When James Remley Brumby's failing barrel company forced him to try his hand at chair making in 1875, little did he know that more than a century later his rocking chairs would be known worldwide.

Since the fledgling chair company started in Marietta 118 years ago with the purchase of a $25 hand lathe, the Brumby Chair Co. has battled extinction on two separate occasions and is now stronger than ever.

What is the key to this small business's success? The answer appears to be obvious ... a strong mixture of old-fashioned southern tradition and generations of family pride.

Although he founded the company with his friend Major Henry Myers, Jim Brumby sent to Mississippi for the help of younger brother Thomas M. Brumby in 1875. Together they formed Brumby & Brother. By 1884 the company was incorporated as the Brumby Chair Co. The company has remained in the family, and in Marietta, ever since.

Four years after incorporation Jim retired. Thomas bought out his share of the company and became the second president. By the time Thomas retired in 1923, the Brumby Chair Co. was well established as one of the largest chair factories in the South and one of Marietta's major employers. Its handmade Red Oak rockers began appearing on front porches and by fireside hearths throughout the country.

Marietta prospered along with the company, greatly due to Thomas Brumby and his two terms as mayor. During his terms he helped organize and served as president of the Marietta Electric Co., the forerunner of today's Marietta Board of Lights and Water. He also helped organize the Marietta Bank and Trust Company, served as chairman of the building committee of the First Methodist Church, and was chairman of the Marietta School Board when the city's first school house was built.

After his retirement, his son Thomas Jr. continued to lead the company into prosperity and successfully guided it through the trying years of the Depression. His public career flourished along side the company as he served first as Marietta Councilman and finally as Mayor of the city.

Marietta thrived during Thomas' political reign. A new City Hall was purchased, sidewalks were laid and eight miles of road were paved, property taxes were lowered, electricity rates were reduced nine times, and a new incinerator and two sewage disposal plants were built. Like his father, he died a well-respected businessman and a well-loved gentleman.

At the time of his death in 1938, his sons were all too young to run the family business. Thus, brother Robert E. Brumby left his successful law practice in Franklin, Louisiana and returned to his hometown to continue the Brumby legacy. Despite his strong leadership, the company was hard hit by WWII. The product line was reduced, and employees were laid off. He and brother Otis, a well-known Georgia newspaperman, serving as Vice President, feared the worst.

Finally, in 1944, the inevitable happened. The factory was closed and sold to a short-lived Ohio furniture manufacturing company. But after 70 prosperous years of business, Robert was not ready to let go of the family company entirely. He advised his family to retain the Brumby Chair name and the Brumby Rocker trademark.

This proved to be a wise decision. Following several years of inactivity, the Brumby Rocking Chair was produced again under a license granted to Frank and Carole Melson in 1972. The Brumby Rocker became, once again, an instant fixture in homes and on front porches across the country.

When widow Melson retired from handcrafting the Brumby rockers in 1991, Brumby Chair Co. President Otis Brumby, Jr., the youngest grandson of founder Thomas M. Brumby, couldn't bear to see his family heirloom threatened by extinction once again. He obtained permission from the five family members who owned the Brumby trademark and brought the Brumby Chair Co. back to life.

In Spring 1992, he reopened the Brumby Chair Co. at 37 West Park Square, located appropriately on historic Marietta Square. The new showroom and workshop sit only blocks away from the original Brumby Chair Factory on Kennesaw Avenue.

When asked about the significance of his family's company to Marietta, Brumby says, "The Brumby Chair Co. and the Brumby Rocker have been a part of Marietta's history since 1875, and I hope to help insure the continuation of this heritage.