This is a list of persons who were employed, at one time or another, at the Kentucky Glass Works Company of Louisville, with information extracted from contemporary Caron’s Louisville city directories (1880-1888). A few entries are from the 1880 U.S. Census records. The date(s) given are the year or years in which the employee’s name appeared in a directory.
A worker may have been employed for an unknown length of time before and/or after an appearance in any particular city directory issue. In many instances, a worker was employed elsewhere (often at one of the other glass works that operated in Louisville) during apparent “gaps” in their work record for this particular factory.
Information published in any of the directory issues could have been (and often was) collected during the previous year. So keep in mind that a listing for “1885” may indicate a glassworker was actually employed there, at least for part of the time, in 1884. This list is certainly not complete or all-encompassing. Some workers could have been employed for only a brief time, or were missed by canvassers for one reason or another and consequently were never listed in the directory. A number of the employees were African American (Black) and were noted in some of the directory issues with a “c.” (indicating “colored”) after the name.
Misspellings (and sometimes duplicate listings) were common in older directories, and because of this the exact number of individuals listed is a bit murky, but I estimate I’ve recorded a total of about 227 employees in this roster.
I trust this info could be of interest to genealogists or anyone who has ancestors who worked in the Louisville glass manufacturing industry during the late Victorian era. If anyone has genealogical information that might clarify the correct names (or add middle initials) for any of the individuals listed here, I invite you to write to me with that info! (See my email address on the “Contact Information” page).
This factory operated from the fall of 1879 to (apparently) April of 1887. The 1888 Louisville city directory included names of those who were presumably employed in 1887.
For more information on this factory and the container glassware they made, and identification marks used on their bottles, flasks and fruit jars, please see my page on Kentucky Glass Works Company.
Allpeter, Sebastian (glassblower) 1884
Arndt, Jacob (carrier) 1883
Arndt, Peter (fireman) 1883
Bachler, George (glassblower) 1886, 1887
Barbour, John O. (bookkeeper) 1880
Barbour, William T. (clerk/bookkeeper) 1881, 1882
Barrett, John J. (glassblower) 1886, 1887 [spelled Barerer – 1887]
Batchelor, J. W. (secretary) 1884
Bayer, John (glassblower) 1884, 1885
Berger, Edward (glassblower) 1885
Berger, Peter (glassblower) 1887, 1888
Berger, Philip (glassblower) 1884-1888
Berger, Philip, Jr (gatherer) 1887, 1888
Berra, Philip (glassblower) 1884
Birch, Burton (packer) 1887
Blachery, Jacques (glassblower) 1884
Booty, Conn 1880 census [Beuty?]
Brady, Patrick (watchman) 1887
Bridley, George (laborer) 1887
Buchanan, Charles (glassblower) 1881
Bull, Edward (president) 1879-1886
Burger, Louis (glassblower) 1886
Burke, Martin (gatherer, glassblower) 1881, 1885, 1887
Caldwell, Charles (laborer) 1887
Cannon, Charles (glassblower) 1880 – 1882, 1888
Carey, George H. (salesman) 1880
Carley, William [colored] (laborer) 1881
Carsol, John (laborer) 1881
Cavanaugh, Charles (glassblower) 1881
Cavanaugh, John (glassblower) 1881
Cline, Adam (glassblower) 1882
Cline, Nicholas [see Klein]
Coenen, George (gatherer) 1882
Coleman, George (glassblower) 1887
Colvin, Charles (laborer) 1887, 1888
Connelly, George (glassblower) 1880-1885, 1887-1888
Conroy, John (no occupational info) 1880
Court, Jacob (potmaker) 1882
Court, John (laborer) 1883
Coyle, Daniel (glassblower) 1885
Crockett, Frank [colored] (laborer) 1887
Cromey, William (secretary/treasurer) 1880, 1885
Crowney, Charles 1880 census (listed as 13 years old)
Crowney, Edward (glassblower) 1881
Crowney, George 1880 census (listed as 11 years old)
