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Or maybe my SweeperVac. I know nothing about the machine or the company, if anyone has info to share I would love to hear from you.

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Hi Collector 2

Okay here's what I know about John S. Thurman. It was on October 3, 1899 that he patented his gasoline powered pneumatic Carpet Renovator. From that date till April 26, 1910 he recieved 32 U.S. patents for his Stationary vacuum cleaner.

You're right, Booth did start with a machine on back of a horse drawn cart, Thurman had one of those too, but both men also made built-in machines. The full history is to complex to go into here.

Tomorrow I'll share a lot more on the early vacuum cleaners.

Alex Taber.
 
This straight suction Royal is almost as old as my Hoover 541. It was built in April of 1926 according to the date stamped on the armature. This is how it looked when I got it. Restoration has since begun but is far from being finished.

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And finally, this Eureka. Couldn't find a model # on it, but the serial # is G149232. I have no idea when it was built or the model # and would appreciate any info anyone has on this vac.

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Eureka 10

The eureka's bag is a replacement bag from 1934, but a rare replacement bag. In the photo you can see my model 10 to the right of the eureka model 9. The sweeper-vac is made by the pneuvac co. in worcester, mass. round about 1920. It was the co. first motor driven brush.

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well,

as some of you know, most of my herd is from the 1960's and 1970's, but I do have a hand full of Antique, pre-war butties. this is my eldest, a 1919 Hoover model 102

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Hi guys, great thread!

Late last night and early this morning there have been a lot of posts on some really great vacuum cleaners. This thread is very dear to my heart as it deals with the era I love so well. Over the next hour or so I'll respond to each of you persenally.

Thanks again,

Alex Taber.
 
Hi cb123.

That Cyclone's in great condition, but what I really like is that upright pumper, known as the 'Star.' This is one that I've seen many times, but know little about. Can you provide a little information on it, I know those of us into non electric's would like that.
 
Hygiene903.

I love those Royals, as for the Apex, it was indeed circa 1918, and was the design of James B. Kirby, who would go on to deal with the washing machine division of Apex, while making Scott/Fetzer the company that perfected his vacuum cleaner.

Actually, Royal began as a non electric pumper in 1905. The parent company was Philip A. Geier who opened a factory in Cleveland, Ohio. I know very little about the P. A. Geier Co., but they were the ones who made all sorts of parts for Royal, Health-Mor, and countless others.

The history of the early electric vacuum cleaner is very complex. I've written a 7 page overview, and will post the first page later today. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. In a few months I plan to get my paperwork from storage in Indiana and bring it back here. My vacuum cleaners, attatchments and so on as well. Once I have this paperwork, and written facts to back up everything, I can go into more detail. Right now I'm going on memory, and at 62, that tends to be a bit fuzzy.

Again, thanks for posting those great machines.

Alex.
 
Awe thankyou for the info on the brush clip :) i turned it around on purpous on purpous lol i was useing it for my cord when i was having troubles with my cord winder and just never put it back lol

and i look it was infact 1961 thankyou :)


all these vacuums are gorgous :)
 
The first page of my, History Of The Electric Vacuum Cleaner

Here's the article I wrote on the central vac several years ago.

Most people have no idea when the first electric vacuum cleaner was introduced. The general contention is that this was the Electric Suction Sweeper, introduced by Murray J. Spangler in 1907. However, as most of us know that while it was perfected in 1908 and became the now famous Hoover Model O, it was by no means the first.

The change from non-electric to early electric has been a slow one. Actually, it was a three part process, because sandwiched in between the non electric and electric was the industrial vacuum cleaner, or what we call the central vac.

The man who should get the credit for this is John S. Thurman, of Saint Louis, Missouri. He patented his gasoline powered Pneumactic Carpet Renovator on October 3, 1899. His suction machine was massive in size, as were the stationary units he also designed. These were built for use in mansions and office buildings. The pipes were snaked through the walls, with suction ports in the floor. The hoses were often 75-100 feet long and quite heavy. Much like the hoses of a fire truck today. Thurman realized that this was not practical for the general public and turned his sights on a portable system. In 1903 he went back to the gasoline powered unit that was mounted on the back of a horse drawn cart. The heavy hoses were snaked through the front door, and windows of the second floor. It's interesting to note that he was the first person to clean carpets professionally. He charged the whopping sum of $4.00 per visit

In 1901, American industrialist Cecil H. Boothwas in London, England when he perfected his electric suction machine. He showed it to Queen Victoria who was so impressed that she had all the grand houses outfitted with Booth's machine.

Back in America, Thurman had made a name for himself by perfecting the electric vacuum cleaner. From October 3, 1899 to April 26, 1910 Thurman recieved 32 U.S. government patents for his 'stationary' vacuum cleaner. However, most historians fail to recognize Thurman as the inventor of the electric vacuum cleaner.

The idea of vacuum cleaning homes professionally caught on, and I'm sure there are dozens of success stories based upon Thurman's gasoline and electricvacuum cleaners, but there's only one known story, that of the San Francisco firm, The Chapman and Skinner Home Renovating Company. They used a Thurman designed machine to clean the fancy homes on Nob Hill. The only drawback was it's being on the back of a horse drawn truck, often frightening the horses, causing them to break free to get away from the noise. Realizing that if they switched to a more practicle machine thet could raise the cost and strike it rich. Thay were right! And whatthey switched to was a Thurman designed upright.

The cleaning power of this machine was fantastic! Morevoer, it cleaned carpets in a fraction of the time. What they used was considered 'portable,' however, it weighed 92 pounds, and had a fan 18" in diameter. Within three months they were able to double their orders. Money was so good that they quickly outgrw the drab office and moved into the fashionable Monadonock building on Market street.

To be continued.

As for the rest of this I'll post it later this week. However, the Chapman/Skinner company was lost in the great earthquake of 1906, and the only known Chapman/Skinner used to be at the Hoover Historical Center, at least it was in 1994 when the club had it's anual meeting there. The history I got on Cecil H. Booth came from sources compiled over 20 years ago. There's only one red flag for me, and that's Queen Victoria. As she died in 1901, Booth may well have been the last inventor she saw, and if she did give the order to have all grand buildings outfitted with his machine, then she wouldn't have lived to see it. The only other possible answer is that she met with Booth in 1900. As for Thurnan, every enclyopedia I've read about the vacuum cleaner states that he did indeed invent the first electric in 1899. As for the motor unit on the horse drawn truck, Booth, Thurman, Chapman& Skinner and many others went with it. Certainly I welcome corrections. All my records are based on the research of othere, and yes, they could be wrong!!
 
The problem with history is that

we collectors read all sorts of so called facts. What I heard was that Booth was an American on holiday in London, so I gather all the facts I can from various places. Sometimes things don't make a lot of sense. I stll fail to see how he and Queen Victoria got together so he could show it to her. But that fact has been brought up in several articles.

As I said, I welcome corrections, ideas, and input. My friend John Lucia calls me a research junkie, I like that term, because it's true. In the early days of this club, I dug in every corner to gather facts. The facts I share here.

If you have any written history on Cecil H. Booth, please feel free to share it. I'm still hungry for facts,

And I love the Whirlwind which is of cource not the same as my Whirlwind, but clearly the name has been used freely.

Thanks again,

Alex Taber.
 

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