23 Nov 2021, last revised 10 Jul 2024
Henry Larsen's bottling works in Hancock was a continuation of the Sterling Spring Mineral Water Co. started by his father, Peter Larsen.
Henry Larsen was born in Feb 1874 (1) in Escanaba (10). He was a resident of Hancock on the 1900 U.S. Federal Census (1). He worked with his father at the Sterling Spring Mineral Water Co., being listed as manager in 1903 (2) and teamster in 1905 (3). He became manager of a South Range branch in 1905 (4), proprietor with Hans Johnson in Jan 1907 (5), and then sole proprietor in Jan 1911 (6).
One HENRY LARSEN bottle has a date code for 1912, so Henry evidently dropped the Sterling Spring name by then. The 1916 Polk directory listed Henry Larsen as a bottler under his name at 511 Hancock St. (7), the same address as for the Sterling Spring Mineral Water Co. He also had a branch in Calumet (7), with bottles specific to that branch (see H. Larsen & Co.).
Sanborn map - Aug 1917
The bottling works at 511 Hancock St. continued well into the ABM age. Henry Larsen was listed as a manufacturer and dealer in carbonated beverages in the 1921 directory (8). The 1927 and 1930 directories listed "Hancock City Bottling Co." for Henry Larsen (11,12). However, Henry had died on 08 Dec 1929 at the age of 54 and was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Houghton (10).
The 1939 directory showed that the "Hancock City Bottling Works" continued at the same 511 Hancock Ave. address under Aladino Nutini (9). The directory specified Kist Beverages and Wegener's Original Rock and Rye as franchised brands (9).
Aladino Joseph Nutini was born on 06 Oct 1910 in Trimountain (14) to immigrants from Italy (15). His family resided in Trimountain in 1920 (15) and had moved to Hancock by 1930 (16). He was listed as a sales manager in 1940 (17) and had 511 Hancock Ave. as the employment address on his World War II draft card (18). He was a resident of Detroit when he died on 28 Mar 1971 (19).
The bottling works was not listed in a 1947/1948 business directory (13), suggesting that it closed by then. The latest date code on an ABM bottle is 1940.
ABM soda label
Citations
- U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1903. Houghton County Directory 1903-04. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. Houghton County Directory 1905-06. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
- anonymous. (1905, Mar 09). Pop firm at South Range. The Evening Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 7.
- anonymous. (1907, Jan 23). Leases pop factory. The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
- anonymous. (1911, Jan 11). Partnership dissolved. The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1916. Houghton County Directory 1916-17. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1921. Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1921-1922. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1939. Polk’s Hancock (Michigan) Directory 1939. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
- Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, Michigan; Death Records (accessed on ancestry.com).
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1927. Polk’s Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1927-1928. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
- R. L. Polk & Co. 1930. Polk’s Hancock (Michigan) Directory 1930. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers. Detroit, MI.
- The Daily Mining Gazette. 1947 or 1948. Copper Country Classified Business and Professional Directory. Houghton, MI.
- U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 (accessed on ancestry.com)
- U.S. Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
- U.S. Census Bureau. 1930 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
- U.S. Census Bureau. 1940 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
- U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 (accessed on ancestry.com)
- Michigan, U.S., Death Index, 1971-1996 (accessed on ancestry.com)
color: aqua
top: Hutchinson top
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: (none)
other marks: H.L. (base)
date: 1912-1915
rarity: rare
- same plate for 53 and 53a
- T in REGISTERED slightly left of L in LARSEN
- narrow space between H in HENRY and H in HANCOCK
- same plate for 53 and 53a
- backwards base mark
color: aqua
top: Hutchinson top - tooled
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: ROOT (back heel)
other marks: (none)
dated: 1912
rarity: extremely rare
- different plate from 53
- T in REGISTERED further left of L in LARSEN
- half-rounded base
- this example has date code: 12 ROOT 542
color: aqua
top: Hutchinson top - tooled
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: N B B G CO. (back heel)
other marks: REGISTERED (lower front), THIS BOTTLE IS NEVER SOLD (lower back), H.L. (base)
date: 1912-1915
rarity: rare
- different plate from 53 and s12
- T in REGISTERED under L in LARSEN
- includes generic mark on front
- marker's mark difficult to see
color: aqua
top: crown top - tooled
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: N B B G CO (back heel)
other marks: H.L. (base)
date: 1912-1915
rarity: scarce
- same plate for 55 and 57a
color: aqua
top: crown top - tooled
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: (none)
other marks: H. L. (base)
date: 1912-1915
rarity: ?
- smaller plate than 55 and 57
- backwards base mark
color: aqua
top: crown top - tooled
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: N B B G CO (back heel)
other marks: H.L. (base)
date: 1912-1915
rarity: scarce
- different plate from 54
- T in REGISTERED slightly right of L in LARSEN
- same plate for 56 and 56a
other marks: CONTENTS 7 FL. OZ. (lower front), H.L. (base)
rarity: ?
- same plate for 56 and 56a
- contents embossed on front
color: aqua
top: crown top
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: ROOT (front heel)
other marks: CONTENTS 24 - FLUID OZS (front heel), H.L. (base)
date: 1912-1915
rarity: common
- different plate from 55
- larger font for name and location
- includes contents on front
other marks: CONTENTS 24 FL. OZ. (front heel), H.L. (base)
rarity: (?)
- same plate for 55 and 57a
- includes contents on front
color: pale aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: (none)
other marks: H. L. (base)
dated: 1920
rarity: common
- this example has an A B Co. date code: 20 S 6
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: (none)
other marks: THIS BOTTLE IS NOT SOLD AND MUST BE RETURNED (lower back), H. L. (base)
dated: 1921
rarity: common
- this example has an A B Co. date code: 21 S 2
- T in REGISTERED slight left of L in LARSEN
- different plate from abm-51
- T in REGISTERED slightly right of L in LARSEN
color: colorless
top: siphon top - ABM
base: ?
maker's mark: (none)
other marks: (none)
date: c.1915
rarity: extremely rare
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: ROOT (front heel)
other marks: REGISTERED (back heel)
dated: 1927
rarity: common
- this example has date code: 3944C ROOT 27
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: (base)
other marks: REGISTERED (back heel)
dated: 1931
rarity: common
- this example has a date code for 1931
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: ROOT (back heel)
other marks: MIN. CONT. 7 FL. OZ. (back heel)
dated: 1926
rarity: common
- this example has a date code: 3943A ROOT 26
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: ROOT (front heel)
other marks: MIN. CONT. 24 FL. OZ. (back heel)
dated: 1924
rarity: common
- this example has a date code: 3944 ROOT 24
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: post-bottom
maker's mark: ROOT (back heel)
other marks: MIN. CONT. 7 FL. OZ. (back heel)
dated: 1925
rarity: common
- this example has a date code: 3947 ROOT 25
color: colorless
top: crown top - ABM
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: (base)
other marks: MIN. CONT. 7 FL. OZ. (back heel), REGISTERED (base)
dated: 1937
rarity: common
- this example has a date code for 1937
color: colorless
top: crown top - ABM
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: (base)
other marks: CONTENTS 7 FL. OZ. (front heel)
dated: 1940
rarity: common
- this example has a date code for 1940
color: aqua
top: crown top - ABM
base: cup-bottom
maker's mark: (none)
other marks: (none)
date: 1950s
rarity: common
- It is possible that this bottle belongs to Mattson Bottling Works instead.