Flagg and Homan: Historical Notes
by
Gary D. Wiggins
Over the years, many collectors have
been confused by pewter (Britannia) pieces with “Flagg & Homan” or other
Homan touches. This article covers the
history of both the people and companies that produced these items and will
correct a number of misconceptions about them.
The original
firm that grew to become the 20th century’s Homan Manufacturing
Company began operation as “Flagg & Homan” in 1847. It was then that H. Henry Homan formed a
partnership with Asa F. Flagg to manufacture
Britannia wares and other items in Cincinnati, Ohio.(1) Flagg was already an
established Britannia maker by 1847. He
was an employee of the Luther Boardman firm in Massachusetts during the period
4 January 1836 to 4 June 1837 (9 January 1837 – 17 April, 1837 according to Turano). (2), (3) He
had moved to Cincinnati by 1842. Flagg set up shop on Seventh Street between Main and
Sycamore Streets, according to McConnell.(4) Brown
also feels that Flagg worked on his own during the period 1842-1846.(5) Until at least sometime in 1851, Asa
Flagg was a partner with Henry Homan.
Fig.
1. Herman Henry Homan, 1826-1865
Herman Henry Homan
went to public school in Cincinnati until age 14, when he began to work as an
apprentice at the Britannia ware firm of Sellew &
Co. around 1840. Sellew
& Co. was then the only Britannia maker in Cincinnati, and Homan stayed
with them until he was 21 in 1847. There
are only a few pewter pieces from the Flagg & Homan period 1847-1851 that
have a mark with both the Flagg and Homan names.(6) Records
seen at the home of Henry Homan descendant Ted Homan in 2012 and 2013 indicate
that their business was initially located on Jackson Street between Twelfth and
Canal Streets. They had moved to Fifth
Street by 1851. Shortly thereafter, the
partnership ended, and the business was then known simply by Henry Homan’s name.(7) Figures 2 through 8 show ads from Cincinnati city
directories that clarify the names used by the Homan Britannia business in the
first 20 years of its existence.
Fig.
2. Flagg & Homan ad in Williams’ Cincinnati Directory,
1851-52
Fig.
3. Henry Homan ad in Williams’ Cincinnati Directory, 1853
Although the
partnership between Henry Homan and Asa “Pewter” Flagg,
as he came to be known, probably ended before 1853, Homan soon found a new
partner in William M. Miller, who remained with him at least until 1861. By
1856, they were already advertising gold and silver plating. The building on Fifth Street burned down
around 1855, and by 1856 they had moved to no. 11 E. Seventh Street between
Main and Sycamore, north side. The
company name vacillated for a while among the names Henry Homan, Homan &
Co., H. Homan & Co. before finally settling on Homan & Co after Henry’s
death in 1865.(8) Homan & Co. then expanded into no. 12 and
no. 14 E. Seventh Street, where the business remained for several decades. By 1888 they had the entire block, 10 to 18
E. Seventh Street.
Fig.
4. Homan & Co ad in Williams’ Cincinnati Directory, 1856
Fig.
5. H. Homan & Co. ad in Williams’ Cincinnati Directory,
1857
Fig.
6. Sketch of H. Homan & Co. Factory, circa 1860
Fig.
7. 1865 H. Homan ad in Williams’ Cincinnati Directory, 1865,
p. 92
Fig.
8. Homan & Co. ad in Williams’ Cincinnati Directory, 1866
Upon Henry
Homan’s death in 1865, his wife, Margaret Ackerman Homan, and one of her
relatives, J. Thomas Ackerman (probably her brother Johann T. Ackerman), took
over the management of the company. She gradually
involved her three sons in the company (Francis Xavier, b. 1 December 1851; d.
12 September 1879; Louis Bernard, b. 13 September 1860; d. 6 February 1944; and
Joseph Theodore, b. 16 May 1864; d. 12 February 1941). In 1879, Francis purchased the company from
his mother, but he died of typhus the same year, and his widow, Louise, and her
brother-in-law, Henry Korf, ran it for a while. Margaret Homan bought the company back from
Louise and operated it with her son Louis from 1883-1887 when she retired.(9)
A new partnership was formed by 1888 among Louis Homan, Joseph T. Homan,
and Joseph Niehaus, a brother-in-law of the Homans. Niehaus may have been the foreman at the factory. An unsourced news
item dating from this time announced the new partnership and noted that “After
the first of January the house will manufacture on a larger scale than
hitherto, and will furnish a new line of fine and high-priced goods. They will be represented in every principal
city of the United States.”
