Preceden

C. E. Ward Company

History of Entrepreneurship and Economics Paper
Sarah Ward 2012

C.E. Ward Life

Clyde Eugune Ward

January 9 1873 - September 2 1943

Son of Jacob L Ward (born August 16 1844) and Mary Ellen (Nellie) Hubler Ward (born 1846 Died 1877 of consumption).
When is mom died the boy was sent to his grandparents William Ward and Anna Ward.

Clyde was one of three siblings
Edith Rose b. April 30 1868 d. november 5 1904 She married Edmund R. Stilston [involved in the business]

Anna Marquette b. July 31 1870 d. October 1953. Married to Guy Swanger

Married to Daisy Estelle White b. October 23 1874 d. April 7 1959

Attended New London Local School

1877 - 1886

Assuming C. E. Ward entered school at age five he would have gone to school for 9 years. He dropped out of school to work

Source 3

C.E. works at Elders Grocery Store

1886 - 1889

He works a clerk for three years

Source 1

W. S. Belleville and R. B. Powers operation making Regalia Business

1888

W. S. Belleville and R.B. Powers began a small operation making "regalia" in 1889. They sold the business to two others people W.E. Clemmons and S.O. Curtis

Began Operating a Grocery

1889

Operating a Grocery Business for Riley Brundage on the second floor of his furniture store.

Clyde bought the entire business $ 300 and rented the building and opened shop on September 30th 1892 and put in a full line of furniture and later wallpaper with a stand of confectionery and cigars to pay expences

Source 1

C. E. Purchase Business

1891

W. S. Belleville and R.B. Powers began a small operation making "regalia" in 1889. They sold the business to two others people W.E. Clemmons and S.O. Curtis

Souece 5(3)

This business consisted of a book an blank business for the Jr. O.U.A.M lodges they made badges, printed matiral, and an occasional gown.
Source 1

W.E. Clemons ended up with powers share and around 1981 will bellville and will clemmons sold the business to Clyde for $30 each
Source 1

On the 13th of July 1895 Mr. Ward Purchases Mr. Curtics interest and partnered with Clemons [the manufacturing department was conducted upstairs in connection to the furnature business downstairs] Mr. Clemons sold his interes to E.R. Stilson

Source 2

C.E. Ward and Ed Stilson buy lodge rosette business

1891

C.E. Ward and Stilson paid four new london gentlemen $138 for their lodge rosette business.

Shortly After this they received an order from the odd fellows lodge for bullion collars and this started up the ward and stilston company

Source 6

C.E. Ward/Stilson bought interest

1895

When the small reglia business was was sold to W.E. Clemmons and S.O. Curtis, Clyde bought curtis interest in the company and Clydes brother in law E.R. Stilson bought Clemons interst in 1904

Source 5 (3)

Marriage to Daisy Estelle White

1895

Daisy was born October 23 1874 d. April 7 1959

Daughter of Danial and Julia (Gilbert) White

Moves business into furniture shop

1896

They were making the badges collars and robes in the wards and stilson homes untill they moved into the furnature shop.

Source 1

Stilson paid C.E. Ward for his half of the business

1905

Ed split from the business and set out on his own and had a larger order from the mosonic lodge that helped business after splitting.

1913 moved his business to Anderson Indiana where it prospered for many years afterwords
Source 6

Clyde sold his share of the business

August 31 1905

Cylde ward sold his share for $50,000 to E.R. Stilson who operated the ward Stilson Company unitl 1913 when he moved to Anderson Indiana
Source 1

C.E. Founds his own company

October 2 1905

With the money from the sale to Stilson. C.E. ward becomes president of the coroporaton wiht hacob ward as vice president, and Guy Barrett as secretary-treasurer,
The original directors included:
Guy Berrett, Fred Bigelow, Clarence Hubler, Ernest Hubler, George Prosser, Anna Swanger, Clyde Ward, and Jacob Ward

