Today in Wheeling History: May 29—Charles N. Brady, pioneering glass manufacturer and future first president of Hazel‑Atlas Glass Company, is born in Wheeling, West Virginia (1849).
Charles Neave Brady was born May 29, 1849, in Wheeling to Hugh Sobieski Brady, a banker and civic leader, and Mary Elizabeth Scoville Caldwell Brady. Raised in a prominent local family, he attended Wheeling schools before entering the region’s expanding glass industry. He began his career with J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier & Company, gaining experience in bookkeeping, sales, and production. In 1879 he organized Riverside Glass Company at Wellsburg, notable for its pioneering use of natural gas. Brady’s most influential venture began in 1885 when he and partner C. H. Tallman founded the Hazel Glass Company in Wheeling to produce glass inserts for mason jar lids. The company soon expanded to Washington, Pennsylvania, diversifying into ointment jars and specialty containers. Brady later established Atlas Glass in 1896, and in 1902 he helped unite Hazel, Atlas, Republic, and Wheeling Metal into Hazel‑Atlas Glass Company, headquartered in Wheeling. As its first president, he guided the firm into national prominence and supported innovations such as the Blue Machine. Brady died July 6, 1938, and is buried in Washington Cemetery in Washington, Pennsylvania.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/mr2fb49s); Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/mumtxbm6) (https://tinyurl.com/yh2eyc72), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/49ch3p5u), Ohio County WV GenWeb (https://tinyurl.com/yrcbve7c)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WVWikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
Charles Neave Brady was born May 29, 1849, in Wheeling to Hugh Sobieski Brady, a banker and civic leader, and Mary Elizabeth Scoville Caldwell Brady. Raised in a prominent local family, he attended Wheeling schools before entering the region’s expanding glass industry. He began his career with J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier & Company, gaining experience in bookkeeping, sales, and production. In 1879 he organized Riverside Glass Company at Wellsburg, notable for its pioneering use of natural gas. Brady’s most influential venture began in 1885 when he and partner C. H. Tallman founded the Hazel Glass Company in Wheeling to produce glass inserts for mason jar lids. The company soon expanded to Washington, Pennsylvania, diversifying into ointment jars and specialty containers. Brady later established Atlas Glass in 1896, and in 1902 he helped unite Hazel, Atlas, Republic, and Wheeling Metal into Hazel‑Atlas Glass Company, headquartered in Wheeling. As its first president, he guided the firm into national prominence and supported innovations such as the Blue Machine. Brady died July 6, 1938, and is buried in Washington Cemetery in Washington, Pennsylvania.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/mr2fb49s); Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/mumtxbm6) (https://tinyurl.com/yh2eyc72), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/49ch3p5u), Ohio County WV GenWeb (https://tinyurl.com/yrcbve7c)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WVWikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
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