Fig.
9. 1879 Homan & Co. Letterhead
One of the
mainstays of the Homan product line over many decades was their Patent Improved
Candle Mold Machine (originally, Willis Humiston’s
patent candle mold machine; later Stainthorp &
Co.’s), first made from pewter, then from tin.
This machine was very popular and was shipped all over the world. By
1888, there was scarcely a candle-making company anywhere that did not use
Homan machines. Around 1895, the mold business was separated from the plating
business and operated under the name Homan and Company. At that time, the
plating business became known as The Homan Silver Plate Company. By 1905, the
plating business was re-named The Homan Manufacturing Company. In 1906, a new factory was opened at 1050
Findlay Street between Western and Hulbert Avenue. At the time, the new plant
was the largest west of New England, and was said to have the most modern and
efficient equipment in the United States.(10)
Joseph T. Homan and Louis Homan were
listed as officers of The Homan Manufacturing Company in the 1915 Annual Report
of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, and they were still involved with Homan
family businesses when the plating company shut down in 1941, the year of
Joseph T. Homan’s death.(11)
Homan & Co., Inc. (the mold business) was turned over to Joseph T.
Homan’s son, Rudolf, in September 1940. It made trailer truck parts during
World War II, and it was still in business in 1950 and was still providing
candle mold machines throughout the world.(12) The Cincinnati Post-Times Star’s June 22,
1962 edition contained the story “Dayton Firm Buys Homan Co,” detailing the
sale of Homan and Co. to Dayton Steel Foundry Co. At that time, the mold company was operating
in a 54,000 square foot plant at 500 Main Street and employed about 45 people.
In 1859, the Homan company employed
twenty-eight workers, and the value of their products was listed at $85,000.(13) In 1888, from 75 -100 people were working
there, and business was so brisk in the fall of 1887 that they ran night and
day shifts to keep up with the orders. Plans were afoot shortly thereafter to
double their capacity and the number of people employed.(14) In 1919, The Homan
Manufacturing Company was capitalized at $400,000 and employed between 300 and
400 workmen during the fall season.(15)
Some pewter
pieces were marked “Flagg & Homan” in the early history of the company. Homan
undoubtedly began to use only his name in the touch shortly after the breakup
of his partnership with Flagg, either as “H. Homan” or “Homan & Co.” The
firm specialized in making items for ecclesiastical use, such as chalices,
patens, baptismal bowls, alms dishes, and especially candlesticks. Homan marked
some of its ecclesiastical wares “Sick Call” as a kind of company trademark.(16) These were items intended to be kept in the
home for a priest to use when they visited sick people. The company also had
commissions from Mississippi and Ohio River boat companies for equipment
ranging from swivel lamps to chargers, bowls, and water pitchers. In addition,
they made items for bars and taverns. Other products made by the firm were
chargers, plates, pitchers, tea sets, combs, spectacle frames, syrup jugs with
pewter tops, and many other items.(17),
(18)
Candlesticks
were a particular specialty of Homan and Co. They were available in seven
sizes, most often in the 8” and 10” varieties. They were very popular as first
communion gifts and were reproduced in the 20th century. The
reproductions can be identified by their lack of push-up candle ejectors, as
well as a stamped Flagg & Homan mark in an oval and the word “PEWTER”. Most
of the original candlesticks were unmarked, though some occasionally had the
Flagg & Homan mark in an oval or a straight-line version of the company
name.(19)
Fig.
10. Flagg & Homan Straight-Line Mark (PCCA Bulletin
7/3/104)
Fig.
11. Flagg & Homan in oval mark (source unknown)
Homan & Co.
continued to produce pewter (Britannia ware) and silver-plated items from the
mid-19th century into the fourth decade of the 20th
century under the names Henry Homan, Homan & Co., H. Homan & Co., H.
Homan, Homan & Co. (a second time), The Homan Silver Plate Co., and The
Homan Manufacturing Co. (See Appendix I.)
