Brentlinger & Armstrong


Company Names, addresses, dates:
  F.A. Brentlinger, Union (11th) Street, Wheeling Va (ca.1830s) 1
  F.A. Brentlinger, 12th St. above McLure House, Wheeling Va (1845-ca.1852) 1,2
  Brentlinger & Armstrong, Monroe Street, Wheeling Va (ca.1852-1855) 1,2
  Brentlinger & Co, Wheeling Va (ca.1855) 3
  Brentlinger & Co, 151 Market Street, Wheeling Va (ca.1860) 4
  Brentlinger & Derry, 151 Market Street, Wheeling WVa (ca.1864-1875) 5,6
  F.A. Brentlinger, 1139 Market Street, Wheeling WVa (1875-ca.1880s) 5,6

Notes:
Dr. Frederick A. Brentlinger (ca.1802-1876)1 graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Washington in 18257.
He came to Wheeling VA later that year (1825), and for a few years he kept a small drug store on Union Street (now called 11th Street). In 1845, he opened the first "Drug and Prescription" store in Wheeling, on 12th Street above the McLure house. 1

At some point he teamed with W. J. Armstrong and formed the Brentlinger & Armstrong drug store. The earliest newspaper reference I could find to this name was in 18522.

Brentlinger & Armstrong split up in 18551, and Brentlinger was on his own for a while. At some point he teamed up with William T. Derry and formed Brentlinger & Derry. The earliest reference I could find to this was in 18645.

Derry left to form his own drug store in 18756, and that left Brentlinger on his own again. Brentlinger passed away in 18768, but it seems his wife continued to run the store until sometime on or after 18865.


Bottles:

brentlinger_01 brentlinger_02 This is a dark aqua 4.8" bottle with a glass pontil scar on the base. The bottle is embossed:
vertical on front: BRENGLINGER / & ARMSTRONG
vertical on right side panel: WHEELING
vertical on left side panel: VA
base: (glass pontil scar)
It looks like the base has a key-mold mark that got distorted by the glass pontil scar.


1 Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, 14-Aug-1876, p.5 (obit for F.A. Brentlinger)
2 Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, 28-Aug-1852, p.2 (earliest "Brentlinger & Armstrong" ad I could find)
3 Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, 01-Aug-1855, p.5 (Dr Todd's Pills ad mentions F A Brentlinger)
4 Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, 22-Oct-1860, p.4 (F A Brentlinger & Co ad)
5 Wheeling City Directories, years: 1864,65,67,68,82,86
6 Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, 12-Mar-1875, p.4 (Change in the Drug Business)
7 US School Catalog for Pennsylvania College of Washington, 1850
8 Find-a-grave entry for Frederick A. Brentlinger


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This page last updated on August 25, 2023.