The international Silver Company was formed in 1898 by various independent New England silversmiths that joined themselves together to form a company that became the world's largest manufacturer of silverware. The International Silver Co. was organized with an authorized capital of $20,000,000 and included the following companies each of which had won a place for itself in the silver world: BARBOUR SILVER CO. (Hartford), DERBY SILVER CO. (Derby), HOLMES & EDWARDS SILVER CO. (Bridgeport), MANHATTAN SILVER PLATE CO. (Lyons, N.Y.), MERIDEN BRITANNIA CO. (Meriden), MERIDEN SILVER PLATE CO. (Meriden), MIDDLETOWN PLATE CO. (Middletown) NORWICH CUTLERY CO. (Norwich), ROGERS CUTLERY CO., ROGERS & BROTHER (Meriden), ROGERS & HAMILTON CO. (Waterbury), SIMPSON HALL MILLER & CO. (Wallingford), SIMPSON NICKEL SILVER CO. (Wallingford), WATROUS MFG CO. (Wallingford), WILCOX SILVER PLATE CO. (Meriden), WILLIAM ROGERS MFG CO. (Hartford).