"4/8" Beading Plane sold by Julius Morisse & Co
True manufacturer unknown

About

Julius Morisse was born on July 19th, 1821 in Abbehausen, Germany (near Bremen). Immigrating to the United States in 1836, he found himself working for a successful immigrant by the name of Henry Shaw Shaw had been in the United States for about 20 years prior and amassed a small fortune in the hardware business. Shaw retired in 1840 and Morisse began working for Thomas F. Meier until 1847 when he set out to form his own company [1][12]. Julius's legacy was one of highest quality tools and was well regarded. Morisse would continue to expand and rub shoulders with like-minded men in St Louis such as Oscar J Schroeter, Charles Fach, and E. C. Simmons [7][11]. 

1850 Advertisement from St Louis Business Directory [8]

Locations

• 1850 - 179 Third Street [8]
• 1852 - 171 and 179 Third St (between Green/Christie St and Morgan St) [13][14]
• 1860 - 164 and 285 Broadway [10]
• 1864 - 165 and 285 Broadway [3]
• 1870 - 706 Broadway [9]
• 1872 - 708 Broadway [2]

700 Block of Broadway/Third Street
Bounded by Morgan and Green/Christie
1870 Whipple Map - Block 67  [16]

• 1882 - 813 North 4th adjacent to the St Nicholas Hotel [5]
• 1884 - St Nicholas Hotel destroyed by fire, Morisse suffers losses due to fire and water damage
• 1891 - 811 North 4th [4]

800 Block of Fourth Street
Bounded by Morgan and Franklin
1870 Whipple Map of Block 94  [16]

Schroeter Bros and Death

Due to his declining health, Julius sold his company to employee and young entrepreneur Oscar Schroeter and his brother Charles who took over on July 23rd, 1891. They later purchased the company of E. C. Simmons when he retired [7].

Julius Morisse died on December 25th, 1891 from flu-induced pneumonia and his wife Caroline died two days later. Their funeral services were held at 3pm at the (long since demolished) Reformed Episcopal Church at 23rd and Pine Streets. It was described as having a long procession and the chapel being "far too small to admit all who attended". The pall-bearers were friends of the couple and include some relatively famous St Louisians: Frank Shapleigh, George S. Drake, James and E. F. Kaime, James Yeatman, Charles Scudder, (last names only from this point) Hayne , Saunders, White, Schroeter, Demcke, and Thuger. Their caskets were furnished by Smithers and Wagoner and taken to Mount Hope Cemetary in Rochester, New York for vaults. Their home at 2815 Morgan Street was willed to their housekeeper Catherine Kennedy [6].

Sources

[1] St Louis Globe Democrat December 28th 1891 https://www.newspapers.com/image/571302087/?terms=Julius%20Morisse%20%26%20colorado&match=1

[2] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1093919239:2469?tid=182928970&pid=382472552489&queryId=76db245a16b3801a943eb6ff7662f96c&_phsrc=OTJ1583&_phstart=successSource

[3] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1094463655:2469?tid=182928970&pid=382472552489&queryId=76db245a16b3801a943eb6ff7662f96c&_phsrc=OTJ1583&_phstart=successSource

[4] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1097212879:2469?tid=182928970&pid=382472552489&queryId=76db245a16b3801a943eb6ff7662f96c&_phsrc=OTJ1583&_phstart=successSource

[5] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1097463679:2469?tid=182928970&pid=382472552489&queryId=13c142abad828d5e419c08f0b4f8064b&_phsrc=OTJ1589&_phstart=successSource

[6] St Louis Globe Democrat December 29th 1891 - https://www.newspapers.com/image/571302181/?terms=Julius%20Morisse%20%26%20colorado&match=1

[7] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Reality_Record_and_Builder/I7dJAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=RA11-PA1&printsec=frontcover

[8] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Saint_Louis_Business_Directory/_nYBAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA109&printsec=frontcover

[9] https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Business_Directory_of_the_Missouri_Pac/LfQNAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA117&printsec=frontcover

