J.W. Storrs and M.W. Robinson

[JSR III]

Not sure if this is the correct forum to place this in but since it was located by my quest for more knowledge of antique S&W's and the sales thereof, it seemed appropriate.

I did not recall knowing that M.W. Robinson was once a clerk for J.W. Storrs and eventually sales manager and ultimately took over the business. This definitely explains how S&W's early NYC sales agent, J.W. Storrs became M.W. Robinson in later years. The addresses of 121 and 79 Chambers Street appear often.

So that said, I found an article online produced by Dr. Jinks written for the American Society of Arms Collectors and have copied and pasted the link below. Even though this is available online, I reached out to Dr. Jinks and asked and received his permission to publish the link below.

It is an amazing 15 page article that describes the founding of the company and includes copies of financial ledgers and letters from the authors collection that show how the company started and the success that it had during the Civil War producing and selling the model 1's and 2's.

I found it a fascinating read and hope that you will as well.......

https://americansocietyofarmscollec...Smith-Wesson-and-the-Civil-War-JINKS-v122.pdf

I have printed out the article and it will now become a part of my paper history files on the company for future reference.

 

[g-dad]

Fascinating reading! Thanks for posting this!

 

[mmaher94087]

James, thanks for the link. It's worth reading and I saved a copy.

 

[alanfir]

M.W. Robinson may also have been a relative of J.W. Storrs. M.W. Robinson's wife was Abigail Storrs. I have never seen a photograph or likeness of either M.W. Robinson or J.W. Storrs and wonder if anyone has.

 

[JSR III]

A little more history......

A trio of graceful arches separated by engaged Corinthian columns and pilasters created the cast iron storefront. The Reade Street façade was slightly subdued, treated as the one-third of the design that included James Gilbert’s building.

103-reade-side-of-121-chambers-by-daytonian-in-manhattanNo. 121 Chambers ran through the block to No. 103 Reade (left). The James Gilbert building, abutting, was designed to visually include No. 103, the center section being a near-match to the Chambers Street facade.
··································

Storrs Brothers had been doing business in the ground floor of the former Gilbert house in 1859. Now with the new building completed, the firm moved back in. Royal, Augustus and Charles Storrs all listed themselves at the address as selling “fancy goods,” including watches and jewelry. But Joseph W. Storrs focused on the sale of “pistols.”

 

[JSR III]

and more...........

JOSEPH W. STORRS
Death of Prominent Business Man of Civil War Days

Joseph Woodward Storrs, of No. 122 Clark Street died of apoplexy at the Hartford Hospital yesterday morning, aged 85 years. He was overcome by shock at his home Thursday January 4, and there was no more hope of his recovery.
Mr. Storrs was a business man of prominence in Civil War Times, being the selling agent for the Smith & Wesson pistols. He came to this city twenty-one years ago and his home here has been at No. 122 Clark Street.
He was the son of William and Harriet Woodward Storrs of Westford and was born August 26, 1826. There were eleven children in the family, nine of which grew to maturity. One of his brothers was Mr. Melanethon Storrs, the celebrated physician of Colchester and this city who was surgeon of the Eighth Connecticut and attained considerable prominence as brigade surgeon and in the construction and maintenance of hospitals on the James River toward the close of the war.
Joseph Storrs from his boyhood was interested in firearms. While yet a young man he contrived with the aid of local blacksmith, after a week of patient labor, in reconstructing an old flint lock musket of his fathers into a percussion acting firearm, this style of weapon being then in its infancy.

In 1852 while at Norwich he made the acquaintance of Daniel Wesson, who was at the time perfecting an invention of this nature. The work of Inventor Wesson was afterwards made use of in the Henry rifles and later in the Winchester rifle. Wesson discarded the invention of his own and in 1857, getting possession of a patent right which he considered better, began the manufacture of the Smith & Wesson pistol in Springfield, Mass. Joseph Storrs was given the sales agency. His first consignment consisted of twenty-five pistols, Mr. Storrs paying for them as he got them. In later times he received as many as 300 a day but continued the same method of paying as he went.


Mr. Storrs, it is said was one of the first, if not the first, advertiser in this county to make use of a cut portraying his wares in the newspapers. It had been customary for the newspapers to illustrate by a conventional design, but the use of an individual cut was unusual. Mr. Storr's picture of course, was that of one of his pistols.
The breaking out of the war brought the pistol business to the front. Mr. Storrs headquarters were at No. 252 Broadway, New York and he sold the total output of the Smith & Wesson factory. He showed impartiality in allotting his goods to the men from all over the country who came to his doors and built up a widely scattered business. At the close of the war he had orders on his books for the product of the factory for the coming two years. he sold out the business in 1867 and retired.
Mr. Storrs was twice married first December 16, 1850 to Diana A. Atwood of Mansfield, in whose silk mill young Storrs was a time employed. Twenty-one years ago he married Francena Baker, widow of George Dillingham of Montaugue. He leaves besides his wife, a brother, Henry C. Storrs of No 122 Clark Street, and two sisters, Russell Gillette of Colchester and Mrs. H. M. Brigham of No. 114 Wooster Street.
The funeral will be in the rooms of W. T. Marchant, No. 53 Anne Street, at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. The service will be conducted by a. P. Blynn of Norwich. Rev. Hugh Elmer Brown of this city will offer prayer. Burial will be in Spring Grove Cemetery.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

What a wonderful article. Thanks for posting.

