B. & N

26 Nov 2021, last revised 25 Jun 2026

The two initials and no town location on the B. & N bottle reveal very little about the bottling works. Fortunately, the 1875 Michigan State Polk directory listed "Northey & Benny, Red Jacket" as soda water manufacturers (1). This listing identified the proprietors, at least by last names, and confirmed that they were Copper Country bottlers. A dissolution of partnership then revealed their full names, but with different spelling: "Henry Northy" and "Peter Benney" (4).

Bennie as Proprietor

Peter Bennie was involved with the bottling works before Henry Northey became a partner. Bennie was a partner to Joseph Lloyd and they operated branches in Houghton, Hancock, L'Anse, and Red Jacket (see J. L & B). When the partnership dissolved on 01 May 1872 (2), Bennie evidently retained the Red Jacket branch, given that he was to supply Red Jacket, Calumet, and Keweenaw County (17) and his ad specified Red Jacket as his location.

Little is known about Peter Bennie's background. He did not appear in the census records for Red Jacket. A marriage record, however, for a "Peter Benie" specified that he was born in Canada, resided in Red Jacket, worked as a merchant, and married Hellen A. Nette on 27 Oct 1875 in Red Jacket at the age of 29 (3). This appears to be the same Peter Bennie, given that a witness to the marriage was a "Henry Northey" from Red Jacket (3).

Bennie & Northey as Proprietors

It is unclear when Northey partnered with Bennie. Bennie's ad with him as sole proprietor ran from May 1872 to Jun 1874, and then the 1875 directory listed them as partners (1). Thus, the partnership likely formed between mid-1874 and mid-1875.

Northey as Sole Proprietor

The partnership between Bennie and Northey dissolved on 04 Mar 1878 with Northey keeping the business (4).

Henry Northey was born on 29 Sep 1848 (5) in Cornwall, England (6), and immigrated to the U.S. in 1865 (7), presumably with his father since they arrived in the same year (8,9). Henry was a miner in Keweenaw County (6,10), a miner at the Lake Mine in Ontonagon County (10,15), and a miner for Calumet & Hecla (6,10), being in Calumet Township as a miner for the 1870 U.S. Federal Census (15). He was often called Harry (16), and he was the older brother of Matthew and William (11,9), who were involved in the N. & J. bottling works.

It is unclear when Henry left the bottling works. He was elected sheriff of Houghton County in Nov 1876 (12), and re-elected in Nov 1878 (13). When he was a candidate for re-election in Oct 1878, the firm was Northey & Bros. and they were referred to as the "temperance people of Calumet" (14). His obituary stated that he continued the pop business "for some years, eventually as the firm of Northey & James" (6). Despite still being a partner in the firm while being sheriff, as sheriff, he resided at the county seat and remained in Houghton thereafter (6).

After four years as sheriff, Henry conducted a coal business and retired several years before his death on 20 Apr 1915 in Houghton (6). He was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Houghton (5).

The Legacy

The bottling works continued under N. & J.

Citations

1. R. L. Polk & Co. (1875). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1875. The Tribune Printing Company. Detroit, MI.
2. Dissolutions. (1872, May 09). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
3. Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
4. Dissolution of copartnership. (1878, Mar 07). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
5. Find a Grave. (2009, Sep 04). Henry Northey. Retrieved Nov 2021. www.findagrave.com/memorial/41566196/henry-northey
6. Henry Northy passes away. (1915, Apr 20). The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
7. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
8. Death of Matthew Northey. (1905, Aug 24). The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 8.
9. A pioneer gone. (1901, Mar 08). The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
10. Henry Northey dead at Houghton. (1915, Apr 20). The Evening Copper Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 5.
11. Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861.
12. The county selection on Tuesday. (1876, Nov 09). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
13. Election last Tuesday - Republican triumph. (1878, Nov 07). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
14. Random hits. (1878, Oct 30). Northwestern Mining Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 3.
15. U.S. Census Bureau. 1870 United States Federal Census. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
16. Harry Northey, old Houghton resident, dies. (1915, Apr 21). The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 8.
17. Business changes. (1872, May 16). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.