H. Duhamel & Sons Co. – 1900-1920s – Duhamel & Singer 1860s-1900 Brooklyn, New York

H. Duhamel & Sons Co. of 169-171 Clymer St, Brooklyn were known for their magnificent hearses and carriages. Known to have built a few motorized funeral vehicles in the teens and twenties. The firm was formerly known as Duhamel & Singer (1860s-1900) and was taken over by H. Duhamel, a son of the founder,  after his graduation from the Carriage Builder’s Technical School in 1899. The design work of the firm was of such high quality that it was regularly featured in contemporary coachbuilding magazines such as The Hub and Carriage Monthly.

Ironically the famous CT and NY coachbuilder, James N. Brewster, of Brewster and Co. lived down the street from Duhamel & Singer during 1850-1870.  

For more information please read:

• The Professional Car (Quarterly Journal of the Professional car Society)
• Gregg D. Merksamer – Professional Cars: Ambulances, Funeral Cars and Flower Cars
• Thomas A. McPherson – American Funeral Cars & Ambulances Since 1900
• Carriage Museum of America – Horse-Drawn Funeral Vehicles: 19th Century Funerals
• Carriage Museum of America –  Horse Drawn – Military, Civilian, Veterinary – Ambulances
• Gunter-Michael Koch – Bestattungswagen im Wandel der Zeit
• Walt McCall & Tom McPherson – Classic American Ambulances 1900-1979: Photo Archive
• Walt McCall & Tom McPherson – Classic American Funeral Vehicles 1900-1980 Photo Archive
• Walter M. P. McCall – The American Ambulance 1900-2002
• Walter M.P. McCall – American Funeral Vehicles 1883-2003
• Michael L. Bromley & Tom Mazza – Stretching It: The Story of the Limousine
• Richard J. Conjalka – Classic American Limousines: 1955 Through 2000 Photo Archive
• Richard J. Conjalka – Stretch Limousines 1928-2001 Photo Archive
• Thomas A. McPherson – Eureka: The Eureka Company : a complete history
• Thomas A. McPherson – Superior: The complete history
• Thomas A. McPherson – Flxible: The Complete History
• Thomas A. McPherson – Miller-Meteor: The Complete History
• Robert R. Ebert  – Flxible: A History of the Bus and the Company
• Hearses – Automobile Quarterly Vol 36 No 3
• Marian Suman-Hreblay – Dictionary of World Coachbuilders and Car Stylists
• Daniel D. Hutchins – Wheels Across America: Carriage Art & Craftsmanship
• Marian Suman-Hreblay – Dictionary of World Coachbuilders and Car Stylists
• Michael Lamm and Dave Holls – A Century of Automotive Style: 100 Years of American Car Design
• Nick Georgano – The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile: Coachbuilding
• Marian Suman-Hreblay – Automobile Manufacturers Worldwide Registry
• G.N. Georgano & G. Marshall Naul – The Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles
• Albert Mroz – Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks & Commercial Vehicles
• Beverly Rae Kimes & Henry Austin Clark Jr. – Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942
• John Gunnell – Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975
• James M. Flammang & Ron Kowalke – Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1999