The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-12
OLD SAVANNAH MERCHANTS.
FIRMS SELDOM SURVIVE THE
FLIGHT OF FIFTY YEARS.

vannahians of the Present That
Were Prominent in the City's
Commercial Life I'm the 4Os.
Fifty years revolutionize the CONNER
cial life of city. A half century wipes
out nearly all traces of old firms. The
sign boards change and the memory of
| once well-known houses passes away.
The transformers of temporal things is
in nothing more plainly shown than in the
brief life allotted to the average business
establishments Musty city directories and
newspapers yellowed by age are too fire.
| quently their only monuments.
There is probably not a firm in existence
in the city of Savannah to-day that is
conducting business under the same title
as fifty years ago. study of the local
papers of the early '40s and sos shows
many names familiar to Savannahans, but
in all their advertisements there appears
no card bearing a firm name that is known
to the newspaper reading public of to-day.
A copy of the Daily Georgian of December,
1913 effectually demonstrates the compar-
| alive brevity of business establishments.
In all its many columns of notices from
Savannah merchants not one is found that
is to be seen in the advertising columns OF
the papers of 1898
The sons and grandsons Of the business
men of those days, though, are In many
instances, active business men of the pres
ent time. Prominent among the adver-
tisers of fifty years ago was Thomas
| Purse, father of Capt. Daniel G. Purse.
h,lio in,
| business. One of the most extensive pa
irons of the newspapers, his business thriv-
| ed. He was a large dealer in books, Read
| ing his announcement one can see where
the son derived much of the energy that
has characterized his entire life. Moore
& Johnson were in that time the leading
dry goods merchants. Their place Of bust
ness was evidently so well known that 1t
was unnecessary to state the location In
their advertisements. Hamilton &
Symons, though, who We're large handlers
of ready-made clothing, let prospective
buyers know that their store was located
at No. II Whitaker street.
Another clothing merchant was C. c.
| Thompson of 129 Bay street. John South
well & Co. at 9S Bryan street was the only
dealer In that line, though. who, like his
successors of to-day, offered cloth
| ing at "a great reduction IN
prices" The credit system SEEM
ed to flourish like the bay trees then
as now, and Southwel & Co., exposing
its evils, informed the Savannah public
| that their customers were not charged
an extra price in order TO cover the de.
! inquencies of those who purchase on
credit and never intend to pay"
One popularity of these advertisements,
and in fact of all other advertisements in
! the Savannah papers OF that day, is thai
no prices are given In not a single in
stance is the public told the cost to It
| of the goods offered for sale. There has
been certainly one change for the better
| in advertising methods in the years that
| have passed.
Three hatters were anxious to cater to
| the public needs as to headwear. Scran-
| ton & Amblers were offering their goods
| ''at New York prices" a phrase which
has done service in trade circles since
| the foundation of the republic. A. Day
| and ]. Ives & Co. were also aspirants for
! patronage. Each of them had learned 10
use the time honored expression, "in point
of quality, finish and durability our goods
| challenge comparison" The author of that
| advertising term builded better than he
knew. He is forgotten, but his work
promises to endure throughout time.
| The chief confectoner of that day seems
n
factory I'm the Marshall building at LAG
| Broughton street If he had competitors
! they failed to keep themselves before the
public and their names have passed into
| oblivion. Caruthers & Lowell and E. Il.
| Rogers were the gunsmiths and dealers
| in arms and ammunition. Savannah has
| to-day as successors to Caruthers &
Lowell, Ed. LovelPs Sons and r. D. q
| w. baltimore, successors to Lowell
& baltimore. Thomas M. Turner
was the leading scotsman of the
city and section, while William II. Turner,
! a market square druggist; T. Ryerson &
| Co., g. r. Hendrickson and Thomas NJ.
| Turner used columns in expatiahng on
the virtues of various patent compounds
| that destroyed disease and invigorated the
human frame in a miraculous manner
Patent medicines were as great, or even
greater, features of the advertising col
umns of Savannah papers fifty years ago
as at the present time. The same "rnagi-
cal pain extractors," soothing syrups''.
and marvellous cough compounds" have
been elixirs of life for several Eenerati lions,
apparently.
Among names that are most familiar to
the Savannahian of the present time ana
which appear in the old advertisements
are those Of Robert Habersham & Son,
importers; A. Minis, who, in one Short
advertisement, offers domestic goods.
shirtings, sheetngs, tickings and Marlboro
stripes Tor SALE, ana Michael Dillon who
had large lots of crockery, coal, salt and
other heavy commodities for sale. Cohen,
Miller & Co. were chief among dealers in
molasses, coffee and sugars, bringing
them here in schooner lots. Andrew Low
& Co., ]. H. Reid & Co, w. Wood
bridge Washburn & Wilder, Snder, La
throp & hewitt, and II. ]. Gilbert, were
other firms that received consignments of
cargoes of miscellaneous merchandise.
One firm, bearing the same title as one
here to-day. but having no connection
therewth,was Moore &c Johnson, who seem
to have been large handlers of ginghams.
etc
DR.. Bulloch, recently returned from
Paris, was the optician and occulst, IRE
moved cataracts in the most approved
manner, relieved squirting in a few sec
onds, and attended the poor gratuitously."
d. B. Nichols and I. T. Wilmot were
practical jewelers. and watchmakers. who
kept the town running on correct time.
sun time or whatever other time pre-
vailed half century ago.
Va host of announcements of goods lust
received per this schooner or that brig
shows how Savannah's freight business