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History of Joseph Burnett Company
(Revision Date: March 31,
2008)
The Joseph Burnett Company headquarters at 437-447 D Street, South Boston,
as it originally appeared.
The Joseph Burnett Company began in 1847 when druggist/chemist, Joseph
Burnett developed a vanilla extract for flavoring foods. At the time, he was a
partner with Theodore Metcalf, a Boston druggist. Their store was located at 33
Tremont Row in Boston.1
Joseph Burnett began as an apprentice to Theodore Metcalf in 1837, shortly
after graduating from the Worcester School of Pharmacy (It is said he traveled
daily to school in Worcester from his home in Southborough by horse-drawn
wagon). Before long, he earned a reputation for selling only products of the
purist quality.
On
December 27, 1845*,
at age 25, he became a full partner of the newly named Metcalf and Burnett
Chemical Company. He could now hang out his own shingle..
Mr. Metcalf, it is said, went into retirement, but it is likely he remained in
the background with his “finger still into the pie”, as he was able to resume
his leading part in the business after Joseph Burnett left.
The Boston City Directories, list him as living at 8 Bulfinch Place, Boston,
home of Mr. Metcalf in 1845. He may have lived at this address not long
after beginning his association with Mr. Metcalf, but the City Directories for
1837 thru 1844, do not list a residence for Mr. Burnett (he was also known as
Dr. Burnett). We do know he moved to Boston when he began working with Mr.
Metcalf, and it is likely he stayed at his residence before becoming prominent.
It was a common practice for a young apprentice to live at his mentor’s
residence until he became established in his own right and better able to
provide for himself and his future family.
Joseph Burnett’s Chemist Shop is at left center of the illustration. (Courtesy
of The Christian Science Monitor)12
Theodore Metcalf and Joseph Burnett are listed as residents of 21 Somerset
Street beginning in 1846. After Joseph married Josephine Cutter, on June 20,
1848, they lived at this address until they moved to the Stone House in
Southborough in 1850. Joseph still maintained his address at 21 Somerset Street
until 1855. Sometime after this, he acquired a Boston residence at 133 Beacon
Street, which after his death in 1894, went to his wife, Josephine. Son, Harry
Burnett continued to live at the Stone House until his mother died in 1905. His
siblings having gone their separate ways, the Stone House was sold, and Harry
moved to the Beacon Street residence.
“Dr. William Thomas Green Morton, a Boston dentist, was experimenting with
the use of ether as an anesthetic at the Massachusetts General Hospital in
Boston. He had poor results and realized the ether he was using was
impure. Another doctor (Charles T. Jackson) told him …to buy all of his
drugs from Joseph Burnett to insure their purity. Dr. Morton bought his
ether from Joseph Burnett and performed the first successful painless operation
on October 16, 1846."2 The procedure is claimed to be the
first public demonstrated use of
ether. There are others who have claimed to have used ether during
surgery prior to this date.2a
After his success Dr. Morton said, “I acknowledge that I
was subsequently indebted to Dr. Jackson for valuable information as to the
kinds and preparations of ether, and for the recommendation of the highly
rectified [ether] from Burnett’s as the most safe and efficient.”3
Around this time, Benjamin Codman, a graduate of Harvard Medical School in 1845,
purchased the entire stock of dental supplies from druggist Joseph Burnett. Dr.
Codman opened his Dental Depot on Tremont Street. Later, in 1853, he took
Asahel Shurtleff on as his assistant and added surgical instruments and
anatomical supplies to the line, establishing the Benjamin S. Codman & Company
(later, Codman & Shurtleff, Inc.). The company is currently part of the Johnson
& Johnson family of products.3a
For more about Benjamin Codman and his company see:
www.codman.com/about.asp.
Old Newspaper Ad for Dr. Morton’s improved method of dentistry and the ether
inhaler he used during painless surgery and dental procedures can be found at:
thewritingworks.com/anesthesia.html
Dr. William T. Morton (1819-1868)
“In 1847 a [prominent] lady [wife
of a wealthy Boston manufacturer] who had lived some years in France, entered
the store of Joseph Burnett, the Boston chemist. She said she was very anxious
to procure a vanilla flavor for her creams, sauces and desserts, such as she had
been getting in Paris.
