LenaDale

This machine was a Christmas present from my daughter. I have been trying to find out who made this machine. The patent date of November 30, 1886 matches a patent by Barnabas Eldredge. Both the machine and cabinet have the name "New Jewel" on it. The only number I can find is under the shuttle cover and appears to be hand stamped because the last number is slightly tilted. The number is 36156. I would appreciate any help in identifying the maker and year of this machine.

LenaDale

Finally after 5 months of searching, I think I found this machine. It may have been made by Chicago Scale Company.

OurWorkbench

Welcome, LenaDale.

How fun. I found at least two patents for that date associated with Eldredge - 353588 and 353542. Actually There was an Eldredge Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company in Chicago Illinois and later in Belvidere, Illinois. They later consolidated with June Manufacturing Company to form The National Sewing Machine Company. of which Barnabas Eldredge was president. It has some similarities to some of the National machines, but I couldn't find one with that shape base, except for an Eldredge A. However, the Eldredge A is a transverse shuttle. There was a Eldredge B which was a VS machine and also an Improved Eldredge B. I can not find a picture of the "original" Eldredge B. The Improved B has a different base than yours and also a different stitch length regulator.

The bobbin winder looks like the Goodrich (and maybe others?). Goodrich is also associated with Chicago. I found http://needlebar.org/cm/thumbnails.php?album=260 and http://needlebar.org/cm/displayimage..._display_media (Not affiliated with links ).

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

AlvaStitcher

I can’t help with information about the machine, but I wanted to say that I think the machine and especially the cabinet are beautiful!

LenaDale

Janey & John,
I found an auction where someone posted a brochure for sale for a very similar "New Jewel" sewing machine, this was made by Chicago Scale Company, but at this point that is all I know about this machine.

LenaDale

Okay, I have decided this was probably a badged machine, not made by Chicago Scale, but sold by them.

OurWorkbench

Almost from the time sewing machines started being mass produced, they would be sold to different companies such as Sears, but Sears did not manufacture the machine. Sears could put another name on the machine and did, such as Franklin, Kenmore and other names. You will find that many times local hardware or department stores will sell things that they did not manufacture themselves. Probably, because they buy in bulk, they can have any name they want put on the article. I read an article once that used the term "stenciled" for said sewing machines. Today's terminology is "badged" for machines that have a name on them other than who actually made the machine.

So, I'm going to say that it more than likely it was made by National.

ETA looks like you figured this out while I was typing.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

Macybaby

the Chicago company had ties with Eldredge and June (the two that became National). Based on what I see, I think this is from before National existed.

Very neat machine!

I've been looking for a machine made by Chicago, but they are very few and far between as the company was not in existence for all that long.

Farmhousesewer

According to the Needlebar and the Encycl. of Antique Sewing Machines, it is a Badged National, yet the shape looks more like an early Eldredge as Janey mentioned.

http://needlebar.org/main/makers/usa...l/index.html#n

It takes a Domestic top notch needle or a Boye 8

Macybaby

National could have easily used this name on a later machine, but it sure looks to be Pre National to me.

My Boye Needle cases have several names with * beside them. Though I've not found this officially, I have noticed that several of those names were used by more than one Manufacturer. A list of Badge names only means that National did use them, it most certainly does not mean that it was never used by someone else.