The company was founded by Spencer Kellogg in 1912 in
Buffalo, New York. Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. operated a
linseed oil mill. Oil was extracted from
flax seeds. Later,
castor oil and other oils were added to the product line. Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. Spencer Kellogg & Sons furthermore had a
coconut oil plant in
Manila, and a
tung oil plant in
Hankou, China. The products were shipped by
truck and
rail. As they grew, products were shipped by
steamships. They founded a subsidiary,
Kellogg Steamship Corporation, which purchased their first ship in 1934, the SS
Elizabeth Kellogg, a 5,189-ton
tanker ship. Spencer Kellogg learned the linseed oil trade from his grandfather, Supplina Kellogg, who started his trade in 1824 in the
Mohawk Valley, in
Amsterdam, New York. Spencer Kellogg's sons worked at Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc.: Howard Kellogg, Morris Kellogg, and Donald Kellogg. Spencer Kellog and his wife, Jane Morris, also had four daughters, Elizabeth, Gertrude, Ruth, and Doris. Howard Kellogg became president of Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. in 1922. Spencer Kellogg & Sons Buffalo Terminal, Buffalo was located south of the Prenatt Street rail tracks. The terminal had bulk storage of linseed oil in large tanks. Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc had an oilseed processing plant, pier & transit warehouse in
Edgewater, New Jersey. In 1938 the company established its soybean headquarters in
Decatur, Illinois. Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. were active in supporting the
World War II effort. In 1961 the company was sold to
Textron. ==World War II==