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An interesting piece of information was discovered and placed on the Henderson Family website (www.hendersonfamilytree.com). The entry details a 30 July 1897 New York Times article that announced that the, "Mutual Manufacturing Company of New York City, to manufacture jewelry, silverware, and household articles; capital stock, $3,000. Directors - Alexander D. Henderson and Elijah H. May, Brooklyn; David H. McConnell, Suffern."
This discovery led to research that found a literal treasure trove of advertisements in a variety of late-1800s to early-1900s US newspapers (as shown immediately below).
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The interesting point to note is that some, if not many, of the wares offered by the Mutual Manufacturing Company mirrored those of the California Perfume Company. And the two companies (actually more than just those two) were headquartered out of the same location: 126 Chambers Street, New York. This co-location lasted at least through 3 May 1909 when the California Perfume Company head office moved to 31 Park Place, New York. The only other piece of hard evidence linking David H. McConnell to this concern was found in the following entry from the Directory of Directors in the city of New York, 1915-1916:
McCONNELL, DAVID H., of the firms of
Goetting & Co.
and D. H. McConnell & Co., 31 Park Place.
Art Color Plate Engraving Co., Dir.
Bon-Air Heights Co., Dir.
California Perfume Co., Pres, and Dir.
G. W. Carnrick Co., Treas. and Dir.
Mecca Oil Co., Pres. and Dir.
Mecca Oil Co. No. 2, Pres. and Dir.
Merchants Land & Development Co., V. Pres. and
Dir.
Mutual Manufacturing Co., Pres. and Dir.
N. Y. Canada Farms, V. Pres. and Dir.
Ramapo Land & Development Co., Pres., Treas. and Dir.
Considering the wares sold, only a few items have thus far been discovered:
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And there concludes all that is currently "known" about the company. I would surmise though that somewhere out there resides a wealth of information about the Mutual Manufacturing Company of New York City...we just have to find it!
One interesting point to contemplate: Notice that in 1897, McConnell already had acquired Goetting & Co., New York (in 1896) and continued its nation-wide operation through approximately 1918. McConnell was proving successful with his California Perfume Company as he continually added general agents and depot managers (representatives) throughout the country year-by-year. His brilliant entrepreneurial ventures capitalized on both the Five & Dime/Department Store AND door-to-door/in-home markets. McConnell maximized his potential customer base by smartly catering to both audiences.
But then you have the Mutual Manufacturing Company!
I admit that according to scant information, the company sold, "jewelry, silverware, and household articles," as well as "flavoring extracts and toilet articles." This would almost seem like competing/conflicting rather than complementary . The lack of catalogs, representative's information, brochures, company documents, etc., make this mostly a matter of guesswork.
If you have any information concerning the Mutual Manufacturing Company of New York City, please contact me at russell (at) californiaperfumecompany.net.
