Early Royal Electric Suction Cleaners

[dustmatt]

Have spent a little time learning about early Royals and found several different early models.

1st model: 1912
3 wheels, height adjuster on rear wheel. $37.50 Narrow nozzle. First ads appear June 1912. Attached ad is from Dec 1913 for same model. Received Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval #696 in 1913.

2nd model: 1914
similar to 1912 model but with a 12" nozzle of different design. 10lbs, 178 cubic feet air/minute at velocity of 120mph. There is one of these posted as a model 1 on the thread linked. It's cool, but it is the second model not the first.

3rd model: 1916 Model E. This was introduced as a new model with promotions beginning in March of 1916. Unclear to me differences from earlier models.

4th model: 1917 new design with wider nozzle....This basic design continued through 1920's. Somewhere in the early to mid 20's the word "vacuum" replaced the earlier term "suction".

BTW all photos are public domain.

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?21502

 

[dustmatt]

A few more ads (all public domain) and a link for early Royal history:

Also I found a bit about P.A. Geier.

P.A. (Philip A.) Geier (b.1877) was a younger brother of Frederick A. Geier and son of German born Philip Geier. Frederick Geier was the founder of the Cincinnati Milling Maching Co (now Milacron). In 1907 Fred together with P.A.Geier, C.Wood Walter, and C.S.Gingrich also founded the Modern Foundry Company in Cincinnati capitalized at $350,000. To put that in perspective, P.A. Geier's machine tool company was formed in 1905 capitalized at $10,000. $350,000 1907 dollars would be about 9 million 1916 dollars. I cannot confirm, but it would seem logical that P.A. Geier's aluminum castings used on his cleaners were probably made at Modern Foundry in Cincinnati. P.A. Geier also made "Rex" vibrators, hair dryers, and in the 1930's expanded into food processors.

More on Frederick Geier can be found here:
http://www.libraries.uc.edu/business/research/bios/frederick-geier.html
http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=RAMC

 

[dysonman1]

I was recently given the 1917 model, interestingly, it still has the 'in line' switch and original cord. I plan on restoring it, and adding it to the Museum's collection.

 

[hygiene903]

Early Royals

Thank you Matt, for sharing this information. I am also a Royal and Electro-Hygiene enthusiast, and this gives me a few more pieces to the puzzle of P.A. Geier and Royal history. Anything I can add to what I already know is always appreciated. And I never knew the Geier family was from Cincinnati, always thought they were from Cleveland.
And Tom, I know that 1917 Royal is going to be absolutely beautiful after you restore it! I'll be looking forward to the pics!
Jeff

 

[dustmatt]

Early Royals clipping files

Jeff & Tom,

Always glad to share.

That in-line switch in the handle is cool. In the 1913 Good Housekeeping seal of approval article they mention that the handle came apart so it could be attached to the attachment hose for cleaning curtains and hard to reach areas. Guess they hadn't invented metal wands yet? Maybe wands were a feature of the 1917 model? It's interesting that the detachable handle feature has carried over to the modern models. Amazing how little these things have changed. Good design from the beginning with small improvements over the years. Those Germans from Cincinnati (and elsewhere) made enormous contributions to industrial development.

I found the link with P.A. Geier and F.A. Geier first in the Modern Foundry article in 1907 Iron Age and confirmed they were brothers in the 1880 Census. Looked for a picture of P.A. but came up empty. Philip was spelled with one "l", but sometimes is mispelled with two "l"'s. I believe he died Nov 12, 1942, but am uncertain where he is buried. I don't have an ancestry.com account so there probably is more to learn there.

The clipping files that I uploaded above changed names losing a bit of info and I found a lot more so I uploaded what I've got a little while ago to the linked domain below. Nothing fancy, but the files should open in your browser or can be saved. They are dated chronologically. Hopefully helps to document this stuff.

http://www.indoorphin.com/royal/

Places where I found this stuff include:
www.hathitrust.org
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
https://familysearch.org/


http://www.indoorphin.com/royal/

 

[dustmatt]

more on Philip A. Geier

Found a bunch of patents that were assigned to P.A. Geier and added them in a separate folder in the link above. More details can be found here:

https://www.google.com/advanced_patent_search

Philip Geier's first patent found is #595944 issued Dec 21 1897 for a bicycle handle bar. It was filed July 10 1896 which would have made Geier about 19 years old.

Eugene F. Martinet is shown as inventor on many of the patents. Would guess he was the chief engineer for the company.

