C. Ihmsen and Co.

The Ihmsen family history is very complex because three generations of Ihmsens were

involved in U.S. glass production from 1810 to 1900. However, we have been able to divide their operations into six different periods, although a few of those overlap. It is important to understand that three of these periods – Early Ihmsen Firms, Christian Ihmsen Firms, and the Third Generation factories of Christian T. and William Ihmsen – form a continuous chain that lasted almost a century, from 1810 to ca. 1900.

Ancestral and Early Ihmsen Firms (1810-1868)

Christian Ihmsen Firms – Second Generation (1836-1885)

William Ihmsen – Second Generation (ca. 1824-1836)

Christian T. Ihmsen and William Ihmsen – Third Generation (1876-1900)

Dominick Ihmsen Firms – Third Generation (1876-ca. 1890)

Other Ihmsen Companies (1846-1880)

Christian Ihmsen & Co. (ca. 1836-1855)

As early as 1836, the two factories described above were listed as controlled by

Whitehead, Ihmsen & Phillips, but the other two were under the management of “C. Ihmsen” – one factory making vials with 36 “hands,” the other employing 45 workers to make window glass (National Glass Budget 1909:1). By 1841, C. Ihmsen & Co. completely controlled the two Birmingham Glass Works factories, the Pennsylvania Flint Works, and the Pennsylvania Black Works. Even though the McKearins stated that C. Ihmsen & Co. stopped making window glass in 1840, the firm continued to advertise window glass until at least 1870. Christian’s brother, William, and Francis McGowan joined the firm in 1836, although William died later that year in December. Christian and William may have built a glass house in Birmingham in 1831 to make bottles and vials, along with window glass, but this may be a confusion with William’s involvement with Christian’s Birmingham factories. The firm added a plant at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, by 1841, operated for the firm by McGowan, although Lorenz & Hamilton eventually gained control of that plant. Christian was also involved with Young, Ihmsen & Plunkett during this period – a firm discussed below (Hawkins 2009:272-274).

Containers and Marks

It is very clear from the sparse selection below that Christian Ihmsen rarely used any

marks to identify the bottles made at his factories.

https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/Ihmsen.pdf