Estimated Fauth Numbers and Dating
Estimated Geo N Saegmuller Dating

FAUTH & CO.  (1874 - 1905)
Washington, D. C.

Camill Fauth  (1847 - 1925)
George N. Saegmuller  (1848 - 1934)
Henry Lockwood  (1834 - 1897)

Camill Fauth was born in Karlsruhe, South West Germany on February 28, 1847.  He died January 16, 1925 in Ansbach Germany.  He was employed by Sickler in Karlsruhe.    When the Franco-German war broke out in 1870, William Wurdemann went to Germany to get his family and he brought Camill Fauth back with him, whom he employed.   Later Fauth went into business for himself.  He made small equatorials, meridian transits and latitude instruments for astronomical observations.

He married a sister of George N. Saegmuller.  George N. Saegmuller and his two brothers-in-law, Camill Fauth and Henry Lockwood, founded Fauth & Co. in 1874.  They are first listed in the Washington directories in 1876.  About 1888 Mr. Saegmuller bought the interest of Camill Fauth, previous to which he had bought the interest of Henry Lockwood.  In 1900 the name of Fauth & Co. was changed to George N. Saegmuller.

Camill Fauth left Washington in 1889 on account of ill health and went back to Ansbach, Bavaria to live, where he was registered as a private person on November 6, 1889.  W. A. Berger and John L. Saegmuller visited him at Ansbach sometime during the period between 1894 and 1898 while they were at the L. Tesdorph factory in Stuttgart, Germany.

Special Notes: 
 
According to the Smithsonian website Fauth & Company did not use serial numbers until 1887 when George N. Saegmuller bought out his partners in the business.  So according to the Smithsonian, Fauth instruments with no serial numbers would have been made between 1874 and 1887.  They also conclude that even when George Saegmuller traded under his own name from 1892-1905 he still used the Fauth & Company name on his instruments.

Our Findings: 

After a lot of research we found in the report of the Wheeler Expedition 1875-1879 RG77 E374 at the National Archives a mention of a Fauth instrument serial No. 10. being used in Colo. in 1875 and in California in 1876 so this instrument must have been made before 1875 and Fauth must have started serial numbering their instruments in 1874 or shortly thereafter.

With these findings in mind we are saying that Fauth started to use serial numbers as soon as they opened for business in 1874 or shortly there after.  This is logical since both Fauth & Saegmuller both got their start in the business under William Wurdemann who used serial numbers on his instruments.

In the 1890's George Saegmuller was advertising his new improved "Beveled Limb" theodolites/transits and we have seen several beveled limb instruments that were labeled "Geo N Saegmuller" and no mention of Fauth & Company on the instrument.  We believe that Saegmuller was labeling his new improved "Beveled Limb" instruments with his own name "Geo N. Saegmuller".  This "Geo N Saegmuller" name was hand engraved on the limb plate and not the compass face.  We also found one beveled limb instrument with both "Geo N Saegmuller name on the limb plate and the Fauth & Company name on the compass face.    (If you have a beveled limb instrument from this time frame that is labeled Fauth we would like to hear from you to confirm this information.) 

The new improved "Beveled Limb" instruments are believed to have been from the time frame of 1892 - 1905.  The serial numbers on these instruments appears to be based off the same serial numbering system that was being used on the Fauth & Company instruments so this formula should also work with "Geo. N. Saegmuller" labeled instruments.


Serial Number Dating Theory:

Company Was Active Between 1874 – 1905  (31 years in business)

Serial Numbers Were Used From 1874 - 1905  (31 years putting serial numbers on instruments)

"Observed" Serial Number range  10 – 2478 (Instruments that have been confirmed)

Since most makers had fewer sales during the start up years you can assume they did not make as many instruments the first few years in business.  Unfortunately there is no easy way to calculate those numbers so in our formula we are assuming linear sales and we can calculate that 2478 (Highest Observed Serial Number)/31 (Years Putting Serial Numbers On Instruments) = Approximately 79 instruments manufactured per year between 1874 and 1905. We are also assuming they started at serial number 1, however even if they did not start at 1 the change in the formula would be minimal based on the first observed serial number of 10.

Formula:  Year = 1874 + sn/79

Samples 

Serial Number      Est. Year

       1319                1890           How to calculate  1319/79 = 16.69 + 1874 = 1890

        821                 1884           How to calculate  821/79 = 10.39 + 1874 = 1884
 

In view of the limited data and our assumption of linear sales the equation must be used with caution.  Errors of plus or minus 2-4 years are to be expected.


****If you have any Fauth instruments please let us know some details about the instrument so we can refine our details.****

Observed serial numbers