Joseph A. Jeffries
Company Names, addresses, dates:
  J.H. Stephens, Warrenton VA (ca.1846-1865) 1,2
  Stephens & Jeffries, Warrenton VA (1865-1877) 2,3
  Joseph A. Jeffries, Main Street, Warrenton VA (1877-1948) 3,4
Notes:
Dr. J.H. Stephens started a drugstore in Warrenton VA, sometime around
1846.1
Joseph Arthur Jeffries (1840-1919)5
began his career in 1844 (at age 14) as an apprentice to Dr. Stephens.
Jeffries served in the Confederate Army during the civil war. The
day after the second battle of Manassas he took an examination in
pharmacy, and after that he was put in charge of medical supplies.
After the civil war in 1865 he returned to Warrenton, and entered
into a partnership with Dr. Stephens, his former employer, under
the name "Stephens & Jeffries". 2,4
In 1877, Jeffries purchased a drug store from Dr. E.F. Kloman, then
left his partnership with Dr. Stephens and went solo6.
Dr. Stephens continued his drugstore with his son, under the name
"J.H. Stephens & Son"7.
Joseph A. Jeffries passed away in 19195.
His son, James Walden Jeffries (1872-1942) took over control of
the drugstore after his father's death.8
James later moved to Richmond VA, and started a Jeffries drugstore there. His daughter,
Camilla Jeffries, took over the Warrenton drugstore, to carry on the tradition of her father
and grandfather. She was the first female president of the Richmond Pharmaceutical
Assocation.9
The Jeffries Drugstore in Warrenton VA closed in 1948.4
Location
The location listed on one of the bottles below is "No 7 Main Street".
A pamphlet titled "A walking tour of Warrenton" lists the building at
"15 Main Street" as the historic drugstore built in 1847.
There is also a drawing in the 21-Jun-2022 edition of "FauquireNow.com"
newspaper that shows 2 buildings side-by-side, where the one at roughly
7 Main Street says "JEFFRIES" and the one at roughly 15 Main Street
says "STEPHENS". So as near as I can tell, the original store was at
15 Main Street, and the store Jeffries opened up in 1877 was at 7 Main
Street.
Name
The drugstore is listed in newspaper ads and articles as both "J.A. Jeffries"
and the "Jeffries Drug Store". It is also described as a "Rexall" drug store
starting in the 1930s.
The labels depicted below use the following names for the drugstore:
  Joseph A Jeffries, Druggist
  Joseph A Jeffries, Practical Pharmacist
  Jeffries' Practical Pharmacist
Bottles:
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This is a clear 5.0" bottle embossed:
vertical: JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES / DRUGGIST / WARRENTON, VA.
base: W T & CO / C / USA
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Clear 6.7" bottle embossed:
vertical: JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES / DRUGGIST / WARRENTON, VA.
base: W T & CO / B / USA
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This is a clear 4.5" bottle embossed in script:
vertical: Joseph A. Jeffries / Druggist / No. 7 Main St. /
Warrenton, Va.
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This is a clear 5.3" (3 oz) bottle with a label:
horizontal: 3 iii
vertical: Gradation 1-2-3 OZ on left, 20-40-60-80 CC on right
label: JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES / PRACTICAL PHARMACIST / REG. NO. 1282 WARRENTON, VA.
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Other stuff:
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This is a Jeffries drug store receipt from 1907. The letterhead says:
Warrenton, VA., January 1st, 1907 / Mrs. L. V. Ramey /
To JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, Dr. / DEALER IN /
Drugs, Medicines, Oils, Paints, Stationery, Books, Fancy Goods, /
CONFECTIONERY, FRUITS, ETC. /
All Time Bills Due Quarterly and Prompt Payment Required
It looks like the items were bought in October, November & December. I presume
that means a customer could keep receiving items and only pay for them at the
end of the quarter.
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This is an earlier Jeffries drug store receipt, this time from 1901. It's more ornate, and says:
Warrenton, VA., October 1st, 1901 / Mrs. Lucy V. Ramey /
To JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, Dr. / DEALER IN /
Drugs, Medicines, Oils, Paints, Stationery, /
Books, Fancy Goods, / Confectionery, Fruits, &c. /
All Time Bills Due Quarterly and Prompt Payment Required
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This looks kind of like a check, but I think it was a receipt. It says:
WARRENTON, VA., April 1st 1902 / One 65/100 ----- DOLLARS. / Dec to April 1st 1902 /
JEFFRIES' DRUG STORE / Joseph A. Jeffries
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This is a photo (taken 24-October-2009) of the building at #15 & 19 Main Street, Warrenton.
This may be the original building that housed the "Stephens & Jeffries" Drug store.
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This is a photo (taken 28-September-2024) of the building at #7 Main Street, Warrenton.
This may be the original building that housed the store Jeffries opened in 1877.
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This is a snippet from a map I purchased at the Fauquier History Museum at the Old Jail in Warrenton.
