Chambers, James Albert b. 28 Feb 1849 Pennsylvania d. 25 Feb 1922 Philadelphia, PA: Buyer, Stier, and Related Families

1849 - 1922 (72 years)

Name	Chambers, James Albert [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Born	28 Feb 1849	Pennsylvania [7]
Gender	Male
CAUS	chronic myocarditis
DIR	1872-1874	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania City Directory for 1872-73. Pittsburgh: George. H. Thurston, 1872. Chambers James. glass manuf, 179 First ay Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania City Directory for 1872-73. Pittsburgh: George. H. Thurston, 1872. Chambers James A., of A. & D. H., Chambers, Oakland, 14th ward Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania City Directory for 1874-75. Pittsburgh: Thurston & Diffenbacher, 1874. Chambers James A., of A. & D. H. Chambers, Shadyside
Occupation	1875	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Took Over A&Dh Chambers At Father's Death
DIR	Between 1877 and 1878	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Chambers, A & DH, glass manuf, Bingham and Fifth, ss
Census	1880	Allegheny City, Allegheny Co., PA (now Pittsburgh North Side)
	James CHAMBERS Male Other Information: Birth Year <1840> Birthplace PA Age 40 Occupation Glass Works Marital Status M Race W Head of Household James CHAMBERS Relation Self Father's Birthplace PA Mother's Birthplace PA Source Information: Census Place Allegheny, Allegheny, Pennsylvania Family History Library Film 1255086 NA Film Number T9-1086 Page Number 13B household James CHAMBERS Self M Male W 40 PA Glass Works PA PA Mariah CHAMBERS Wife M Female W 30 PA Keeping House PA PA Alex CHAMBERS Son S Male W 5 PA PA PA Lizzie CHAMBERS Dau S Female W 3 PA PA PA Mary KINDELLAN Other S Female W 30 IRE Servant IRE IRE Sarah HALL Other S Female W 35 IRE Nurse IRE IRE Lizzie WASSON Other S Female W 22 IRE Servant IRE IRE
DIR	1880	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Chambers Jas A, of A & D H Chambers, 21 Lincoln av, Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1880-81. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1880.
Corporate Director	1880	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA [8]
	Allegheny County Light Company
Occupation	1888	Jeannette PA [9]
	Chambers Mckee Glass Company
DIR	1891	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Chambers Jas A, pres Chambers & McKee Glass Co, 820 Penn av, rm 62, h 270 Ridgeav, A, Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1891. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1891.
PASS	5 Mar 1892	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	says father was native-born U.S., Name: James A Chambers Birth Date: 28 Feb 1849 Birth Place: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania Residence: Allegheny City, Pennsylvania Passport Issue Date: 5 Mar 1892 Passport Includes a Photo: N Source: Passport Applications, 1795-1905
Clubs	1895 [3]
	Allegheny, Duquesne, Pittsburg, Sportsmen's Association Of Westerrn Penn.,
Residence	1895	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA [3]
	270 Ridge Avenue
DIR	1878-1896	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1878-79. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1878. Chambers Jas A, of A & D H Chambers, 21 Lincoln av Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1882-83. Pittsburgh: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1882. Chambers Jas A, of A & D H Chambers, 13 Lincoln av, A Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1884-85. Pittsburgh: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1884. Chambers Jas A., of A & D H Chambers, h 13 Lincoln av, A Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1886-87. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1886. Chambers Jas A, of A & D H Chambers, h 13 Lincoln av, A J.F. Diffenbacher's Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1888-89. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1888. Chambers Jas A, of A & D H Chambers, h 270 Ridge av, A J.F. Diffenbacher's Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1889-90. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1889. Chambers Jas A, of A & D H Chambers, h 270 Ridge av, A Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1894-95. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1894. Chambers Jas A, of Chambers & McKee Glass Co, 270 Ridge av, A Pittsburgh & Allegheny, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1896-97. Pittsburgh: J.F. Diffenbacher, 1896. Chambers Jas A, glass manfr, 270 Ridge av, a
Summer Home	1904	Leetsdale, PA [10]
	White Oaks
Telephone	1904 [10]
	B 268 North
Residence	1904	Allegheny City, Allegheny Co., PA (now Pittsburgh North Side) [10]
	839 Ridge Avenue
Occupation	1908	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA [11]
	President, Chambers Window Glass Company, Pittsburgh and Mt. Vernon, OH
Census	1910	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA [5]
	Jas A Chambers Age:61State:PA Color:W;WEnumeration District:0360 Birth Place:PennsylvaniaVisit:0024 County: Allegheny, Pittsburgh Relation: Father-in-law Other Residents:Head of Household Thos J Mckay Pennsylvania 1910 Census Miracode Index PENN Allegheny, Pittsburgh 0360 Jas A Chambers Father-in-law W;W 61 PENN 0024 Husband Thos J Mckay
DIR	1917	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
	Chambers Jas A, glass mfr 503 Oliver bldg, r Duquesne Club, R.L. Polk & Co.'s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania General & Business Directory for 1917. Pittsburgh: R.L. Polk & Co., 1917.
DCER	25 Feb 1922	Philadelphia, PA
	Name: James A Chambers Gender: Male Race: White Age: 72 Birth Date: 28 Feb 1849 Birth Place: Pennsylvania Death Date: 25 Feb 1922 Death Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Father Name: Alexander Chambers Father Birth Place: Ireland Mother Name: Wightman Mother Birth Place: Pennsylvania Certificate Number: 12667
Education	Cambridge, Middlesex Co., MA [12]
	Harvard
Occupation	Chartiers Natural Gas Company
Related to my family	Y
_UID	F2F56F32316B481F83E773D5A75246B32FF8
Died	25 Feb 1922	Philadelphia, PA
	Friends Hospital
Buried	27 Feb 1922	Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA
Person ID	I563	Buyer, Stier and Related Families
Last Modified	22 Apr 2014

