Original Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co adverts

Roughwear · Jan 1, 2011

Thanks to Paul's link to the Poughkeespie Journal in his research on the Werber Leather Coat Co I decided to have a look for the Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co and found among other things these interesting adverts from the Spring of 1944.

Anyone fancy giving Mr Lewis a call?

:lol:

zoomer · Jan 1, 2011

Good stuff Andrew...this area was obviously home to a lot of leather and clothing workers. Who knows what else may be found.

Roughwear · Jan 1, 2011

I have also found the award of several contracts to Aero and Werber at various times in 1941 and 42 for flying jackets. I can list them if anyone is interested.

zoomer · Jan 1, 2011

Please do...
Did you find what I did in the P'kpse papers - no info at all about either Werber or Aero in 1939-40. 1941 is the first mention of Aero.
I heard somewhere that Aero was actually a Werber spinoff, but there's no info in the papers.

Roughwear · Jan 1, 2011

That's correct Paul. I could find nothing about Aero until early 1941. I have heard before that Aero is a spin-off from Werber, but as you say there is no info as yet in the papers.

zoomer · Jan 1, 2011

I suspect Mr. Werber had had his fill of publicity after a nasty strike and a long drawn-out lawsuit.

deeb7 · Jan 2, 2011

Roughwear said:
... I have heard before that Aero is a spin-off from Werber, but as you say there is no info as yet in the papers.

... and from an earlier thread.

I guess one could also mention the likely link between Aero and Poughkeepsie, with Poughkeepsie being in some way linked to Aero.

These possible connections are mentioned here from time to time ... is there any evidence, apart from location?

better duck · Jan 2, 2011

Roughwear said:
I have also found the award of several contracts to Aero and Werber at various times in 1941 and 42 for flying jackets. I can list them if anyone is interested.

Yes please!

Roughwear · Jan 2, 2011

Here's the link to the thread I started yesterday Peter.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9022

zoomer · Jan 2, 2011

deeb7 said:
Roughwear said:

... I have heard before that Aero is a spin-off from Werber, but as you say there is no info as yet in the papers.

Click to expand...

... and from an earlier thread.

I guess one could also mention the likely link between Aero and Poughkeepsie, with Poughkeepsie being in some way linked to Aero.

These possible connections are mentioned here from time to time ... is there any evidence, apart from location?

Not yet. The leather trade used to run mostly along family lines, so any connections between companies were really a private matter - even as far as the government was concerned.

Gotta love the B-18 in the illo cut. They never saw a day of combat - too slow and too lightweight. They mostly flew coastal sub patrols.

Roughwear · Jan 2, 2011

I trying to find out when Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co was established. They were recruiting experienced sewing machine operatives and cutters in the Autumn of 1942, which would have coincided with their only contract for A2s and for B-3s. My guess is that someone from the Aero "family" set the business up in 1942 to make money from government contracts.

Grant · Jan 2, 2011

Years ago I spoke with someone up in Beacon who used to sew A-2's for Aero during the war. She told me family members that owned Aero split off from the family business, moved across the Hudson to Newburgh and started Werber. Never heard anything about them starting Poughkeepsie.

Roughwear · Jan 2, 2011

Grant said:
Years ago I spoke with someone up in Beacon who used to sew A-2's for Aero during the war. She told me family members that owned Aero split off from the family business, moved across the Hudson to Newburgh and started Werber. Never heard anything about them starting Poughkeepsie.

Do you have any idea when Werber started? The beginnings of Poughkeepsie remains an enigma, but as Paul says it could be a family member from Aero who was involved or someone who worked for Aero as there is a fairly close similarity between the last Aero A2 contract and the Poughkeepsie contract. Just a thought until someone eventually uncovers more info! I wonder whether there are any documents or records in existence on Poughkeepsie Leather?

Roughwear · Jan 2, 2011

I have just received this from John Chapman:

I think that there's a connection between Aero and Werber through Louis Kramer. The new Werber info shows him as a partner with Max Werber, and then in Eastman's listing of their 18775-P from the mid-1990s, they show this same fellow as a partner for Aero. So, Louis appears to be the connection with Aero and Werber.

Could it be that Werber was actually established first and Aero came on the scene later, perhaps in the mid '30s?

Grant your info may refer to when Werber was re-established as Werber Sportswear in around 1938/9.

Roughwear · Jan 2, 2011

Further research in the Poughkeepsie Eagle reveals that the Werber Leather Coat Co was established in Academy St Poughkeepsie in Feb 1923. Their serious fire in 1934 may have been the inspiration behind Max Werber (the head of the firm) starting Aero shortly after this date. It should be noted that various times in the 1920s and 30s the company tried to expand by taking over other factories. In Feb 1929 they successfully acquired the former Hoag Knitting Mills building in Poughkeepsie (they have recently moved to Beacon) as a second smaller Werber factory.

deeb7 · Jan 2, 2011

Roughwear said:
Further research in the Poughkeepsie Eagle reveals that the Werber Leather Coat Co was established in Academy St Poughkeepsie in Feb 1923. Their serious fire in 1934 may have been the inspiration behind Max Werber (the head of the firm) starting Aero shortly after this date ...

This is making more sense ... I could never understand Werber being an offshoot of Aero, as Werber appeared to be the earlier company.

So it's certain now that Max Werber founded Aero, not just a common link through the partner Louis Kramer, as in the quote from John?

Roughwear · Jan 3, 2011

Here are the key documents from the Poughkeepsie Eagle.

This article shows that around 22nd Feb 1923 Werber set up a factory in Academy Street.

It's interesting that the firm is referred to as the "Werber Coat Company" in 1923, which may indicate it had been in existence previously somewhere else. As the next document shows by 1924 it was known as the Werber Leather Coat Company.

They were keen to recruit additional workers in Jan 1924 as the buisiness expanded.

By August 1929 the firm was keen to expand further. Max Werber is cited as the head of Werber.

Original Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co adverts

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