[10] https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Missouri_State_Gazetteer_and_Busines/s80yAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA521&printsec=frontcover

[11] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_the_History_of_Missouri/tg_VAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA408&printsec=frontcover

[12] 1844 directory - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Green_s_St_Louis_Directory_etc/O_UBAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA127&printsec=frontcover

[13] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Morrison_s_St_Louis_Directory/VHhQTpx4Y7EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA180&printsec=frontcover

[14] http://digital.wustl.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=whi;cc=whi;idno=whi1874.1874.001;size=s;frm=frameset;seq=34

[15] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Henry_Shaw_s_Will_Establishing_the_Misso/ThUPAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Julius+Morisse+%26+Co&pg=PA15&printsec=frontcover

[16] http://digital.wustl.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=whi;cc=whi;idno=whi1870.1870.001;size=l;frm=frameset;seq=186

1850 Donaldson & Hall ad
Image Credit: Missouri Digital Heritage

About

Donaldson & Hall was a tool manufacturer and importer located in St. Louis, Missouri founded by James Donaldson and John Hall. 

James F. Donaldson

James F. Donaldson was born in Maryland around the year 1800. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri. According to the 1840 census, Donaldson's household consisted of six free people and one slave. One male between 15 and 19, two males between 20 and 29, one male between 30 and 39, one female between 10 and 14, one female between 30 and 39, and one female slave between 24 and 35 years old [2]. By the 1850 census, James worked as a Hardware Merchant and owned a house valued at $8,000 (approx $297,000 today) on Lucas Place between 15th and 16th Streets. He lived there with his wife Julia, daughters Caroline and Sarah, and son John H.P [3]. In the 1860 census, he had moved his family to Dayton, Ohio and his personal estate was valued at $16500 (approx $611,500 today) [4]. He died of typhoid fever on Monday January 20th, 1868 [5]

John H. Hall

John H. Hall was born in Kentucky around the year 1800 and later moved to St. Louis, Missouri. In 1852, he lived in Lucas Place between 15th and 16th Streets. In the 1860 census he listed his occupation as being "hardware" and lived with his wife Mary and children Leontha, William, Charles, Millard, and Frank. 

Sources

[1] https://www.google.com/books/edition/Morrison_s_St_Louis_Directory/VHhQTpx4Y7EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=donaldson+%26+hall+st+louis&pg=PA68&printsec=frontcover

[2] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3614052:8057?tid=&pid=&queryId=18c5fdd69973ee5118f40365ca2cc955&_phsrc=zMK1234&_phstart=successSource

[3] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4105295:8054?tid=&pid=&queryId=5d000eb2ba80bee394711d0a0b323c22&_phsrc=zMK1233&_phstart=successSource

[4] https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/41806951:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=18c5fdd69973ee5118f40365ca2cc955&_phsrc=zMK1234&_phstart=successSource

[5] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78740464/james-f-donaldson?_gl=1*ubo428*_ga*MTIzNzkzNjIxLjE2NDIxODkwMDQ.*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY1MjcyNTcyNy4xNi4xLjE2NTI3MjY0NjMuMA..

1844 Ad from Green's St Louis Directory
Image Credit: Google Books

About

Moses (b.1808, d.1881) and Nathaniel Hixson Stout (b.1806, d.1867) were brothers and plane makers based in St. Louis, Missouri. Both men were born in Cloverhill, New Jersey before moving to St Louis. Their business was located at No.96 Main (or First) Street. 

Moses was making planes in St. Louis as early as 1836 according to a city directory [1]. Its unclear when Nathaniel joined the business but they appear in an 1850 city directory as being in business but not any of the 1870s directories [2]. They evidently parted ways as Nathaniel was living in Tennessee by the time of the 1860 census. He died in 1867. Moses was retired when the 1870 census came around and was living in a home valued at $11,000. 

Sources

[1] https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16795coll7/id/3030/rec/2

[2] https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16795coll7/id/55444/rec/1