F.H. Finley & Son


Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Finley & Koch, 1206 Pa ave NW (1879-1881)
  Adam Koch, 1206 Pa ave NW (1881-1882)
  Francis H. Finley, 1206 Pa ave NW (1883-1885)
  Frank H. Finley, 1206 D nw & 1206 Pa ave NW (1886)
  Frank H. Finley, 1206 D NW (1887-1891)
  F.H. Finley & Son, 1206 D Street NW (1892-1902)
  F.H. Finley & Son, 208 Mass. Ave NE (1903-1904)
  F.H. Finley & Son, 208-10-12 Mass. Ave NE (1905-1915)

Notes:
Francis H Finley was born 1834 in Maryland, and his son Francis M Finley was born about 1867 in DC, according to the Census.
I got the following information via emails from a descendant of the Finleys:
    Francis H. "Frank" Finley was born c.1835 in Baltimore, MD. As a young man, he and his older brother made and sold cigars in Baltimore. Approx. 1861, they moved to Washington, DC, where they engaged in the cigar business at the corner of Seventh and F streets. Approx. 1872, Frank Finley established a cigar factory on Pennsylvania avenue, between Ninth and Tenth northwest. Here he made fame, together with considerable fortune, out of his "Our Kate" brand of cigars. (The cigars were named for his oldest child, Katherine P. Finley, my great grandmother.) In 1876, Frank and a partner opened "The Chesapeake," an "Oyster House and Ladies' Dining Saloon" at 9th and Pennsylvania Ave NW. This establishment was advertised in the city directories from 1877-1879. In 1878, Frank joined Adam Koch to form Finley & Koch, a bottling company specializing in Rochester Beer. The company was located at 1206 Pennsylvania Ave NW. By 1883, Adam Koch was no longer in the picture, as the Frank H. Finley Company became the sole DC agent for the Rochester Brewing Company. Advertisements for the Finley company at this time also list soda and mineral water among its products. In 1886, the company moved to 1206 D St NW. Also at this time, Frank's son, Francis M. Finley, began working there as a clerk at the age of nineteen. In 1890, the company name changed to F. H. Finley & Son, as Francis M. Finley became a partner in the firm. Francis H. Finley died December 9, 1892 at his home in Washington. The company continued to be operated by his son, and it continued to be called F. H. Finley & Son. In 1902, it moved to 208-210-212 Mass Ave NE. It ceases to be advertised after 1916. Note: Both father and son went by the name "Frank." As a result, newspaper reporters were often confused about which Frank Finley they were writing about. 2

Bottles:

finley_4 (enlarge) These 2 blob-tops have minor variations. The left is 9.2" and marked:
front: FINLEY & KOCH / WASHINGTON D.C.
back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE / SOLD
The right one is 9.5" and marked:
front: FINLEY & KOCH / WASHINGTON / D.C.
back: THIS / BOTTLE / NOT TO BE / SOLD
finley_07 (enlarge) These is a 9.3" aqua blob-tops marked:
front: F. H. FINLEY / 1206 D ST. / N.W. / WASHINGTON D.C.
back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO / BE SOLD
bottom: E. L.
This is one of the few bottles that says "F H FINLEY" without the "& SON". I don't have any idea what the EL on the bottom stands for.
finley3 (enlarge) It's a 9" aqua baltimore loop top marked:
front: F.H. FINLEY & SON / 1206 / D. ST N.W. / WASHINGTON / DC / THIS BOTTLE REGISTERED / THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD
bottom: 4
finley_5 (enlarge) It's a 9" aqua blob top with a ring around the neck, marked:
front: F.H. FINLEY & SON / 1893 / BOTTLERS / 1206 D ST NW / WASHINGTON DC / / THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD
bottom: 4
It still has the metal wire stopper. The inside of the stopper is rubber, and has faint markings that (I think) say "HUTCHINSON / CHICAGO IL"
finley2 (enlarge) These are hutchinson bottles. The 2 on the left are identical except for the color, and are 6.5" marked:
front: F.H. FINLEY & SON / 1893 / BOTTLERS / 1206 D. ST N.W. / WASHINGTON DC
back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO / BE SOLD
bottom: F
The one on the right is 7" aqua marked:
front: TRADE / F / MARK / F.H. FINLEY & SON / 1894-1902 / BOTTLERS / 208-10-12-MASS AVE. N.E. / WASHINGTON DC
bottom: TRADE MARK / F
finley1 (enlarge) The one on the left is an 8.3" bluish-aqua crown marked:
front: TRADE / F / MARK / F.H. FINLEY & SON / 1894-1902 / BOTTLERS / 208-10-12-MASS AVE. N.E. / REGISTERED / 1911 / WASHINGTON DC
bottom: TRADE MARK / F
The center one is identical except height (8.5"), color (aqua), and that it doesn't say "REGISTERED / 1911". The right bottle is a 9.2" aqua crown marked the same as the center one.
finley_06 (enlarge) double_trademark This is similar to the bottles above, except it's a 12" picnic sized bottle, marked:
front: TRADE / F / MARK / REGISTERED / F.H. FINLEY & SON / 1894-1902 / BOTTLERS / 208-10-12-MASS AVE. N.E. / WASHINGTON DC / THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD
bottom: TRADE MARK / F
Note that the bottom embossing seems to be double-stamped, with a feint image offset by about 30 degrees. I'm told this probably happened before the bottle was fully blown, where the glass dripped down, settled in the mold, and picked up an impression. Then when the blower gave another puff, it shifted the glass slightly and made the newer, crisper image.


1 Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years)
2 From information emailed by a descendant of Finley



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This page last updated on July 5, 2008.