Joseph G.A. Morin

This coffin plates for Joseph Morin and Marie Morin were found in New Hampshire. Most of the Morins living in the United states at this time were in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Many came from Quebec in Canada.

The coffin plate for Joseph is unusual in that it has a makers name stamped on the back. Most plates have no marks at all. This plate was made by Sargent and Co in New Haven Conn. I have done a little reasearch into Sargent and Co and put the results below.

In 1863, J.B. Sargent purchased a city square on Water Street in New Haven, Conn. In 1864, the plant was constructed with elevators, running water and flush toilets, all of which were very innovative for the times. October, 1864 brought the incorporation of Sargent & Company of New Haven, Conn

Prior to the Sargent brothers acquiring this property, it was owned by such historical names as colonial patriot Jesse Leavenworth (1760), Benedict Arnold (1778), Eli Whitney (1807), and the Fulton Steamboat Company (1817).

The original plant started out with a series of five-story brick buildings, storage sheds, and, as the business grew, other buildings were added. The factory grew and in the late 1870's, it occupied 16 acres of floor space, had 1,700 workers who earned 15¢ an hour for a ten hour day, six days a week as the average. By 1914, the SARGENT product catalog listed some 60,000 different items, making it one of the largest hardware manufacturing plants in the United States.