded "WHITMORE, WOLFF & CO PITTSBURGH". I have also seen a photo of a September 2, 1853 receipt that was prepared using a printed form that includes the following: "Bought of Whitmore, Wolff & Co. importers and wholesale dealers, No. 50 Wood Street." I think it is reasonable to assume that the company ordered at least one batch of gun locks before the name change to Whitmore, Wolf & Co., because locks exist that are marked Whitmore & Wolff.
1853: The following recurring advertisement, which is from the December 23, 1853 issue of the "Democrat and Sentinel" newspaper of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, lists 217 gun locks for sale.
1854: Kauffman's 1960 book includes an advertisement for Whitmore, Wolff & Co. from the 1854 printing of the "Pittsburgh Business Directory and Merchant's and Traveler's Guide". The advertisement gives an address of 50 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and indicates that the proprietors are importers and dealers in hardware, cutlery, Saddlery, &c.
1855: The following advertisement is from the September 13, 1855 issue of the Gallipolis, Ohio newspaper "The Journal":
1856: The following advertisement is from the October 2, 1856 issue of the Carrollton, Ohio newspaper the "Carroll Free Press".
1856: The following advertisement is from the book "Directory of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Birmingham, &c. 1856-57".
1857: The following list of Pittsburgh hardware companies in the 1857 book "Pittsburg as it is" indicates that Whitmore, Wolff, & Co. was located at 50 Wood Street and was established in 1836.
1858: The following advertisement is from the March 4, 1858 issue of the Carrollton, Ohio newspaper the "Carroll Free Press". The advertisement mentions, "Guns and Gun Trimmings". The name of the company is listed as "Whitmore, Wolff, Duff & Co. In the list of partners, the name of Thomas H. Lane has been substituted for that of Hugh Jones. Page 180 of the 1953 book "American Gun Makers" mentions a back action gun lock that is marked "WHITMORE WOLFF DUFF & CO." and page 197 of the 1990 book "Arms makers of Pennsylvania" shows such a lock. Click here for photos of locks that are stamped with the name of the Whitmore, Wolff, Duff & Co. hardware company.
1860: The following advertisement is from the October 12, 1860 issue of the Pomeroy, Ohio newspaper the "Pomeroy Weekly Telegraph":
1863-1864: Kauffman's 1960 book includes a Whitmore, Wolff, Duff & Co. receipt for a dozen pistol flasks that is dated June 25, 1863. The pre-printed portion of the receipt indicates that the company was located at 50 Wood Street, and was in business as, "Importers and wholesale dealers in hardware and Cutlery". I have also seen a picture of a June 3, 1864 receipt that was prepared using the same printed form.
1864: One of the signatories on a transcript of an April 12, 1864 petition type of letter that was written "To the Senators and Representatives of Allegheny County, in the General Assembly of the State of Pennsylvania" is "Whitmore, Wolff, Duff & Co." The transcript of the letter is included in the Appendix of the 1919 book "Life and Letters of Alexander Hays".
1868: The following advertisement is from the April 29, 1868 issue of the Cadiz, Ohio newspaper "The Cadiz Sentinel". A new name has been added to the list of partners: Charles T. Neale.
1870: Business partner George J. Duff died in 1870 and is buried in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his tombstone is inscribed, "GEORGE J. DUFF JUNE 5, 1829 AUG. 7, 1870." His entry in the 1870 Pittsburgh "Registration of Deaths" gives his name as George James Duff, his occupation as hardware merchant, his age as 42 years, and his date of death as August 7, 1870.
1871: Kauffman's 1960 book locates Whitmore, Wolff, Duff & Co. at 50 Wood Street for the year 1871.
1872: The following entry is from the April 19, 1872 issue of the "The-Petroleum-Centre-daily-record" newspaper from Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania. The name of the firm is listed as "Whitmore, Wolff, Lane, & Co." and the list of partners has once again changed.
1873: The following listing is from the 1873-4 issue of "Boyd's Business Directory, of Over One Hundred Cities and Towns in Pennsylvania".
1875: The following article, which is from the February 17, 1875 issue of the "Somerset Herald" newspaper, reports a serious fire at the firm of Whitmore, Wolff, Lane & Co. at 50 Wood Street.
1875: The following February 18, 1875 article, which is from the Hillsboro, Ohio weekly newspaper "The Highland News", also reported the fire.
1876: The following image of the Whitmore, Wolff, Lane & Co. hardware store is from the 1876 book "Pittsburgh and Allegheny in the Centennial Year". If this was the building that lost its upper two stories to a fire in 1875, then this image must have been prepared before the fire.
1877-1879: The name of the firm changed to Wolff, Lane, & Co. in 1877 according to the following item that was published in the the 1879/80 edition of "Industries of Pittsburgh" The same item indicates that the firm of Whitmore & Wolff was founded in 1836.
1888: The following excerpt from the 1888 book "Allegheny County's Hundred Years" gives the history of the firm of Whitmore & Wolff from its founding in 1836 to the death of Christian H. Wolff in 1887. The individual identified as B. Wolfe, Jr. is Christian H. Wolff's brother Bernard Wolff, Jr.
