Talk:Thomas B. Jeffery Company

References needed

This page claims Nash resigned from GM to join Jeffrey while others say he was fired when Durant regained control of GM. The latter seems more likely, do we have references for both? Dovid (talk) 04:28, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Jeffery Quad

Thank you "Theophilus reed" for adding and improving the Jeffery Quad section! Great work! The Jeffery Quad is a significant vehicle in several respects, and I think it should have its own article. This would follow the pattern for other automakers. The main company article is about the business, decision-makers, and other corporate aspects. However, individual vehicles and special models have their own articles. I propose that a new Jeffery Quad article be formed with all the information in the existing Jeffery Quad section, while at the same time retaining this section with a short description and a see {Main article: Jeffery Quad} template to direct readers to the full article. The talk page for the new Jeffery Quad should be listed with additional WikiProjects: Military history and Trucks. Thank you - CZmarlin (talk) 00:27, 4 December 2014 (UTC)

So I would surely consider working on a separate article for the Quad, if that's the way you wish to go. I know a fair amount about the vehicle, as my grandfather was one of two trade representatives in the employ of the Jeffery company working in France during WWI (he had previously worked as a machinist in the Kenosha factory). I even have photos of the Quads (and other Jeffery vehicles) taken in France, alongside the American-flagged transport ships that brought the Jeffery production to the port of Le Havre before the US entry into the war (under international law, the Germans couldn't torpedo American-flagged vessels unless they could prove they were carrying munitions, thus these US merchant ships had enormous United States flags painted on their hulls). The photos are so old (1914-1916) that copyright wouldn't apply, and in any event my grandfather gave the negatives to me before his death in 1986. But I am just hoping that if I should include scans of these photos in an article that this wouldn't be deemed "original research", as the photos have not yet been published elsewhere. --Theophilus Reed (talk) 22:38, 5 December 2014 (UTC)

You have an amazing story with your grandfather! The pictures would be outstanding and provide the documentation about the vehicle. Actual images are not subject to any "original research" limitations. They can be scanned and uploaded into Commons. These would be terrific historical documentation, as well as serve as a reference for the future. Expanding and illustrating a separate article would highlight the historical significance of the Quad. I will go ahead and make a new article for the Quad. Furthermore, I would hope to see this Jeffery Company article to be as detailed and concise like this example: Vanajan Autotehdas. There should be enough information in the Kenosha Museum about this company to write about and ultimately earn a "featured article" designation. It is currently woefully sketchy. CZmarlin (talk) 01:17, 6 December 2014 (UTC)

I'll be happy to work on expanding the new article on the Jeffery Quad, at least, but I'll have to look a little deeper into my archives to find the relevant photos, as I seem to have moved them (I looked for them briefly yesterday). As I recall, about a decade ago, I made an attempt to scan the negatives with a transilluminator but was unsuccessful and failed to return the photos to my primary file for such things. The only photo from WWI that I ran across yesterday showed my grandfather posing with two French-government procurement officials, whom he was instructed to "keep happy" using his unlimited expense account at American Express (i.e. lavish dinners, cases of wine to their homes, ladies-of-the-evening already paid for, etc. -- note that I've got at least one photo taken at a party that includes the ladies-in-question in their elaborate period dress, alongside the French officials.) My grandfather also knew Charles T. Jeffery personally, and (believe-it-or-not), Mr. Jeffery was traveling to my grandfather's office in Paris to negotiate a big deal with these same French officials when he unfortunately booked passage on the Lusitania and suffered great emotional trauma from its sinking. For years, no one in the family really believed many of my grandfather's stories until a few years after his death, I ran across the autobiography of George W. Romney, former President of Nash Motors, where Gov. Romney related much the same story about Charles T. Jeffery and his Lusitania experience. Unfortunately, there was no Wikipedia in those days, and I could find little additional information on the Jeffery company in all of the Harvard University library, where I was working when I read the Romney book (note the Harvard catalog wasn't fully digitalized in those days, so you had to use card catalogs in each individual library to find older publications, thus I may have missed stuff). Anyway, not all of the material I have is relevant to a Wikipedia entry (of course) but I thought you might enjoy hearing some less varnished anecdotes concerning the Thomas B. Jeffery Company. Theophilus Reed (talk) 22:28, 6 December 2014 (UTC)