Source 1

C.E. President

October 2 1905 - 1943

Expansion of Production/ Business

1910

Built a new factory building on the corner of James and Williams Street even with this expansion the company was growing so fast that rented part of old st. james hotel building and used it for sewing and stock rooms

Source 6

A two story brick addition was added to the williams street side in 1911

A new wood working plant was opened on north main street between the big four and northern ohio tracks to build shipping crates and other wooden items needed for the business

Expansion of Products/ Packaging

1910

The business had expanded to include:
customes, swords with inland hilts, bulges, horns, harps, jewels, and hand painted scenery

Later they added lanterns and electirc arc lights

Mr. Ward had adopted a yellow envelop with his photo in the left corner which was soon noticed all around the country they made it back to new london even if they were addressed wrong

Source 6

Bonus

1919

Paid a 5% bonus toall employees
Source 6

Hiring

1920

looking for more help from either new full time or part time employess

Sourch 6

Railroad re-built/New Buildings

1923

C.E. Ward company asked the railroad to move the present stock yards as they wanted to build a new building near there for expanding buiness and to everyones suprise they moved.

A new 42*84 "Metal Plant" building was added on railroad street in 1924 and the sprinkler system was added to their factory system

they then again rented space from the St. James hotel

World Cruise

1925

Source 3

Newalk High Orders

1927

Received an order for band uniforms for the school and soon after they were getting band uniform orders form all around the world

Source 6

Traveling through Europe

1927

Source 3

Bought National Bank Building

1936

Bought national bank on the southwest building on the coner of the square downtown and turned it into their office building

Source 6

Cleveland Plain Dealer 1936

1936

An Article about C.E. Company is featured in the Sunday February 16, 1936 Cleveland Plain Dealer the artilce mentions several of the following items,

C.E. Ward is the head of a million dollar uniform business in New London Ohio, with the investment in the lodge regalia for 138 has developed the business to to the point were grosses many thousands annually.

today sells over 3000 different items including, band uniforms, caps and gowns church vestments, choir gowns, nurse uniforms and frarernal regalla

Orders come from all the states in the union, canada, china, mexico, japan, Hawaii, Austrialla, porta rico, Phillipans, Cuba, Scotland, England and other far away countries

Universitys that wear C.E. Ward Cap and gowns include bucknell, oberlin, ohio state, ohio weasleyan,

Alice Ward is the private secertary and director

The article includes a whole list of who the board of directors is

The artilce then continues to talk about how he started the business reference to when talking about how he started and what sort of change he made. Includeing all the times that he noticed a need and fulfilled it while expanding

Received an order

1938

I.O.O.f lodge in the dutch east indies

Source 6

Received an order

1939

Made new band uniforms fro the warren Pennsylvania V.F.W a national award winning show band

Source 6

Expansion/ Fire

1940

Purchased the old post office buildingon the corner of east main and railroad avenue and installed new sewing machines and a new sprinkler system for fire protection. A small fire in the main factory during the night had been extinhuished by the system for fire protection.

Source 6

Sterling is President

1943 - 1946

Sterling became president and died

Source 6

Rodney is President

1946 - 1968

Rodney becomes president bu t was hit and killed by a train

Source 6

Business is sold

1968

C.E. Wards Children

Virginia Marquette Ward

July 27 1896 - August 8 1987

C.E. Wards Daughter, Student at the college for women Western Reserve University, Married Paul M. White and had three daughters: Nancy, Phyllis, and Virginia

Sterling Wentworth Ward

August 17 1898 - April 24 1946

C.E. Wards son, Vice President (Involved in the business)

Walter Lawrence Ward

January 16 1907 - February 16 1908

C.E. Wards son died in infancy

Alice Marie Ward

March 25 1910 - January 16 1996

C.E. Wards Daughter, attended Ohio Wesleyan University (Involved in the business)

Secretary and assistant treasurer of C.E. Ward
Source 1

Sold her shares in the buisness becuase she was not happy with the board of directors decision to not make Sterling Jr. President (my grandpa)
Source Dad

Rodney Eugene Ward

March 6 1913 - April 4 1968

C.E, Wards son Involved in the business