Father	Chambers, Alexander, b. 7 Apr 1819, County Armagh, Ireland , d. 28 Mar 1875, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA (Age 55 years)
Mother	Wightman, Martha Jane, b. 8 Mar 1825, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA , d. 1 Apr 1906 (Age 81 years)
_UID	FD01A69361174F5E800C86AC4814BEB9EDBC
Documents		Chambers in The Pittsburgh and Allegheny blue book, 1895, Vol. 9.
Headstones » Slide Show		Chambers, Alexander and Martha headstones Plot: section 19
		Chambers Plot in Allegheny Cemetery Plot: section 19
		Chambers Plot in Allegheny Cemetery Plot: section 19
		Chambers Plot in Allegheny Cemetery Plot: section 19
		Chambers Plot in Allegheny Cemetery Plot: section 19
Family ID	F141	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Patton, Maria, d. Bef 1910

Married 10 Dec 1874

_UID 2512121A9B0F4EA99B6E2A7C6972EA037BA5

Children

	1. Chambers, Alexander, b. 23 Jan 1876, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA , d. 3 Sep 1935, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., PA (Age 59 years)
	2. Chambers, Elizabeth, b. 30 Jul 1877, Allegheny City, Allegheny Co., PA (now Pittsburgh North Side)
	3. Chambers, Marian, b. Aft 1880
	4. Chambers, Martha Jane, b. Abt 1885

Documents

Chambers in Social directory for Greater Pittsburgh / comp. & published by Margaret A. Winans. 1904

Chambers in The Pittsburgh and Allegheny blue book, 1895, Vol. 9.

Last Modified 6 Jul 2011

Family ID F741 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Documents » Slide Show		Chambers James A passport application
		Chambers and McKee Glass Co. Chambers & McKee Glass Company, Successors to A.& D.H. Chambers, Pittsburgh Glass Works, Established 1843, Manufacturers of Window Glass, Jeannette, PA. Price List Adopted March 6th, 1890. Letter and price list, Chambers and McKee Glass Co., Jeanette PA
		Chambers and McKee Window Glass Factory date unknown
		Chambers Window Glass Under James Albert Chambers, the Chambers Glass Company became a major producer of window glass. There were two companies, Chambers in New Kensington, PA, and Chambers McKee in Jeanette.
		Chambers Window Glass (first part of Paragraph) from Fleming, George Thornton, Vol. 3 History of Pittsburgh and environs, from prehistoric days to the beginning of the American revolution / By George Thornton Fleming. New York ; Chicago : The American historical society, inc., 1922
		Chambers Window Glass (second part of paragraph) from Fleming, George Thornton, Vol. 3 History of Pittsburgh and environs, from prehistoric days to the beginning of the American revolution / By George Thornton Fleming. New York ; Chicago : The American historical society, inc., 1922
		Chambers in the Pittsburgh Social Secretaire, 1920
		chambers james a death cert.png
		Glasshouses And Glass Manufacturers Of The Pittsburgh Region: 1795 - 1910 by Jay W. Hawkins Chambers glass companies

Histories		Chambers James A--window glass from Fleming, George Thornton, Vol. 3 History of Pittsburgh and environs, from prehistoric days to the beginning of the American revolution / By George Thornton Fleming. New York ; Chicago : The American historical society, inc., 1922
Histories		Glasshouses And Glass Manufacturers Of The Pittsburgh Region: 1795 - 1910 by Jay W. Hawkins Chambers glass companies