At that time the only extract of
any kind in this country for flavoring purposes was a cheap extract of lemon. A
few French chefs used the vanilla bean itself. This was the clumsy, unsanitary
and inconvenient way these chefs got their vanilla flavoring; they would
purchase one or two vanilla beans, cut them up and put them in a linen bag,
ready to use like a tea ball, to flavor whatever was required. The results from
this tedious, inexact method of extracting the flavor were of course very
unsatisfactory. When the bag was first used it would give the delicious flavor
of pure vanilla, but afterwards, when it became diluted, the taste was weak and
unpalatable. It was never uniform in strength or flavor. It was always
expensive because the full rich flavor could never be thoroughly extracted.
Mr.
Burnett listened to the lady's description of the flavoring she wanted. This
extraordinary request challenged Mr. Burnett’s resourcefulness. A man ahead of
his time, he believed in supplying what his customers needed, if he could. He
busied himself in his laboratory. He [went to New York] and bought a pound of
the very best vanilla beans he could procure [for $3.50] and extracted the rare,
delicate flavor of which she spoke, and after long, careful experiments, when he
was satisfied with its quality, he made the first Vanilla Extract that was ever
sold in this country.”4 “The lady was so pleased she urged him to
make more, promising to take her supplies of it from him and to introduce it to
her aristocratic friends. This was the beginning of Vanilla and other extracts
in this country.”5
The
Tremont School (of Medicine), which had a close relationship with the Harvard
Medical School, opened in September. 1838. The rooms of the school where located
at 33 Tremont Street, over the T. Metcalf’s and later, J. Burnett’s Apothecary.5a
"In
1855 he sold off his ½ partnership in the Metcalf Company for a tidy sum. It
was an amicable split and Joseph and Theodore remained closely associated in
business for the remainder of their lives. Joseph Burnett soon saw that if one
flavor made business good, additional flavors would make business even better. The
Boston City Directories show his business located at 41 Tremont Row (1856) and
57 Tremont Row (1857). It is likely he moved to these addresses temporarily
while he looked for a satisfactory site. By 1857 the business expanded rapidly and Joseph decided to move to a larger
facility, a rented factory, at 27 Central Street, Boston.”6. In the
same year he became partners with William G. Edmonds and the company
became known as Joseph Burnett & Co. Soon his products were sold not only in
the United States buy all over the world as well. This policy of continuing to
introduce new products distinguished the company throughout its history. By the
time of the move to Central Street, the Company produced Lemon, Vanilla, Almond,
Rose, Nutmeg, Peach, Celery, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nectarine, Ginger, and Orange
extracts. They also produced and sold, Wood Violet Perfume, Cologne, Cocoaine
for the hair (which he invented in 1857 and sold for over 40 years), Florimel (a
perfume for the handkerchief), Kalliston (for a healthy skin and complexion),
Jamaica Ginger (for the stomach), Oriental Tooth Wash, Cod Liver Oil, Jonas
Whitcomb’s Asthma Remedy and several other personal/medical products. By the
early 20th Century, with the stricter drug laws and regulations,
these products were no longer produced and sold by the company and only food
related products would be marketed.7 (See
Burnett’s Medicine and Personal Products).
“In 1894, just before Joseph
Burnett died, a new factory was opened at 36 India Street. About this time the
increasing interest in fancy cooking warranted the marketing of a pure color for
coloring candies, frostings, etc. After extended experimenting in the
laboratory and kitchen, Burnett's Color Pastes were out on the market.”8
Food coloring would later come in a liquid and tablet form as well.
The Joseph Burnett Company was
incorporated in 1895. According to magazine ads for their products, it appears
an office was opened in Chicago circa 1891-1900 (there was also one at 592
Broadway, New York mentioned in an ad from 1868). We have no other dates or
information about these locales. There were also many agents throughout the
United States and other parts of the world. “[Joseph’s] sons, Harry (treasurer)
and Robert (interim president), and John T., who later (around 1906)
became president of the company9, continued the manufacturing policy
of their father, which was to make the very finest extracts that could be made
and advertise the fact to the consumer. The wisdom of this policy can be
discerned in the steady growth of the sales, which in 1920 necessitated the
building of a fine new factory at 437 D Street Boston (this eventually extended
through 447 D Street as the business expanded), equipped with all the latest
machinery for manufacturing, packaging and handling the various products.”10
In 1922 the company moved from its previous location, 36 India Street, to the
new factory and office at 437 D Street in South Boston. Currently the building
is beautifully restored, looking much as it did in 1922 (see photo below).
