John Eller


Company Names, addresses, dates1:
  John Eller, 43 N street NW (1883-1890)
  John Eller, 21 O street NW (1891-1911)

Notes:
John Eller was born Sept 1849 in Germany, and died Jan 1929 in Washington DC.
DC Directories list Eller as a bottler from 1883-1900, as a saloon owner from 1889-1911, and as a grocer staring in 1915.
The 1870 census lists Eller as living in the household of a Saloon Keeper named Frederick Ludwig.
The first address for Eller's business is 43 N Street NW, which was the same location for George Kozel's brewery from 1870-1881. That address was held by a Leo Ewald in 1882, then Eller from 1883-1890. It's likely that Eller brewed beer during at least some of the time that he was at this address. This is re-enforced by an entry in the July 10, 1884 edition of the Washington DC Evening Star newspaper (p. 4) that referred to John Eller as "a brewer". It said that Eller was fined $25 for selling beer on Sunday.
A beer label shown below shows that Eller bottled Christian Heurich's beer.
An advertisement in Sept 30, 1906 edition of the Washington DC Evening Star (p.68) indicated that John Eller at 21 O NW sold Capitol Club Ginger Ale, so Eller bottled more than just beer.


Bottles:

eller_01 book # 224
This is a 7" aqua hutchinson (with stopper) with a tombstone slug plate. It has a small crack in the lip, and is embossed:
tombstone slug plate: JOHN ELLER / JE / 21 O. ST. N.W. / REG'D 1895/ WASH. D.C.
eller_02 book # 225
This is a 9" aqua baltimore-loop top bottle, embossed:
round slug plate: JOHN ELLER / JE / 21 O. ST. N.W. / REGISTERED / WASHINGTON, D.C.
back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD
eller_03 book # 226
This is a 9" aqua crown top bottle, embossed:
round slug plate: JOHN ELLER / JE / 21 O. ST. N.W. / REGISTERED / WASHINGTON, D.C.
back: THIS BOTTLE / NOT TO BE SOLD
eller_05 book # 226
This is a 9.25" aqua crown top bottle, embossed:
oval slug plate: JOHN ELLER / 21.O.ST.N.W. / REGISTERED / WASHINGTON, D.C.
below slug plate: REGISTERED
back: THIS BOTTLE NOT TO BE SOLD
eller_04 book # 227
This is a 9.3" aqua crown-top embossed:
front: JOHN ELLER / NO - 21 - O. ST. N.W. / WASHINGTON D.C.
rear: REGISTERED
base: C



Bottles:
eller_06 This is a 3.5 x 5 in label that says:
label: (picture of vine with hops on it) / CHR. HENRICH'S BREWING CO. / EXTRA FINE / Lager Beer / BOTTLED BY JOHN ELLER, / 21 O. ST., N.W. WASHINGTON D.C.
small letters at bottom: LITHO. GEO. SCHLEGEL 136 & 140 CENTRE ST. NEW YORK.
Note that Christian Heurich's name is mispelled on this label.
eller_07 This is a 3 x 4 inch photograph of John Eller's saloon at 21 O street NW Washington DC. Presumably one of the 2 men is John Eller, but I don't know which one. The address above the door is 21. The signs to the right & left of the door are hard to read, but appear to say: WASHINGTON, BEER, JOHN ELLER, and OLD GLORY. "Old Glory" was a beer brewed by Abner Drury's brewery.
On the back of the photo is written:
written on back: JOHN ELLER'S / 21 O ST NW / WASHINGTON, D.C.


1 Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia (various years)



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This page last updated on February 15, 2019.