Thomas Bramwell Welch (December 31, 1825 – December 29, 1903) was a British–American

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister and dentist. He pioneered the use of pasteurization as a means of preventing the fermentation of

grape juice Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. In the wine industry, grape juice that contains 7–23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as '' must''. The sugars in grape juice allow it to be ...

. He persuaded local churches to adopt this non-alcoholic wine substitute for use in Holy Communion, calling it "Dr. Welch's Unfermented Wine". The company he founded is now called

Welch's Welch Foods Inc., commonly known as Welch's, is an American company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts. It has been owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association, a co-op of grape growers, since 1956.Hays, Constance LHow Too Much P ...

Early life

Welch was born in

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on December 31, 1825. He moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

when his father emigrated in 1834. He attended public schools in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by th ...

Wesleyan Methodist Church

At age 17, Thomas Welch joined the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion, founded the same year (1843). From its beginning, the Wesleyan Methodist Connexion strongly opposed the "manufacturing, buying, selling, or using intoxicating liquors", and "slaveholding, buying, or selling" of slaves. With the first edition of their ''Discipline'', the Wesleyan Methodists ''expressly'' required for the

Lord's Supper The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

(Communion) that "unfermented wine only should be used at the sacrament." This requirement was about 25 years before Welch used pasteurization. So it is clearly evident that pasteurization was not the only method used to prepare it unfermented. There were traditional methods to prepare unfermented wine (juice) for use at any time during the year, e.g. to reconstitute concentrated grape juice, or to boil raisins, or to add preservatives that prevent juice from fermenting and souring. Throughout his late teens, Welch was active in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

that transported escaped slaves from the south into Canada. He was one of many Wesleyan Methodists connected to the Underground Railroad. By age 19, he graduated from Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary, and became an ordained Wesleyan Methodist minister. He ministered first in Poundridge, in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, then in

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named ...

. Welch continued in the work of ministry until his voice failed him, and he was obliged to direct his attention to other pursuits.

Post-church career

He attended New York Central Medical College (Syracuse campus), becoming a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

Penn Yan, New York Penn Yan is an incorporated village and the county seat of Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 5,159 at the 2010 census. It lies at the north end of the east branch of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Penn Yan, New Yor ...

. Welch then relocated to

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, Winona County, in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota ...

in 1856. He changed his profession to dentistry.

Juice

In 1864, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church expressly recommended that "in all cases the pure juice of the grape be used in the celebration of the Lord's Supper." In 1865, Welch relocated to Vineland, New Jersey, where a sister already resided, and became a member of Vineland Methodist Episcopal Church, where he served as a communion steward. Then in 1869, Welch invented a method of pasteurizing grape juice so that fermentation was stopped, and the drink was

non-alcoholic An alcohol-free or non-alcoholic drink, also known as a temperance drink, is a version of an alcoholic drink made without alcohol, or with the alcohol removed or reduced to almost zero. These may take the form of a non-alcoholic mixed drink (a "v ...

. He persuaded local churches to adopt this non-alcoholic wine for communion services, calling it "Dr. Welch's Unfermented Wine."

Continued career and pursuits

He continued to practice dentistry in Vineland until 1880 and "enjoyed a very successful and lucrative practice through the entire time." Welch was a staunch

Prohibitionist Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Canty ...

, who actively worked to reduce or end the sale of alcoholic beverages in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and adjacent regions. His son, Charles E. Welch, also a dentist, returned to Vineland, New Jersey, in 1875 and later relocated his dental practice to Vineland. By this time, Thomas was a successful Prohibition crusader and had "all but abandoned" attention to his old experiments. He advised Charles, "Now don't think I'm trying to discourage your pushing the grape juice. It is right for you to do so, so far as you can, without interfering with your profession and your health." Charles and Thomas Welch founded the Welch's Dental Supply Company in Philadelphia and began a dentistry journal. Charles promoted the sale and consumption of grape juice. The Welches sold grape juice as a sideline. The industry had grown slowly until 1890. So from 1890, the Welches were able to spend more attention on the industry. Charles did not devote full attention to marketing grape juice until 1893, when Welch's Grape Juice Company was "officially launched". However, Thomas Welch himself "never received a penny in return for his investment."

Personal life and demise

While in Herkimer County, he married Miss Lucy Hult. They had seven children. The children included Charles E. Welch, who became a dentist and was very involved in the grape juice business, and Emma C. Welch Slade (1854–1928) who also became a dentist. After the death of his first wife, Thomas Welch married Miss Victoria C. Sherbume in 1895. On December 29, 1903, Thomas Welch died in Vineland, New Jersey. He was buried in its

Siloam Cemetery Siloam Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the city of Vineland in Cumberland County, New Jersey. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 2020, for its significance in architecture and landscape architecture. With ...

References

External links

at vineland.org (archived)
History of Welch's grape juice
at welchs.com (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Thomas Bramwell 1825 births 1903 deaths Academic journal editors American dentists 19th-century American inventors American Methodist clergy American print editors American temperance activists Burials in New Jersey New Jersey Republicans People from Glastonbury People from Vineland, New Jersey State University of New York Upstate Medical University alumni Underground Railroad people Wesleyan Methodists Grape juice 19th-century dentists