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Smith Brothers Records

An inventory of its records at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: [Summit record]
Date: 1968



Biographical History

Smith Brothers Cough Drop Company was founded in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1847 by brothers William Wallace Smith (1830-1913) and Andrew Smith (1836-1895). Their father, James Smith, had emigrated from Scotland and settled in New York, where he started a small candy business. Upon purchasing the formula for a "cough candy" from a traveling man, James added the items to his product line. Menthol cough drops were added in 1922, a cough syrup in 1926, and the wild cherry flavor, the firm's most popular and best known, in 1948. The business continued to be owned and operated by the Smith family until 1963 when it merged with Warner-Lambert (a subsidiary of Pfizer Corp.); as of 1964 the Smith Brothers Cough Drop line was acquired by F & F Foods of Chicago, who continues to manufacture it today (2010).


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Smith Brothers Records consist of minute books, legal material, financial material, stock books, executive reports, sales books, and general records. The bulk of the material is in bound volumes.


Arrangement of the Collection

The material remains in original order, as received.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Subject Headings

Persons

Smith, Andrew, 1836-1895.
Smith, W. Wallace (William Wallace), 1900-1989.

Corporate Bodies

Smith Brothers (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) -- Archives.

Subjects

Candy industry -- United States.
Pharmaceutical industry -- United States.

Places

Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) -- Industries.

Genres and Forms

Minute books.
Reports.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Smith Brothers (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) Records
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Smith Brothers Division of Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Co., 1966.


Table of Contents

Corporate records


Inventory