 

[mrcvs]

Is there a connection to the Storrs family of Mansfield, Connecticut, which donated land for the original campus of Stirrs Agricultural College, which is now the University of Connecticut?

 

[JSR III]

Yes, brothers Augustus and Charles donated land and money for an agricultural school that eventually became the University of Connecticut. They also created a cemetery where many of the family are buried.

 

[orbruce]

Does anyone have a picture of the store fronts for either Storrs or Robinson?

B. Mower

 

[JSR III]

I have tried several times to copy and paste a photo without success. According to the records that I searched, it states that 79 Chambers Street was built in 1920 which would not fall in line with it being J.W. Storrs location in the late 1800's. I do have several ads however that definitely list that address. Perhaps there was a fire and the building was razed and a new one built on the site in 1920??

As I stated above I have seen references to 121 Chambers St, 79 Chambers Street and another address on Broadway but I fail to remember the number, 252 perhaps??

Photos that I was able to locate show 79 Chambers Street as a 2 story building but I thought one of the articles that I read stated that Storrs occupied upper floors like the 5th or 6th.

So all in all a mystery and my dear friend Mr. GOOGLE has failed to help me solve these questions. I will keep digging.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Here is James's picture of 79 Chambers Street

 

[JSR III]

OK, so we know Charles Storrs, 1-24-1822 ~ 9-1-1884 and Augustus Storrs, 6-4-1817 ~ 3-3-1892 and Royal Otis Storrs, 1815 ~ 1888, were the original partners of Storrs Brothers started in December of 1854 which was a commission-based mercantile firm. Royal dropped out after a year or so. Charles served as head of the firm for 25 years from 1854 to 1879 when he retired.

Marcus Webb Robinson, 5-12-1820 ~ 5-5-1892, became a confidential clerk for Storrs Brothers. In 1862 he joined interests with Joseph Woodward Storrs, 8-25-1826 ~ 1-14-1912, who was selling agent for Smith and Wesson. In 1869, Robinson became sole agent for the firm and for 25 years was also engaged in the manufacture and sale of hardware specialties. He held several patents for Davis Levels from Springfield, MA.

Marcus was married on October 10, 1855, to Abigail Storrs, a sister of Augustus and Charles Storrs. M.W. Robinson went to Mansfield to attend the funeral of his brother-in-law, Augustus Storrs who died 3-3-1892 and came down with pneumonia from which he recovered, but 2 months later he died of peritonitis.

So all that said, it raises the question as to who was running the M.W. Robinson Company in 1914, when the 490 S&W .22/32 HFT's were shipped in the first 3 months of 1914???? Even J.W. Storrs was dead by 1912 so not him.......

 

[BMur]

Marked by the factory

Excellent article and outstanding research.
This confirms those Model 2’s having the single line stamp “MANUFACTURED FOR Kitteridge and Co. we’re in fact marked by the factory.
Makes me wonder about other Kittredge stamps.

Murph

 

[JSR III]

As an additional note, I reached out to Dr. Jinks to ask if he knew who was there in 1914 to order and receive the 490 .22/32 HFT's and he was not sure. He stated that by that time there were many distributors dealing S&W firearms in NYC so M.W. Robinson was not the exclusive distributor that they once were.

Considering that Storrs, Robinson and even D.B. Wesson who died 8-4-1906 the original Storrs/Wesson arrangement was no longer being honored. Still leaves the question as to who was running M.W. Robinson after his death in 1892????? Cannot be his wife Abigail as she passed in 1899........

 

[alanfir]

Robert Mortimer Nesbitt took over the M.W. Robinson Company upon the death of Marcus Webb Robinson. Nesbitt was born in Newark, N.J. December 26, 1843 and died February 13, 1911. Nesbitt's wife, Teresa McKinney Nesbitt, assumed the presidency of the M.W. Robinson Company after Nesbitt's death. Teresa died March 28, 1928. I believe both M.W. Robinson and R.M. Nesbitt worked as clerks for J.W. Storrs.

 

[JSR III]

Robert Mortimer Nesbitt took over the M.W. Robinson Company upon the death of Marcus Webb Robinson. Nesbitt was born in Newark, N.J. December 26, 1843 and died February 13, 1911. Nesbitt's wife, Teresa McKinney Nesbitt, assumed the presidency of the M.W. Robinson Company after Nesbitt's death. Teresa died March 28, 1928. I believe both M.W. Robinson and R.M. Nesbitt worked as clerks for J.W. Storrs.

That is very interesting to learn. I have searched and searched and was at an impasse finding further information. Do you mind sharing where this information came from as I would like to follow up with my research.

I am still unable to determine how M.W. Robinson operated from 79 Chambers Street for all of those years when all of my searches show that the current 2 story building was built in 1920, 6 years after the 490 gun shipment of .22/32's in 1914.

 

[alanfir]

The information came from Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. One article came from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in Feb 1911. Teresa McKinney Nesbitt's obituary shows a 28 Warren St. Manhattan address for M.W. Robinson Co.

 

[JSR III]

Thank you so much. Now I continue digging. I thought that I had exhausted all of the online sources other than those that want you to subscribe and pay a fee. Being cheap, I hate doing that. Just seems to me that history should be there to be explored for those that bother to take the time without charge.