Onion, Haigh & Cornwall sold reels in New York, NY between 1868 to 1874. Their business was mainly guns, but they also sold fishing tackle. The 1867/1868 New York City Directory shows that William Haigh and William Cornwall worked at gun dealer Onion, Bliss & Co. The Onion, Bliss & Co. address was located at 18 Warren Street. This was the same address used later for the Onion, Haigh and Cornwall business and still operating as a gun dealer. In 1875, William Haigh left the company and joined with Walter Hodgkins to form Hodgkins & Haigh, another gun dealer. Onion, Haigh & Cornwall became Onion & Cornwall at the same time in 1875. Later in 1878, William Onion disappears from the City Directories and William Cornwall establishes his company selling sporting goods including fishing tackle. The Onion, Haigh & Cornwall marked reels were sold by one of the great New York tackle dealers.
The businesses associated with William Onion, William Haigh or William Cornwall are summarized below.
- 1864 – 1866: Onion, Bliss & Co.
- 1867 – 1874: Onion, Haigh & Cornwall
- 1874 – 1878: Onion & Cornwall
- 1874 – 1876: Hodgkins & Haigh
- 1878 – 1890: William M. Cornwall
Onion, Haigh & Cornwall 80 Yard Size Reel
Ad in the 1873 Harper’s Bazar Magazine
Ad in the 1876 Book “The Columbia”
WILLIAM CORNWALL 1885 Fishing Tackle Catalog Cover