Eliphalet Remington, the eldest son of Eliphalet Remington, a carpenter and mechanic, was born on October 28, 1793 at Suffield, Connecticut. He was among the descendants of Thomas Remington, a resident of Windsor, Connecticut, as early as 1672. His mother is said to have been Elizabeth, née Kilbourn. When Eliphalet was about six years old, his father bought a large tract of virgin land in Herkimer County, New York, near Litchfield, and in the following year moved there with his family. Here the boy grew to manhood.
Education
He obtained an elementary education in Herkimer County.
Career
He helped his father clear and operate the farm, continuing in this work even after his marriage in 1814.
About 1816 his father purchased a farm along Steele's Creek in Herkimer County, several miles south of the present town of Ilion, to which place both father and son removed with their families in 1816.
In addition to farming, the elder Remington established a mechanical shop there, which included a forge powered by a water wheel. Here he carried on the manufacture of the simple agricultural implements used by the farmers of that time. He also did blacksmithing and general mechanical repair work.
The younger Remington inherited much of his father's mechanical genius and became particularly skillful in forging. In the course of his work he undertook to forge a gun barrel out of scrap iron, so that he might have a rifle of his own, and took it to a gunsmith at Utica, New York, to be rifled and stocked. The gunsmith complimented young Remington so highly upon his skill that he was encouraged to forge more barrels, which he took from time to time to Utica for rifling. All of the rifles were quickly sold and proved so excellent that Eliphalet's reputation was quickly established and orders for gun barrels came to the Remingtons in constantly increasing numbers. For upwards of twenty-two years the two continued this work, adding equipment gradually, so that by 1828 they were not only forging barrels but were rifling, stocking, and lock fitting guns as well.
After the death of the elder Remington in 1828, Eliphalet, realizing the advantages of having a factory on the Erie Canal, which had been opened three years before, purchased a tract of land along that waterway and erected a new gunshop. A settlement soon sprang up around the shop, which came to be known locally as Remington's Corners. At the request and insistence of Remington, however, this name was changed in 1843 to Ilion.
In its new location his gun business increased in magnitude year by year and in 1845 he purchased the entire gun-finishing machinery of Ames & Company, Springfield, Massachussets, assuming, in addition, an unfinished contract with the United States government for several thousand carbines. To accommodate the additional equipment Remington enlarged his works, and before the completion of the new buildings he secured a contract in his own right from the federal government for 5, 000 Harper's Ferry rifles. This was followed almost immediately by a second contract of equal magnitude.
By this time three sons were taking an active part in the growing business, which now included not only rifle manufacture but also experimental work looking toward the manufacture of other products. In 1847 the Remington pistol was put on the market, which, because of its efficiency and simplicity, became popular in a short time and yielded business of enormous proportions.
Again, in 1856, the manufacture of agricultural implements was begun, starting with a cultivator tooth. To this department were quickly added plows, mowing machines, wheeled rakes, horse hoes, and a large variety of smaller tools. This increased output required the addition of three buildings and the employment of some 375 men. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Remington again received large contracts for rifles, carbines, and pistols from the federal government, but the strain attendant on filling these orders, involving as they did the construction of additional manufacturing units, completely undermined his health and caused his death within a few months. He was greatly interested in the development of Ilion and took an active part in civic affairs. He was one of the first directors and the first president of the Ilion Bank, which position he held until his death.
Achievements
He founded what is now known as the Remington Arms Co. , L. L. C. Originally the company was known as E. Remington followed by E. Remington & Son and then E. Remington and Sons.
Connections
Eliphalet Remington was married to Abigail Paddock, and they had three sons, Philo Remington, Eliphalet Remington III, and Samuel Remington, and two daughters.