11
The former Joseph Burnett
Company office/factory at 437 D Street, South Boston (See the photo at the top
for comparison). The large “B’s” still adorn the cornices.
“In 1919, after a careful market
analysis, it was decided that fine spices could be handled to advantage, and so
Burnett's Spices, the choicest grown in the tropics, were added to the extract
line.”12
During the 1920’s thru the 1940’s,
the Burnett Company added Mint Jelly, Marshmallow, Flavored Puddings, a
Liquid-Mix for making Ice Cream and Sherbet, a Ready-Mix Powder for making ice
cream, and a Pie Crust and Muffin Mix. Many different flavors and colors were
added to the extract, food coloring, and paste products. At this time Burnett’s
boasted 29 extract flavors (Final number over the years, by our count, was 33).
John T. died in 1929 and Henry P.
Kidder (1895-1975), son of Josephine and Grandson of Joseph Burnett, became the
company’s president. Harry died in 1927 and George H. Burnett (1884-1951), son
of Robert, became treasurer (George lived at 555 Boylston Street in Boston).
Both served in these capacities until at least 1946 when the company was sold to
American Home Foods, Inc., a subsidiary of American Home Products Corporation.
There is no listing in the Boston City Directories after 1946 for a company
president or treasurer, but they may have continued in this capacity for several
more years (The date the sale was announced was May 2, 1946; see Wall Street
Journal article summary below). In fact, George Burnett’s obituary (see below)
indicates he became president of the Joseph Burnett Company which must have been
sometime after its acquisition by American Home Products Company. The factory
and land at 437-447 D Street was sold on October 13, 1947. 13 From
1948 thru 1953, the location is listed as 43 Leon Street, Room 310, Roxbury (a
section of Boston). After 1953 there are no listings for the company in the
Boston City Directories.
Courtesy of The Christian
Science Monitor, February 15, 1951.
Courtesy of The Wall Street
Journal, April 6, 1946
American
Home Products Acquires Burnett Firm
The Wall Street
Journal, May 2, 1946
H.W. Roden, vice
president of American Home Products Corp., announced acquisition of the Joseph
Burnett Co. of Boston in exchange for 8,918 shares of capital stock
Courtesy of The Wall Street
Journal, May 2, 1946
Just prior to the sale, “the
company celebrated its 100th anniversary. Its products date the
company beginnings to 1847, but the celebration dated it from the time of Joseph
Burnett’s becoming a partner and able to hang out his own shingle in 1845. “The
party was given for home economists of New England at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in
Boston on December 27, 1945. Not content to rest on the laurels won during its
years of service to several generations of housewives, the company is still
looking for and developing new ideas. In fact, George Burnett, treasurer of the
organization, confides that within the next few months customers will find on
their grocer’s shelves a brand-new Burnett’s flavor, but its name is still a
secret.”14
The Burnett name continued in use
until the late ‘50’s or early ‘60’s. After that time, it was no longer used.
Memories dim and become lost with each succeeding generation until a once great
product name is no longer relevant.
For the complete list of their
food related products we know of to date, see the
Listing of Burnett Food Products. See also
Burnett Food Advertisements and
Burnett’s Personal & Medical Products.
FOOTNOTES:
*The year
in which Joseph Burnett became a full partner with Theodore Metcalf has been
corrected from 1844 to 1845. The former date was from an obituary written at
the time of Joseph Burnett’s death. Other, more reliable, sources have
indicated the year as 1845.
1Theodore
Metcalf & Company was established in 1837. A Theodore Metcalf product from
around the time of his association with Joseph Burnett: METCALF COCAINE WINE,
made in Boston with “fresh cocaine leaves and it came pure” by THEODORE METCALF
& CO., also it was recommended for the “neuralgia, insomnia, loss of heart”.
