National Sewing Machine Company was a

Belvidere, Illinois Belvidere is a city in Boone County, settled on the Kishwaukee River in far northern Illinois, United States. Known as the 'City of Murals', Belvidere is home to several public art installations throughout the North and South State Street histo ...

-based manufacturer founded in the late 19th century. The company manufactured sewing machines, washing machines, bicycles, an automobile, home workshop machinery, and cast-iron toys and novelties (under the Vindex Toy Company label).Vindex Toys
Bill Vossler, FarmCollector.com, 1 March 2001

History

Barnabas Eldredge was an industrialist connected with the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts, a

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

manufacturer that also produced

sewing machine A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the inv ...

s with Eldredge. Ames sold off its sewing machine dies and equipment to Eldredge, who went to Chicago. There he joined forces with the existing June Manufacturing Company, founded in 1879 by F. T. June; June Manufacturing already produced the "Jennie June" model. The "Jennie June" was eventually replaced by a superior model designed by Eldredge. Eldredge took over the company in 1890 on the death of June, renaming it National Sewing Machine. Eldredge led the company until his death in 1911. He was succeeded by David Patton. Harold D. Neff headed up the Vindex toy division between 1916-1951; Vindex was the name of a

product line Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Produ ...

of National's washing machines. National Sewing Machine Company and '' Farm Mechanics'' magazine partnered up, with the magazine offering Vindex toys as incentives to children to sell magazine subscriptions. In 1953 National merged with the Free Sewing Machine Company but was unable to compete with the imported Japanese sewing machine models and the National Sewing Machine Company closed in 1957National Sewing Machine Company
David Best, SewMuse, 2020)

Products

PostcardAdvertisingHappyDayWashingMachineCirca1910

Sewing machine A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the inv ...

s * Washing machines *

Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s * Eldredge (automobile) * Cast-iron

scale model A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...

s ** Cars from Oldsmobile and Pontiac ** Harley-Davidson motorcycles ** A power shovel ** Farm machinery from

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

Case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...

, and Van Brunt ** Horse-drawn wagons * Book-ends *

Table lamp A light fixture (US English), light fitting (UK English), or luminaire is an electrical device containing an electric lamp that provides illumination. All light fixtures have a fixture body and one or more lamps. The lamps may be in sockets for ...

s * Dog door stops * Banks (dog and owl) *

Cigarette lighters A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or c ...

(bulldog) * Home workshop machinery * VisesFrom Eldredge to National to Janome
Graham Forsdyke, ''ISMACS News'' ( International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society), Issue 55, April 1997 (retrieved 11 February 2012) * Food grinders

References

Belvidere, Illinois Manufacturing companies established in 1879 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1957 Sewing machine brands Toy companies of the United States 1879 establishments in Illinois 1957 disestablishments in Illinois Defunct manufacturing companies based in Illinois {{manufacturer-stub

History

Products

See also

References