John M. Roseberry


Company Names, addresses, dates:
    J.M. Roseberry & Co, King & Payne Streets, Alexandria VA (ca.1854-1855) 1,2
    J.M. Roseberry, "3 doors above" King & Payne Streets, Alexandria VA (1855-ca.1857) 2,3


Notes:
J. M. Roseberry was a bottler in Alexandria VA.

I believe he was John Mackey Roseberry (1802-1874)4, born in New Jersey. The US Census for 1860 listed a John M. Roseberry as a farmer, born in NJ and living in Prince William County5, which initially seemed like the wrong guy....
But I found several ads in the Alexandria Gazette from "J.M. Roseberry" and his brother M.M. Roseberry trying to sell their farm in Prince William County, with a request to contact John M. Roseberry at 314 King Street in Alexandria, which was at or near his bottling establishment, so I'm convinced that's the right guy.6

Roseberry shows up in NJ in the 1850 US Census. The earliest reference I could find to him in Alexandria was a newspaper mention of "J. M. Roseberry & Co." in 18541, so I assume he started his bottling business sometime on or before 1854, but after 1850.

An article in the February 8, 1855 edition of the Alexandria Gazette announced that the partnership of "J.M. Roseberry & Co." was being disolved, and that the company was now in the hands of "J.M. Roseberry". It also said the new company was located "3 doors above the old establishment at King & Payne Streets". The names at the end of the article were "John M. Roseberry", and "G.A. Cook", so I presume that means Mr. Cook was the "& Co."2

I believe G.A. Cook was Garret Albertson Cooke (1818-1896)7, who was also from New Jersey.
After G.A. Cook left Roseberry in February 1855, he became the agent for another Alexandria bottler, R.P. Cook.8

Later in 1855, Roseberry took out an ad in the Alexandria Gazette promoting his bottling establishment where he bottled "Sarsaparilla, Lemon, Ginger, and Capsicum, Pop, Newark and Crab Cider: also, Philadelphia Ale, Baltimore Porter and Ale, also, Draught Ale, by the half barrel"9.

In July of 1857, Roseberry took out an ad in the Alexandria Gazette listing his mineral water establishment for sale, including "Mineral water apparatus, bottles, wagons, dray, horses, harness, with all the fixtures of modern improvement that belong to the business". The ads ran until Nov 19, 18573.
I couldn't find any other references to Roseberry's bottling establishment after that date, so I assume he closed down sometime around then.


Bottles:

roseberry_13 book # 606
This is a 7.5" dark-green blob top bottle with an iron pontil scar on the base. Front, rear and bottom views are shown. The bottle is embossed:
front: J.M.ROSEBERRY / & Co / ALEXANDRIA / VA.
rear: (eagle on a shield with crossed flags)
base: (iron pontil scar)
roseberry_01 book # 605
This is a 6.75" light-green squat bottle with an iron pontil scar on the base. The embossing has been painted white to make it stand out. The bottle is embossed:
front: J.M.ROSEBERRY / & Co / ALEXANDRIA / VA.
base: (iron pontil scar)
roseberry_11 book # 605
This is from the same mold as the bottle above, but it's a different color. The lip, although damaged, seems to be different from the above bottle as well - it's a blob vs. a tapered collar with a ring. It is 6.7" tall, blueish-green, and embossed:
front: J.M.ROSEBERRY / & Co / ALEXANDRIA / VA.
base: (iron pontil scar)
roseberry_05 book # 605
This bottle is very similar to the bottle above. It's damaged and it has opalescence, but if I hold it up to a bright light, it looks like it's the same color as the bottle above. It's embossed:
front: J.M.ROSEBERRY / & Co / ALEXANDRIA / VA.
base: (iron pontil scar)
roseberry_03 book # 607
This is a topless shard of a green short-blob bottle with an iron pontil scar on the base. The bottle is embossed:
rectangular slugplate: J.M.ROSEBERRY
base: (iron pontil scar)
The bottle is assumed to be from Alexandria VA, as I can find no evidence that J.M.Roseberry was a bottler in any other city.


1 Alexandria Gazette, 9/28/1854 page 3
2 Alexandria Gazette, 2/8/1855 page 3
3 Alexandria Gazette, 11/19/1857 page 4
4 Find-a-grave entry for John M. Roseberry
5 US Census, 1860, Prince William County VA, entry for John M. Roseberry, age 58 & born in NJ
6 Alexandria Gazette, 7/13/1857 page 3 (A Desirable Farm for sale)
7 Find-a-grave entry for Garret M. Cook
8 Alexandria Gazette, 1/25/1855 page 3
9 Alexandria Gazette, 2/15/1855 page 2


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This page last updated on April 17, 2024.