Tyler Grain & Fertilizer Company

About

Name

Tyler Grain & Fertilizer Company

Manufacturing

Food Manufacturing

Facts

Founded

1860
^{Smithville,Ohio}

Founders

Clenn D. Reed

Key Persons

Location

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135 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States

3388 Eby Rd., Smithville, 44677, Ohio, United States

127 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States

131 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States

619 Madison Ave., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States

125 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio, United States

Feed grinding a specialty.

Wooster Progress (1914)
- 1914 - Grain

"This Company began operation in 1864 and now has to its credit fifty years of successful business and honest endeavor. They are wholesale and retail dealers in grain of all kinds, seeds, wool, flour, feed, salt, fertilizer, lime and cement. Their elevator has a complete cleaning outfit for grain and seeds. ^[1]

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Quick Facts

Information taken from the company website ^[2]

1860 - Jacob Frick opened a hardware store on the "Summit" South of Smithville and across the street from current location. The store dealt with grain, seed and wool.
1865 - Expanded business to downtown Wooster, Ohio. Jacob Frick became the first president of the Wayne County National Bank, organized in 1880.
1881 - Jacob Frick's daughter Melissa married William Dexter Tyler of Mansfield, Ohio who worked for his father-in-law. William Dexter Tyler and Melissa had 2 sons which joined his father in the business: Jacob Frick Tyler and Walter William Tyler.
1882 - As business responsibilities grew Jacob Frick made William Dexter Tyler a partner in the grain business.
1884 No business address:
- W. D. Tyler, grain merchant
- Jacob Frick, flour & feed dealer; wool dealer
1896 located rear of county offices
- W. D. Tyler, grain & seed
1894-1895 warehouse located rear of county offices
- W. D. Tyler, grain merchant
- Frick and Tyler
1900 - The business became known as Tyler's Fertilizer. As the Wayne County National Bank was new it demanded attention Jacob Frick gave more attention to the bank and less to the grain business.
1900 located rear of Frick's Memorial blk
- W. D. Tyler, grain merchant
1906 - Wooster High School annual -- ^[3]
1908-1909 W.D. Tyler and Son, located rear of courthouse
- Jacob F. Tyler and William D. Tyler, grain, seed & wool
1912-1913 Tyler Grain Co, offices located rear Freedlander's
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler, Proprietors
1915 Tyler Grain Co., rear 127 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
1919 Tyler Grain Co., rear 127 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
1923 Tyler Grain Co., rear 125 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
- grain, seeds, flour & feed
1925 Tyler Grain Co., rear 125 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
1928 Tyler Grain Co., 135 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
- grain, seeds & feed
1930s - Tyler's business returned to the Smithville, Ohio area due to an arrangement between Walter William Tyler (known as W. W. by his friends) and A. C. Ramseyer, an area farmer. A. C. Ramseyer provided the land on which the current factory is located in order to serve the areas potato farmers.
1932 - The new Weilersville, Ohio factory built by Walter William Taylor which remains the main factory in 2021. The downtown Wooster location had been operating out of a building adjacent to the Wayne County Courthouse.
1930 Tyler Grain Co., 135 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick and Walter W. Tyler
1932 Tyler Grain Co., rear 131 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick and Walter W. Tyler
1934-1935 Tyler Grain Co., rear 1
- 31 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick and Walter W. Tyler
1937 Tyler Grain Co., rear 131 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
1939 Tyler Grain Co., rear 131 W. Liberty St., Wooster
- J. Frick Tyler and Walter W. Tyler
1939 - The downtown Wooster factory moved into a new building at the foot of Madison Hill across from the Wooster Brush Co.
1939 - A grain elevator was added to the Smithville location.
1940 Tyler Grain & Fertilizer Co., 619 Madison Ave., Wooster
- Walter W. Tyler, President
- J. Frick Tyler, Vice-President
- Walter F. Tyler, Treasurer
- Portia Hines, Secretary
1940s - After Walter William Tyler's son, Walter Frick Tyler served as a civilian aviation instructor in Florida. Walter Frick Tyler brought his family back to Wayne County, Ohio to succeed his father as the fourth generation to run the family business.
1943 Tyler Grain & Fertilizer Co., 619 Madison Ave., Wooster
- Walter W. Tyler, President and General Manager
- J. Frick Tyler, Treasurer
- Portia Hines, Secretary
1958 - Wooster, Ohio Sesquicennial Celebration, June 14-21, 1958, p. 30.
1969 - Walter Frick Tyler ran the company until his death in 1969. Walter Frick Tyler was succeeded by his window Josephine Hobbs Tyler who took over the company with the assistance of her two sons, Howard and Walter Tyler. Josephine Hobbs Tyler oversaw operations from the Wooster, Ohio location and Walter Tyler ran the Smithville fertilizer plant built by his grandfather.
1976 - Walter Tyler and his wife Mildred built a home down the street from the business. Raising 3 children: Walter III, William and Clarissa.
1980s - Saw movement away from the grain mill operations of the company.
1990s - Expansion into sand, and larger seeds and liquid fertilizer services.
1990s - The sixth generation began as Walter's son William began taking over a larger interest in the company's decisions.
1992 - Josephine Hobbs Tyler died. Walter Tyler took over full operations following his mother's death.
1997 - Madison Hill location was torn down and several new buildings were added to the Smithville, Ohio company.
2010 - Tyler Grain & Fertilizer Co. celebrated 150th anniversary.
2010 - Completed addition of 7,500 ton dry fertilizer storage building.
- William and his wife Krista settled in Smithville with their son Devin. William worked with his dad to change and adapt to current trends and technology to stay ahead.