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., who were manufacturers of medicinal products.
About 1888, the founder & owner, Leopold Gerstle , transferred his entire business
operations 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.)
As a result of my research/search, I have concluded that Andrews
was also quite a 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 earliest advertsiements and are prevalent in his almanacs. His own picture is depicted upon his product's
box fronts and , in them he is clad somewhat "Saintly." Another of his bits of ingenuity is utilized in the 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.
"RUB-ON-OIL"...yet another logical brand name.
| St Andrews Sarsaparilla |
|
Andrews' Sarsaparilla , Wine Of Life Root , and
Winolro 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, which was also designed to appeal to female customers. Andrews'
Dream Book and Ladies Medical Adviser almanacs were other methods of attracting female customers to his
products. He opened an "outlet" of his company on Virginia St, called The Linwood
Drug Mill, probably the first factory outlet of its kind.
Andrews' products were many and varied, spanning
a period of nearly 40 years.
|
| Andrews Cold Tea sample packet |
Sarsaparilla
Sarsaparilla & Celery Compound
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
(later known as "Chill Medicine")
Magic Relief
Cold Tea
Liver Paptine
Daddy's Salve
Nerve & Bone Oil
Expectorant
Pain Relief
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 perhaps 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 "brand named" his products in a style 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.
Being that Andrews worked for Gerstle for several years , he merely
may have been influenced by the manner in which Gerstle named his products, while noting how successful a concept it was.
There's no doubt that Andrews learned the patent medicine manufacturing business while working for Gerstle, and perhaps even
Gerstle himself instructed the eager to learn young lad. But, whichever may have occurred , 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.
|
