Notes
Worn by Mrs. James L. Whitaker.
Donor: Mrs. Fred Whitaker.
James L. Whitaker was owner of Wm. Whitaker & Sons, a cotton spinning Mill located at Tabor Road and F Street in northeast Philadelphia.
"William Whitaker died in 1878 and was succeeded by his sons. Eventually, one of them, James Whitaker, became sole owner. The business remained in the Whitaker family for six generations. It was incorporated as William Whitaker & Sons, Inc., on September 30, 1946.
The Cedar Grove Mills came to specialize in mattress ticking, which was the principal product line from the 1840s until World War II. During the Civil War the firm manufactured woolen blankets for the war effort. In 1876 the Whitakers expanded into carpet manufacture through the purchase of the Tremont Carpet Mills in Frankford. The Whitaker firm sold directly to retailers, particularly to the retail store, Boyd, White & Co."
(Source: http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/ark:/99166/w6354xgf)