McManman’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters – Milwaukee

Another Young America Stomach Bitters and Isham’s Stomach Bitters Variation?

11 November 2014

McManman, now that is a peculiar way to spell a version of the name McMahon. Almost a tongue twister. I also bet if we could find a McManman’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters, it would look just like a “Celebrated” Young America Stomach Bitters or the Isham’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters. All overlapped, in some respect or another, in about the same time period in Milwaukee, on East Water Street. All had similar medical claims. All used the word “Celebrated”. This post was prompted by the 1867 newspaper clipping further below that I found last Sunday evening.

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

M 61  McMANMAN’S CELEBRATED STOMACH BITTERS
D. M. McManman Should be John C. McManman
As a sure and certain cure for all diseases of the stomach and bowels, such as flatulency, indigestion, sour stomach, loss of appetite, and nervous stomach. They can be used by all persons and by those of temperate habits.
Patent No. 385 dated March 27, 1869

The new listing by Bill Ham for the forthcoming Bitters Bottles Supplement 2:

M 61  McMANMAN’S CELEBRATED STOMACH BITTERS,  John C. McManman
, 239 East Water Street, Milwaukee. As a sure and certain cure for all diseases of the stomach and bowels, such as flatulency, indigestion, sour stomach, loss of appetite, and nervous stomach. They can be used by all persons and by those of temperate habits.


Patent No. 385 dated March 27, 1869

The Daily Milwaukee News, Tuesday, January 8, 1867

Early Milwaukee on Water Street in 1858. Home of a lot of bitters characters.

The McManman’s brand was advertised almost daily in The Daily Milwaukee News from late 1866 until mid 1868 by John McManman who addressed at 239 East Water Street in Milwaukee. P. Ray Isham of Isham’s Stomach Bitters was selling wines and liquors at 79 East Water Street in Milwaukee earlier in 1856-1858 prior to moving to Water Street in Chicago. I guess he liked being on Water Street wherever he was. Phillip Rindskoph & Brother (Young America Stomach Bitters), wines and liquors, addressed from 1862-1878 at 277 E. Water Street in Milwaukee. Pretty neat how these guys stuck together. They all jumped on the “Bitters” band wagon. Easy jump when you are a liquor dealer.

Top of post picture of Milwaukee in 1858

McManMan’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters advertisement – The Daily Milwaukee News, Tuesday, January, 8 1867

Interesting that in 1867, Cassin and McManman were advertising “Cassin’s McManman’s Celebrated California Grape Brandy Bitters” in Sacramento in 1867 (see advertisement below). There is that word “Celebrated” again. Any relationship? Not that I can find. Read: Two Sexy Ladies

Cassin’s McManman’s Celebrated California Grape Brandy Bitters – Sacramento Daily Union, 30 May 1867

John C. McManman

From the sparse information that I can find, we can determine that John C. McManman was born in Ireland in 1815. He comes to Milwaukee most likely via a government land grant but that is only conjecture. He works his way from captain to general in the military. He was described as “a generous, good fellow as ever lived, but as full of wind as a bushel of beans, and very conceited about his own ability as a military man. He once made the remark that the world had never produced but three really great military men. The first was Hannibal the Carthagenian, the second was Napoleon Bonaparte, but the name of the third – modesty forbid him to mention. Simultaneously, he was in the wholesale and retail grocery business at 133 E. Water Street and from about 1863 until his death in 1871, he was in the liquor business. His primary seller was the McManman’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters. It just had to look just like the Celebrated Young America Stomach Bitters and the Isham’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters. Someone please find me an example.

Young America Stomach Bitters on the left. Isham’s Stomach Bitters on the right. – Meyer Collection

Select Listings:

1815: John McManman born in Ireland

1847: John McManman, paymaster, Milwaukee County Regimental Staff, Mineral Point, April 26, 1847 – Evening Courier (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 8 May, 1847

1850: John McManman, merchant, age 35, – 1850 United States Federal Census

1851: Advertisement for “Immense Stock of Groceries”, wholesale and retail, John McManman (see advertisement below) – Milwaukee Daily Sentinel And Gazette, 23 April 1851

Advertisement for “Immense Stock of Groceries”, wholesale and retail, John McManman – Milwaukee Daily Sentinel And Gazette, 23 April 1851

1852: St. Patrick’s Day In The Morning, Major General John McManman –  Milwaukee Under the Charter From 1847 to 1853 Inclusive

St. Patrick’s day was celebrated this year by our Irish fellow citizens in general, and by the City Guards, John White, captain, in particular. They were presented with a banner by the mayor upon this occasion, after which, in company with the Hibernian Benevolent Association, they marched to St. Gall’s where they attended high mass, winding up with a supper and ball at Gardiner’s Hall, where Lucas Seaver, Maj-Gen. John McManman, John White, Rev. Mr. Raymond, Sherman M. Booth and a few lesser lights made windy speeches about the American Eagle and what he has done and was yet to do. Oh, but those were the days for military display, and if Gen. McManman was not the greatest military genius of the age, then he was mistaken. He once made the remark that the world had never produced but three really great military men. The first was Hannibal the Carthagenian, the second was Napoleon Bonaparte, but the name of the third — modesty forbid him to mention. He was a generous, good fellow as ever lived, but as full of wind as a bushel of beans, and very conceited about his own ability as a military man. He kept a liquor store for several years and sold a kind of bitters (his own make) that were quite popular. He died December 1, 1871. Peace to his memory.

1854-1856: John McManman, Adjutant General of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, April 1, 1854 to April 1 1856

1863: John C. McManman, liquors, 98 E. Water, r. 313 Jefferson – Milwaukee, Wisconsin City Directory

1865-1866: John C. McManman, liquor dealer, r. 383 Jackson – Milwaukee, Wisconsin City Directory

1867: John C. McManman, mnfr. McManman’s Bitters, 239 E. Water, r. Jackson – Milwaukee, Wisconsin City Directory, 1867

1868: John C. McManman, Bitters Manufacturer, 239 E. Water – Commercial Directory of the Western States

1869: McManman’s Bitters Patent No. 385 dated March 27, 1869 – Bitters Bottles, Ring & Ham

1870: John C. McManman, bitters mnfr. 81 and 83 Detroit, r. 94 2nd – Milwaukee, Wisconsin City Directory, 1870

1871: Death John C. McManman on December 1, 1871

See 239 Water Street Now