Frederick W. Beers (1839-1933) was a New York map publisher who formed F.W. Beers & Co. Beers was born to Huldah Clarke Beers (1813-1893) and James Botsford Beers (1811-1901) in Berlin, Maryland, and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a well-known publisher of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, and Vermont county survey maps. Beers continued his father's work, beginning his career as a surveyor.

Ferdinand Mayer (circa 1817-circa 1877) was a lithographer in New York. He emigrated to America from Germany in 1848 and partnered with other German immigrants in several lithographic ventures, eventually forming Ferd. Mayer & Company in 1854, which later became Ferd. Mayer & Sons. The firm dissolved in 1873. Mayer continued to work as a lithographer, publishing under "Ferd. Mayer Gen'l. Lith."

The Laflin & Rand Powder Company, one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers during the nineteenth century, was formed from several predecessor companies, including the Laflin Powder Company and the Smith & Rand Powder Company. DuPont Company interests acquired the entire capital stock of the company in October 1902, and it was operated as a subsidiary. In 1912, a successful Federal antitrust suit against DuPont forced the company to dissolve Laflin & Rand and divest a significant portion of its explosives business into two newly created companies: Hercules Powder Company and Atlas Powder Company.