They made pewter (Britannia metal) wares until at least 1864, but pewter
virtually disappeared from their product line in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s,
as electroplated silver and gold became more popular. The company initially limited its
manufactured goods to articles plated on a Britannia metal base, but around
1913, it added a complete assortment of patterns plated on nickel silver or
German silver, and popularly known as Sheffield goods.(20)
The 1927 General Catalog No. 51 contained items plated on both nickel
silver and Britannia metal.(21)
Fig
11. Ad for Homan Plate circa 1905, showing the recent name
change to The Homan Manufacturing Company
Pewter
re-appeared in the product line during the first third of the 20th
century. The Homan Manufacturing Company’s 1929 Supplementary
Catalog no. 56 states that the new patterns in
that catalog supplement the comprehensive assortment of pewter in Catalog no.
54.(22)
(Unfortunately, no copy of catalog no. 54, issued sometime between 1927 and
1929, has been found.)
The Homan
Manufacturing Company thus enthusiastically joined the renaissance of pewter production
that occurred for a few brief years in the period 1928-31 in the United States.(23) Their long history of manufacturing
Britannia and pewter wares encompassed nearly a century from 1847 to 1941 and
provided many pieces that today entice collectors of American pewter.
Acknowledgement: The author is very grateful to Ted and Kyle Homan for their
invaluable assistance in clarifying many of the facts reported in this article.
Bloomington, Indiana, 14 May 2013
References and Notes
(1)
Herman Henry Homan was born in 1826
in Osnabrück, Germany and died 8 November 1865 in Cincinnati. His original partner Asa
F. Flagg was born 10 December 1813 in Hartford, CT and died 28 August
1868. Some, including John F. Brown and
Rhea Mansfield Knittle, thought that Asa Flagg was an Englishman and that he died in 1851. The 1850 Census of Cincinnati Ward 10,
Hamilton County, Ohio indicates that he was born about 1815 in
Connecticut. His profession is given as
“Brittania (sic)
Manufacturer”. The
Flagg & Homan company is first listed in the 1849-50
Williams’
Cincinnati Directory at Twelfth and Jackson Streets.
In the 10th edition (1860) of Williams’
Cincinnati Directory, published
eight years after the partnership with Homan was dissolved, Flagg’s entry reads:
“Flagg, A. F., pewter smith, E. 6th, near Baum.” He was still alive in 1865 and is listed in
the 1865 Williams directory as “Flagg, Asa F., U.S.A., 478 W. 3rd,”
indicating that he was in the U.S. Army at that time. Flagg was a private in Co. K, 11th
Regiment, Ohio Infantry during the Civil War. Further
adding to the confusion about Flagg is the listing of an Eli F. Flagg in the 1860 Census of Cincinnati Ward 13, Hamilton
County, Ohio, born around 1813 in Connecticut with occupation designated as “Britannia
Smith”. A comparison of “Eli” Flagg’s 1860
census entry with Asa Flagg’s entry in the 1850
census is instructive. With the exception
of the obvious mistake listing his name as Eli, the Flagg family members in the
two census records are the same. All,
including Asa/Eli have 10 years added to their ages
in going from the 1850 to the 1860 census.
There are slight variations in the names (and in one case even the sex)
of the children: Caroline P. vs. Carrie, Lorenz H.(male) vs. Florence (female),
but Frederick F. in both. (The 1860 census
taker was obviously having a bad day!) The
1860 Ohio Census of Cincinnati Ward 10, Hamilton County lists on p. 60: Homan,
Henry, age 35, with occupation “Master Brit. & W. Maker,” born in Prussia.
(2)
Bowen, Richard L., Jr. “Luther
Boardman’s Coffee Pot.” The Pewter
Collectors Club of America Bulletin,
v. 9 no. 8 (97), December 1988, pp. 176-179: 177.
(3)
Turano, Andrew F. “An Unrecorded Mark by H. Homan.” The Pewter
Collectors Club of America Bulletin,
v. 14 no. 3, Summer 2010, pp. 16-17: 16.
(4)
McConnell, David H. “Musings on the
Mysteries of Some Mid-Ohio Valley Men/Women.”
The Pewter Collectors Club of America Bulletin, v. 8 no. 6 (85), September 1982, pp. 219-222: 220. The Morgan
Index of Ohio People, Businesses and Institutions, 1796-1850 points to p. 308 of Charles Cist’s 1842 Cincinnati
Directory showing Flagg’s business was on
Clay Street between Twelfth and Thirteenth Streets. The directory lists his occupation as Britannia
ware maker. McConnell postulates that
Homan was an apprentice to Flagg, which contradicts Tenner’s 1878 depiction of
Homan’s apprenticeship with Sellew & Co. (See
Note 7.) He also states that Asa Flagg died in 1851, but that clearly was not the
case. (See Note 1.)
