ERNEST LINWOOD ANDREWS was born in Chineatuck
near Smithfield ,VA. ,to Jack & Emma Glover Andrews on May 19, 1866. Both parents died when he was but 5 years old and
he was taken to Memphis,Tenn. to be raised by an Aunt & Uncle. While still
a youth, he left Memphis to escape the yellow fever epidemic raging there during the late 1870's. He was possibly returning
to Virginia when he arrived at Bluff City,Tenn. (then known as Union), a small town just a few miles south of Bristol. Whatever
his reasons, there he stopped , and he soon became associated with The
L.Gerstle Mfg Co., manufacturers of medicinal products.
About 1888, Gerstle transported his entire business to Chattanooga,Tenn.,
except for a young employee named Andrews. He stayed behind, again for unknown reasons, and eventually made his way to Bristol.
In 1892, Andrews formed The Andrews Manufacturing Company located at 710 Main St. Bristol,Tenn., where he embarked upon a
career of making extracts and proprietary medicines (Patent Medicines).
By 1902, Andrews had relocated to a bigger establishment at 515 Cumberland
St in Bristol,VA., previously the business of J.L.Wood's - Wood Drug Company.
Andrews had bought out the Wood Drug Co. including product
names and a small printing press. Now he was printing his own labels and paper items, including his "Dream Book"
almanac, and " The Ladies Medical Adviser & Almanac
|
| ANDREWS M'F'G. CO/ 515 Cumberland St. 1902 |
I've seen quite a few Andrews
Mfg Co. bottles with Wood Drug Co. labels upon them. I was also told about a "J.L.Wood's Chill Cure" bottle with a "St.Andrews
Expectorant" label.
Andrews had relocated again by 1908. This time to a newly constructed
three story brick building at 119-123 Virginia St., Bristol,VA. Here he remained until 1931-32 when he ceased operations as
a medicinal manufacturer and went into business as "The E.L.Andrews Sales Agency." He died Sep.24,1935 of an
apolexy attack in his front yard on Taylor St. in Bristol,Tenn.
|
| Anyone have this poster/seen one ? Who is the woman? |
It has been conjectured that Andrews dropped the ST. from his products due to the passing of the Pure
Food & Drugs Act of June 30th, 1906. However, one of the almanacs I show on the next page is dated 1907 and ST. is still
being used. Of course, medicinal manufacturers weren't immediately required to adher to the Act, and Andrews likely
printed the almanacs in late 1906. Additionally, the Act pertained to stated claims of cures espoused by medicine companies
and disallowed the use of certain drugs in the formulas. Up to this time, heroin, opium, cannabis, laudanum, and other habit
forming or narcotic drugs were freely added to medicines, as were high levels of alcohol. It's no wonder the taker of such
cures felt better, if only briefly.
|
| Andrews Mfg Co. 119-123 Virginia St. |
It is possible that Andrews dropped the ST. when he relocated to a new building in 1908 in an attempt to
appear, or prove ,he was beginning a new era in his business, with a new image, and thus in compliance with all
laws. Whatever the reason, Andrews operated another 25 years after the passing of the Act. His products must have been
well received by the community and customers at large. And it was the Great Depression that eventually closed his medicine
making business for good.
(An orphan boy who came a long way.)
During my research/search, I concluded that Andrews was also a quite
humorous fellow, who used a "tongue-in-cheek" approach in his business operations.
"Have you got a liver?"..."How is your face?"...such phrases begin his ads. His own picture is depicted upon his products
and he is clad somewhat "Saintly." Another of his bits of ingenuity is utilized in his product names themselves:
"WINOLRO"...short for Wine Of Life Root
"ER-LIN-AW"... letters from his own name.
"AUNT DINAH"...probably his real Aunt.
DADDY's.....another effort to
instill confidence in the customer.
Andrew's Sarsaparilla and Wine Of Life Root advertising and labels were
directed at women and their various ailments...often being called "Female Regulators." He used a picture of a Nun to advertise
the Wine Of Life Root also designed to appeal to female customers.He opened an "outlet"
of his company on Virginia St, called The Linwood Drug Mill, probably the first factory outlet of
its kind. His products were many and varied:
|
| Andrews Cold Tea sample packet |
Sarsaparilla
Wine of LIfe Root
Winolro
Black Devil Pills
Little Black Devils
Little Black Drivers
Sure Shot Vermifuge
Rub-On-Oil
Quick Liver Pills
Nerve Builder
Chill Killer
Magic Relief
Cold Tea
Liver Paptine
Daddy's Salve
Nerve & Bone Oil
Expectorant
Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla
Horse and Cattle Powders
Chicken Powders
Er-Lin-Aw Remedy
DR.Spark's White Cream Vermifuge
Dr. Sparks Eye Water
Dr.Sparks Soothing Syrup
Dr.Sparks Sure Remedy,
(above 4 former Wood Drug Co. products).
Many of these products can be found both with and without the St.
Additionally, Andrews later lists several products as, E.L. Andrews,
etc...
In his Aunt Dinah's line, there were:
Aunt Dinah's Chicken Powders
Aunt Dinah's Celery & Sarsaparilla Compound
Aunt Dinah's Egg Cream Liniment.
He additionally offered medicines for the farmer:
Andrews Horse & Cattle Powders
Aunt Dinahs Chicken Powders.
|
| St.Andrews Cold Tea & Andrews Cold tea tins |
I have often wondered at the coincidental similarity of Andrews' products with those of Leopold Gerstle/Gerstle
Medicine Co. of Bluff City, then Chattanooga, Tenn. Like Gerstle, Andrews "pitched" his products
to women. He used ST. in his product's names. He used names similar to Gerstle's : GFP...was Gerstle's
Female Panacea. SJS was Gerstle's St. Joseph's Sarsaparilla. Winolro was Andrew's Wine of Life Root. Er-Lin-Aw was Ernest
Linwood Andrews.
Other similarities include Andrews using near identical bottles in his early
years. His label only St. Andrews' Sarsaparilla is but one example that is very similar to Gerstle's SJS Sarsaparilla bottle.
Andrews embossed his company & town on the back panel, whereas Gerstle did the same, but on the side panels.
Being that Andrews worked for Gerstle for several years , he merely
may have been influenced by the manner in which Gerstle named his products. Which ever it may be, both men left us with some
interesting collectibles.
I believe there are many other products and items from Andrews Mfg Co. yet to be found...I'll
keep looking. Perhaps, you'll be looking,too.
|
