Thread: Beardsley and Alvord History

Well...This may not be of interest to many, but it is of interest to me...And perhaps Seraphim, as he just bought one by the same company.



The razor in this thread: I guess I'M restoring now is a Beardsley and Alvord, a pretty rare maker (Google only returned hits on THREE razors...of which this is one.) The seller who sold it to me (Hi Tim!) listed it as a Sheffield razor, which is a reasonable assumption. It is stamped "Empire Razor", which certainly sounds English. And the name sounds English, as well.

BUT. In my research about this razor, I encountered a reference to a company called "Beardsley and Alvord" in the book "Annals of Winchester (and Winsted) CT." I could only find the index, however, not the text, so I knew nothing. THEN, on SMF, a very kind member posted a page from History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut on Google books, where we find the text
"It is necessary to turn back the pages of Winsted's history to the year 1852 in order to find the record of the first work accomplished by the concern which is now known as the Empire knife company. It will be found that two Englishmen, Messrs. Thompson and Gascoigne, came to Winsted in that year and opened a modest little shop for the purpose of making pocket cutlery...The founders did a fair trade, but lacked capital to devlop the industry, and in 1856 the business passed into the hands of Beardsley & Alvord."

So there was a cutlery business in the 1850's in Connecticut by the name of Beardsley and Alvord, which in later years changed its name to The Empire Knife company (in business until 1932)! So this razor was a product of the Beardsley & Alvord cutlery business in Winsted,　CT...
Further digging turned up THIS information:

"James Richard Alvord was engaged in the dry goods business in his early years. In 1853 he took up the manufacture of pocket cutlery. This business was continued under the firm name, of Beardsley and Alvord, who bought the small pocket cutlery concern of Thompson and Gascoygn. In 1856 they built their factory at the Lake outlet, enlarged the business and placed it on a permanent basis, changing the name to the Empire Knife Co." (From A GENEALOGY OF THE DESCENDANTS OF ALEXANDER ALVORD AN EARLY SETTLER OF WINDSOR, CONN. AND NORTHAMPTON, MASS. V COMPILED BY
'SAMUEL MORGAN ALVORD 1908 A.D. ANDREW B, Pb int sb. Wbb st bb.N Y., p.288--found on the Library of Congress)
So Beardsley & Alvord changed their company name to The Empire Knife Co. in 1856, placing the date of my razor somewhere between 1853 and 1856...

Now THAT is some interesting stuff.

Now, further research shows that Connecticut had a lively iron and steel industry in the 19th century, so it is very possible that this razor, as English as it sounds, is a pure old American razor...which makes me inordinately happy!

Dude! That is some sweet research!

I had definitely assumed the Beardsley was a Sheffield blade, it has all the earmarks of one.

I still have to get around to shining mine up....

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Dude! That is some sweet research!

I had definitely assumed the Beardsley was a Sheffield blade, it has all the earmarks of one.

I still have to get around to shining mine up....

Thanks, it was fun. And it really made the razor seem more...real somehow.

I figured it was a Sheffield, too. Of course, there is no real PROOF that it's an American Razor here, but I think the assumption is pretty sound...Name of the company, the connection to "Empire", and so on.

Originally Posted by JimR

Thanks, it was fun. And it really made the razor seem more...real somehow.

I figured it was a Sheffield, too. Of course, there is no real PROOF that it's an American Razor here, but I think the assumption is pretty sound...Name of the company, the connection to "Empire", and so on.

Just finding a reference to a company called "Empire" would be a rather shaky assumption, as that could be rather common...but a company called "Empire" run by two guys called Beardsly&Alvord pretty much seals the deal!

I've sen some other very nice razors from time to time that were also from Connecticut.

I really like your rare Alvord razor; the style, for lack of a better phrase, of "grooved wedge" is unusual and interesting. I suppose it reduced the weight of the blade. Hope it wasn't designed as a blood groove for shaving catastrophes! Anyway, I looked in Goin's and got a little additional information: thank you for your research and a most interesting read!

Beardsley & Alvord c1853-1856 Founded by two Englishmen, and called Thompson & Gascoigne in West Winstead, Connecticut. They rented space in the Eagle Company table cutlery factory. The Eagle company closed in 1853, and Thompson and Gascoigne were left without a place to manufacture. They lacked sufficient capital to move to another location, and the firm was sold to Elliott Beardsley and James R. Alvord. These two men gradually expanded manufacturing, and made the firm a profitable (?)
In 1856, they built a new factory at the Lake outlet, and they also changed the name to the Empire Knife Company. The "B & A" was not used after 1856. They coducted business at this location until 1876 when Mr. Beardsley died. In 1878, the firm purchased the old table cutlery factory from Lathrop and Barton. Empire Knife Company manufacturing was moved back to West Winstead. In 1890 the firm was incorporated as the Empire Knife Company, and the Beardsley and Alvord name was dropped.

Okay, so I bettter post up a pic of mine, for the sake of posterity:

Very nice! I like the big tang on it. Probably helps to control the swing of that halberd. The blade looks like some Greaves I have seen, but not the tang. The horn looks in great shape too. Thank you for sharing it.

Thanks, Croaker! That's some cool info...a bit more detail. Where'd you source that?

The concensus seems to be that the grind is called a "Double Concave". I've seen a couple of other examples; I think Lee/Hoglahoo has one, as well, but from a different maker.

Seraphim, that's a nice looking chopper! 7/8? Your scales seem to be in better shape, too.

Very nice, that one....

Originally Posted by JimR

Thanks, Croaker! That's some cool info...a bit more detail. Where'd you source that?

The concensus seems to be that the grind is called a "Double Concave". I've seen a couple of other examples; I think Lee/Hoglahoo has one, as well, but from a different maker.

Seraphim, that's a nice looking chopper! 7/8? Your scales seem to be in better shape, too.

Very nice, that one....

There is a great book called Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings, by John and Charlotte Goins, 1998. If you Google the name, there are a variety of places to buy it. I got mine from Amazon.com. I have found it to be an invaluable resource, and it only cost $27.00.

Attracted by the "Double Concave" blade, I purchased this today amidst others. First thought was Sheffield too.... Dealer ironically from Connecticut.