Linus Plimpton & the Plimpton Manufacturing Company

Events involving the Plimpton Manufacturing Company prior to Linus Plimpton taking over the company and during his tenure as president. So far, I’ve found only one event, other than the annual meetings, in which Linus Plimpton was reported as directly involved.

September 8, 1865

The Courant reported that Prescott, Plimpton & Company had re-located to Hartford. This event marked Linus Plimpton’s move to Hartford as well.
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April 2, 1868

The Plimpton Envelope & Paper Company petitioned Board of Aldermen for permission to install a steam engine at their building on Ford Street. This petition indicates that the company had moved out of, or had a new location in addition to, the Howard Building.
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January 3, 1873

The Courant reported on meetings held by the Plimpton Manufacturing Company. This article represents the earliest report on an annual meeting held by the company.
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August 14, 1874

James W. Marshall unseals bids for the stamped envelope contract. James W. Marshall served as postmaster general while Marshall Jewell returned from Russia in order to assume the office. It also took place prior to any involvement by the Plimpton Manufacturing Company, as the company did not bid on the contract at this time.
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August 20, 1874

James W. Marshall rejected all bids for the stamped envelope contract and reopened the bidding process.
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September 18, 1874

Bids for the stamped envelope contract unsealed by Marshall Jewell. The post office department received 7 bids, one of which was submitted by the Plimpton Manufacturing Company.
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September 21, 1874

A. D. Hazen arrived in Springfield, MA, from Washington, DC., to inspect envelope manufacturing facilities in the area. Three of the seven bidders were in the area: two in Holyoke, and one in Springfield. There was no report that Hazen stopped in Hartford.
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September 23, 1874

Plimpton Manufacturing Company awarded the federal contract for stamped envelopes. The company was informed by E. W. Barber, the third assistant postmaster general, by telegram, that Marshall Jewell had selected them for the contract.
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September 25, 1874

Springfield Republican apparently believed that the Plimpton Manufacturing Company would form a partnership with the Morgan Envelope Company in order to fulfill the stamped envelope company.
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September 29, 1874

The Courant reported that the Plimpton Manufacturing Company had leased space in the Batterson Building in order to establish the stamped envelope works in downtown Hartford. The company was receiving equipment from the Morgan Envelope Company at this point.
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October 3, 1874

The post office department received the executed contract for stamped envelopes from the Plimpton Manufacturing Company, but there were two other prerequisites before the company could begin production that had yet to be met.
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October 6, 1874

The Courant reported that George Reay had attempted to claim the stamped envelope contract with the post office department. Reay, who had held the stamped envelope contract between 1870 and 1874, maintained that Plimpton Manufacturing had failed to meet the terms of the award by the October 3, 1874 deadline and that the contract was now his to fulfill.
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October 8, 1874

The Springfield Union reported that Plimpton Manufacturing Company had not lost the contract for stamped envelopes. Marshall Jewell had, however, informed local postmasters that the production of stamped envelopes would be temporarily suspended.
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October 10, 1874

Linus Plimpton returned to Hartford from Washington, where he’d met with officials from the US Post Office Department. During this trip, he secured acceptance of a sample die to be used in the production of the stamped envelopes. This report is also the only direct reference to Linus Plimpton's involvement in the business of the company that I have found so far.
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October 11, 1874

Marshall Jewell granted the Plimpton Manufacturing Company an additional week to meet the terms of the award.
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October 12, 1874

The directors of the Plimpton Manufacturing Company met and voted to increase the company’s capital stock by $25,000 to $125,000.
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October 12, 1874

The Plimpton Manufacturing Company may have started production of stamped envelopes today, in connection with the board’s action to increase the value of the company’s capital stock. Or, the company wouldn’t start production for another three days.
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October 15, 1874

The Courant reported that printing of stamped envelopes would start today and that the US Post Office Department had made several appointments of officials who would oversee production and distribution of the stamped envelopes.
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October 24, 1874

The Courant reported that Marshall Jewell had signed a contract with George Reay to supply stamped envelopes on an emergency basis. By this point, the post office department had run out of stamped envelopes, and Reay had 13,000,000 on hand that he would now distribute.
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October 29, 1874

