Meneely

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These two foundries made thousands of bells, high quality musical bells, sold worldwide.

Meneely, West Troy NY (Watervliet)

Andrew Meneely first cast bells as an apprentice to Julius Hanks in Gibbonsville New York. When Hanks moved his foundry to the east side of the Hudson in Troy, Andrew began his own business casting bells. Andrew Meneely opened his foundry in 1826, the same year he married his mentor's cousin Philena Hanks.

From 1836 to 1841 Andrew partnered with Jonas V. Oothout making bells labeled Meneely & Oothout. In 1849 Andrew partnered with his oldest son until Andrew's death in 1851. His other sons (except for Clinton) continued to operate the business into the 1950s.

The bells from this foundry are some of the finest sounding bells cast in America.

Meneely, Troy NY

Clinton H. Meneely was the third son of Andrew. Clinton opened a foundry in partnership with George Kimberly (a relative by marriage) on the east side of the Hudson in 1869. They shipped their first bell in January of 1871. In 1887, Clinton purchased the Jones & Co. Foundry moving the equipment to the Meneely and Kimberly facility on River Street. From 1879, bells were labeled as Clinton H. Meneely Bell Company, Troy New York. From 1902 to 1951, bells were labeled as Meneely Bell Company, Troy New York.

The Meneely Troy foundry may well have shipped more than 12,500 bells consuming more than 4300 short tons of bronze. Analysis of the company's ledgers can be found on TowerBells.org.

Family tree trivia

The Meneelys had bell founding in their DNA. Towerbells.org has an interesting genealogy page that details many of the links and 'tangled relationships' between four prominent American bell foundries of the ninteenth and twentieth centuries.