Chelf Pharmacy


Company Names, addresses, dates:1
  Cabell & Chelf, 106 Pine Street, Richmond VA (1892-1895)
  Chelf & Co Pharmacy, 106 & 108 N. Pine Street, Richmond VA (1895-1905)
  T.Wilbur Chelf Pharmacy, 223 E. Main Street, Richmond VA (1895-1900)

  Chelf Chemical Co, Richmond VA (c.1901-1943) 2,3

  R.E. Chelf Drug Co, 1123 W Broad St., Richmond VA (1912-1916)
  R.E. Chelf Drug Co, 1201 W Broad St., Richmond VA (1917-1926)
  R.E. Chelf Drug Co, 334 N Harrison St., Richmond VA (1927-1930)

Notes:
Thomas Wilbur Chelf (1861-1956)4 was born in Rappahannock county, and graduated from the Maryland College of Pharmacy in 1886. He entered the retail drug business as a partner with Dr. Robert Cabell5. In 1895, he took full control of the Cabell & Chelf drug store, and also started a 2nd drug store1.

He created the Chelf Chemical Company in 1901. The company seems to have been created primarily to manufacture the Chelf Celery Caffein Compound, which had been a popular seller. 2
Based on a bottle depicted below with a label, this Celery Caffein Compound was flavored with Cellery, and was described as both a "efficient nerve sedative" and a "mild laxative".

Russell Elmo Chelf (1869-1931)6, who was T.Wilber Chelf's brother, was born in Culpeper, and started the R.E. Chelf Drug Company, of which he was the sole proprietor.7
He spent some of his early years as a clerk in his brothers drug store3.


Chelf & Company Bottles:

chelf_01 Clear 6.8" bottle embossed:
vertical: Chelf and Co Pharmacists / 106 & 108 N Pine Street / Richmond, Va.
base: WT&CO / E / USA / PAT DEC 11 1894


T.W. Chelf Bottles:
chelf_02 Clear 3.7" bottle embossed:
vertical: T.W. Chelf, Pharmacist / Third and Main Streets / Richmond, Va.
base: *** / B / USA / PAT JAN 24 88


Chelf Chemical Company Bottles:
chelf_05 These are round blue bottles. Left is 7.7", next is 5.5", next is 4.0" and right is 2.5" tall. All are embossed:
horizontal: CHELF'S / CELERY-CAFFEIN / COMP'D / CHELF CHEM. CO. / RICHMOND, VA.
base (right bottle only): (dot in a square)
chelf_08 This bottle is embossed the same as the ones above, but it also has a label. It's 4.0" tall and described as follows:
label: CHELF'S C.C. COMP'D / 4 C's REG. U.S. PAT. OFF / ... AN EFFICIENT NERVE SEDATIVE ... A MILD LAXATIVE ... FLAVORED WITH CELERY ... / PRICE 30c / Prepared only by CHELF CHEMICAL CO. / Richmond, Va., U.S.A. ... / New Label Adopted June 1st, 1929
embossed on rear: CHELF'S / CELERY-CAFFEIN / COMP'D / CHELF CHEM. CO. / RICHMOND, VA.
embossed on base: 4
chelf_07 Blue 4.1" bottle embossed:
horizontal: CHELF'S COMP / CELERY-CAFFEIN / TRADE C.C.C.C MARK / FOR HEADACHE / MANF'D ONLY BY / CHELF CHEMICAL CO / RICHMOND, VA. USA
chelf_06 Blue 7.7" bottle embossed:
horizontal along the neck: CHELF'S C.C. COMP'D RICHMOND, VA.
base: (M in a circle)


R.E. Chelf Bottles:
chelf_03 Clear 8.2" bottle embossed:
horizontal: 3xii
vertical: R.E. Chelf Drug Co. / RICHMOND
horizontal on back in oval: Chelf
base: CLGCO / A
chelf_04 Similar to the bottle above, but smaller, this is a clear 6.5" bottle embossed:
horizontal: 3vi
vertical: R.E. Chelf Drug Co. / RICHMOND
horizontal on back in oval: Chelf
base: CLGCO / B


1 Book: "Bottled in Richmond 1811-1930", by Vernon Grant
2 Daily Dispatch (Richmond VA) newspaper, May 2, 1901, page 2
3 Richmond city directories, various years
4 Find-a-grave for Thomas Wilbur Chelf
5 Richmond Times Dispatch, Feb 3, 1956, p.10 (obituary for T.Wilbur Chelf)
6 Find-a-grave for Russell Elmo Chelf
7 Richmond Times Dispatch, May 7, 1931, p.16 (obituary for R.E. Chelf)


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This page last updated on June 3, 2023.