Reed & Barton

American, established 1824

PlaceTaunton, Massachusetts, United States

Biography1824: The company is founded as Babbitt & Crossman to produce Britannia metal items.
1834: Henry Reed and Charles Barton acquire the firm.
1867: Barton dies but the company retains his name.
1889: The firm begins sterling silver manufacturing.
1901: Reed dies.

Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton, friends and fellow craftsmen, came to work at the firm. When the business failed in 1834, following years of steady growth, Reed and Barton, just in their 20s, stepped in to buy it. In 1837 the company was renamed Leonard, Reed & Barton, then in 1840 it assumed its modern name, Reed & Barton. The two men would run the business together for three decades. After Barton died of a heart attack in 1867, Reed carried on, but as a tribute to his longtime friend he decided to retain Barton in the company's name. Ownership of the firm would be passed down through the Reed family.

Person TypeCorporate Body