E. Remington and Sons

E. Remington and Sons

Company type	Private
Industry	Firearms, Typewriters, Sewing machines, Agricultural tools
Founded	1816 (1816) in Ilion, New York, United States
Founder	Eliphalet Remington
Defunct	1896 (1896)
Fate	Sold to Hartley and Graham; typewriter division sold to Standard Typewriter Manufacturing Company
Successor	Remington Arms Company; Remington Typewriter Company
Headquarters	Ilion , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Eliphalet Remington, Philo Remington, Samuel Remington
Products	Firearms, Typewriters, Sewing machines, Agricultural tools
Owner	Remington family (until 1888)

E. Remington and Sons (1816–1896) was a producer of firearms and typewriters. Established in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, the company gained recognition on March 1, 1873, for launching the first commercially available typewriter.

The rifle barrel

There are two narratives regarding the creation of Remington’s initial rifle barrel: one claims that the younger Remington crafted his own rifle due to financial constraints; the other proposes he intended to manufacture a superior barrel using wrought iron. Both versions concur that a gunsmith performed the rifling on the barrel.

In 1816, Eliphalet II, then a young blacksmith, forged his first rifle barrel and quickly began producing more to satisfy the increasing demand for flintlock rifles in the growing Mohawk Valley region. The opening of the Erie Canal played a key role in enhancing trade and demand in this area.

To take advantage of this economic expansion, the Remington family moved their forge and foundry in 1828 to a site near Morgan's Landing (which later became Ilion, New York), strategically located along both the canal and Mohawk River. This relocation occurred shortly after Eliphalet I passed away, with Eliphalet II assuming control of the business.

Becoming "E. Remington & Sons"

In 1839, Eliphalet Remington’s eldest son, Philo Remington, joined the enterprise, prompting a renaming to "E. Remington & Son." By 1845, with the addition of his second son Samuel, the firm became known as "E. Remington & Sons." The company gained a reputation for producing rifle barrels stamped "REMINGTON," noted for their quality and affordability. Numerous independent gunsmiths throughout the Mohawk Valley procured barrels from Remington to assemble custom firearms. To accommodate rising demand, the firm expanded its offerings to include percussion locks imported from Birmingham, England, as well as brass components such as trigger guards and butt plates. After 1846, manufacturing efforts concentrated primarily on military longarms and revolvers.

In 1848, Remington purchased gun-making equipment from Ames Manufacturing Company and secured a contract to supply Jenks breechloading percussion carbines for the U.S. Navy—marking its first production of breech-loading rifles. The company also furnished rifles to U.S. Army forces during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and assumed responsibility for a defaulted order of 5,000 Model 1841 Percussion Mississippi rifles. These successful military contracts paved the way for additional government orders throughout the 1850s.

By 1856, Remington had diversified into manufacturing agricultural tools. Following Eliphalet’s death in 1861, Philo took over leadership during the Civil War period and expanded production into sewing machines (1870–1894) and typewriters (starting in 1873), both of which were exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia.

Remington's typewriter

On June 23, 1868, Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule received a patent for a "Type-Writer," which evolved into the Sholes and Glidden typewriter—the first device capable of typing more rapidly than handwriting. The patent was sold for $12,000 to Densmore and Yost, who collaborated with E. Remington & Sons—then recognized for sewing machines—to bring the typewriter to market. Production commenced on March 1, 1873, at Ilion, New York.

This typewriter introduced the QWERTY keyboard layout devised by Sholes. The successful Remington No. 2 model released in 1878 was notable as the first machine to offer both uppercase and lowercase letters via a shift key mechanism, solidifying QWERTY’s widespread adoption. Eventually, E. Remington & Sons divested their typewriter division to Standard Typewriter Manufacturing Company; this company later merged with Rand Kardex Corporation in 1927 to create Remington Rand Inc., which became a leading typewriter manufacturer throughout much of the twentieth century.

Remington Arms

During the Civil War (1861–1865), E. Remington & Sons was a principal supplier of small arms to the United States government. On March 7, 1888, the Remington family sold the company to new proprietors Hartley and Graham from New York, alongside Winchester Repeating Arms Company based in New Haven, Connecticut. This change in ownership resulted in the official rebranding as Remington Arms Company.

From 1867 through 1900, Remington emerged as a foremost firearms manufacturer on the global stage, exporting millions of its Rolling Block rifles to countries such as France, Egypt, Scandinavia, Belgium, Argentina, Mexico, and the Papal States. Additionally, the company played a vital role in equipping U.S. forces during both World War I (1917–1918) and World War II (1941–1945), thereby solidifying its position and competitive strength within the arms manufacturing sector.

Remington Typewriter Company

In 1886, E. Remington & Sons divested its typewriter division to Standard Typewriter Manufacturing Company, Inc., transferring the rights to use the Remington brand name as well. The purchasers—William O. Wyckoff, Harry H. Benedict, and Clarence Seamans—were previously executives at Remington.

Standard Typewriter adopted the name Remington Typewriter Company in 1902. Later, in 1927, it merged with Rand Kardex Bureau to create Remington Rand, a company that broadened its product range beyond office machinery to include computers and electric shavers. This evolution highlights a strategic approach toward diversification and corporate expansion.