Hello,
I purchased an O'Brien & O'Brien tall sided chicken frier with lid and was curious about the company. As others have said there was little on the web about O'Brien & O'Brien so I reached out to the Chicago History Museum and the Chicago Public Library. I posted the same info on the CastIron Reddit sub last week.
Here is what I've been able to piece toether:
O'Brien & O'Brien was in operation on Halsted Street in Chicago form 1925 until 1933. This date range coresponds with information from The Chicago History Museum Research Center who stated there was no record of the company in the 1935 list.
Below are the responses from both the Museum and the Library:
The Chicago History Museum Research Center was able to tell me that they found an ad in the Chicago Tribute "from November 1, 1931 that lists "O'Brien and O'Brien" as an exhibitor at a food/cooking demonstration at The Fair Store (a department store in downtown Chicago). There were no other hits in the newspaper."
In addition... "A search in the Illinois Secretary of State's List of Foreign and Domestic Companies in 1935 (the first year for which we have this publication) did not list O'Brien & O'Brien."
The Chicago Public Library was able to uncover a bit more...
The Certified List of Domestic and Foreign Corporations that was published by the Illinois Secretary of State stopped being published in 1999. Current records are kept online through the Illinois Secretary of State's website, but these older records are only available in print and microfilm. I checked in the volumes of this title that we have at the Chicago Public Library. I found O'Brien & O'Brien listed in the 1925-1933 volumes. The directories gave the following information:
O'Brien & O'Brien, Inc. in the 1925 vol. the address is listed as 5152 S. Halsted Street, Chicago IL.
From 1926 on, the volumes list the company's address as 5112-16 S. Halsted Street, Chicago IL
The president of the corporation was listed as James J. O'Brien.
The secretary of the corporation was listed John P. O'Brien.
The authorized capitol stock for the corporation was 50,000.00.