The map is from 1854, and this section depicts the drug store of Dr. J.H. Stephens at 15 Main Street.
This appears to be the same building depicted above.
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Labels:
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These are all labels from Jeffries drug store.
Some are from other manufacturers but with Jeffries name at the bottom,
such as the E.E. Dickinson Co. Witch Hazel.
Others are from concoctions that Jeffries prepared, such as the
Jeffries' Cold Aborter.
They also have various ways of referring to the drug store, such as:
  Joseph A. Jeffries, Druggist
  Joseph A. Jeffries, Practical Pharmacist
  Jeffries' Practical Pharmacy
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This label says:
JEFFRIES' / COLD / ABORTER / (Contains no Opium or / Quinine.) / ... /
PREPARED BY /
JOS A.. JEFFRIES, /
Practical / Pharmacist, /
Warrenton, Virginia. / PRICE, 25 CTS.
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This label says:
PRICE, 20 CENTS. / SAVORY / SAUSAGE SEASONING / ... /
PREPARED ONLY AT /
JEFFRIES' PRACTICAL PHARMACY , /
WARRENTON, VA.
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This label says:
PRICE 10 CTS. / SAVORY / SAUSAGE SEASONING. / ... /
PREPARED ONLY AT /
JEFFRIES, Practical Pharmacy. /
WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
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This label says:
SULPHATE QUININE / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VA.
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This label says:
ENGLISH / PRECIPITATED CHALK / Sold by / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / Druggist, / Warrenton, Virginia
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This label says:
PERFUMED / Prepaired Chalk / FOR THE TOILET. / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This label says:
DISTILLED / ROSE WATER / FOR / MEDICAL AND DOMESTIC USE. / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This label says:
ELIXIR / Lacticated Pepsin / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / Druggist, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This label says:
FISH OIL / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This label says:
EXTRACT WITCH-HAZEL / ALCOHOL 14-3% / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / PRACTICAL PHARMACIST / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This label says:
WOOD ALCOHOL / FROM / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / Warrenton, Virginia
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This label says:
ELIXIR OF / PHOSPHATE IRON, QUININE / AND STRYCHNINE / ...
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, /
DRUGGIST, /
WARRENTON, - VIRGINIA
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This label says:
ARNICA / AND / Witch-hazel Lotion / FOR MAN OR BEAST. / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES,
/ DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This label says:
N. T. A. / Bi-Carb. Soda / ...
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, Druggist, /
WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
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This is a generic label from 1926 that says:
... 6 30 26 / ... /
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, /
PRACTICAL PHARMAICST /
No. 1282 WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
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This is a generic label that says:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, /
Druggist, /
WARRENTON, VIRGINIA / ...
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These are generic labels that say:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, /
Practical Pharmacist /
Warrenton, Va.
(the larger one also says "No. 1282", presumably the store number)
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This is a generic label that depicts a Mortar & Pestle and says:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, /
DRUGGIST, /
WARRENTON, VIRGINIA. / ...
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These 2 labels say:
Double Distilled / THE E.E. DICKINSON CO. / WITCH HAZEL / ESSEX. CONN. / ...
JOS. A. JEFFRIES, /
DRUGGIST, /
WARRENTON, VA. / ...
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This label says:
PURE / CONCENTRATED / EXTRACT / OF / LEMON / FOR FLAVORING / ICE CREAM, JELLIES, / PASTRY, ETC. /
JOS A.. JEFFRIES, /
DRUGGIST, /
WARRENTON, VA. / ...
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This label says:
BEST / EXTRACT / VANILLA / (FLAVORING) / FROM / Choice Mexican Beans. / ... /
JOS A.. JEFFRIES, /
PRACTICAL / PHARMACIST, /
Warrenton, Va. / ...
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This label says:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, /
FLAVORING EXT. ALMOND /
WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
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This label says:
CHOICE / MIXED SPICES / FOR PICKLE ( ) / PUT UP BY /
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, DRUGGIST, /
WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
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1 Alexandria Gazette, 13-Oct-1846, p.4 (earliest newspaper mention I could find for J H Stephens drugstore in Warrenton)
2 Virginia Sentinel (Warrenton VA), 23-Dec-1865, p.3 "Stephens & Jeffries Druggists"
3 From a display at the "The Fauquier History Museum at the Old Jail (formerly the Old Jail Museum)" May 2019
4 Fauquier Democrat, 12-Aug-1954, p.1,8 (article: 100 years ago first Jeffries ...")
5 Find-a-grave entry for Joseph Arthur Jeffries
6 True Index (Warrenton VA), 26-Jan-1878, p.1 article:"Having disolved my partnership..."
7 True Index (Warrenton VA), 26-Jan-1878, p.1 article:"J.H. Stephens & Son"
8 Richmond Times Dispatch , May 21, 1942, page 13 obituary for James Walden Jeffries
9 Richmond Times Dispatch May 12, 1958, page 24 article:"Father-to-Son-to-Daugher ..."
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This page last updated on September 29, 2024.