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Mr. Eno takes out a patent

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Author	Topic: Mr. Eno takes out a patent
wev Moderator Posts: 4121 Registered: Apr 99	posted 02-12-2006 04:38 PM [01-2389] I was poking around the 1867 design patents today and ran across this rather curious piece of flatware design. The specification page reads: quote: G. A. ENO, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. Design No. 2,596, dated March 19, 1867. DESIGN FOR A SPOON HANDLE. TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Be it known that I, G. A. Eno, of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or produced a new and original Design for a Handle of a Spoon or other similar article; and I do hereby declare that the accompanying drawing, and the following explanation thereof, form a full, clear, and exact description of the said design. In the accompanying drawing, the figure represents the handle of a spoon, ladle, fork, or other similar article. At the outer end of the handle A is a ball, a, which is fluted, as shown in the drawing, and at the side of this ball is an ornamental projection, b. I claim the design for the handle of a spoon or other similar article, substantially as shown in and by the accompanying drawing. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. G. A. ENO. Witnesses: Charles Foster, W. J. R. Delany. I do not have any information on Mr. Eno; has anyone heard of him? Or seen an example of this design? IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 02-12-2006 05:42 PM It appears Mr. Eno was not very successful in keeping out imitators. I have seen examples of this type of design, but can't recall how they were marked. IP: Logged
wev Moderator Posts: 4121 Registered: Apr 99	posted 02-12-2006 06:03 PM As is usually the case, I should try a bit harder before announcing my ignorance. George Augustus Eno, son of Augustus and Sylvia (Chapman) Eno, was born 16 Dec 1829 in Middletown CT. His early life is a blank, but he is listed as the partner of George H. Bechtel in the 1863 and 1864 editions of McElroy's City Directory as BECHTEL & ENO, manufacturers of gold and silver goods, 535 Arch Street. The 1867 directory lists the firm as silverware manufacturers at 716 Arch. I found a spoon listed with the mark G. ENO & Co., but don't know if this pre- or post-dates the partnership. It's a start, anyway. IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 02-13-2006 12:11 PM I have a sugar shell marked "BECHTEL & ENO" and "PHILADA." (incised) and which bears the Philadelphia "horse (head) and chevron" pseudohallmark whose attribution has been the subject of so much discussion. The shell, which is an upturned fiddle unmarked as to content, looks earlier than the dates you mention, so the firm may have been in business earlier. IP: Logged
wev Moderator Posts: 4121 Registered: Apr 99	posted 02-13-2006 12:22 PM I wouldn't be surprised if the firm did start before c1860 -- Eno would have been 20 in 1850, so I suppose that is a tentative earliest date. IP: Logged
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 04-01-2008 12:06 AM There is a George A Eno in the 1850 U. S. Federal Census for Hartford, CT who is age 20, born in Connecticut and working as a burnisher. In this census he is among several other burnishers and as well as a number of silversmiths. In both the 1860 and 1870 census's George is listed as a silverplater in Philadelphia. He has a son named Augustus who was born about 1854 in Pennsylvania. The enumerators in both census's record a very modest personal estate for George. IP: Logged
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 04-01-2008 05:47 PM Here's the "real" George A Eno also in the 1870 U. S. Federal Census for Philadelphia, PA. Conveniently, George H Betchel is right next door. Neither parallel family names and locations nor family members in related trades are that uncommon in the census's. Census data needs corroboration as a rule. It must have been great for determining the number of legislators, but repeat entries in the census's occur too. As limited as the census data's usefulness is, it was good enough for people that filed for social security at its inception to verify their citizenship. When social security began many had no other documentation of their citizenship because legislation to require uniform record keeping of vital statistics did not happen until the early twentieth century, so until then not everyone had an "official" birth certificate. IP: Logged
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 04-01-2008 07:23 PM Here's George Bechtel's U. S. Federal Census entry for 1860 in Philadelphia. As you can see, the enumerator who at this time may have been a Deputy Marshall did not get the last name spelling correct, but it still looks like the right person. These census's have a trail of depravity that has to be overcome. The informant's, then the enumerator's, followed by the indexer's if an index is used and then of course my own errors all play a part in the accuracy and usefulness of the census's information. IP: Logged

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