What did these 107 Yorkers have in common, during July 1872, for inclusion in a listing on Front Page of The York Gazette?
The answer: These 107 Yorkers are some of the many persons in and around York, who have and highly recommend the Success Washing Machine. This post resulted from researching a question from one of my readers; she asked, “What was the cost for an S. Morgan Smith washing machine?”
An 1879 flyer, promoting the Success Washing Machine, included this illustration of a woman operating the S. Morgan Smith hand-crank washing machine. More drawings and photos of this washing machine are in these related posts:
- S. Morgan Smith’s Success Washing Machine; Origins of the York Manufacturing Company
- S. Morgan Smith, patentee Success Washing Machine, at 436 West Market Street in York
- S. Morgan Smith learns a valuable lesson about patents; at the hands of McGinnes & Carter
Continue reading to find out the cost of an S. Morgan Smith washing machine and discover if any of your ancestors are in the July 2, 1872 list of 107 persons who have and highly recommend the Success Washing Machine.
The list of 107 Yorkers was part of a large ad placed by S. M. Smith on the front page of the July 2, 1872 issue of The York Gazette. The ad claims that clothes washed with the Success Washing Machine can be done using less than half the labor required by hand; i.e. versus clothes washed via a washboard and a wash tub. The ad asked customers to address all orders to: S. M. SMITH, 436 West Market Street, York, PA.
The ad stated that over 500 of these washing machines have already been sold in York and Lancaster. By the time of this ad, S. Morgan Smith had been back in York, from his time in Ohio, for a little less than one year; therefore to meet the first-year demand, he was producing about two washing machines per day. An increasing demand for these washing machines was the reason S. Morgan Smith joined with five other York men to form the York Manufacturing Company in 1874.
The Success Washing Machine sold for $18. The Success Washing Machine with the self-adjusting Eureka Wringer attached sold for $25. These are the prices from this 1872 ad. In terms of today’s money, those prices are equivalent to $349 and $485 respectively.
I’ve alphabetized the list of 107 Yorkers, by surname, that appeared in the July 2, 1872 ad. Spelling is taken directly from the ad. The heading for this list stated; “The following are the names of some of the many persons in and around York, who have and highly recommend the Success Washing Machine.”
- Jacob Allison
- Peter S. Alwine
- John Ammon
- John A. Bahn
- John F. Beck
- Peter Boyer
- Frederick Breeswine
- John M. Brown
- Samuel Brubaker
- Jacob Buser
- C. A. Carson
- Cornelius Collins
- H. M. Crider
- Wm. Denues
- George Dietz
- Noah Earhart
- Eli Ebert
- John Emig
- Lewis Epley
- Major John Eppley
- Elias Eyster
- John Fahs, Sr.
- Charles Fishel
- Henry Fishel
- Peter Fishel
- Jonathan Foust
- Jacob Free
- Pius E. Geesy
- Henry Good, Sr.
- George Gross
- Samuel Gross, Sr.
- Andrew Hake
- Daniel Hake
- Alfred Hamme
- Nathan P. Harry
- Dr. Jacob Hay
- George L. Heidler
- Felin E. Herbst
- J. S. Herbst
- William H. Herbst
- John Hess
- W. H. Hildebrand
- George Hoff
- George W. Hoke
- Herman Hoke
- Samuel Hoshouer
- Jacob Hovis
- Samuel Hykes
- William Julius
- George Kable
- Benjamin Kauffman
- Joseph Keiser
- Daniel King
- John T. King
- W. F. King
- Christian Koble
- Abraham Kohr
- W. L. Krantz
- Henry Latimer
- Joseph Lauck
- G. L. Leese
- Adam Loucks
- Jacob Loucks
- Zachariah K. Loucks
- Abraham Martin
- Peter F. Maul
- John L. Mayer
- Andrew Menges
- Henry Menges
- Rev. John H. Menges
- John Miller
- John Miller
- Joseph Moore
- Frederick Myers
- Jacob Nicholas
- J. C. Oatmaiar
- Robert J. Orr
- Edie Patterson
- Henry Robb
- John Ross
- J. Schriver
- Jesse Schwartz
- Emanuel Seifert
- A. Z. Seitz
- W. Shearmyer
- Uriah S. Sheffer
- Adam Shelenberger
- Joseph Shenberger
- John Shepp
- D. C. Shetter
- A. Shireman
- Philip A. Small
- Samuel Stifler
- Henry Stoner
- Henry L. Stoner
- Jacob A. Thomas
- Jacob Trout
- John Vanhyning
- John F. Wallace
- George W. Wantz
- Rev. A. Warner
- Jacob Weidman
- Anna Weiser
- Mrs. Sarah Wilson
- Henry Winneka
- C. S. Witmer
- Levi Zellers
- and hundreds of others.
