Merchants’ Transfer Company
An incorporated moving, storage, and forwarding firm in San Antonio, Texas, headquartered at 510-514 Dolorosa Street. Documented in January 1909 as a general freight handler; by January 1916 it was serving as the San Antonio delivery agent for the Western Coffee Company of El Paso — directing retail coffee orders and providing free local deliveries under the Merchants Transfer phone number, Crockett 359.
Address and contact
| Detail | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 510-514 Dolorosa Street, San Antonio | 1909 Gazette ad |
| Phone (1909) | “Both Phones 359” | HH-CLIP-1909-0004 |
| Phone (1916) | Crockett 359 | HH-CLIP-1916-0014 |
The phone number 359 (on the “Crockett” exchange by 1916) is the same in both documented appearances, confirming this is the same company seven years later. Crockett was one of the San Antonio telephone exchanges of the period (others included Travis, New/San Antonio).
Services
Per the January 1909 Gazette ad:
“Receiving, Forwarding, Storage, etc. Hauling and placing safes and machinery a specialty.”
The machinery-hauling specialty suggests Merchants’ Transfer handled heavy industrial freight — a practical fit for a coffee company receiving roasting equipment, grinding machinery, or large quantities of bagged stock.
Role as Western Coffee Co. (El Paso) distribution agent (January 1916)
By January 1916, Western Coffee Co. (El Paso) had discontinued jobber distribution of its Statesman, President, and Ambassador coffees in the SA market and was directing all retail orders to Merchants’ Transfer Co.:
“We no longer sell our Statesmen, President, Ambassador Coffees through the jobbers. Same can be obtained by phoning The Merchants Transfer Co. No charges for deliveries, and prompt service. Phone your orders to Crockett 359.” — Western Coffee Co. (HH-CLIP-1916-0014)
This arrangement gave an El Paso-based roaster a local SA delivery presence without maintaining its own warehouse or fleet. Free delivery was a competitive positioning against H&H’s same-day roast-and-deliver model.
Open questions
- When was Merchants’ Transfer Company incorporated? No charter notice has been found in SA papers.
- Who were the principals / officers?
- When did the Western Coffee (El Paso) distribution relationship begin and end?
- Relationship to Merchants Coffee Company? Both firms operated in SA at the same time (c.1909–1912) and share the “Merchants’” prefix. The 15 December 1912 San Antonio Light Fredericksburg road bonus subscription list (HH-CLIP-1912-0012) lists both “Merchants’ Coffee Co.” and “Merchants’ Transfer Co.” as separate subscribers alongside Hoffmann-Hayman and Morrison Coffee — direct confirmation they are distinct entities. No documented connection exists between them: different industries, no shared principals or addresses in any known source. “Merchants Transfer Company” was a generic name used nationally: Kansas City (1870), West Virginia (1917, per HH-CLIP-1917-0011), and SA all had firms of this name. The one scenario still worth testing: if W. E. Hayman used Merchants’ Transfer as his coffee delivery agent before the 1912 merger, the shared name might reflect deliberate pairing — but Merchants Coffee had its own horse-based delivery operation by late 1911, making this less likely. See Merchants Coffee Company.
- What other coffee or grocery firms used Merchants’ Transfer as a distribution agent?
- Did the company survive past 1916?
See also
Companies
- Merchants Coffee Company — distinct SA coffee firm; name similarity noted
- Merchants’ Coffee Co. of N.O., Ltd. — distinct New Orleans entity; another “Merchants’” naming convention parallel
- Western Coffee Company of El Paso — primary customer documented
- Western Coffee Company of San Antonio
Artifacts
- HH-CLIP-1909-0004 — 1909 display ad
- HH-CLIP-1916-0014 — Western Coffee El Paso orders notice
- Martinsburg Herald, 15 Dec 1917 — WV corporations delinquent for taxes; Merchants Transfer Co. listed (Newspapers.com)
- San Antonio Light, 15 Dec 1912 — Fredericksburg road bonus subscriptions; Merchants’ Coffee, Merchants’ Transfer, H-H Coffee, Morrison Coffee all listed (Newspapers.com)