Crowney, John 1880 census (listed as 16 years old)
Crowney, Michael 1880 census (listed as 15 years old)
Cunliffe, James (glassblower) 1885-1886
Dean, William E. (clerk) 1887
Decker, Louis (glassblower) 1884
Delaney, John W. (gatherer, glassblower) 1883, 1887
Delph, Isaac M. (glassblower) 1880, 1883, 1886
Dennison, Barney, Jr. (glassblower) 1881-1883
Dennison, John F. (glassblower) 1882
Derramore, Alfred (packer) 1881
Diehl, William (glassblower) 1884
Dillon, James P. (packer) 1880-1888
Dodd, Charles (glassblower) 1885
Doyle, Charles (glassblower) 1880, 1882, 1883, 1888
Doyle, John P. (laborer) 1880-1883
Doyle, Martin (glassblower) 1881
Doyle, Michael (glassblower) 1880
Doyle, Nicholas, Jr. (glassblower) 1888
Edlemann, Louis (glassblower) 1886-1888
Evans, David E. (glassblower) 1882-1883
Evans, Martin S. (glassblower) 1880-1883
Fagin, John (glassblower) 1880
Farrell, John (blacksmith) 1880
Farrell, Patrick A. (glassblower) 1881-1884
Farrell, William (glassblower) 1885
Fickert, Carl (glassblower) 1884
Flanagan, Thomas (glassblower) 1885
Flynn, John (glassblower) 1883
Flynn, Joseph (glassblower) 1880, 1883, 1888
Flynn, Thomas (glassblower) 1881, 1883, 1888
Ford, Elijah (laborer – 1885; yardman – 1887)
Frederick, George (glassblower, 1887; apprentice, 1888)
Frederick, Jacob (glassblower, 1881; *apprentice, 1888)
Fritz, Emmanuel (glassblower) 1886-1887
Fritz, Ernest (glassblower) 1885
Fritz, George (glassblower) 1884, 1886-1888
Fritz, Nicholas (glassblower) 1885
Fueghum, Charles W. (laborer) 1881
Garen, William (laborer) 1884
Gartley, John (mixer) 1881-1882, 1884
Giesel, John (glassblower) 1881, 1883, 1887
Geisel, Louis (gatherer) 1883
Gesler, George H. (apprentice) 1888
Gill, Michael (glassblower) 1881
Gill, William (glassblower) 1881-1882
Gillooly, James (laborer) 1888
Glace, Nicholas (glassblower) 1885
Good, Isham (fireman) 1888
Graff, William (“works”) 1880
Grant, James A. (laborer) 1881
Gregg, Clark M. (glassblower) 1888
Grine, Henry D. (glassblower) 1881, 1883
Gross, Nicholas (glassblower) 1884-1887
Grossman, Edward (glassblower) 1886
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Hackworth, Thomas B. (packer) 1885
Hagan, John (packer) 1887
Hanigan, Thomas (glassblower) 1885
Hanlon, Thomas (blacksmith) 1884
Hanner, Louis (packer) 1883
Harland [or Harlan], James F. (mixer 1881; teaser 1882; laborer 1884)
Haskin [or Hiskin], Lenhart (batch mixer) 1880
Hau, Nicholas (glassblower) 1884
Hays, Dennis (glassblower) 1880 census
Hays, William O. (glassblower) 1880 census, 1881-1883
Heck, Nicholas (laborer) 1885, 1887
Hess, George P. (glassblower) 1885-1886
Hicks, David (glassblower) 1885
Hoffmeister, Christopher (glassblower) 1886
Holden, Thomas (1880 census; layer 1883; helper 1885; blacksmith 1887)
Hosler, Frank S. (glassblower) 1880
Ireland, Charles (packer) 1881-1883
Jansen, Jacob (laborer) 1884
Johnson, Berdine [colored] (laborer) 1881
Kapel, William (glassblower) 1884
Keefe, Daniel (gatherer) 1881
Keller, Louis (glassblower) 1880 census, 1881-1884, 1886, 1888
Kelly, John F. (packer) 1883-1885
Kesler, Christian (laborer) 1883-1884
Klein, Nicholas (glassblower 1880; helper 1882; laborer 1883, teaser 1887) [also spelled Cline]
Knupp, George (glassblower) 1888
Koenig, Louis (glassblower) 1885
Kountz, John Jr. (packer) 1888
Kountz, Nicholas M.[Miller] (boss packer – 1882; clerk – 1883-1885; bookkeeper 1886)
Kountz, William (glassblower) 1888
Krull, Frank (gatherer) 1886, 1888
Kuhn, John (glassblower) 1884, 1886-1887
Lambert, Bernard (glassblower) 1881
Lang, Henry (glassblower) 1884
Lang, William (potmaker) 1884-1885, 1888
Laurer, Frank (glassblower) 1881
Leary, John W. (glassblower) 1882-1883, 1885, 1888
Lentz, Daniel (glassblower) 1883
Lentz, Henry C. (superintendent) 1879-1888
Lentz, John (“works”) 1881
Lotz, Charles (glassblower) 1884
Malone, Michael J. (packer) 1880 census, 1881
Marsh, John (master teaser) 1888
Marsh, Thomas (apprentice) 1888
Martin, John (laborer) 1881
Matthieu, Anton (“works”) 1884
Matthieu, Henry (glassblower) 1884-1885, 1887-1888
Matthieu, John (glassblower) 1884
