In 1860 John Turner began manufacturing hat-making machinery in Denton, near Manchester. The business eventually became John Turner & Sons, with Henry Herbert Turner, Albert Turner, Arnold Turner, and William Ernest Turner.
In 1890 Henry Herbert Turner established a branch plant, the Turner Machine Co. of Danbury, Connecticut, which became an interesting business in its own right; see the Turner Machine Co. entry for the subsequent history of that operation. Meanwhile, brother Arnold Turner was traveling Western Europe, developing his proficiency in French, German, Dutch, Flemish, etc., and also learning the hat trade of all of Western Europe. He would become active in both the Denton, England, and Danbury, Connecticut businesses.
In 1898 John Turner & Sons began manufacturing electric motors. In 1900 the company reorganized as Turner, Atherton & Co. The company expanded into other electrical business lines such as elevators. Things seemed to slow down for the company by the 1920s, and the business faded away and was finally liquidated in 1958.
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