Trade Card for the Arthur J. Brown Seed Company, circa 1905.

Price:  $8.00         Size:  3 and 1/2 x 5″

Spring has already sprung and yesterday was a beautiful day with half the neighborhood out doing gardening. So, here’s a trade card with nasturtiums and morning glories from the Alfred J. Brown Seed Company out of Grand Rapids, MI.

Choice Flower Seeds

“The Success of the Flower Garden depends principally upon the quality of seeds planted. We sell the Best and only the Best that grows. Alfred J. Brown Seed Co. New location Corner Ottawa and Lewis Streets. Grand Rapids, Mich.”

The ad below, appearing in March 1925, in The Daily Times (New Philadelphia, OH) indicates that the Alfred J. Brown Seed Company was established in 1891. Evidently, the company was quite successful since the most recent city directory found for them appears in 1946, address 37-45 Campau Ave. But our card above is from around 1905, since this is the first year they show up at the then new location, the southeast corner of Ottawa and Louis. The year prior they were doing business from 24-26 N. Division and 20-22 N. Ottawa.

From the 1900 Federal Census and Find A Grave, Alfred J. Brown was born December 1860 in England. He was married to Sarah “Sally” Thrasher, and they had two sons, Thomas and Robert.

Sources:  The Daily Times (New Philadelphia, OH) March 20, 1925. Friday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Grand Rapids Directory 1888, p. 202. (Newspapers.com).

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Grand Rapids Directory 1904, p. 243. (Newspapers.com).

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Grand Rapids Directory 1905, p. 233. (Newspapers.com).

Grand Rapids Directory Company Polks Grand Rapids (Kent County, Mich.) City Directory 1946, Vol. LXVIII, p. 138. (Newspapers.com).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Grand Rapids Ward 10, Kent, Michigan; Page: 22; Enumeration District: 0082; FHL microfilm: 1240723. (Ancestry.com).

Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi. (accessed April 19, 2020).