Text (no images), Pages 255-256:
"The Hosiery Mills of Conyers Button & Co., Germantown, Philadelphia.
"This extensive establishment was founded by John Button, the father of the present principal proprietor, in 1831. He was a native of Leicestershire, England, and emigrated to this country in 1830. His father, Joseph Button, was a lace manufacturer of that section. The son, at the time of his leaving England, was the owner of two small machines for knitting hosiery, which, under the then existing laws, he succeeded in having passed through as 'tools.'
"On arriving in Philadelphia, he at once put his machines into operation, and for twelve months manufactured children's socks. These, being made in a superior manner and being much less expensive than the hand-made article, commanded a ready sale. Being the only manufacturer of hose by machinery, he enjoyed a monopoly of the trade for a number of years.
"Attracted by the natural advantages of Germantown and the low rates of living in that rural district, he removed thither. Renting a small building on the brow of 'Negley's Hill, near the site of Henson Brothers' present mill, he set up his two machines, to which he soon after added eight others. His great success in the manufacture of children's socks induced him to undertake the manufacture of men's hose. This enterprise was equally fortunate in its results.
"Not only was he the founder of a large establishment of his own, but now under his instruction many of those now at the head of similar industries learned the art of making knit goods by steam power. In fact, John Button's little factory was the nucleus of the great hosiery manufactories of the present day. The echoes he awoke with his two small machines in the then wooded village of Germantown gathered strength, and are still reverberating far and wide. 'Germantown knit goods' are familiar to the inhabitants of every city and village in the United States.
"In 1835, his increasing business demanded more room and greater
facilities. He purchased three acres of land at the corner of
Main street and Walnut lane, and erected a building of sufficient
capacity to accommodate his machinery. At that time he employed
about twenty five hands and produced goods annually to the value
of $20,000. It soon became necessary to enlarge this building,
and its present dimensions are evidence of how often this
necessity occurred in the ensuing thirty or thirty-five years.
"In 1865, Joseph Button withdrew, and his brother, Conyers
Button, became the sole proprietor of the business, and to this
day maintains the position which his father secured for himself
and the manufactory. Four years later he admitted his nephew,
Theodore A. Fleu, into partnership, and the firm now has the
style and title of Conyers Button & Co. These gentleman avail
themselves of every improvement which may from time to tome enter
into the manufacture of woollen knit goods, and conduct their
business on careful but liberal principles.
"Their manufactory comprises a handsome group of buildings
covering a large extent of ground. These buildings are kept in
the neatest order as to exterior, and in this respect vie with
the many handsome residences with which they are surrounded on
all sides, while the interior is a model of perfect system and
cleanliness of appearance. The counting-house is one of the
finest in Philadelphia, while the engine room is a marvel of new-
pin brightness and studied ornamentation. The mills give
employment to a large number of hands, male and female, and the
amount and value of the goods manufactured is very great.
"The proprietors are gentlemen of culture and refinement, and the
senior partner contributed largely of his means to the building
of the handsome church of the Unitarian Society, at Germantown,
and is a prominent supporter of that congregation."