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Title: |
Beeman Chemical Company Records |
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Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722 http://www.wrhs.org |
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Creator: |
Beeman Chemical Company |
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Dates: |
1891-1899 |
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Quantity: |
0.10 linear feet (1 container) |
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Abstract: |
The Beeman Chemical Company was organized in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1888 by Edwin E. Beeman, a druggist and medical practitioner specializing in digestive disorders. Beeman discovered that pepsin, an extract from the stomach of hogs, relieved indigestion. Beeman added pepsin to chewing gum in 1890. The company manufactured and sold pepsin, "Beeman's Pepsin Gum," and other confections, and was sold to American Chicle Co. in 1899. The collection consists of articles of incorporation, bylaws, minutes of meetings, treasurer's reports, and other documents. |
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Identification: |
MS 2752 |
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Location: |
closed stacks |
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Language: |
The records are in English |
Edwin E. Beeman (1839-1906) was a Cleveland, Ohio, physician and druggist who discovered that pepsin, an extract from the intestines of hogs, was effective in the treatment of indigestion. Born in LaGrange, Ohio, Beeman was raised in Lorain and Erie counties. He attended Oberlin College for two years and then worked at his father's Cleveland, Ohio, drug store in the 1860s. Beeman practiced medicine in Birmingham and Wakeman, Ohio, specializing in digestive disorders. By 1883 he had returned to Cleveland and began to manufacture pepsin on a small scale.
Beeman founded the Beeman Chemical Company in 1888 with Albert Johnson, Chris Grover, and William Cain to produce pepsin on a larger scale. In 1890 the company's bookkeeper, Nellie M. Horton, suggested that Beeman add pepsin to chewing gum. The success of Beeman's Pepsin Gum led to a reorganization of the company in 1891 that led Beeman's partners to sell their shares of the company to George Worthington and others. Additionally, Nellie Horton became a stockholder and the company's secretary and treasurer. As the company grew, its profits in chewing gum sales quickly outpaced and then eclipsed the sale of pepsin. In 1899, the company directors sold the Beeman Chemical Company to the American Chicle Company.
Edwin Beeman served four terms on Cleveland City Council, and was a Royal Arch Mason. He married Mary Cobb in 1862 and they had two children. Beeman died in Cleveland in 1906.
The Beeman Chemical Company Records, 1891-1899, consist of articles of incorporation, bylaws, minutes of meetings, treasurer's reports, and other documents.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and the history of business and entrepreneurship there in the late nineteenth century. Those interested in women's history in Cleveland, particularly as it related to women active in business and industry, might find this collection useful.
None.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 2752 Beeman Chemical Company Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Alvin Good in 1941.