1889: The following article, which is from the 1889 book "Pittsburgh and Allegheny Illustrated Review", indicates that the firm of Whitmore & Wolff was founded in 1936, and indicates that C. H. Wolff died in February of 1887.
1889: An article in the Octobeer 16, 1889 issue of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" indicates that Wolf, Lane & Co. endorsed a petition supporting a politician identified as Mr. McKean.
1890: According to an article titled "Has His Own Church" in the December 14, 1890 issue of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" newspaper, B. Wolf, Jr. (Bernard) erected a new church at his own expense as a memorial to his brother Christian H. Wolff who was born on on April 6, 1815 and died on February 28, 1887.
1891: An article titled "Industrial Notes" in May 27, 1891 issue of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" indicates that Wolff, Lane & Co. is one of several wholesale hardware dealers that "will close their places of business during the months of June, July and August at 5 P.M., excepting Saturday, and then at 3 P.M."
1892: The March 9, 1892 issue of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" contains a transcript of a letter asking for repeal of the mercantile business tax (a sales tax) that was signed by various merchants, including Wolf, Lane & Co.
1892: The May 8, 1892 issue of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" contains an article titled "City Contracts Awarded" which indicates that Wolf, Lane & Co. was one of a number of companies that received contracts for hardware.
1892: The June 2, 1892 issue of the "Pittsburg Dispatch" contains an article titled "Fears He Cannot Raise $10,000" which indicates that Wolf, Lane & Co. donated $10.00 to the Fourth of July fund.
1901: Bernard Wolff, Jr. — a brother and business partner of Christian H. Wolff — is buried at the Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the inscription on his tombstone states: "BERNARD WOLFF, JR. MARCH 26, 1828 APRIL 22, 1901". Click here to see his obituary, which mentions the church he built as a memorial to his brother. In that obituary, the reference to the death of Mr. Lane is either an error or it referrs to someone other than Thomas H. Lane, because Bernard Wolff's business partner Thomas H. Lane outlived Bernard Wolff by about five years.
1904: The following excerpt from a multi-page biography of Thomas H. Lane in Volume II the 1904 book "Century Cyclopedia of History and Biography of Pennsylvania" indicates that Thomas H. Lane started working for Whitmore & Wolff in 1843, and became a partner in 1858. It also reports that the name of the firm was changed to Wolf, Lane & Company in 1878. A brief description of the life of Thomas H. Lane is also provided on page 660 of the 1887 book History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Pages 861-862 of that book indicate that the parents of Thomas H. Lane were Dr. Nicholas B. Lane and his wife Eliza (Hetich) Lane of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
1906: The following article from the June 26, 1906 issue of "Industrial World" indicates that the firm of Whitmore & Wolff was founded in 1835, which conflicts with other contemporaneous publications and appears (to me) to be incorrect. The listed 1872 death date for George J. Duff is incorrect. The listed 1879 death date for Christian H. Wolff is also incorrect.
1906: The following article, which is from the September 13, 1906 issue of "The Iron Age", indicates that the firm of Whitmore & Wolff was organized in 1836, and had recently been incorporated as the Wolff-Lane Hardware Company.
1907: The death certificate of the unmarried retired merchant Thomas H. Lane indicates he was born on August 21, 1828 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, his father's name was Nicholas Lane, his mother's name was Eliza Hetiecl [sic], he died on December 31, 1907, and he is buried in Chambersburg. The particulars of the death certificate were provided by "Mr. Wolf of Wolf Lane Co. 107 Wood St." Click here to read his obituary, which mentions his deceased partners Christian and Bernard Wolff.
This page documents an 1800s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hardware company that began as a partnership between
Michael Whitmore and Christian H. Wolff. Among many other things, the company imported and sold gun locks, gun barrels, and gun trimmings. The original name of the company was Whitmore & Wolff. I was able to trace evidence of hardware business partnership activity as early as 1836 and as late as 1907. The name was still Whitmore & Wolff in 1850, but shows up as Whitmore, Wolff & Co. in an 1853 publication after a new partner was added to the firm. It was also known as the Whitmore, Wolff, Duff & Co.; the Whitmore, Wolff, Lane & Co., the Wolff, Lane, & Co.; and the Wolff-Lane Hardware Company. My interest in this subject began with a rifle that has a lock marked "WHITMORE & WOLFF PITTSBURGH".
1804 to 1880: According to the 1905 book "Biographical Annals of Franklin County, Pennsylvania" Michael Whitmore was the uncle of his hardware store partner Christian Heyser Wolff, and was born in 1804 and died on July 13, 1880. The 1905 book also describes the ancestry of Christian Heyser Wolff, and reveals that his father Barnard Wolf had been in the hardware business with his brother-in-law Michael Whitmore at Chambersburg.
1839: The following entries are from the 1839 edition of "Harris' Pittsburgh & Allegheny directory". One entry indicates some sort of business collaboration between Wolf's wholesale and retail hardware at the corner of Liberty and St. Clair, and Michael Whitmore at another location. It isn't clear to me who Jacob Whitmore was.
