Thomas R. Beavers


Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  Thomas R. Beavers, 1303 4½ St. SW, Washington DC (1893-1894)
  Thomas R. Beavers, 917 4½ St. SW, Washington DC (1895-1897)
  Thomas R. Beavers, 617 4½ St. SW, Washington DC (1898-1901)
  Thomas R. Beavers, 423 4½ St. SW, Washington DC (1902-1913)
  Thomas R. Beavers, 620 4½ St. SW, Washington DC (1914-1916)
  Mrs. Anna L. Beavers, 620 4½ St. SW, Washington DC (1917)

Notes:
 Thomas R. Beavers (1867-1916)2 was a bottler in Washington DC.
In 1888-1892, he worked in his father's grocery store. His father passed away in 18943, and in subsequent years, Beavers was listed in city directories as a bottler, a liquor store owner, and a saloon owner. 1
Some newspaper ads also listed him as running a "grocery & liquor store"4.
In some years he was listed under multiple business types (e.g. Liquor Store owner as well as Saloon owner), but at the same address.

The book doesn't list any liquor bottles with his name embossed on it, only 2 beer bottles shown below. A newspaper ad from 19155 shows a picture of a bottle that has a label that says "Beavers Whiskey", so maybe his liquor bottles were not embossed.

An ad in the February 24, 1904 Washington Post said he was a bottler of "Wash. Brewery, Nat'l Capitol, Heurich's Beers". So it seems he bottled beer from at least 3 of the local Washington DC breweries.

A descendant of Thomas Beavers wrote me an email saying: "Apparently, Thomas never took a vacation until 1916. His wife Anna convinced him to take a trip to Florida. He fell ill there and died in Miami, and his body was returned to Washington for burial."

Beavers starting using crown-top bottles in 1903, so the bottle with the "423" address below is likely from before that date6.
The other bottle has a "617" address, so it's likely from 1898-1901.1


Bottles:

beavers_1 book # 67
This is a 9.3" clear baltimore-loop top bottle embossed:
front: THOS. R. BEAVERS / (picture of 2 beavers) / 423 4-1/2 ST. S.W. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
back: REGISTERED NOT TO BE SOLD
beavers_02 book # 68
This is a 9.25" aqua baltimore-loop top bottle embossed:
front: THOS. R. BEAVERS / 617 4-1/2 ST. S.W. / WASHINGTON, D.C.
back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD
base: V


1 Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years)
2 Find-a-grave for Thomas R. Beavers
3 Find-a-grave for Joseph W. Beavers (Thomas's father)
4 Washington Post, 24-Feb-1907 (South Washington's Reliable Grocery and Liquor Store"
5 Washington Times, 14-Nov-1915, page 19 (Ad for Thomas R. Beavers with picture of his whiskey bottle)
6 American Carbonator and American Bottler, 15-Aug-1903, page 88


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This page last updated on October 24, 2024.