A German that came with his family to America at the age of eight years, the American Civil War veteran started at the lowest level in glass making, and learned every aspect of the business.

In 1852, the Crimmel family emigrated from the Hessen region of what is now Germany to South Wheeling, Virginia.

[3] Although Hessians had been making glass since the Middle Ages,[4] it is not known if the Crimmel family members learned glassmaking skills in Europe.

On April 12, 1861 the Battle of Fort Sumter marked the start of the American Civil War.

More southern states rebelled and voted to secede from the union, including Virginia on April 17, 1861.

A training camp was located in the city, and numerous soldiers passed through the town to fight in the south.

Henry Crimmel was part of Company I of the Second Virginia Volunteer Cavalry, which fought for the Union instead of the Confederacy.

During the war, the Regiment lost a total of 196 men that were killed, mortally wounded, or died from disease.

Eleven of the 41 soldiers listed on the Bellaire monument fought for West Virginia units instead of Ohio.

At least two of these West Virginia soldiers (Henry Crimmel and John Robinson) were known to have worked in the glass business.

[17] In the 1860s, duties for youngsters just getting started at glass works often involved adding coal and/or wood to furnaces.

Natural gas was discovered in 1887 in the Findley-Tiffin-Fostoria area of Ohio, and this caused many of the glass houses elsewhere to relocate to be near this low-cost resource.

The Fostoria Glass Company started in December 1887, and both Henry and Jacob Crimmel were considered important craftsmen in its early years.

[23] Novelty was located on the original Fostoria site for the Buttler Art Glass Company, which was destroyed by fire in 1889.

[24] The works opened in early 1891, making items such as figurine salt shakers, punch bowls, cups, and other blown-ware.

Sneath Glass relocated to Hartford City, Indiana in 1894, and Henry Crimmel was manager of the new plant.

Glassblowers at the Sneath plant were aided by a unique system of air hoses that enabled them to be more productive.

During the 1905 to 1915 period, the company began to put less emphasis on lantern-related blown-ware, and more production involved glass canisters for portable kitchen cabinets.

Brothers John, Henry, and Jacob Crimmel were glassmakers, and at times two or more of them worked at the same plant.