(5)
Brown, John F. “Vas You Effer in Zinzinnati?” The Pewter
Collectors Club of America Bulletin,
v. 7 no. 5 (74), April 1977, pp. 180-184: 181. Brown believed that Asa Flagg was born in Birmingham, England.
(6)
McClaskey, Fred and Mary Ellen McClaskey. “Flagg & Homan, Cincinnati, O. Pewterers, 1842-1854.” The Pewter Collectors Club of
America Bulletin, v. 7 no. 3 (76), February
1976, pp. 104-105.
(7)
“Heinrich Homan” in: Tenner, Armin. Cincinnati Sonst und Jetzt. Cincinnati, OH: Druck
von Mecklenburg und Rosenthal, 1878; Zweiter Theil, Biographische Skizzen, pp. 50-51 (p. 181 of 716 in the pdf version online). A translation of the entry can be
found on Ancestry.com in the Homan Family File provided by kljh527. (See Appendix II.) Note that there is no mention of Flagg on
those pages, but the author does state that Homan served a lengthy
apprenticeship at Sellew & Co.
(8)
The Centennial Review of Cincinnati. One Hundred Years of Progress in Commerce, Manufacture,
the Professions, and in Social and Municipal Life. Cincinnati, Ohio, J. M. Elstner & Co., Publisher, 1888, pp. 48-49.
(9)
Knittle, Rhea
Mansfield. Early Ohio Silversmiths and Pewterers, 1787-1847. (The Ohio Frontier Series,
1787-1847) Printed by the Calvert-Hatch Co., Copyright 1943 by Rhea Mansfield Knittle, pp. 46, 54-56, 58.
Knittle states on p. 55 that Mrs. Homan
retired in December 1887. However, she had
done so once before. The 1879 letter from
which Figure 9 was taken was written by her son Francis. It begins, “Dear Mother: You having decided
to retire from business, I have prepared a complete inventory of the effects of
the firm. . .” Information found at the
home of Ted and Kyle Homan in 2012 indicates that she did in fact sell the firm
to Francis Homan at that time, but later purchased it back from his widow.
(10)
Cincinnati “The Queen
City” NEWSPAPER REFERENCE BOOK. Published
by The Cuvier Press Club, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1914, p. 49.
(11) The Annual Report - Page 257 of the Cincinnati (Ohio) Chamber
of Commerce and Merchant’s Exchange, Cincinnati (Ohio), 1915 lists under
“Plating”: Homan Manufacturing Co., 1050 Findlay St. Joseph T. Homan. Louis
Homan.
(12)
“Fourth Generation in Family Firm.” The Cincinnati Times-Star, February 13,
1950, no. 21, p. 2. And: “Founder
Develops Candle Machinery.” The
Cincinnati Enquirer, February 13, 1950, p 6 (or 5?).
(13)
Sketches and
Statistics of Cincinnati in 1859.
By Charles Cist, p. 262.
(14)
The Centennial Review
of Cincinnati. (op. cit.) On page 49 there is
a note that the company was preparing for a complete exhibit of their
manufactures in an upcoming exposition, the “Centennial Exposition of the Ohio
Valley and Central States,” which took place in Cincinnati from July 4 to
October 27, 1888. However, the company apparently did not participate in this
event. Neither the catalog of exhibitions nor the Report of the President of
the Board of Executive Commissioners mentions the company. Perhaps the change
in management of the company at the time had something to do with the decision
not to participate. See: Official Guide of the
Centennial Exposition of the Ohio Valley and Central States.
And: Centennial Exposition of the Ohio
Valley and Central States, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A., July 4 to October 27, 1888. Celebrating the Settlement of the Ohio Valley—The Northwest Territory—The State of Ohio and the City of
Cincinnati. Report of the President of the Board of Executive Commissioners,
with Reports of the Committees, An Account of the Dedication and Opening
Ceremonies, and Other Matters of Historic Interest. Cincinnati,
Ohio, Press of Keating & Co., 311 Longworth St.
(15)
“Homan & Co., 1869; Homan Mfg. Co., 1919.”
The Jewelers’ Circular v. 78 no. 1
(February 5, 1919, p. 397.
(16)
Fendelman, Helaine and Joe Rosson. “Valuing
a ‘Sick Call’ Outfit.” The MetroWest Daily News May 2, 2008.
