Merrow Sewing Machine Company
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| Private | |
| Industry | Textiles |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Headquarters |
 Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
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Key people
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Charlie Merrow, Chairman & CEO |
| Products |
Overlock sewing machines; Crochet sewing machines; End-to-end seaming machines; Sewing machine parts; Sewing machine needles |
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Number of employees
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~25 (2010) |
| Website | http://www.merrow.com |
Charlie Merrow, Chairman & CEO
The Merrow® Sewing Machine Company, best known for inventing the overlock sewing machine is a manufacturer of sewing machines. After the explosion of his gunpowder mill in 1837, in 1838 J.M. Merrow built a knitting mill on the same site. The company developed crocheting machines for its own use and by 1887 evolved to design, build and market sewing machines exclusively. During its early decades it was organized as a partnership under various names: established in 1838 as Joseph M. Merrow & Sons by J. Makens Merrow, then Pitkin, Merrow, & Co., renamed Merrow Manufacturing Co. in 1857, then Merrow and Millard in 1863, J.B. Merrow and Sons in 1870, and incorporated as The Merrow Manufacturing Company in 1893. Originally all of its manufacturing was done at facilities in Merrow, Connecticut and then in Hartford, Connecticut after 1894. The company is currently based in Fall River, Massachusetts.
In the early 19th Century Mr. Joseph Makens Merrow became interested in the manufacture of gunpowder and purchased a powder mill 24 miles from Hartford Connecticut. After the Mill was destroyed by explosion, in 1837 it was decided to build a knitting factory on the same site using water power from an adjacent river.
At first the knitted goods were made largely of native wool which was sorted, scoured and dyed, picked, carded and spun into yarn and knitted into hosiery. Later, cotton goods were knitted. The products were sold through commission merchants in New York and delivered to retail stores throughout New England by two-horse wagons. Following the gold rush of 1849 shipments of goods began to sail to San Francisco. As business increased, a small machine shop was started to support the equipment in the factory.
In Conjunction with the knitting business, the first Crochet Machines were constructed for finishing around the tops of men's socks in place of handwork. The Merrow machine as it is now known, was an invention of Mr. Joseph M. Merrow, who was president of the company until his death in 1947 at age 98.
The Merrow Machines were constructed under his direction prior to 1876 with numerous patents granted. The machines were so useful that business was undertaken to introduce the equipment to other textile manufacturers. In 1887 the knitting mill was destroyed by fire and the company moved to Hartford and reorganized concentrating on the manufacture of overlock sewing machines.
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Wikipedia