Place to find furniture company history?

[Tim Johnson]

I am looking for places to find historical information on furniture companies. I have a old dresser that I have been refinishing, why someone would cover QS oak with several coats of paint is beyond me, but during my stripping, scrapping, and sanding, I found a company name stamped on the back of the dresser that I am interested in finding more information about. The name appears to be H.M. Gage Furniture, E. Third Street, Jamestown, NY.

If anyone knows of where to find historical furniture information, I would appreciate the information. A google search on the company, and the furniture industry in Jamestown has turned up no promising leads.

Thanks in advance.

[Rick Lizek]

The web contains a lot of stuff but by no means all things. Old fashioned research is probably the way to go. Contact the town it was made in and see if they have an Historical Society and start there. There may be old newspaper records of bits of the history such as expansions or closings. This would mean to go to the location and see if the library has old local newspapers or perhaps they are on microfiche. I would say most of the old stuff on furniture and such is on the web because someone has a keen interest on the subject for a personal reason. It will be years before all records could be accessible on the web and probably much will never be on the web. Unless it was some major furniture maker with prominent historical designs it won't be found on the web anytime soon. See if you can find the Historical Society on the web phone pages and call and ask. Info can be found but it will take diligence and patience and resorting to old fashioned research with techniques before the web. The web can enhance some of the old techniques though.

[Neil Lamens]

Hi Tim:

Over on the Furniture Society web site is a Forum specific to Furniture History.

Maybe drop a line in there, might help. Interesting what history comes out of the western NY/PA border area.

Hope that helps........Neil

[Tim Johnson]

Thanks for the replies. I have contacted the local historical society and have initiated a search there too. I will also visit the other suggested site. I'm really just curious, a neighbor who looked at the cabinet thinks it is really old. I'd just like to know more about possibly when it was produced and some of the history around who and where it was made. I have found that Jamestown was a big player in the furniture business in the 1800's and early 1900's.

Thanks again, I know most of the chatter here evolves around what tool to buy and how to build something, but thought I'd ask in hope that someone else had something they could share, and they did.

[Mike Cutler]

Tim.

Aging furniture is not really an exact science. Look at the joints and how they were cut. What type are they, and how were they used? QSWO definitely gives a range though.

At the turn of the century there were hundreds of furniture makers,and manufactures in the New York. It was a huge trade industry. Jamestown being on the western area of the state had access to the Ohio River Valley and all of the highly desriable oak from that region.

Post a few pics when you get it refinished. Show the piece, and the joinery detail as well as you can. Maybe someone here can help place it, or point you in the right direction. HM. Gage may not have been the maker, but the dealer. Like I said, It's hard.