De Schaum

De Schaum was an early American automobile marque associated with William A. De Shaum and a brief high-wheeler manufacturing operation in Buffalo, New York. The company operated during a period when small, lightly built high-wheel automobiles were still being offered by numerous manufacturers, although the format was already losing market momentum to more conventional low-slung automobiles. William A. De Shaum had previously built the Shaum automobile in Baltimore. After arriving in Buffalo in 1906, he constructed a high-wheeler for the C. Rossler Manufacturing Company. In 1908, he established the De Shaum Motor Syndicate Company and began producing a high-wheeler under his own name. The vehicle was rated at seven horsepower and was marketed under the De Schaum name in contemporary references, with the spelling also appearing as De Shaum. For the 1909 model year, the automobile was renamed the Seven Little Buffaloes, a name that connected the product with its Buffalo manufacturing location. The renaming came as high-wheelers were declining in popularity and manufacturers attempted to reposition or refresh their offerings. The company did not remain in operation for long: De Shaum was out of business before the end of 1909. The venture’s later history was tied to further attempts by William A. De Shaum to enter automobile manufacturing. In 1910 he started a new venture in Hornell, New York, but no cars were produced there. He subsequently moved to Michigan, where he formed the De Shaum Motor Car Company and the Suburban Motor Car Company. These later ventures were separate from the short Buffalo production run documented under the De Schaum name. The marque is therefore best understood as a defunct, early American automobile brand rather than as a continuing automotive company.

William A. De Shaum was an automobile builder who had earlier produced the Shaum automobile in Baltimore. He moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1906 and built a high-wheeler for the C. Rossler Manufacturing Company. This work preceded his decision to establish an operation under his own name. In 1908, De Shaum formed the De Shaum Motor Syndicate Company and began manufacturing a seven-horsepower high-wheeler in Buffalo. The marque is identified as De Schaum in the Wikipedia article title, while historical references also use the spelling De Shaum. The vehicle belonged to the high-wheeler class, a type characterized by large wheels and relatively simple construction. By this period, however, high-wheelers were becoming less commercially attractive as more conventional automobile designs gained acceptance. For 1909, the vehicle was renamed the Seven Little Buffaloes. The new name appears to have emphasized its Buffalo origin and represented an attempt to continue the product as the market for high-wheelers weakened. The enterprise did not survive the year; De Shaum was out of business before the end of 1909. William A. De Shaum continued pursuing automobile ventures after the Buffalo company failed. In 1910, he started another enterprise in Hornell, New York, but that operation produced no cars. He later went to Michigan, where he established the De Shaum Motor Car Company and the Suburban Motor Car Company. These later activities form part of De Shaum’s broader manufacturing career but do not establish an ongoing corporate successor for the Buffalo-era De Schaum marque. Because the documented production period was brief and the available historical record is limited, De Schaum is primarily significant as an example of the many small American automobile manufacturers that operated during the transition from experimental and high-wheeled vehicles to standardized passenger cars. Its history illustrates both the ease with which individual inventors and entrepreneurs could enter the early automobile trade and the difficulty of sustaining a business once consumer preferences moved away from a particular vehicle design.

• 1910

  Later Hornell venture produces no cars

  [1]De Schaumen.wikipedia.org

  De Shaum started a new automobile venture in Hornell, New York, but no vehicles were produced there.

• 1909

  High-wheeler renamed Seven Little Buffaloes

  [1]De Schaumen.wikipedia.org

  For 1909, the De Schaum high-wheeler was renamed the Seven Little Buffaloes as the high-wheeler market declined.

• 1909

  Buffalo operation ends

  [1]De Schaumen.wikipedia.org

  The De Shaum enterprise ceased operating before the end of 1909.

• 1908

  De Shaum Motor Syndicate Company begins production

  [1]De Schaumen.wikipedia.org

  De Shaum formed the De Shaum Motor Syndicate Company and began producing a seven-horsepower high-wheeler under his own name.

• 1906

  William A. De Shaum arrives in Buffalo

  [1]De Schaumen.wikipedia.org

  After earlier automobile work in Baltimore, William A. De Shaum moved to Buffalo and built a high-wheeler for the C. Rossler Manufacturing Company.

A small, early American automobile marque offering a low-power high-wheeler during the final period of popularity for that vehicle format.

• Automobile · 1908

  De Schaum high-wheeler

  The principal Buffalo-era product was a seven-horsepower high-wheeled automobile produced from 1908. It was a small and relatively simple early automobile intended for the emerging American market. Its design belonged to a vehicle class that was already losing popularity as buyers and manufacturers shifted toward more conventional automobile layouts.

• Automobile · 1909

  Seven Little Buffaloes

  The De Schaum high-wheeler received the name Seven Little Buffaloes for the 1909 model year. The name referenced Buffalo, where the vehicle was built, while retaining the product’s seven-horsepower identity. The renamed model was produced during the final phase of the company’s short existence.

• 1909

  Rename the high-wheeler as Seven Little BuffaloesStrategy

  Background

  High-wheel automobile sales were declining, placing pressure on small manufacturers using that format.

  Action taken

  The company renamed its De Schaum high-wheeler the Seven Little Buffaloes for the 1909 model year.

  Aftermath

  The renaming did not prevent the enterprise from going out of business before the end of 1909.

  Source

1. 1De Schaumen.wikipedia.org