E. Remington and Sons

E. Remington and Sons was a manufacturer of firearms and typewriters. Founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, on March 1, 1873 it started manufacturing the first commercial typewriter.

In August 1816, then 22-year-old Eliphalet Remington II would forge his first rifle barrel. His initial experiment would prove a success, and the young blacksmith proceeded to make others to meet the growing demand for sporting rifles in the Mohawk Valley. With the completion of the Erie Canal, connecting Buffalo with Albany, commerce in the Mohawk Valley expanded remarkably. To meet the increased demand for rifle barrels, in 1828 the Remingtons moved their forge and foundry from its rural setting to 100 acres (400,000 m²) of land they had purchased astride the canal and abutting the Mohawk River near a town then called Morgan's Landing (later Ilion), New York. The move coincided with the elder Eliphalet's death, and Eliphalet II assumed control of the business.

Becoming "E. Remington & Sons"

In 1839 he was joined by his eldest son, Philo Remington (to make the business "E. Remington & Son"), and in 1845 Eliphalet's second son, Samuel, also joined the company, afterwards called "E. Remington & Sons" Remington's third son, Eliphalet III, would also join the company later.

During this period, the Remingtons specialized almost exclusively in the manufacture of rifle barrels. These barrels, marked with the distinctive "REMINGTON" stamp near their breeches, were recognized for their quality and reasonable price. Many, if not most, of the independent gunsmiths in the Mohawk Valley purchased completed (but not rifled) barrels from Remington and assembled them into arms custom ordered by their customers. As demand increased, the Remingtons added other parts to their inventory, first percussion locks made in Birmingham, England but marked with their stamp "REMINGTON," and later sets of brass gun furniture, including triggerguards, buttplates, and patchboxes. After 1846, first martial longarm and then revolver production dominated the company's workforce.3

Remington supplied the U.S. Army with rifles in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). In 1847, Remington supplied the U.S. Navy with its first breech-loading rifle. In 1856 the business was expanded to include the manufacture of agricultural implements. Upon Eliphalet's death in 1861, his son, Philo, took over the firm during the Civil War, and diversified the product line to include sewing machines (manufactured from 1870 to 1894) and typewriters (1873), both of which were exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.

The Remington Arms Company supplied a large proportion of the small arms used by the United States government in the Civil War (1861-1865) and in World War I (U.S. involvement 1917-1918) and World War II (U.S. involvement 1941-1945).

Becoming "Remington Arms"

In 1886, E. Remington and Sons sold its typewriter business to Standard Typewriter Manufacturing Company, Inc. Included were the rights to use the Remington name. E. Remington and Sons changed its name to "Remington Arms".

"Standard Typewriter" changed its name in 1902 to "Remington Typewriter Company". This company merged in 1927 with "Rand Kardex Company" to form "Remington Rand", which continued to manufacture office equipment and later became a major computer company.

External links

• Photos and information about current production Remington rifles (http://www.gunshopfinder.com/remington.html)
• Photos and information about current production Remington shotguns (http://www.gunshopfinder.com/remingtonshotguns.html)