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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 J. W. Backus
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| Author | Topic: J. W. Backus |
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blakstone Posts: 493 |
posted 04-02-2009 02:18 PM
  
Recently came across a mid 19th C. spoon marked "J. W. Backus" and "Premium" in separate serrated rectangles. (Sorry, no photo.) Belden has him as unidentified, and I was wondering if any information about him has turned up since it was written. I did a quick US census search, but that looks like a real needle-in-a haystack proposition. (John? Joseph? James? Jeremiah? Joel? Jabez? etc.) IP: Logged |
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Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 |
posted 04-02-2009 03:47 PM
I don't know about Backus, but the word "Premium" indicates the spoon was most likely a premium at an agricultural fair or something similar. You might find this older thread to be of interest: H. V. A. S. IP: Logged |
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doc Posts: 728 |
posted 04-02-2009 04:19 PM
If you read through the post on the HVAS mark, FWG gave a nice explanation of the term Premium; it is more likely used to denote that the maker won some sort of prize-early marketing if you will! [This message has been edited by doc (edited 04-02-2009).] IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 04-03-2009 01:58 PM
I probably really shouldn't even respond with nothing really useful to add, but just to let you know that some effort was made to trace this maker, here's the results of those feeble efforts so far: there were a couple of silversmiths with the surname Backus in Providence, Rhode Island directories in the 1880's and 90's, Herbert R and John Clark Backus. Their father was a pedlar in Chaplin, Connecticut in 1850, but he doesn't have the correct initials for the maker or retailer in question. Herbert was listed as a tin worker before showing up as a silversmith, so maybe the two brothers were factory workers. There weren't any other Backus's in the trades that don't show up elsewhere without too much trouble that I could find. The premium mark in this instance seems likely to indicate silver quality? IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 04-03-2009 03:07 PM
Try Joseph Welles Backus, born 19 FEB 1823 in Franklin. He is listed in 1880 as a clergyman, but may have gone over to the pulpit late in life. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 04-03-2009 05:17 PM
The William W. Willard and John Dean Hawley mark included the word "Premium" and this word was featured in their advertising for their "Premium Silver Ware". In this case the word had nothing to do with premiums at state fairs, but really was a substitute for other words denoting quality; e.g. pure coin, standard, warranted, pure as coin 10.15 and sterling. Willard and Hawley were silversmiths in Syracuse, N.Y. It may be that Backus was a retailer that purchased their goods. This information came from Deborah Dependahl Waters's article in Winterthur Portfolio 12. Below is a picture of the premium mark from her book. Winterthur conducted a silver analysis of 9 items with this mark. The silver content ranged from 90.3 to 81.4 with a average of 87.5. In comparison they did an analysis of 15 objects marked "coin" and the range there was 78.2 to 86.4 with and average of 86.4. Her article is entitled "From Pure Coin - The Manufacture of American Silver Flatware 1800-1860" and is a very interesting article. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 04-03-2009 08:08 PM
If you're referring to the son of Elijah and Joanna R (Ellis) Backus who graduated from Yale in 1846 and studied theology in New Haven, he was high on my list, but I had nothing to specifically tie him to the trade myself. IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 04-03-2009 08:34 PM
Yes, that was off the top of my head and after a moment to check, he was called early to the church and remained beneath its strictures for life, so no joy there. [This message has been edited by wev (edited 04-03-2009).] IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 05-02-2009 01:39 PM
This is not a clincher, but the best candidate so far for the J W Backus in this posting is James W Backus who was born about 1823 in New York. In 1850 he was a merchant and living in New York. From 1860 until his death in 1870, he was in various locations in Michigan and finally in Marine City. He was a druggist and sold notions in Michigan. James's wife appears to have carried on the business after her husband's death, and in the 1875 Michigan state gazetteer and business directory By R.L. Polk & Co, she is listed in Marine City as being in the drugs, groceries and fancy goods business. IP: Logged |
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