| Event-Misc* | 1 July 1858 | He and Henry Clay Snowden were George & Henry formed Snowden and Brother, often referred to as "successors to Wiegand & Snowden." George had previously worked as a druggist and now, with his father-in-law's financial support, engaged his instrument-maker brother, Henry, to carry on the family's name in the trade. To announce this intention, in 1860 they issued an Illustrated Wholesale Catalogue of Surgical and Dental Instruments, the first published listing of the firm's product line.
On the eve of the Civi War, Snowden and Brother was the premier Philadelphia instrument-making establishment, having eclipsed older, venerable Philadelphia makers such as the Rorers and the Schivelys.
On 1 Jan 1866, the brother's younger sibling William entered the firm as a partner. Henry retired in May 872, selling his interest in the firm to George. The firm then continued as "George Snowden and Brother". By 1879 William Snowden had become the sole proprietor of Snowden and Brother. Over time, he would solidify the company's reputation and carry it through the end of the century. on 1 July 1858.1 |