N. & J.

24 Nov 2021, last revised 25 Jun 2026

The 1881 and 1883 Michigan State Polk directories revealed the firm of N. & J. as Northey Bros. & James, pop manufacturers in Calumet (1,2). It turns out, N. & J. was part of a long succession of firms for the same bottling works.

History of the Bottling Works

It is unknown when the bottling works started, but Wanzer sold it to J. Lloyd & Bro. in Jan 1870 (18). Joseph and Samuel Lloyd then dissolved their partnership on 16 May 1871 (19). By Apr 1872, Joseph Lloyd had formed a partnership with Bennie as Lloyd & Bennie (20). Joseph Lloyd and Peter Bennie then dissolved their partnership on 01 May 1872 (21) and Bennie retained the bottling works in Red Jacket (22).

The 1875 directory then listed the partnership as Northey & Bennie (13). They dissolved their partnership on 04 Mar 1878 with Henry Northey keeping the business (14). It appears Henry Northey then formed a partnership with his brothers, because in Oct 1878, the firm was Northey & Bros. (23). Henry Northey's obituary stated that he continued the bottling works "eventually as Northey & James" (24).

Northey Bros. & James as Proprietors

The 1881 directory listed the firm as Northey Bros. & James, consisting of William Northey, Matthew Northey, and Joseph James (1). Henry, Matthew, and William were brothers (10), and Joseph James was their brother-in-law (11).

William Northey was born in 1853 in Cornwall, England (3). It is unknown when he immigrated to the U.S., but the 1870 U.S. Federal Census placed him as a miner in Copper Falls (4). The 1877 and 1879 directories listed William and Matthew as the Northey Bros. for a saloon in Calumet (5,6).

Matthew Northey was born on 08 Nov 1846 (7), also in Cornwall, England (3). His obituary stated that he immigrated to the U.S. in 1867 on the advice of Henry who arrived two years prior (8). He presumably arrived with his mother, since she also immigrated in 1867 (25). His obituary goes on to say that he moved to the Copper Country in 1870 and stayed for three years, lived in California for about three years, moved to Red Jacket, and then moved to Houghton in 1877 (8).

Joseph James was born in Mar 1842 in England (10). He married Salome Northey in 1863 (11), the older sister of Henry, William, and Matthew (10). James then immigrated to the U.S. in 1864 (12). He was an engine driver at Copper Falls on the 1870 U.S. Federal Census (4).

The first indication of James being a "pop merchant" was from Feb 1880 (15). It is unknown when Henry left the firm. The U.S. Federal Census recorded William and James as pop manufacturers in Red Jacket in Jun 1880 (9). However, the same census recorded Matthew living with Henry in Houghton, where Henry was the sheriff and Matthew worked in the sheriff department (9). Thus, despite Matthew being listed as a partner in the 1881 and 1883 directories (1,2), it appears it was William and James actually running the bottling works in Red Jacket.

William Northey died on 12 Aug 1883 in Calumet at the age of about 30 and was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Houghton (16). While in Bastian's saloon, he complained of not feeling well, slipped into unconsciousness, and died before medical help arrived (17). The coroner determined that he died of excessive alcohol use (17).

With William dead and Matthew in Houghton, it appears the N. & J. firm ended.

The Legacy

Three N. & J. bottles have blob tops. They transitioned from a squattier shape to a taller-bodied shape. The town name also transitioned from Red Jacket to Calumet.

The two quart bottles have Hutchinson tops and atypical bottle shapes for Hutchinson bottles. One (#88) has a squatty shape and the C V G Co MILW. mark that dates to 1880 (26). The other (#s45) has a short champagne-beer shape and the WIS. G. Co mark that dates to 1881-1886 (27). Unlike typical Hutchinson bottles, these two quarts have long, tapered necks that gradually transition to the shoulders. They appear to be experimental shapes for the new Hutchinson stopper that was patented in Apr 1879 (28,29).

Jos. James was proprietor of a later pop factory in Red Jacket, which was probably a continuation of the same bottling works (see Jos. James Bottling Works).

Matthew Northey later started his own bottling works in Houghton (see Matt Northey).

Citations

1. R. L. Polk & Co. (1881). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1881. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
2. R. L. Polk & Co. (1883). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1883. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
3. Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1851. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
4. U.S. Census Bureau. 1870 United States Federal Census. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
5. R. L. Polk & Co. (1877). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1877. R. L. Polk & Co. Detroit, MI.
6. R. L. Polk & Co. (1879). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1879. The Detroit Free Press Company. Detroit, MI.
7. Find a Grave. (2010, Sep 16). Matthew Northey. Retrieved Nov 2021. www.findagrave.com/memorial/58758954/matthew-northey
8. Death of Matthew Northey. (1905, Aug 24). The Daily Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 7.
9. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
10. Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
11. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
12. U.S. Census Bureau. 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed on Ancestry.com.
13. R. L. Polk & Co. (1875). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1875. The Tribune Printing Company. Detroit, MI.
14. Dissolution of copartnership. (1878, Mar 07). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
15. Out on the Range. (1880, Feb 05). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
16. Find a Grave. (2009, May 05). William Northey. Retrieved Nov 2021. www.findagrave.com/memorial/36766500/william-northey
17. Range items. (1883, Aug 16). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
18. J. Lloyd & Bro. (1870, Feb 03). J. Lloyd & Bro. [Advertisement] Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
19. Dissolutions. (1871, May 25). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 2.
20. New pop factory. (1872, Apr 18). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
21. Dissolutions. (1872, May 09). Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 3.
22. Peter Bennie. (1874, Apr 23). Peter Bennie [Advertisement]. Portage Lake Mining Gazette (Houghton, MI). p. 1.
23. Random hits. (1878, Oct 30). Northwestern Mining Journal (Hancock, MI). p. 3.
24. Henry Northy passes away. (1915, Apr 20). The Calumet News (Calumet, MI). p. 3.
25. A pioneer gone. (1901, Mar 08). The Copper Country Evening News (Calumet, MI). p. 8.
26. Lockhart, B., B. Schriever, C. Serr, and B. Lindsey. (2014). Chase Valley Glass Co. In: Encyclopedia of Manufacturers Marks on Historic Bottles. Posted on Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website. secure-sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/ChaseValleyGlass.pdf
27. Lockhart, B. B. Schriever, B. Lindsey, C. Serr, and B. Brown. (2020). Wisconsin Glass Co. In: Encyclopedia of Manufacturers Marks on Historic Bottles. Posted on Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website. secure-sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/WisconsinGlassCo.pdf
28. Munsey, C. (1970). The Illustrated Guide to Collecting Bottles. Hawthorn Books, Inc. NY.
29. Lindsey, B. Retrieved 2007, 2021, 2022. Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website. secure-sha.org/bottle/closures.htm