News » Slide Show		chambers mckee lawsuit daily inter-ocean dec 28 1893.jpg
		chambers on his feet again phil inquirerer sept 12 1891.jpg
		chambers insolvent Belleville News-Democrat oct 22 1907.jpg
		chambers business failure daily inter-ocean sept 2 1891.jpg
		Chambers James A pittsburg millionaires.jpg NY Times Oct 20 1888
		james chambers glass company troubles aug 27 1907.jpg

Albums

Agnew and Chambers Glassmaking in Pittsburgh (54)

Notes

John W. Jordan.
Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated
CHAMBERS, James A., Leader in Glass Industry. ??Glass making, one of the most ancient if arts, is but little more than a century old in Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, today, whatever it may be in the glass line that the prospective buyer is seeking, it is to Pittsburgh that he resorts for its purchase. The men who first developed the industry were the originators of a phenomenal work and those who maintain it i t the present time have upon their hands o task of still greater magnitude. Prominent in this latter class is James A. Chambers, former president of the Chambers & McKee Glass Company; also the Chambers Window Glass Company and the American Window Glass Company. Mr. Chambers is distinguished not only as a manufacturer and one of the recognized leaders of the glass industry, but also as a man of initiative and origination, whose pioneer work in the introduction of the tank melting furnace for window glass, together with his development of machines for the manufacture of cylinder window glass, has given him an international reputation. ??James A. Chambers, son of Alexander and Martha Jane Chambers, was born February 28, 1849, in Pittsburgh, and received an education adapted to fit him for the part he was to play in life. After attending the public schools of his native city he entered the Pennsylvania Military Academy at West Chester, Pennsylvania, and on leaving this institution entered the service of the old firm of the A. and D. H. Chambers Window Glass Manufacturing Company, which firm was a partnership, the members being Alexander Chambers and his brother. James A. Chambers was at this time only a lad and so may be said to have grown up in the glass business. For this business he showed himself, at the very beginning of his career, so well fitted that after being in the office only a short time he was made general manager, which position he retained until 1877, when he closed the business of the firm of A. and D. H. Chambers Window Glass Manufacturing Company. ??At this period of his life it became evident that Mr. Chambers possessed not only sound judgment, but also initiative, that he was distinctly a man of progressive ideas. In 1877 he selected a site on the Pennsylvania Railroad, twenty-eight miles from Pittsburgh, and in co-operation with M. Sellers McKee, at that time one of the leading tableware manufacturers of Pittsburgh, built the first window glass melting furnaces ever put up in the United States. This bold and decisive action marked an epoch in the history of a great industry. ??In the course of time a desire to go into business for himself prompted Mr. Chambers to organize, as we have seen, the firm of Chambers & McKee. Their plant was situated where Jeannette now stands, and Mr. Chambers is justly regarded as the founder of that flourishing and progressive community. The plant was at that time the largest in the world for the manufacture of window glass, and when the firm was incorporated as the Chambers & McKee Glass Company, Mr. Chambers became president. Subsequently Mr. Chambers founded the Chambers Window Glass Company, building a plant in Arnold, a suburb of New Kensington. This plant was constructed and operated along the same lines as that of the Chambers & McKee Glass Company. These plants are the finest of their kind in the United States, and are the finest equipped window glass plants in the world. They manufacture all kinds of cylinder window glass, making the celebrated "Chambers Eagle Brand," "Chambers Columbia Brand," the "Chambers Crystal Picture," and the "Chambers Select 26-oz" Mr. Chambers was the first president of this company, retaining the office until the consolidation in 1900, and to an extent which it is impossible to estimate this widely-known organization is the creation of its founder. ??Some years later the spirit of enterprise which is so dominant a factor in Mr. Chambers personality found expression in the organization of the American Window Glass Company, which was a consolidation of the Chambers & McKee Window Glass Company, the Chambers Glass Company and all the more important window glass manufacturing companies in the United States. Mr. Chambers was, in this venture, the ruling spirit, and became the first president, remaining in office until 1910, when he retired. The Chambers & McKee Glass Company is still in operation as a part of the American Window Glass Company. Until retiring he was president of the tariff committee of the Window Glass Association, also holding the presidency and active leadership of all the important window glass manufacturing associations. ??Among the many proofs of Mr. Chambers progressive spirit and inventive genius there is one which should stand beside his introduction of the tank-melting furnace. This is his development, in association with Mr. Lubbers who was employed by him, of machines for the manufacture of cylinder window glass. While president of the American Window Glass Company he turned over all his patents to this company. This is today the most successful method for the manufacture of window glass and is used almost exclusively in that manufacture in the United States, England, Canada, France and Japan. ??Public spirit is something in which Mr. Chambers has never been found wanting, but for the excitements of political life he has no taste