Matt

 

[dustmatt]

more...P.A. Geier

Not to beat a dead horse....but while I'm on a roll here's more:

Somebody needs to organize all this and put it together as a supplement to Ben's pdf file for the early models. I've learned the first models were named by letters...so I will assume Model A was the first model of 1912. Maybe we'll get lucky and some descendants or former workers will come forward with pictures and more info. Found a 1938 catalog I'm trying to get my hands around.

As of 1940 per Industrial Research Labs:

P.A. Geier Company, 540 E. 105th St., Cleveland, Ohio
President: A.H. Zirke
Exec officer in charge of research: A.H. Zirke
Research Staff: Eugene F. Martinet, Chief Engineer; Elmer F. Kasper, Asst Engineer
Research Activities: Engineering relating to the movement of air, the elimination of noise, and high speed motors and bearings in electric vacuum cleaners (Research initiated ca. 1912)

Obituary of P.A. Geier.
Nov 13, 1942, Mansfield News-Journal, p2
"MANUFACTURER DIES Cleveland__(UP)__Philip A. Geier, 65, founder and head of P.A. Geier company, died of a heart attack yesterday. Nationally known in the electrical appliance manufacturing field. Geier died only seven weeks after the death of his wife."

 

[hygiene903]

Amazing!

Thanks again Matt, for this wonderful information you have shared. I have also seen the name A.H. Zirke in some of my research as well. I do have more info on Phil Geier's passing, which includes the cemetery and descendants, but have to dig it out so I can pass it along to you. I do know he is buried in Cleveland. Thanks again,
Jeff

 

[dysonman1]

Martinet was also the engineer of the first Filter Queen, model 200. He left Royal right after Philp died, and went to work exclusively for Health-Mor.

The 1917 Royal does not have a two piece handle, so it wouldn't have been used as a cleaning wand, as the first two models did. However, it does have the in-line switch and removable cord. The cord disconnected from the side of the cleaner, and pulled all the way back up through the handle. I'll bet that was the first model with a small portable handle to use the machine as a hand vac.

 

[portable]

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Matt: I do have a membership to Ancestry. I took a look there, and found that:</span>


 


<span style="font-family: helvetica;">Philip Albert Geier was born on July 3, 1877 in Cleveland. His father's name, according to Philip's death certificate, was Sebastian (born in Germany)</span>


 


<span style="font-family: helvetica;">His death certificate states that he was to be buried at Knollwood Cemetery in Cleveland. I could find no pictures of Philip on Ancestry. His death certificate did state that he was Chairman of the Board at the time of his death.</span>


 


<span style="font-family: helvetica;">John L.</span>

 

[hygiene903]

Here's The Information I Promised

From the obituary file of Cleveland Public Library, it names the children of Philip A. Geier as Florence G. McCleod, Mary Katherine Brigham, and Philip H. Geier. His wife's name, who preceded him in death 7 weeks prior, was Mary M.C. Geier, and his living siblings were Helen Muelhausen, Herman S. Geier, William G. Geier (died 6/1951 in Orlando, Fla.), and Clara B. Geier (died 6/1965). Address for Philip A. and Mary was 17825 Windward, and both of their funerals were held at Holy Cross Catholic Church.
As for A.H. Zirke, his name is on the Trademark Registration for Electro-Hygiene as president of the P.A. Geier Co. According to this document, application was made on 9/20/1947 and the trademark was registered 8/29/1950, but first used in March of 1934, which I assume was the birth of Electro-Hygiene, which began as a wholly owned subsidiary of P.A. Geier and in 1941 incorporated as a separate company. Below is a copy of the trademark registration. This trademark is exactly as it appears on the data plate on the straight suction uprights, as well as the bag on pre-war models.
Jeff

 

[dustmatt]

A-Bag dating

If his death certificate stated his father was Sebastian then that is probably right. I thought he was the 3 year old son listed in the 1880 census for Philip Geier of Cincinnati. Goes to show how tricky history can be. Maybe he was the same boy, but was a nephew living with the Geier's of Cincinnati at the time? Found another obituary in the NY Times. It had the same info, but added that Geier was also chairman of Continental Electric Co Ltd, Toronto and Zenith Plastics Inc of Cleveland.

Found this ad from April 1941 for the Easy-Clean paper bag (A-Bag). Maybe you all already knew when the A-Bag came out, but this was new info for me. More stuff to know when I stumble across these things at estate sales and auctions.