Courant reported that Plimpton Manufacturing Company was now shipping large quantities of stamped envelopes. This report indicated the company had expanded production over what it had been producing 5 days earlier.
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October 30, 1874

The Courant reports that production of stamped envelopes continues to increase and Plimpton Manufacturing Company. The company was now producing 900,000 envelopes in 10 hours.
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December 14, 1874

expanded its operations in order to accommodate additional machines that they were acquiring. This expansion was in the Batterson Building, and it displaced a local printing business run by W. C. Hutchings.
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December 3, 1875

Water pipe burst at the Townsend building on Ford Street. The water damaged some of Plimpton Manufacturing’s stock.
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January 21, 1876

The Plimpton Envelope Company elected officers: Linus Plimpton was elected president.
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January 16, 1877

Annual meeting of the Plimpton Envelope Company: Linus Plimpton was elected president.
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January 28, 1877

Merriman’s Block on Ford Street destroyed by fire. This fire completely destroyed the Plimpton Manufacturing Company’s facility here, but the envelopes manufactured here did not included the stamped envelopes for the US Post Office Department.
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February 8, 1877

Plimpton Manufacturing Company leased new space to re-establish the envelope works that had been destroyed in the fire two weeks earlier.
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February 4, 1878

The Courant reported on the election of officers at the Plimpton Manufacturing Company: Linus Plimpton was elected president.
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July 2, 1878

The Post Office Department opened bids for the stamped envelope contract. The Plimpton Envelope Company and the Morgan Envelope Company jointly submitted a bid for this contract.
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July 3, 1878

The Plimpton & Morgan Envelope Company won the contract for stamped envelopes. This report indicated that the Plimpton Envelope Company and the Morgan Envelope Company had organized a joint venture. Also, the postmaster general who awarded them the contract was David Key.
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January 28, 1879

Annual meeting of the Plimpton Manufacturing Company: Linus Plimpton elected president.
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June 10, 1879

Plimpton Manufacturing Company ran a classified ad in the Courant, which provides an overview of the products and services Plimpton Manufacturing offered.
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January 25, 1881

Annual meeting of the Plimpton Manufacturing Company: Linus Plimpton elected president.
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April 11, 1881

An elevator slid down its shaft at the Plimpton Manufacturing Company factory, injuring 10-15 women who were headed into work.
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June 1, 1881

Plimpton & Morgan Envelope Company submitted the lowest bid for official and registered package envelopes. This bid represents an expansion of the company’s business with the federal government, as the stamped envelope contract was for regular mail.
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November 16, 1881

Fire in the basement of the Batterson building: Plimpton’s store, which was at this location, filled with smoke, but otherwise suffered no damage.
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January 24, 1882

Plimpton Manufacturing Company purchased property on Pearl Street, intending to construct a new building on the site.
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January 31, 1882

Annual meeting of Plimpton Manufacturing Company: Linus Plimpton elected president.
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March 17, 1882

A Courant article on the project to grade Pearl Street gives a more precise description of the location of Plimpton Manufacturing’s property on Pearl Street as well as details about the company’s plan for the property.
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June 5, 1882

Plimpton Manufacturing leases new space for their wholesale business, which was likely a separate enterprise from the company’s retail outlet.
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June 8, 1882

The US Post Office Department received bids for the contract to produce stamped envelopes – and a telegram from Washington informed the Plimpton Manufacturing Company and the Morgan Manufacturing Company that their joint bid had been the lowest.
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January 24, 1888

US Senate discussed failure to pay Plimpton Manufacturing: Joseph Hawley, US senator from Connecticut, offered an amendment to a House Appropriations bill that would pay Plimpton Manufacturing Company for envelopes produced between May and June of 1887. Hawley would have been a fellow resident of Asylum Hill, when he was in Hartford, and he might have encountered the Plimptons at Asylum Hill Congregational Church.
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December 24, 1890

Maro S. Chapman began an investigation into a theft of stamped envelopes from the Plimpton Manufacturing Company and identified the thief as Edward E. Fay.
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March 11, 1898

US Post Office Department ran a request for proposals for the stamped envelope contract in the Courant
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