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:
jeffries_01 This is a clear 5.0" bottle embossed:
vertical: JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES / DRUGGIST / WARRENTON, VA.
base: W T & CO / C / USA
jeffries_04 Clear 6.7" bottle embossed:
vertical: JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES / DRUGGIST / WARRENTON, VA.
base: W T & CO / B / USA
jeffries_08 This is a clear 4.5" bottle embossed in script:
vertical: Joseph A. Jeffries / Druggist / No. 7 Main St. / Warrenton, Va.
jeffries_07 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.


Other stuff:
jeffries_03 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.
jeffries_05 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
jeffries_06 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
jeffries_02 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.
jeffries_09 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.
jeffries_1854 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.


Labels:
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
label_25 This label says:
JEFFRIES' / COLD / ABORTER / (Contains no Opium or / Quinine.) / ... / PREPARED BY / JOS A.. JEFFRIES, / Practical / Pharmacist, / Warrenton, Virginia. / PRICE, 25 CTS.
label_27 This label says:
PRICE, 20 CENTS. / SAVORY / SAUSAGE SEASONING / ... / PREPARED ONLY AT / JEFFRIES' PRACTICAL PHARMACY , / WARRENTON, VA.
label_29 This label says:
PRICE 10 CTS. / SAVORY / SAUSAGE SEASONING. / ... / PREPARED ONLY AT / JEFFRIES, Practical Pharmacy. / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
label_01 This label says:
SULPHATE QUININE / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VA.
label_02 This label says:
ENGLISH / PRECIPITATED CHALK / Sold by / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / Druggist, / Warrenton, Virginia
label_03 This label says:
PERFUMED / Prepaired Chalk / FOR THE TOILET. / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_04 This label says:
DISTILLED / ROSE WATER / FOR / MEDICAL AND DOMESTIC USE. / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_05 This label says:
ELIXIR / Lacticated Pepsin / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / Druggist, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_06 This label says:
FISH OIL / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_07 This label says:
EXTRACT WITCH-HAZEL / ALCOHOL 14-3% / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / PRACTICAL PHARMACIST / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_08 This label says:
WOOD ALCOHOL / FROM / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / Warrenton, Virginia
label_09 This label says:
ELIXIR OF / PHOSPHATE IRON, QUININE / AND STRYCHNINE / ... JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, - VIRGINIA
label_10 This label says:
ARNICA / AND / Witch-hazel Lotion / FOR MAN OR BEAST. / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_11 This label says:
N. T. A. / Bi-Carb. Soda / ... JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, Druggist, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
label_12 This is a generic label from 1926 that says:
... 6 30 26 / ... / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / PRACTICAL PHARMAICST / No. 1282 WARRENTON, VIRGINIA
label_13 This is a generic label that says:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / Druggist, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA / ...
label_16 These are generic labels that say:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / Practical Pharmacist / Warrenton, Va.
(the larger one also says "No. 1282", presumably the store number)
label_18 This is a generic label that depicts a Mortar & Pestle and says:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA. / ...
label_22 These 2 labels say:
Double Distilled / THE E.E. DICKINSON CO. / WITCH HAZEL / ESSEX. CONN. / ... JOS. A. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VA. / ...
label_23 This label says:
PURE / CONCENTRATED / EXTRACT / OF / LEMON / FOR FLAVORING / ICE CREAM, JELLIES, / PASTRY, ETC. / JOS A.. JEFFRIES, / DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VA. / ...
label_24 This label says:
BEST / EXTRACT / VANILLA / (FLAVORING) / FROM / Choice Mexican Beans. / ... / JOS A.. JEFFRIES, / PRACTICAL / PHARMACIST, / Warrenton, Va. / ...
label_26 This label says:
JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, / FLAVORING EXT. ALMOND / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.
label_28 This label says:
CHOICE / MIXED SPICES / FOR PICKLE ( ) / PUT UP BY / JOSEPH A. JEFFRIES, DRUGGIST, / WARRENTON, VIRGINIA.


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.