Hi folks, new to this great club and am certainly enjoying the vast amount of information that you folks have about my favorite subject. I collect mostly railroads and have decided to turn my collection in a new direction which would be to try and acquire railroads from private label Cleveland, Ohio jewelers. Obviously there is Ball, but what other private labels are there? Is there a list? and if so where do I find it? Thanks for your help, I look forward to hearing your answers.

You can find private label watches that would have been RR grade or on RR approved grades but depending on the time frame most railroads shunned private label watches. I have seen watches being sold on ebay in and around the Cleveland area, such as Norwalk, Sandusky etc so they do turn up so it is very possible. I would say that any of the larger older towns that were near the railroad lines you could find some private jewelers that were watch inspectors that put their own label on watches from time to time. I would expect some to show up from Wellington, Lorain, Elyria so there are enough towns near the Cleveland area to pick and choose from.

William, If you can get access to a copy of the Illinois "Blue Book" you will find an excellent list of private labels just in Illinois watches. Quite a few are from the northern Ohio area.

Hi William,
In Greg Frauenhoff's "Railroad Watch Inspectors" there is a Terminal Watch Company listed in Ohio.

Here is a informative web site you might enjoy as well:
Railroad History Holdings in Cleveland Memory

A few more that I have seen or owned are
Joseph Welf (And Jos Welf & sons)
Cowell & Hubbard
Joseph Schuster

I will add to this when I find my index cards (My old way of saving information )

Thanks to all who have replied so far, I appreciate all of your input. Please keep your suggestions coming!

Bill-

There is a private label watch from cleveland on ebay right now. Its an illinois getty model. Thought it wmay be something you are interested in.

Link

Jared, Missed it by 20 minutes! Thanks for the heads up though

Be sure to look for any Wright McKay watches. High end and quality. They were Pateck distributors.

An Early Illinois Rail Road grade "Miller" was sold private labeled by Max Forcheimer, Cleveland, Ohio..........Keith

Thanks to all who have replied, my list of jewelers is getting longer, by all means don't stop now!

I don't know if these jewelers had private label watches made but they are railroad watch inspectors that I have found in my search.

This maybe of no help to you but after I pulled all these names up to just delete it seemed like a waste of time.

The year listed after the name is from the date of the periodical I found it in.

Listed as being in Cleveland;
Brotherhood Watch & Jewelery
Rotbarts Jewelers (1943)
W.A. Southam & Co. (1947)
Frank A. Tinkler (1938)

These are ones elsewhere in Ohio
Harry Sherman Burr Elyria Oh (1909)
Carroll's Jewelry Store Marion Oh (1935)
D.C. Cornwell Athens Oh (1908)
M. Craft Bellaire Oh(1890)
Frank R. Cross & Co. Columbus Oh (1899)
Davis Brothers Galion Oh
Henry Dehnel Sandusky Oh (1890)
George W. Dickson Ashtabula Oh
Charles Diefenbach Hamilton Oh (1903)
Ed Doe Newark Oh (1913)
William B. Drake Athens Oh (1926)
Custer J. Duncan Massillon Oh (1906)
Guy Clifton Fitz & Son Zanesville Oh (1939)
John W. Forney Steubenville Oh (1904)
Charles C. Fried Springfield Oh
W.G. Gilger Norwalk Oh (1903)
Gray's Watch Service Middletown Oh (1950)
Fred A. Grimm Akron Oh
F.M. Hale Lima Oh
Hawver Jeweler Massillon Oh (1906)
J.W. Helfrich Coshocton Oh (1901)
John Hodosko & Sons Lima Oh (1948)
John Hohl Newark Oh (1912)
John E. Howe Columbus Oh (1890)
Homer H. Hughes & Son Lima Oh (1907)
Jarvis Jewelers New Boston Oh
Robert F. Jennings Toledo Oh (1944)
MacDonald Jewelry Co Lima Oh (1905)
Arthur McElfish Willard Oh (1961)
John Messner Lima Oh (1912)
S.A. Meyer & Co Mansfield Oh (1965)
Michie Brothers Cincinnati Oh
A. J. Miller Massillon Oh (1909)
Charles Miller Bellefontaine Oh
Henry Moses Wapakoneta Oh (1905)
D.A. Nelson Upper Sandusky Oh (1902)
John O'Malia Lima Oh (1929)
Louis A. Ott Mansfield Oh (1909)
Charles Owen Cincinnati Oh (1889)
William Owen Cincinnati Oh (1894)
J.C. Owens Portsmouth Oh (1892)
Charles E. Pfaff Toledo Oh (1912)
Pistell & Schneider Jewelers Lorain Oh (1950)
R.S. Porter Newark Oh (1893)
Powell's Lima Oh (1956)
Pugh Bros Marion Oh (1959)
Richard's & Lewell's Jewelry Hillsboro Oh (1963)
Frank A. Ritzi Marion Oh (1905)
Roston Jewelers Dayton Oh (1870)
Charles H. Savage Elyria Oh (1902)
John B. Schaefer Sandusky Oh (1925)
Schenk's Jewelry Newark Oh (1950)
Schneider & Davis Lima Oh (1925)
Charles J. Scholler Lima Oh (1905)
Smith Brothers Jewelers Elyria Oh (1906)
C.W. Smith Bensenville Oh
Walter Smith Youngstown Oh
Stief & Co. Sandusky Oh
Campbell Strouse Columbus Oh (1947)
Symon's Jewelry Newark Oh (1957)
Them & Swain Mansfield Oh(1924)
H.S. Them Mansfield Oh (1928)
William J. Them Mansfield Oh (1941)
Joseph Thoma Piqua Oh (1925)
Wm Walcott Toledo Oh
George A. Weekly Newark Oh (1928)
Thomas H. Wheeler Columbus Oh (1884)
Williams Jewelers Marysville Oh(1949)
Samuel S. Yingling Newark Oh (1916)
Zoellner Jewelery Portsmouth Oh (1915)

Thanks Tom, I am amazed by your research abilities! You've given me a lot to go on.

Bill-

There is a Cleveland PL movement on ebay right now, not bringing vey much either. Here is the link:

Link

Thanks,

Jared