Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Smith Oil & Refining Co.

As long as I asked about Regent I might as well ask about Smith Oils. Yes,I did find a logo on p. 56 in H & B logo book. However, this time I found a 5 gal can and not a map. The can is yellow, with black lettering and some red trim. Has a different but very neat logo with a circle saying "Smith OIls" and a crest inside with a liberty bell and some scroll work. On the back side of the can is a square with 6 circles with pictures of suggested "Utility uses for this can" such as for the barn, garage, at the lake, etc. Stenciled on the back is "Gold Film Spec Outboard Motor Oil"

Now I know there is not much interest in 5 gal cans, however, I bought this at a garage sale (paid dearly for it though) on the remote chance there might be a family connection. My geat-grandfather was Samuel Smith, a contractor, and my grandfather Wm. Griffin was a driver for Smith Oil in the '20s if I remember my reading of the Rockford City Directory when I was doing some genealogy awhile back.

Am planning on a trip to Rockford to do some research when the weather gets better. It may be April but we have winter here in northern Wisconsin yet. It'll be June til I can get there.

So, my question: can anyone give me any information about the Smith Oil Co.? It would speed things up for me and I would appreciate the help. There is more than the family connection I am interested in. The refinery process makes more than gasoline, so what about the small companies which seemed to make just oil? Any information about this side of the petroleum industry?

Thanks, John

John, I don't know if this would be much help but years ago when I worked at our local D-X Sunoco station I had a blue and yellow trimmed jacket with "Sunoco" on the chest area and "Smith Oils" on a sleeve patch.

The Smith Oils was green and black, in the shape of a drop of oil. Our supplier was Sweeney out of Peoria,Ill. I also know that Sunoco had a strong marketing base in the Rockford area as I attended the Ford Marketing Institute there in the mid-70's and recall all the Sunoco stations around town.

Hope this helps

John,
Midway was right about the connection with Sunoco. I checked my trusty globe book and found some history on Smith Oil Company. They were based in Rockford,IL. They were an independant until WW2. Then they were a Gulf distributor. Eventually Gulf owned Smith Oil Co. Gulf pulled out of the midwest in the 70's and Smith was spun off. Smith eventually became a Sunoco dealer.
Bob