J. L.

25 Nov 2021, last revised 26 Jun 2026

We are left with one bottle from L'Anse bearing Joseph Lloyd's initials. The pop factories of Joseph Lloyd had its roots with pioneer operations in Houghton and Red Jacket.

History of the Pioneer Pop Factories

Thomas Smith and Shelden & Sheffer started pop factories in their drug stores. Their pop factories were consolidated at the S. & S. location with Geo. C. Shelden as proprietor. Shelden then sold the pop factory to J. Lloyd & Bro. (10). J. Lloyd & Bro. acquired a pop factory in Red Jacket and ran it as a second branch. Lloyd then formed a partnership with Peter Bennie. At some point, a L'Anse branch was established. Under Lloyd & Bennie, a Hancock branch was established.

The L'Anse Branch

It appears the L'Anse branch was established in 1871 or 1872. The ad from J. Lloyd & Bro. that ran to Jul 1871 included branches in Houghton and Red Jacket, but not in L'Anse. The L'Anse branch then existed in Apr 1872 when Lloyd & Bennie announced plans to open a Hancock branch (19).

Lloyd as Sole Proprietor

Lloyd became sole proprietor of the Houghton, Hancock, and L'Anse branches when the partnership with Bennie dissolved on 01 May 1872 (4). His ad stating that he had operations in Houghton, Hancock, and L'Anse ran from May 1872 to Apr 1874.

Since only Joseph Lloyd's initials are embossed on the L'Anse bottle, the bottle probably dates to 1872-1874 when Lloyd was sole proprietor. However, it is also possible that Lloyd was sole proprietor for a brief period before partnering with Bennie and ordered the bottle then. If so, the bottle could date as early as 1871.

Lloyd Moves On

It is unknown when the L'Anse branch closed, but Lloyd announced in Jan 1874 that he had established a brick yard in L'Anse and would start manufacturing bricks in spring (11). In Apr 1874, he was making preparations at the brick yard (13) and was ready to receive orders (14). On 13 Aug 1874, he dissolved a partnership for the L'Anse Brickyard Company by purchasing the interest of his partner, Prospert Roberts (15). On 19 Jul 1875, he dissolved another partnership for the brickyard, with George Woolliscroft continuing the business (16). On 01 Apr 1878, he dissolved a partnership with Mahlan Mauger, who continued the business, but the type of business was not specified (17).

The 1880 U.S. Federal Census placed Lloyd in L'Anse as a lumberman (5). He was then in Duluth for the 1885 Minnesota Census (6). Interestingly, hutchbook.com lists a Hutchinson bottle embossed, J. L. / DULUTH / MINN. The site states that the bottle has a base mark of WIS. GLASS CO. MILW. and attributes J. L. to Joseph Lloyd. Thus, apparently, he was a bottler again in the early 1880s. At some point, for many years, he was "captain and owner of the Lloyd line of steamboats that traversed the Great Lakes", but retired 25 years before his death (12). He continued to reside in Duluth (7,8) until his death on 08 Feb 1917 at the age of 86 (1,9).

Citations

1. Find a Grave. accessed Nov 2021. Joseph Darvel Lloyd Jr. findagrave.com/memorial/68400457/joseph-darvel-lloyd
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. anonymous. (1872, May 09). Dissolutions. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
5. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
6. Minnesota, 1885 Minnesota State Census. U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905. accessed on ancestry.com.
7. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
8. U.S. Census Bureau. 1910 United States Federal Census. accessed on ancestry.com.
9. Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 (accessed on ancestry.com)
10. anonymous. (1869, Nov 25). untitled. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
11. anonymous. (1874, Jan 08). untitled. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
12. anonymous. (1917, Feb 17). Aged pioneer dies. The L'Anse Sentinel (L'Anse, MI). p. 8.
13. anonymous. (1874, Apr 25). Local. The Industrial Age (L'Anse, MI). p. 1.
14. anonymous. (1874, Apr 16). untitled. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
15. anonymous. (1874, Sep 03). Dissolution Notice. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 2.
16. anonymous. (1875, Jul 29). Dissolution of co-partnership. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
17. anonymous. (1878, Apr 24). Notice. Northwestern Mining Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 3.
18. anonymous. (1871, May 25). Dissolutions. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 2.
19. anonymous. (1872, Apr 18). New pop factory. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
20. anonymous. (1872, May 16). Business changes. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.