Buttons from Todays Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

[West Jersey Detecting]

Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

Well the power is back on and all is well again in South Jersey. Winds have now died down to a soft breeze, but let me tell you that when I was out detecting in the woods this morning with my buddies, we had to beware of falling limbs and branches!

I went back to the site that I found my second set of colonial silver cufflinks yesterday (http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,383724.0.html). The wind was so loud that at times I could not hear the threshold of my detector and it slowed me down a bit, but I still manages some nice buttons including a collar button, a spun-back button and some great backmarks including W. WALLIS and a sweet button with the Gilt remaining on the back. I am not familiar with the backmark, JAMES BURK/PHILADELPHIA. Maybe someone has information on the maker.





Thanks for looking!
Neil

 

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[Blind Squirrel]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

Nice group of buttons Congrats!!!

 

[steelheadwill]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

Nice assortment of buttons!
No listings for that backmark in Tice

 

[HCW]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

That's some serious gilt on that button. Nice.

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

That's some serious gilt on that button. Nice.

90 of the buttons I find at this site are not even identifiable, so finding any with the backmark and gilt remaining is even more amazing.

 

[Elad]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

Wow that thing is shiny. Very nice. Front is toast I take it?

 

[Goes4ever]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

Great buttons, congrats

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

Wow that thing is shiny. Very nice. Front is toast I take it?

Toasted like the roll of a Philly Cheesesteak!

 

[Don in SJ]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

James Burk in most likelyhood was not a button maker but a merchant who had his name put on the back of the button that perhaps was made by Benedict & Burnham, since their gilded buttons seemed to be of high quality like yours. Many, many buttons that have names on the back are not the makers name but a merchant who paid to have his name on the back on dry goods he was selling.
There was a James Burk at 15 South Front St Philiadelphia in the right era, not sure if it was the Sr or Jr, but I would estimate the button to be the same era as the Benedict buttons, 1834-1843 time frame.

I know there are TNet members who have access to the Philadelphia City Directory for that time frame and they should be able to look up that name, address and see if in fact they were mechants that would have dealt with clothing containing buttons.

If a James Burk, either the father or the son James was a clothing merchant than I think that would be your answer, but I can saw with some certainty there was no button company/maker by the name of James Burk.

No. 85. MRS. JAMES BURK. (1792-1873).

In 1827, signed "T S". 36" x 28".

Nee Richards, a native of England, wife of James Burk, commission mer-
chant, with his business at 15 South Front Street, Philadelphia. Their
residence at the time of the painting of the portrait was the Gothic Man-
sion, on the north side of Chestnut Street between 12th and 13th Streets.
She died at 2012 Vine Street and was interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery. In
her will, dated 1866, she leaves to her daughter Julia Johnson "the two
oil paintings of myself and my dearly beloved Husband ; being of a similar
size and hanging in the Parlor." A son James, born in Philadelphia in
1 81 7, was matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1837.

Don

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: Buttons from Today's Hunt Including Unusual "James Burk/Philadelphia" Backmark

James Burk in most likelyhood was not a button maker but a merchant who had his name put on the back of the button that perhaps was made by Benedict & Burnham, since their gilded buttons seemed to be of high quality like yours. Many, many buttons that have names on the back are not the makers name but a merchant who paid to have his name on the back on dry goods he was selling.
There was a James Burk at 15 South Front St Philiadelphia in the right era, not sure if it was the Sr or Jr, but I would estimate the button to be the same era as the Benedict buttons, 1834-1843 time frame.

I know there are TNet members who have access to the Philadelphia City Directory for that time frame and they should be able to look up that name, address and see if in fact they were mechants that would have dealt with clothing containing buttons.

If a James Burk, either the father or the son James was a clothing merchant than I think that would be your answer, but I can saw with some certainty there was no button company/maker by the name of James Burk.

No. 85. MRS. JAMES BURK. (1792-1873).

In 1827, signed "T S". 36" x 28".

Nee Richards, a native of England, wife of James Burk, commission mer-
chant, with his business at 15 South Front Street, Philadelphia. Their
residence at the time of the painting of the portrait was the Gothic Man-
sion, on the north side of Chestnut Street between 12th and 13th Streets.
She died at 2012 Vine Street and was interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery. In
her will, dated 1866, she leaves to her daughter Julia Johnson "the two
oil paintings of myself and my dearly beloved Husband ; being of a similar
size and hanging in the Parlor." A son James, born in Philadelphia in
1 81 7, was matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1837.

Don

Thanks, Don. I should have guessed that it may have been a merchant. I found enough Wannamaker buttons to realize that the merchant's name sometimes appear on the buttons, not the button maker's.

I did a quick online search and also found reference to a James Burk, who opened an upscale clothing shop on NY's (what was then mostly residential) Wall Street in 1821. According to what I read, he was originally accountant and a "commission merchant" before becoming a "non-tailor" clothier in Philadelphia in 1817.

Another search result shows the receipt for a purchase: "Receipt for Richard Ashhurst from James Burk for 10 plaid cloaks. November, 1822." So there are other possibilities.

If I recall, the Collingswood Library has Philadelphia directories going back as far as the late 18th century. Thanks for your help in pointing me in the right direction.