This is from the Springfield Historical site:
St. John Sewing Machine Co. Est 1870 - 1884 Factory: Springfield, Ohio. President: John Foos 1881 Became: Royal Sewing Machine Co., Est 1884 -c1895 Became: Illinois Sewing Machine Co.c1895- 1924 ;Factory: Rockford, Illinois. Became subsidiary of: Free Sewing Machine Co. Moved to: Rockford, Illinois.
Machine Made: Springfield 1876 - 1880 St John Royal St John Model Nos 1, 2, 3. Pre 1881 - 1893+ Improved New Royal
I was looking over the Royal and noticed it had no lever in the back for lifting the foot. Thought it might be broken off, but there was no where it could have been . . .
then I looked at the front again -
This is the only machine I have with the foot lift lever in the front - and it's got three positions, high, mid and down.
The Royal was advertised as running forward regardless of the way the handwheel turned, but I've not checked that out yet.