This set belonged to Elwood Hendershot (15 May 1907- March 1976), uncle of donor. Elwood was a longtime employee of Morey Mercantile, starting sometime between 1930 and 1934 and retiring shortly after the company was sold in 1956. He worked as a clerk and as a salesman in their hardware department. Elwood's wife Della also worked at Morey is the office but stopped working when the couple married around 1940. The couple had no children so the material was inherited by the donor.
Donor was a niece to former Morey Mercantile employees. Jar belonged to the couple and was inherited after the couple's passing. The uncle, Elwood Hendershot worked for Morey Mercantile starting between 1930-1934 and retiring in 1956. His wife, Della, worked for the company until 1940, when she married Elwood.
The Morey Mercantile Company, originally known as the C. S. Morey Mercantile Company, was established in 1884 by C. S. (Chester Stephen) Morey. Chester was born in Dane County, Wisconsin on March 3, 1847. Before he was seventeen he enlisted in Co. I. 36th Wisconsin Infantry and took part in several Civil War battles. Later he attended Eastman's Business College in Chicago in 1867. He obtained work in the retail grocery of Cobb & Thorne. In 1873, he became a western representative for Sprague, Warner & Co. He soon became their top salesman and later partner. He handled the sales for Sprague, Warner & Co. and later established the C.S. Morey Mercantile Company, out of his office at 1809 Blake Street in Denver.
The C. S. Morey Mercantile Company soon outgrew the Blake Street building and moved to 1537 Market Street followed by a move to Wazee and 19th Streets. In 1896 Morey began the construction of a much larger building at the corner of Wynkoop and 16th Streets. The six story building sat on five lots and included a "mill" with a twenty-five foot frontage that housed the roasting plant, spice grinding department, extract laboratory, and print shop. In 1907, again in need of more space, Morey purchased the property across the alley facing Wazee Street. A bridge was constructed over the alley. More buildings on Wynkoop Street were acquired at various times. By 1925, a total of 253,000 square feet in Denver were in use by the company.
The company grew to an organization employing roughly 500 people in Denver and in its eighteen branches in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Nebraska. In 1902, Morey started the Solitaire Brand, which became the company's top seller in top quality canned goods. Canned fruits, vegetables, and coffee started the line. Items were added from time to time, including such varied products as matches, cigars, writing tablets, brooms, jar rings and a complete assortment of food products such as cereals, fish, cheese, and macaroni.
C. S. Morey's son John W. Morey began to work in the company in 1901. John was born on December 22, 1878 in Denver and graduated from Yale University. John became president of Morey Merchantile in 1913. His father Chester died on January 22, 1922. The Morey company grew to become the largest grocery business in sales, territory and number of employees. The company eventually bought out other companies such as the Struby-Estabrook Mercantile Company and the J.S. Brown & Brother Mercantile Company. In 1956 the Board of Directors met to discuss arrangements regarding the sale of the company to Consolidated Foods Corporation, a national grocery company in Chicago. Just eight days after the sale of his company on November 3, 1956 J. W. Morey passed away.