and office seeking and office holding are alike repugnant to him. The only public position which he ever consented to hold was that of a member of the Lake Erie & Ohio River Ship Canal Commission. He belongs to the Duquesne Club, the Pittsburgh Club, the Allegheny Country Club, and the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, and has for years been conspicuous in the club life of Pittsburgh. He is a member and attendant of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh. ??Perhaps the clearest possible idea of Mr. Chambers personal appearance can be conveyed by saying that he looks like a man of deep reflection, wide experience and decisive action. A glance at his face reveals the fact that he is pre-eminently one of the world's doers, that his part in life is accomplishment and that he leaves to others the recital of his deeds. His nature, though somewhat undemonstrative, is warmly social as the number of his friends bears eloquent testimony. ??A man who lived through, albeit only as a boy, the momentous period of the Civil War, must hold in his memory many things possessing the most intense interest for those of a later generation. Perhaps the most thrilling of all Mr. Chambers' recollections and the one invested with the greatest historic value is that of the assassination of President Lincoln. On that ever-memorable night the boy, then a student at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, was taken by his father to Ford's Theater, and not long since, in relating the incident, said: ??I can still recall how the house was draped with American flags in honor of the President's presence. Mr. Lincoln was sitting in the upper box. The lower box, as the theatre was built, was on a level with the stage, and the upper box was not much more than seven or eight feet above the stage level. The president was in the upper box. I can see his face now as he sat there shortly after the curtain arose. Just below his box was a big American flag, draped down. ??Suddenly we heard a shot — I looked up toward the box and then I saw Booth jump from the box. He had boots and spurs on, and his spurs caught in the folds of the flag and he nearly fell headlong on the stage. He had a large bowie knife in his hand, and as he rallied himself after his tangle with the flag he walked across the stage facing the audience waving the knife in his uplifted hand and made his celebrated declaration — "Sic Semper Tyrannis," but I cannot recall that he made the aftermath declaration : "The South is Avenged," so often attributed to him. Father and I waited and saw President Lincoln carried out of the theatre on a stretcher. His face was white as a sheet. They took him across the street, and then father and I went to Willard's to wait for news. We had hardly reached there when we heard that Seward had been assassinated and that Grant had been waylaid at Havre de Grace. Grant was on his way to' Washington at the time and his adjutant was at the hotel. This officer soon allayed our fears by telling us that he had absolute information that Grant was all right. My father went to Stanton, secretary of war, and got passports for us to go to City Point, where Grants' headquarters were at that time. Father had known General Grant before. I was in my cadet uniform from the military school in Pennsylvania. Our uniforms were gray, modeled after those of West Point, and I recall ow a sentry stopped us and wanted to know if ": lad though I was, were a Confederate soldier. We met General Grant at City Point and later went on to Petersburg, where we saw the soldiers' underground quarters occupied by them before the final assault that wound up with the occupation of Richmond. ??Such a narrative from the lips of a man [who has but recently withdrawn from the Patton, of Allegheny, now North Side, Pittsburgh. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers are the parents of four children: I. Alexander. 2. Elizabeth, married William N. Murray, of Pittsburgh, and they had one child, Elizabeth ; Mrs. Murray is now deceased. 3. Marion, married George C. Wilson, Jr., of Pittsburgh, and they have one child, Maria ; Mr. Wilson is a son of George C. Wilson, a prominent attorney of Pittsburgh, whose biography and steel portrait appear elsewhere in this work. 4. Martha Jane, married Thomas J. McKay, of Pittsburgh, and they are the parents of four children : James Chambers, Thomas J., Jr., Elizabeth and Lawrence. Factories in England, France, Japan and Germany are equipped with machines developed and introduced by James A. Chambers. As a son of a pioneer in the upbuilding of one of the greatest industries of Western Pennsylvania he brought to that field of activity the fruits of his father's experience and the wealth of his own ability and determination. The City of Pittsburgh, the State of Pennsylvania, the United States and the World-at-large bear witness to the results.

Sources

[S613] Pennsylvania Census of 1850.
[S41] Allegheny County's hundred years, Thurston, George H., (Pittsburgh : A. A. Anderson & Son, book and job printers, 1888), p. 188, [Q:3].
[S731] The Pittsburgh and Allegheny blue book.1895.
[S680] Social directory for Greater Pittsburgh, Margaret A. Winans, (Philadelphia : Lippincott, 1904, c1903), p. 48, [Q:3].
[S612] Pennsylvania 1910 Census Miracode Index.
[S597] PA 1870 Census.
[S605] Passport Application.
[S622] Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Spirit, Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, (1928).
[S583] Old and new Westmoreland, Boucher, John Newton, (New York : The American Historical Society, 1918), pp. 479-481, [Q:3].
[S680] Social directory for Greater Pittsburgh, Margaret A. Winans, (Philadelphia : Lippincott, 1904, c1903).
[S736] The Story of Pittsburgh and vicinity, (Pittsburgh, Gazette times, 1908).
[S629] Prominent Families, Pittsburgh, 1912.