For a photo of his store, later located at 39 Tremont Row (renamed Tremont
Street) go to:
http://www.helloboston.com/BookFiles/05_Pages_081-100.pdf#search=%22theodore%20metcalf%20co.%20store%22
and scroll down to page 87.
2The
Story of Joseph Burnett by Catherine Gardner Mayes, page 8.
2a Our
thanks to
Dick O’Brien (MrBoston@comcast.net)
for alerting us to this information from the Mass. General Hospital.
3The Living age Volume 16,
Issue 201, March 18, 1848. Also see, A History of the
Massachusetts General Hospital
by Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch, 1851.
3aFrom
“About Codman, a Company Profile” @Johnson & Johnson Company.
4 The
Story of a Pantry Shelf, an Outline history of Grocery Specialties, A Lady
Asked for Vanilla, pp. 43/44, Butterick publishing company. Created /Published
by Butterick, New York [c1925] (From the Library of Congress Files).
5 The Illustrated
American-Boston Food Exhibition, November 7, 1891, p. 573.
6 The Story of a Pantry
Shelf, an Outline history of Grocery Specialties, p. 43. [Editor: The
Boston City Directory for 1858 shows the business location as 27 Central
Street. The business moved there during the latter part of 1857].
6a The Harvard Medical
School Vol. 1, By
Thomas Francis Harrington, 1905.
7The
Trade Catalogs of Seeds, 1855-1938,
by
Joseph Harris, lists the following
seed companies; A. Blanc & Co.,;
American Seed Garden.; Amity
Gardens.; B.K. Bliss (Firm); Briggs
& Bro's.; Bristol Nurseries.;
Brockton Gardens.; Brown
Brothers Company.; Butler & Jewell
Co.; C.E. Allen (Firm); C.R.
Burr & Co. (Manchester, Conn.); D.
Brandt (Firm); F. Batteldes & Co.; H.W.
Buckbee (Firm); I.H. Arnold & Son.;
Jos. H. Black, Son & Co.; Joseph
Breck & Sons.; Joseph Burnett & Co. (Boston, Mass.);
Luther Burbank (Firm); Robert
Buist Company.; Samuel M. Adams &
Company.; W.P. Lothrop (Firm);
W.W. Rawson & Co.; W.
Atlee Burpee Company. We have no other information concerning this part
of the business at this writing.
8 The Story of a Pantry Shelf, an
Outline history of Grocery Specialties. page 44.
9 The Boston City Directories list a
John T. Burnett Extracts Company at 27 Central Street, Boston (c.1894?-1905).
The directories show the company at this address from 1900-1905. The 1894 is an
assumption that it was at this location after the Joseph Burnett Company moved
on to 36 India Street in 1894.
10 The Story of a Pantry Shelf, an
Outline history of Grocery Specialties. page 44.
11 Today “437 D Street is a
seven-story, fully renovated loft-style condominium complex in Fort Point
Channel, South Boston, MA. The building contains approximately 96,000 square
feet and was the former home of Beacon Electric [owners sometime after its sale
by American Home Products/Burnett Company]. Fort Point Channel is adjacent to
the Financial District, and has a building mix of office, industrial and
residential. It is an attractive location for both Boston artists and the urban
chic because of its convenient access to downtown and its stock of industrial
buildings suitable for live/work loft use. We bought this 96,000 SF industrial
building in shell condition and sold all the condominium units by April, 1997.”
From Cathartes Private Investments. For more information, see their website at
www.cathartesprivate.com/portfolio/family.htm.
12 The Story of a Pantry Shelf, an
Outline history of Grocery Specialties. page 44.
13 See
THE DEED AND LAND PLAN OF THE SALE OF THE BURNETT
PROPERTY AT 437-447 D STREET).
14 The Christian Science Monitor,
“Woman Today”, A Woman’s Plea for Vanilla Starts a Business, by Helen Henley,
Staff Writer, December 26, 1945. Reproduced with permission from the above
mentioned issue of The Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com).
Copyright, 1946 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.
Other Sources:
Boston City Directories; 1837 thru 1962.
Richard E. Noble, Fences of Stone, a History
of Southborough, Massachusetts, Peter E. Randall, publisher, 1990 (available
at our
Museum Store).
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