Matturn, William (glassblower) 1881
Mayo, Coakley B. [or P.] (glassblower) 1884, 1887-1888
McCantz, Woodrow 1880 census
Means, James (clerk) 1887
Menges, Philip (laborer) 1885
Menzel, William (apprentice) 1888
Mercer, Harry (layer 1883; glassblower 1885)
Mertz, Leonard (glassblower) 1881-1882
Meyers, Peter (glassblower) 1881
Miller, Henry (glassblower) 1881
Monheimer, Harry (glassblower) 1883-1884
Morrison, George W. (glassblower) 1880 census, 1881-1883
Morrison, John 1880 census
Murch, Michael (teaser) 1888
Myers, Joseph 1880 census (laborer); foreman 1881
Neurohr, Christian (glassblower) 1885
Noel, Leslie W. (bookkeeper) 1881
Norris, George [colored] (laborer) 1884, 1887-1888
O’Connell, Thomas (laborer) 1883-1884
Odewahn, Arthur (driver) 1888
O’Mara, John (glassblower) 1880, 1888
O’Mara, David (glassblower) 1888
Oster, Henry (glassblower) 1885
Owen, Washington [colored] (teaser 1882; fireman 1887, laborer 1887)
Rau, Charles F. (gatherer 1882, glassblower 1883)
Rau, Frederick, Jr. (glassblower) 1882-1885, 1888
Rehmann, Frederick (laborer 1881, gatherer 1882-1883) [also spelled Raymond]
Rehmann, Joseph (glassblower) 1881
Richards, John (laborer) 1882
Rigsby, H. L. (watchman) 1884
Roff, Henry (“works”) 1881
Rolf, Herman (“works”) *** 1880
Rourke, Michael (gatherer) 1882
Ruhl, George (glassblower) 1880 census; 1881-1883
Saffran, John (glassblower) 1887-1888
Sampson, Albert (glassblower) 1881-1882
Schann, August (glassblower) 1885
Schlachter, Peter (glassblower) 1887
Schmidt, Reinhard (glassblower) 1882
Schmitt, Frank (glassblower) 1884-1885
Schneider, Frank (glassblower) 1884-1885
Shaum, Gustav (glassblower) 1885
Shea, Dennis, Jr. (glassblower) 1888
Sheehy, Michael G. (glassblower) 1887
Sheehy, Richard D. (glassblower) 1887
Shipley, Richard R. (glassblower) 1881-1885, 1887
Shively, William E. (clerk) 1881
Siegel, John (glassblower) 1885
Sievert, Frederick (driver) 1883
Smeltz, August (glassblower) 1882-1883
Smith, Kirby (laborer) 1881-1882
Snyder, Frank (glassblower) **** 1887
Spotts, Samuel G. (driver) 1882-1883, 1887
Stanger, John Jr. (glassblower) 1880-1881
Stanger, John Sr. (superintendent) July-December 9, 1879
Stanger, Joseph Markel (glassblower) 1880-1881
Stanger, Thomas F. (glassblower) 1880-1883, 1888
Stewart, George (laborer) 1884
Stewart, Richard (glassblower) 1885, 1887-1888
Stewart, William (glassblower) 1888
Stone, F. M. (laborer) 1884
Tigner, Edward (glassblower) 1885
Taylor, Charles E. (packer) 1888
Taylor, John [colored] (laborer) 1881
Town, Terry (clerk) 1882
Vogt, John (glassblower) 1881-1885
Wagner, Hyman (glassblower) 1885
Waldon, John (night watchman) 1882
Waldron, Charles (laborer – 1880, packer 1888)
Welsh, Patrick (laborer) 1881-1882
Westerman, Nicholas (teaser) 1880
Wieand, Benjamin (laborer) 1884
Wigbels, Benjamin (layer – 1880, glassblower, 1888)
Wigbels, Henry (glassblower) 1882-1883
Williams, Pierce (laborer) 1887
Willrich, Andrew (glassblower) 1880 census, 1881
Wing, David W. (blacksmith) 1880 census, 1881-1888
Winn, Martin J. (clerk) 1880
Wolden, Thomas (packer) 1885
Woods, Ansel (packer) 1887-1888
Zell, Charles (gatherer 1883, glassblower 1886-1888)
Zell, John (glassblower) 1886
Zeller, John (glassblower) ** 1887
Zeller, William (glassblower) 1884, 1887-1888
* “apprentice” seems a bit incongruent (if he had been a glassblower many years earlier), so possibly a son with the same name?? Or this was merely an occupational description not quite applicable but nevertheless casually used by the directory canvasser.
** possibly same individual as previous listing?
*** this may be the same individual as succeeding entry
**** this may be the same person as “Frank Schneider”
Note: This information was gleaned from city directories and census records (on microfilm) in the collections of the Louisville Free Public Library, and also from the FamilySearch.org research website. I appreciate both of those sources and want to give them credit for research materials they have made available for use by the general public.
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