E. E. Thomas Fruit Company

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Summary
Business

Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location

San Jose
Active

-1899

E. E. Thomas Fruit Company was an early San Jose-based dried fruit packer run by Edward E. Thomas and William Cameron as Vice President[1]with an E. B. Howard handling the marketing and Thomas handling the drying, dipping, and shipping of fruit. Thomas was the son of a local orchardist, in his thirties, and living at Race and Luther Streets in San Jose. The company shipped 650 carloads of dried fruit in the 1893-1894 season[2], and dried 500 tons of fruit in 1896-1897. The original building burned down in 1897; a new $5,000 plant would replace it[3]. The company also patented a fruit spreading machine, patent 482284.

The company must have been fading by 1899; E. E. Thomas killed himself in 1899, supposedly because of financial pressures. Thomas was owed money by Howard, and had only worked with him because he could not get a loan without using Howard. [4].

Locations

Location Years Address Details
San Jose 1893, 1896 Race Street near San Carlos Street Northeast corner[5]

Photos

E. E. Thomas Drying Yard, San Jose History San Jose / Silicon Valley History Online

References

  1. 1896 San Jose City Directory
  2. The Sunsweet Story
  3. Pacific Rural Press, Aug 21 1897
  4. SAN JOSE BANK FAILURE DROVE HIM TO SUICIDE: E. E. Thomas, Prominent Fruit Packer, Turned on the Gas and Went Hence.San Francisco Call, Feb. 8 1899. Article includes sketch of Mr. Thomas
  5. 1896 San Jose City Directory