(17)
Knittle, Rhea Mansfield. “The Homan Manufacturing Company.” Pewter
Collectors Club of America Bulletin
v. 5 no 7 (56), June 1967, p. 131. [notes from an
interview Knittle had with Joseph T. Homan in 1932. Copy provided by Georgiana Cook.]
(18)
Knittle, Rhea
Mansfield. Early Ohio Silversmiths and Pewterers, 1787-1847. (op cit.), pp. 46, 54-56, 58.
(19)
Richmond, Andrew. “The Ubiquitous Pewter
Candlesticks of Flagg and Homan.” Dunham
Tavern Museum News November 2008, v. 69 no. 2, p. 1. https://hoosierpewter.com/flagghoman/Dunham_Tavern
Museum News.pdf (Reproduced by permission of Andrew
Richmond. See: http://www.youngantiquescollectors.blogspot.com/)
(20)
Cincinnati “The Queen
City.” NEWSPAPER REFERENCE BOOK. Published
by The Cuvier Press Club, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1914, p. 49.
(21)
General Catalog No.
51. Containing new patterns for the
year 1927, and all current designs of previous years plated on Nickel Silver
and Britannia Metal. Made by the Homan Manufacturing
(22)
Pewter by Flagg
& Homan. Made as it was over 80 years ago by their successor The
Homan Manufacturing Co. Founded in
1847, Findlay Street, Western and Hulbert Avenues, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Supplementary Catalog No. 56, September 1929. C.W. Sweetland
& Son, Inc. No. 171 Washington Street, Jewelers Building, Boston.
(23) Smith, Carolyn A. and Peggy R. Hixon. The Mystery Era of American Pewter,
1928-1931. Oklahoma City, OK: Universal Press, Inc., 1979 and the
supplement published in 1984 by Carolyn A. Smith.
Suggested Additional Reading:
Wolf, Dr. Melvyn D. and Bette A.
Wolf.
“Cincinnati Pewter.” The Pewter Collectors Club
of America Bulletin v. 7 no. 3 (75),
September 1977, pp. 220-231.
McClaskey, Fred and Mary Ellen McClaskey. “Flagg & Homan, Cincinnati, O. Pewterers, 1852-1854.
The Pewter Collectors Club of America Bulletin v. 7 no. 3 (72), February 1976, pp. 104-105.
Appendix I: Dates, Company Names,
and Locations Where Flagg and/or Homan Produced Britannia Wares and Other
Products
|
Dates |
Name Used by the Company |
Address |
|
1842-46 |
Asa F. Flagg |
Clay between Twelfth &
Thirteenth Streets; Seventh between Main & Sycamore Streets; North side
of Seventh Street between Western Row & John Streets |
|
1840-47 |
Henry Homan apprenticeship at Sellew & Company |
East side of Main Street, between
Fifth & Sixth Streets |
|
1847-1850 |
Flagg & Homan |
Jackson between Twelfth &
Canal Streets; SW Corner of Twelfth and Jackson; SE corner of Fifth and Race |
|
1850-52 |
Flagg & Homan |
SE corner of Fifth & Race; SW
corner of Fifth & Home Streets |
|
1853-1855 |
Henry Homan |
SW corner of Fifth & Home
Streets; 211 Fifth Street between Elm & Plum Streets., corner of Home |
|
1856 |
Homan & Co. |
211 W. Fifth Street, corner of
Home St. |
|
1857-1861 |
H. Homan & Co. |
11 E. Seventh Street, between Main
& Sycamore Streets., north side |
|
1862-1865 |
H. Homan |
11 E. Seventh Street, between Main
& Sycamore Streets, north side |
|
1866-1962 |
Homan & Co. (From ~1894 this name was used for
the mold company.) |
12 E. Seventh Street, between Main
& Sycamore; later encompassed 10-18 E. Seventh; 500 Main Street (mold
company) |
|
~1894-1905 |
The Homan Silver Plate Co. |
14 E. Seventh Street; later
214-226 E. Seventh |
|
1906-1941 |
The Homan Manufacturing Co. |
From May 1, 1906: 1906 Western
Avenue, Hulbert Avenue and Findlay Street; Also listed as 1050 Findlay |
Appendix
II: Translation of the 1878 Heinrich Homan Biographical Entry in Cincinnati Sonst
und Jetzt. (taken from
Ancestry.com 10 May 2013)
